Portal:Oregon

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The Oregon Portal

Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It borders the Pacific Ocean on the west, Washington on the north, Idaho on the east, and California and Nevada on the south. The Columbia and Snake Rivers form, respectively, much of its northern and eastern borders. Between two north-south mountain ranges in western Oregon—the Oregon Coast Range and the Cascade Mountain Range—lies the Willamette Valley, the most densely populated and agriculturally productive region of the state.

Oregon has one of the most diverse landscapes of any state in the U.S. It is well known for its tall, dense forests; its accessible and scenic Pacific coastline; and its rugged, glaciated Cascade volcanoes. Other areas include semiarid scrublands, prairies, and deserts that cover approximately half the state in eastern and north-central Oregon.

Oregon's population in 2000 was about 3.5 million, a 20.3% increase over 1990. It is estimated to have reached 3.7 million by 2006. Oregon's population is largely concentrated in the Willamette Valley, which stretches from Eugene through Salem and Corvallis to Portland, Oregon's largest city.

The origin of the name Oregon is unknown. One account, advanced by George R. Stewart in a 1944 article in American Speech, was endorsed as the "most plausible explanation" in the book Oregon Geographic Names. According to Stewart, the name came from an engraver's error in a French map published in the early 1700s, on which the Ouisiconsink (Wisconsin) River was spelled "Ouaricon-sint", broken on two lines with the -sint below, so that there appeared to be a river flowing to the west named "Ouaricon".

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Credit: Oregon's Mt. Hood Territory

Mount Hood, a dormant stratovolcano, reflected in the waters of Trillium Lake. At 11,249 feet (3,429 m), Mount Hood is the highest mountain in Oregon and the fourth-highest in the Cascade Range. It is considered an active volcano, but no major eruptive events have been catalogued since systematic record keeping began in the 1820s.

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Selected biography

Steve "Pre" Prefontaine (1951–1975) was an American Olympic runner born in Coos Bay, Oregon. Prefontaine was primarily a long distance runner, and at one point held the American record in every running event from the 2000 meters to the 10,000 meters. Prefontaine had one leg longer than the other (a common condition that does not affect running speed), and due to this he was told to give up on his dream of being the fastest runner on earth. He is considered one of the greatest American runners of all time, having inspired a running boom during the 1970s. He is known for his extremely aggressive "front-running" racing style and always believing in giving a full effort. Prefontaine died at the age of 24 in a car accident. Prefontaine set 19 National High School track records. Following high school, Prefontaine enrolled at the University of Oregon in order to continue his running under coach Bill Bowerman, who would later co-found Blue Ribbon Sports, the precursor to the Nike shoe company. After his freshman year, in which he finished 3rd in the NCAA National Cross Country meet, he suffered only two more defeats in college (both in the mile), winning three Division I NCAA Cross Country championships and four straight three-mile titles in Track and Field.He set the American record in the 5000 meter race, the event that took him to the 1972 Summer Olympic Games in Munich where he finished fourth. ...Archive/Nominations

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Did you know...

...that the Oregon Coast Range (pictured) was created by a forearc basin along the Pacific Ocean?
...that in 1961 the Portland Buckaroos hockey team beat the Seattle Totems in the Western Hockey League championship to win the Lester Patrick Cup in its first season of existence?
...that in 2000, Willamette Industries, Inc. was fined a then-record $11.2 million by the United States Environmental Protection Agency for violations of the Clean Air Act? ...Archive/Nominations
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News

Wikinews Oregon portal

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In this month

June 5, 1811 the ship Tonquin leaves the mouth of the Columbia River after establishing Fort Astoria.
June 5, 1977 the Portland Trail Blazers won Game 6 of the NBA Finals to win the series 4-2 and win their first NBA Championship.
June 15, 1846 the Oregon Treaty is signed, resolving the Oregon Question.
June 21, 1942 a Japanese submarine attacked Fort Stevens near the mouth of the Columbia River.
June 3, 1850 five Cayuse tribal members are hung in Oregon City to conclude the Cayuse War that began with the Whitman massacre.

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Willamette University is a private institution of higher learning located in Salem, Oregon. Founded in 1842, it is the oldest university in the western United States. Willamette has approximately 2,500 students in four schools, the undergraduate College of Liberal Arts, the graduate level College of Law, Atkinson Graduate School of Management, and the School of Education. The campus is located on 69 acres (250,000 m²) directly south of the Oregon State Capitol. Buildings on campus include Eaton Hall, Smullin/Walton Hall, Collins Hall, Olin Hall, G. Herbert Smith Auditorium, the Fine Arts building, the Hatfield Library, the Mary Stuart Rogers auditorium, Putnam University Center, Gatke Hall, Lausanne Hall, Goudy Commons, Kaneko Commons and Willamette's oldest building, Waller Hall. The university is a NCAA Division III school with the Bearcat as mascot. The university was founded as the Oregon Institute in the days of the Oregon Country by the missionary Jason Lee, who had arrived in the territory in 1834. On February 1, 1842, by-laws were adopted, a board of trustees was elected and thus the school was officially established. The original building of the institute was a three-story frame structure first occupied in 1844. At the time, it was one of the largest structures in the Pacific Northwest. It housed the first session of the state legislature to meet in Salem after the capital was moved there in 1851. The name of institution was changed to "Wallamet University" in 1852. ...Archive/Nominations

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State facts

Nickname: The Beaver State
Capital city: Salem
Largest city: Portland
Governor: Ted Kulongoski (D)
Total area: 255,026 km²
Population (2000 census): 3,421,399
Date admitted to the Union: February 14, 1859
Form of Government: Republican
Senators: Ron Wyden (D), Gordon Smith (R)
Representatives: David Wu (D), Greg Walden (R), Earl Blumenauer (D), Peter DeFazio (D). Darlene Hooley (D)

State symbols:

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WikiProjects

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Selected panorama

Credit: Cacophony

A 360 degree panorama of Pioneer Courthouse Square in Portland, Oregon. ...Archive/Nominations

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Selected quote

Only when I began studying chemical engineering at Oregon Agricultural College did I realize that I myself might discover something new about the nature of the world. — Linus Pauling

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Main topics

Attractions: Crater Lake National Park • John Day Fossil Beds National Monument • Lewis and Clark National and State Historical Parks • Oregon Caves National Monument • Portland Rose Festival

Metro Areas: Bend-Redmond • Eugene-Springfield • Medford-Ashland • Portland • Salem-Keizer

Culture: Music • Oregon Shakespeare Festival • Religion

Education: Higher Education

Geography: Regions • The Cascades • Central Oregon • Columbia Gorge • Columbia Plateau • Columbia River • Eastern Oregon • Harney Basin • Inland Empire • Mount Hood Corridor • Oregon Coast • Palouse • Portland Metro • Rogue Valley • Southern Oregon • Treasure Valley • Tualatin Valley • Western Oregon • Willamette Valley

Government: Oregon Constitution • Oregon Legislative Assembly • Oregon Supreme Court • Oregon System

History: Oregon Country • Oregon Treaty • Oregon missionaries • Executive Committee • Oregon Trail • Oregon boundary dispute • Pacific Fur Company • Provisional Government • Hudson's Bay Company • Treaty of 1818 • Russo-American Treaty • Champoeg Meetings • Whitman massacre • Donation Land Claim Act • Capital punishment in Oregon

People: Neil Goldschmidt • Tom McCall • John McLoughlin

Sports: Portland Trail Blazers • University of Oregon • Oregon State University • Portland State University • University of Portland • Portland Beavers

Transportation: Barlow Road • Historic Columbia River Highway • River Ferries • Interstate 5 • Interstate 84 • Light rail • Oregon Route 99 • Pacific Crest Trail • Steamboats of the Columbia River • Steamboats of the Willamette River • Steamboats of the Oregon Coast • U.S. Route 26 • U.S. Route 30 • U.S. Route 97 • U.S. Route 101 • U.S. Route 395

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Lists

Oregon-related lists

Culture

Art institutions in Portland, Oregon

Education

Economy

Geography

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Law

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Things you can do

This week's Collaboration of the Weekprojects: PSU stuff& Applegate Trail

Also, see this list of common redlinks

Current Featured Article candidates:
To Improve to Featured standard: Oregon, Portland, Oregon State University, List of Oregon State University alumni, List of Oregon State University faculty and staff, Governor of Oregon, Columbia River
Current Good Article nominees: Sho Dozono, Mark Hatfield, Thomas H. Tongue, Celilo Falls, Fern Hobbs, Hatfield Government Center (MAX station), Portland City Hall
To Improve and nominate at WP:GOOD: One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (novel), Reed College, Mount Mazama, Mount Hood
To Expand: History of Oregon, Lewis and Clark Centennial Exposition, Celilo Falls, Samuel Hill, Oregon Sports Hall of Fame, Victor G. Atiyeh, Oregon Ballot Measure 37 (2004) (add info about Measure 49 of 2007), A.C. Gilbert's Discovery Village, Oregon Coast Aquarium, Oregon State Fair, History of Portland, Government of Oregon,
To Clean up: List of Portlanders, Eugene, University of Oregon, List of counties in Oregon, Oregon Health & Science University, Pendleton Woolen Mills, Oregon Bottle Bill, Hells Canyon, Transportation in Portland, Oregon, Oregon State Hospital, Oregon term limits legislation, Maywood Park, Oregon – interesting article, needs sources, Gary Snyder (needs inline sources), Tom Potter

Oregon
articles Importance Top High Mid Low NoneTotal Quality FA1 7 2 10 FL1 1 A1 1 GA6 8 9 6 29 B16 33 96 105 250 Start32 118 642 1340 2132 Stub9 426 3117 3552 List76 76 Assessed 55 168 1180 4572 76 6051 Unassessed4 4 Total 55 168 1180 4572 80 6055

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