| Oregon
. . .
Oregon's official state flag
was adopted in 1925. It is the
only US state flag that still
has a design on both sides.
Both sides of the flag have
a deep blue background and yellow
designs. The reverse of the
flag pictures a beaver which
is Oregon's state animal. The
front of the flag features the
words "STATE OF OREGON"
and the year "1859,"
the year Oregon became a state.
Between these is a heart-shaped
seal that pictures a landscape
with mountains, trees, elk,
a covered wagon, and a British
warship leaving and an American
steamship arriving. The ships
symbolize the transfer of the
Oregon Territory from the British
to the US in 1846, when President
James K. Polk signed a treaty
with England giving this territory
to the United States. The covered
wagon represents the early Oregon
pioneers who traveled on the
Oregon Trail to settle in Oregon.
Oregon became a state in 1859
as the 33rd state. Oregon is
located in the Pacific Northwest,
between California and Washington.
The bordering States are Idaho,
Nevada, California and Washington.
The capital city of Oregon is
Salem and largest city Portland.
Spanish sailors in search of
a northwest passage where the
first to come upon what we know
today as Oregon.
Oregon is a state of great
natural beauty and has many
beautiful attractions such as
Crater Lake National Park and
the Columbia River Gorge, which
is know as being the best place
for windsurfing. Numerous mountains
run through Oregon which include
the Cascade and Coast Ranges,
as well as the Blue, Steens
and Wallowa ranges of the Rocky
Mountains. Oregon has many forests
which help Oregon to be the
leading state in the production
of wood products.
Oregon is a leader in growing
peppermint, cover seed crops,
blackberries, boysenberries,
loganberries, black raspberries,
and hazelnuts. It is second
in raising hops, red raspberries,
prunes, snap beans, and onions.
Agriculture: Cattle, vegetables,
nursery stock, fruits and nuts,
dairy products, wheat.
Industry: Lumber and wood products,
tourism, food processing, paper
products, machinery, scientific
instruments.
Oregon has a vibrant arts
community, a thriving music
scene, an amazing variety of
restaurants, entertainment options
and an incredible diversity
of natural beauty. Portland
Oregon was named "FitTown,
U.S.A" by Fitness Magazine
because of it being one of "America's
Top-10 Healthiest Cities."
Klamath also is a healthy Oregon
City.
Weather varies significantly
across Oregon, but overall,
winters are often cool and wet,
with summers dry and warm. Temperatures
average 38 degrees in January
and 67 degrees in July. Cooler
condition exist in the east
and southeast, while it's warmer
in the southwest. About 50%
of all precipitations falls
in winter. Amounts vary from
8 inches annually in the drier
plateau regions east of the
Cascades, to as much as 200
inches in the higher elevation
of the Coast Range mountains.
Snow amounts approach 350 to
550 inches annually in the Cascades.
Oregon has 36 counties:
Baker
Benton Clackamas Clatsop Columbia
Coos Crook Curry Deschutes Douglas
Gilliam Grant
Harney Hood River Jackson Jefferson
Josephine Klamath Lake Lane
Lincoln Linn Malheur Marion
Morrow Multnomah Polk Sherman
Tillamook Umatilla Union Wallowa
Wasco Washington Wheeler Yamhill
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state - Oregon