Professional Cleaning Services Serving Oregon

Oregon
State
Flag Seal
Nickname:  The Beaver State
Motto(s):  Alis volat propriis (English: She flies with her own wings)
Anthem: Oregon, My Oregon
Map of the United States with Oregon highlighted
Country	United States
Before statehood	Oregon Territory
Admitted to the Union	February 14, 1859; 165 years ago (1859-02-14) (33rd)
Capital	Salem
Largest city	Portland
Largest county or equivalent	Multnomah
Largest metro and urban areas	Portland
Government
• Governor	Tina Kotek (D)
• Secretary of State	LaVonne Griffin-Valade (D)
Legislature	Legislative Assembly
• Upper house	State Senate
• Lower house	House of Representatives
Judiciary	Oregon Supreme Court
U.S. senators	Ron Wyden (D) Jeff Merkley (D)
U.S. House delegation	4 Democrats 2 Republicans (list)
Area
• Total	98,381 sq mi (254,806 km)
• Land	95,997 sq mi (248,849 km)
• Water	2,384 sq mi (6,177 km)  2.4%
• Rank	9th
Dimensions
• Length	360 mi (580 km)
• Width	400 mi (640 km)
Elevation	3,300 ft (1,000 m)
Highest elevation (Mount Hood)	11,249 ft (3,428.8 m)
Lowest elevation (Pacific Ocean)	0 ft (0 m)
Population  (2023)
• Total	4,233,358
• Rank	27th
• Density	39.9/sq mi (15.0/km)
• Rank	39th
• Median household income	$71,562
• Income rank	18th
Demonym	Oregonian
Language
• Official language	De jure: none De facto: English
Time zones
most of state	UTC−08:00 (Pacific)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−07:00 (PDT)
majority of Malheur County	UTC−07:00 (Mountain)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−06:00 (MDT)
USPS abbreviation	OR
ISO 3166 code	US-OR
Traditional abbreviation	Ore.
Latitude	42° N to 46°18′ N
Longitude	116°28′ W to 124°38′ W
Website	oregon.gov
ASN	1798

State symbols of Oregon

List of state symbols
Flag of Oregon
Seal of Oregon
Motto	She Flies With Her Own Wings
Living insignia
Bird	Western meadowlark (Sturnella neglecta)
Butterfly	Oregon swallowtail (Papilio machaon oregonia)
Crustacean	Dungeness crab (Metacarcinus magister)
Fish	Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha)
Flower	Oregon grape (Mahonia aquifolium)
Grass	Bluebunch wheatgrass (Pseudoroegneria spicata)
Insect	Oregon swallowtail (Papilio oregonius)
Mammal	American beaver (Castor canadensis)
Mushroom	Pacific golden chanterelle (Cantharellus formosus)
Tree	Douglas-fir
Inanimate insignia
Beverage	Milk
Dance	Square dance
Food	Pear (Pyrus)
Fossil	Metasequoia
Gemstone	Oregon sunstone
Rock	Thunderegg
Shell	Oregon hairy triton (Fusitriton oregonensis)
Soil	Jory soil
Other	Nut: Hazelnut
State route marker
State quarter
Released in 2005
Lists of United States state symbols

Oregon ( ORR-ih-ghən, -⁠gon) is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is a part of the Western U.S., with the Columbia River delineating much of Oregon’s northern boundary with Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of its eastern boundary with Idaho. The 42° north parallel delineates the southern boundary with California and Nevada. The western boundary is formed by the Pacific Ocean.

Oregon has been home to many indigenous nations for thousands of years. The first European traders, explorers, and settlers began exploring what is now Oregon’s Pacific coast in the early to mid-16th century. As early as 1564, the Spanish began sending vessels northeast from the Philippines, riding the Kuroshio Current in a sweeping circular route across the northern part of the Pacific. In 1592, Juan de Fuca undertook detailed mapping and studies of ocean currents in the Pacific Northwest, including the Oregon coast as well as the strait now bearing his name. The Lewis and Clark Expedition traversed Oregon in the early 1800s, and the first permanent European settlements in Oregon were established by fur trappers and traders. In 1843, an autonomous government was formed in the Oregon Country, and the Oregon Territory was created in 1848. Oregon became the 33rd state of the U.S. on February 14, 1859.

Today, with 4.2 million people over 98,000 square miles (250,000 km), Oregon is the ninth largest and 27th most populous U.S. state. The capital, Salem, is the third-most populous city in Oregon, with 175,535 residents. Portland, with 652,503, ranks as the 26th among U.S. cities. The Portland metropolitan area, which includes neighboring counties in Washington, is the 25th largest metro area in the nation, with a population of 2,512,859. Oregon is also one of the most geographically diverse states in the U.S., marked by volcanoes, abundant bodies of water, dense evergreen and mixed forests, as well as high deserts and semi-arid shrublands. At 11,249 feet (3,429 m), Mount Hood is the state’s highest point. Oregon’s only national park, Crater Lake National Park, comprises the caldera surrounding Crater Lake, the deepest lake in the U.S. The state is also home to the single largest organism in the world, Armillaria ostoyae, a fungus that runs beneath 2,200 acres (8.9 km) of the Malheur National Forest.

Oregon’s economy has historically been powered by various forms of agriculture, fishing, logging, and hydroelectric power. Oregon is the top lumber producer of the contiguous U.S., with the lumber industry dominating the state’s economy during the 20th century. Technology is another one of Oregon’s major economic forces, beginning in the 1970s with the establishment of the Silicon Forest and the expansion of Tektronix and Intel. Sportswear company Nike, Inc., headquartered in Beaverton, is the state’s largest public corporation with an annual revenue of $46.7 billion.