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Oregon
State of Oregon
Map of the United States with Oregon highlighted
Map of the United States with Oregon highlighted

Oregon (/ˈɒrɪɡən, -ɡɒn/ ⓘ ORR-ih-ghən, -⁠gon) is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is a part of the Western United States, 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 19th century, and the first permanent European settlements in Oregon were established soon afterward by trappers and fur traders. The United States received joint occupation rights to the region from the United Kingdom through the Treaty of 1818. The Oregon Treaty of 1846 formally brought Oregon under American sovereignty, and the Oregon Territory 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 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 26th 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 km2) of the Malheur National Forest. (Full article...)

1845 map of the region
The Pacific Northwest is a region in the northwest of North America. There are several partially overlapping definitions but the term Pacific Northwest that span the United States and Canada. The term Northwest Coast is often used when referring only to the coastal regions. The term Northwest Plateau has been used to describe the inland regions, although they are commonly referred to as "the Interior" (which in British Columbia is by convention capitalized and is used as a proper name). The inland portion of the U.S. is called the Inland Empire. The region's biggest metropolitan areas are Seattle, Washington, Vancouver, British Columbia, and Portland, Oregon. The region has an Oceanic climate ("marine west coast climate") in many coastal areas, typically between the ocean and high mountain ranges. Alpine climate dominates in the high mountains. Semi-arid and Arid climate is found east of the higher mountains, especially in rainshadow areas. The Harney Basin of Oregon is an example of arid climate in the Pacific Northwest. A Subarctic climate occurs farther north. The Pacific Northwest was occupied by a diverse array of Native American peoples for millennia, beginning with Paleoindians who explored and colonized the area roughly 15,000 years before Europeans arrived. The Pacific Coast is seen by a growing number of scholars as a major migration route for late Pleistocene peoples moving from northeast Asia into the Americas. Archaeological evidence for these earliest Native Americans is sketchy--in part because heavy glaciation, flooding, and post-glacial sea level rise have radically changed the landscape--but fluted Clovis-like points found in the region were probably left by Paleoindians at least 13,000 years ago. Even earlier evidence for human occupation dating back as much as 14,500 years ago is emerging from Paisley Caves in Central Oregon. European exploration began as early as 1579 with Francis Drake possibly landing along the coast, but exploration began in earnest in the 1700s. The first permanent non-Native settlement in the American portion came at Fort Astoria in 1811.

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Gus Van Sant Jr. in 2007
Gus Van Sant Jr. (born July 24, 1952) is an American Academy Award-nominated film director, photographer, musician, and author. Born in Kentucky, the family moved around with Van Sant living in a variety of cities, but he graduated from The Catlin Gabel School in Portland, Oregon before attending the Rhode Island School of Design in 1970. He started as a painter, but later changed his major to cinema. After school he went to Europe and then Los Angeles where in 1976 he got a job working for Ken Shapiro. His experiences in LA led to a 1981 film he filmed titled Alice in Hollywood which was never released. He would move to New York and work in advertising for a time, using the money he earned for film projects. Van Sant would return to Portland where he would work as an independent film maker and produce films such as Drugstore Cowboy. Later works include Even Cowgirls Get the Blues, My Own Private Idaho, Good Will Hunting, and Finding Forrester. As an actor, Van Sant has appeared in a cameo on screen in Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back playing himself. He has written the screenplays for most of his early movies, and has written one novel, Pink. As a musician, Van Sant has released two albums: Gus Van Sant and 18 Songs About Golf. The openly gay writer, director, and musician lives in Portland.

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  • ... that an Oregon radio station stayed on the air through a major windstorm even though a tree fell into its studios?
  • ... that the Oregon Garden obtained the Gordon House because of a misunderstanding?
  • ... that a president of the Oregon Senate crawled along a ledge of the State Capitol to access an unsecured window of the absent governor's office to place bills on his desk?
  • ... that Wiley Griffon became the first streetcar operator in Eugene, Oregon, despite Black settlers being outlawed in the state?
  • ... that Oregon lumberjack Clarence Boggie had been convicted and pardoned twice for robbery before being charged with murder in 1935?
  • ... that Oregon state senator William Kuykendall was a physician who founded the first hospital in Eugene, Oregon?
  • ... that the least populous of Oregon's cities has three people?
  • ... that Alek Skarlatos, who helped foil a terrorist attack in 2015, became a member of the Oregon House of Representatives nearly a decade later?

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The following are images from various Oregon-related articles on Wikipedia.

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Hillsboro Civic Center
Hillsboro Civic Center
Credit: Aboutmovies

The Hillsboro Civic Center is a mixed-use development in downtown Hillsboro, Oregon, United States. The development includes the city hall for the city located west of Portland, Oregon. Covering 6 acres (24,000 m2), the Center has a total of over 165,000 square feet (15,300 m2) in the complex.

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Ronald Reagan
I also want to applaud you for helping the people of Oregon fight a misguided minority that would legalize marijuana. That would be the worst possible message to send to our young people.
— Ronald Reagan, 1986

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A lake in Crystal Springs Rhododendron Garden
A lake in Crystal Springs Rhododendron Garden
Credit: Adumbvoget
Crystal Springs Rhododendron Gardens (9.49 acres) are botanical gardens located on SE 28 Avenue between Eastmoreland Golf Course and Reed College, in Portland, Oregon, USA. It is affectionately known as the "Rhody Gardens." Although peak blooming times are March to June, blooms can be found in abundance year round.

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