Chapter 18 - Hawaii

The Islands of Oregon

Oregon Islands National Wildlife Refuge is a U.S. National Wildlife Refuge off the southern Oregon Coast.  The refuge consists of 1,853 small islands, rocks and reefs that are home to a diverse population of animals.  Most common are the dozen seasbirds that nest in the area.  It is also home to four different species of pinnipeds and is has the largest number of breeding Stellar sea lions ourside of Alaska.  Except for one island the entire park is closed off to the public.

Haystack Rock

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Chapter 16 - The North Pacific Coast

The Oregon Coast

 

 

The Oregon coast is generally divided into three regions; the North Coast, Central Coast and South Coast. The coastal areas are Oregon's top tourist destination

 

North Coast

The North Coast is most known for the miles and miles or uninterrupted beaches.  Astoria, which is the northern most city in the state is the staging area for ships that are entering the Colombia River.  The area has extremely low lands which causes the annual floods in the region.

Central Coast

The Central Coast has much of the same terrain as the North Coast but possesses more sea cliffs and has a greater number of bays.  There are several urban cities in this area but because the region is squeezed between the ocean and the mountains many of the cities are quite small.

South Coast

Oregon Dunes

The South Coast is most different from the North and Central regions because is has a more mountainous terrain.  This area also contains the Oregon Dunes which is a national park of windswept sand and is the largest sand dune in North America.  This area also contains a shift from pine and douglas fir trees to redwood and cypress trees.  This region of the coast has more sunshine compared to the other two coastal areas.
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Chapter 15 - California

Oregon vs. California

An article on News Geography reports that California is causing a crisis in Oregon.  The article states that because of the dire economic situation in California and influx of California residents are making Oregon their new home.  This would be a good thing if many of them were skilled workers but the authors worry that many of them are unemployed and have contributed to the rising unemployment rate in Oregon.  They are also concerned that with them, these recent immigrants bring the laid back California political attitude of bureaucracy, high taxes and a disregard for economic activity.  The authors want to remind Oregonians that  "as the population swells, there's no concurrent growth in businesses and employment. Over time, this could pose serious problems. Remember, quality of life begins with a job, preferably a rewarding, well-paying job."

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Chapter 14 - The Southwest Border: Tricultural Development

Native American Tribes of Oregon

There are 9 federally recognize Native American tribes in Oregon.  One of them, the Klamath Tribes consists of the Klamath, Modoc and the Yahooskin tribes and has about 3,500 members.  The tribes inhabited southern Oregon and northern California living of the plentiful land and salmon from the rivers but with the settlement and expansion of the United States they were forced onto the Klamath Reservation in 1864.

 In 1954, the US Congress terminated federal recognition of tribal sovereignty of the Klamath, with the plan to assimilate Native Americans into the mainstream population. During that time much of the land that belonged to the tribe and its individual members was lost or sold off.  In the late twentieth century there was a resurgence of Indian activism and, in 1986,  the Klamath Tribes regained federal recognition.  They are now in the planning stages of a new reservation and purchasing the land back.

Chapter 13 - The Empty Interior

Eastern Oregon

  

In comparison to the western portion of Oregon the eastern territory is much drier and has greater variations in temperature.  This part of the state receives a great amount of snow during the winter and because most of it receives less than 10 inches of rain annually it is classified as a desert.  The lack of rain is due to a "rain shadow" caused by the Cascade Mountain Range.

35% of eastern Oregon is covered in pine and juniper forests, which is why the regions economy leader includes timber and also agriculture.

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Chapter 12 - The Great Plains and Prairies

 High Lava Plains

 

The High Lava Plains are located in central Oregon.  It is a flat region that has been uplifted to about a mile above sea level.  There is high volcanic and tectonic activity in this region.

 In the area you will find many geologic mineral sample such as obsidian, that forms from rapidly cooled viscous lava and also balsalt rock, which is also formed by rapidly cooled lava.  Due to the unigue geologic features of the area the one plentiful supply of mineral has been depleted.

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Chapter 11 - The Agricultural Core

Oregon agriculture

 

 

 

 

Oregon has an extremely diverse agricultural industry.  This is due to the climate, varied types of soil and other factors.  Oregon exports about 80% of its agricultural products, with nearly 1/3 going out of the country.  Crops account for 69% of the state’s total sales, while livestock and poultry account for 31% of the state's total sales.

The leading agricultural products are hay, grass seed, wheat, potatoes, Christmas trees, storage onions, pears are the leading crops in Oregon.  Compared to rest of the nation Oregon leads in the production of blackberries, hazelnuts, loganberries, black raspberries, ryegrass seed, orchardgrass seed, crimson clover, fescue seed, boysen and youngberries, sugarbeets for seed, red clover seed, potted florist azaleas, Christmas trees, Dungeness crab and storage onions.
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Chapter 10 - Southern Coastlands

The Southern Coastlands have a particular weather system that they are known for--humid, hot and hurricane prone!  I'll spend this post discussing the weather of Oregon.

The weather of Oregon is influenced by the Pacific Ocean, the continental air masses, and the Cascade mountains.  The temperature ranges from -54°F to a high of 119°F.


When one thinks of Oregon, rain normally comes to mind.  There are some places in eastern Oregon that get as little at 8 inches a year and some places along the coast that get up to 200 inches annually, so the weather varies greatly across the state.

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Chapter 9 - The Changing South

Southern Oregon

Southern Oregon is home to the vast landscape of many lakes, rivers, forests and other natural landscape.  This part of the state is superb for outdoor activities such as fly fishing in the rivers, canoeing in Crater Lake or  hiking around Klamath Falls.  Many towns along the rivers have attractions that almost all revolve around river activities.

One of the most captivating sites you'll find in Southern Oregon is the drive up Highway 138 dubbed "The Highway of Waterfalls" with over a dozen waterfall trails you can hike.

Chapter 8 - Appalachia and the Ozarks

Since Appalachia and the Ozarks have a very distinct culture I thought I would focus on the culture found in Oregon--more specifically, Portland.

Mystery Hole

Some interesting things to do in Oregon include climbing down the Woodstock Mystery Hole.  The Mystery Hole was found in a family's backyard and it is thought to be the entrance to an ancient archaeological site with intricate carvings and deep tunnels below the Earth's surface.

Naked Bike Ride

Every year since 2004 Portland has been participating in the World Naked Bike Ride.  It is an event that happens in multiple cities around the world to bring awareness to many issues such as clean energy, biker's rights and body image.  No photo necessary!

Great Balls of Fire

The Great Balls of Fire is a food challenge at Salavdor Molly's restaurant in Oregon.  They are incredibly hot habanero pepper fritters.  The challenger has to eat five in a limited amount of time and all proceeds go to a charity that provides heat for Oregon residents that can't afford it.

Chapter 7 - The Bypassed East

Rural Oregon

The majority of Oregon is considered rural, covered in forests and farmland.  This is not by accident, the Oregon government has taken steps to protect against urban sprawl in the state.  Some counties have minimum acreage requirements to protect farmland from being subdivided for multiple uses such as wineries that would put stress on the already draining water table in the different areas.

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Chapter 5 - The North American Manufacturing Core

The largest industries in Oregon have been the tech companies since their arrival in the 1970's.  Intel is currently the largest for-profit employer in the state, there are so many tech companies headquartered in Oregon there is a region in Portland nicknamed "Silicon Forest".  Oregon used to be a top supplier of timber but due to fires, regulations and lawsuits that industry has slowed for the state.  Oregon also currently has one of the largest salmon-fishing industries in the world.

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Chapter 4 - Megalopolis

Portland

Keeping with theme of "megalopolis" I decided to feature Oregon's largest, most metropolitan city of Portland.  Portland is located in the Northwest part of Oregon right near the convergence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers.  Portland grew to prominence in the late 19th century due to its easy access to the Pacific Ocean via the two rivers mentioned above. Portland has the third largest port on the west coast.

Portland holds over 50% of Oregon's total population.  Intel is the city's largest employer with over 15,000 employees in the Portland area.  Some other fun facts about Portland are that it is home to the most breweries than any other city in the world and it has more strip clubs per capita  than any other city in the US.

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Chapter 3 - Foundations of Human Activity

Oregon was first inhabited by Native Americans for thousands of years until the first Spanish explorer came in the 16th Century.  By 1818 Oregon was co-occupied by the Americans and the British until it became solely American territory in 1846.

Current day Oregon is made up of a population that is 8% Hispanic, 89% White, the remaining population is pretty evenly split between Black, Asian and Native American.  57% of Oregon's population resides in the Portland Metropolitan area.  The largest religious groups are 67% identifying as Christians and 27% as unaffiliated.
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Chapter 2 - The Physical Environment

Oregon falls in the Pacific Mountains and Valleys and Intermontaine Basins and Plateaus part of the physiographic regions in the United States.  Two of Oregon's most famous physical features are Crater Lake and Mount Hood.

Crater Lake

 

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Crater Lake, a caldera lake located in southern Oregon, is the deepest lake in the United States.  It was formed by the collapse of a volcano almost 8,000 years ago.  It has no tributaries or rivers connected to it and the water supply is kept consistent from precipitation and rainfall.
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Mount Hood

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Mount Hood is a stratovocano located in the Cascade Volcanic Arc.  It is the highest peak in Oregon at 11,240 feet.  It is considered to be the volcano most likely to erupt in Oregon even though the volcano is mostly considered dormant.  The last time there was any aolcanic actvity at Mount Hood was in 1907.

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Chapter One - Regions and Themes

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The majority of Oregon is located in the North Pacific Coast region with the eastern third of the state falling in the Empty Interior (Birdsall et al 7).   There are three major metropolitan areas in Oregon that center around the cities of Portland in the north, Eugene in the middle and Medford in the south.  These urban sprawls are all located on the western side of the state leaving the eastern side mostly rural which lends itself to the making Oregon one of the most politically divided states in the nation.

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Oregon's major exports include wine, wheat and hazelnuts, producing over 95% of the United States' domestic hazelnuts.  Due to the vast forests in Oregon timber and logging is a huge industry but fires, over-harvesting and environmental laws have slowed the industry having a hand in the high unemployment rates in rural areas.

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