Oregon

Oregon is a <a href="/facts/U.S._state/PFwcRIYQ">state</a> in the <a href="/facts/Pacific_Northwest/EjJhETXc">Pacific Northwest</a> region of the United States. It is a part of the <a href="/facts/Western_U.S./uY9UGAus">Western U.S.</a>, with the <a href="/facts/Columbia_River/XTEInQB8">Columbia River</a> delineating much of Oregon's northern boundary with <a href="/facts/Washington_(state)/7tCrTFnN">Washington</a>, while the <a href="/facts/Snake_River/MQbBPVS3">Snake River</a> delineates much of its eastern boundary with <a href="/facts/Idaho/68ELs9Um">Idaho</a>. The <a href="/facts/42nd_parallel_north/DYjjkFMK">42° north parallel</a> delineates the southern boundary with <a href="/facts/California/zLW2vdQJ">California</a> and <a href="/facts/Nevada/HNWhCrQv">Nevada</a>. The western boundary is formed by the <a href="/facts/Pacific_Ocean/bdxgXRVM">Pacific Ocean</a>.
Oregon has been home to many <a href="/facts/Indigenous_peoples_of_the_Americas/LG2r6wXm">indigenous</a> 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 <a href="/facts/Spanish_expeditions_to_the_Pacific_Northwest/b1SJfjNX">Spanish</a> began sending vessels northeast from the <a href="/facts/Philippines/ARpmxXQV">Philippines</a>, riding the <a href="/facts/Kuroshio_Current/WJP7fLQf">Kuroshio Current</a> in a sweeping circular route across the northern part of the Pacific. In 1592, <a href="/facts/Juan_de_Fuca/m12wQftU">Juan de Fuca</a> undertook detailed mapping and studies of ocean currents in the Pacific Northwest, including the Oregon coast as well as the <a href="/facts/Strait_of_Juan_de_Fuca/fqw1qYfS">strait</a> now bearing his name. The <a href="/facts/Lewis_and_Clark_Expedition/ADmWYa77">Lewis and Clark Expedition</a> traversed Oregon in the early 19th century, and the first permanent European settlements in Oregon were established soon afterward by <a href="/facts/Trapping/ISrWbq1f">trappers</a> and <a href="/facts/Fur_trade/VlU2wVoG">fur traders</a>. The United States received joint occupation rights to the region from the <a href="/facts/United_Kingdom_of_Great_Britain_and_Ireland/yw0GUkge">United Kingdom</a> through the <a href="/facts/Treaty_of_1818/PQWqSIea">Treaty of 1818</a>. The <a href="/facts/Oregon_Treaty/k15wUh0d">Oregon Treaty</a> of 1846 formally brought Oregon under American sovereignty, and the <a href="/facts/Oregon_Territory/ao5lN9RE">Oregon Territory</a> was created two years later. Oregon was admitted to the United States on February 14, 1859, becoming the 33rd state.
Today, with 4.2 million people over 98,000 square miles (250,000 km2), Oregon is the <a href="/facts/List_of_U.S._states_and_territories_by_area/q3nFXQlt">ninth largest</a> and <a href="/facts/List_of_U.S._states_and_territories_by_population/ytDJqMaH">27th most populous</a> U.S. state. The capital, <a href="/facts/Salem%2c_Oregon/k7zd3I1K">Salem</a>, is the third-most populous city in Oregon, with 175,535 residents. <a href="/facts/Portland%2c_Oregon/wwBx1Hrv">Portland</a>, with 652,503, ranks as the 26th among U.S. cities. The <a href="/facts/Portland_metropolitan_area/RFbnNgge">Portland metropolitan area</a>, 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 <a href="/facts/High_Desert_(Oregon)/0gepyuwS">high deserts</a> and semi-arid <a href="/facts/Shrubland/TuWUtSYv">shrublands</a>. At 11,249 feet (3,429 m), <a href="/facts/Mount_Hood/MCE8RaDR">Mount Hood</a> is the state's highest point. Oregon's only national park, <a href="/facts/Crater_Lake_National_Park/0pkUKsCJ">Crater Lake National Park</a>, comprises the <a href="/facts/Caldera/eWvTK8Es">caldera</a> surrounding <a href="/facts/Crater_Lake/AXqWW3uz">Crater Lake</a>, the deepest lake in the U.S. The state is also home to the single <a href="/facts/Largest_organisms/F3HjLlq7">largest organism</a> in the world, <a href="/facts/Armillaria_ostoyae/1kvv4g7J">Armillaria ostoyae</a>, a fungus that runs beneath 2,200 acres (8.9 km2) of the <a href="/facts/Malheur_National_Forest/lEE6Y3CH">Malheur National Forest</a>.
Oregon's economy has historically been powered by various forms of agriculture, fishing, logging, and <a href="/facts/Hydroelectricity/zEeJIK2B">hydroelectric</a> power. Oregon is the top <a href="/facts/Lumber/jJfdSlJ6">lumber</a> producer of the <a href="/facts/Contiguous_U.S./yx414G7a">contiguous U.S.</a>, 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 <a href="/facts/Silicon_Forest/BNqxNkfP">Silicon Forest</a> and the expansion of <a href="/facts/Tektronix/4yPXfhmV">Tektronix</a> and <a href="/facts/Intel/SMF0gJJX">Intel</a>. Sportswear company <a href="/facts/Nike%2c_Inc./uBaRcBM2">Nike, Inc.</a>, headquartered in <a href="/facts/Beaverton%2c_Oregon/SmERc4Fg">Beaverton</a>, is the state's largest public corporation with an annual revenue of $46.7 billion.

Oregon open-in-new

Oregon