The US state of Oregon is located in the Pacific Northwest region of the country. The State Capital is Salem, whereas Portland is the most populous city. The state of Oregon is bounded by California State towards the south, the state of Washington towards the north, the state of Nevada towards the southeast and Idaho State towards the east. The Snake River delineates the eastern boundary and the Columbia River delineates the northern boundary.
The landscape of Oregon is rather diverse, from the rainy Pacific shoreline and its forests of Redwoods and Douglas Firs; to the high desert of the east, that extends into the Great Basin; to the rugged Cascade Mountain Range with lakes and waterfalls. The eastern part of Oregon has deserts, prairies, steppes, meadows and semi-arid shrublands. The highest elevation in the state is 11,249 feet at Mount Hood.
Indigenous tribes initially inhabited the area prior to the arrival of European settlers. An autonomous government was formed within the county of Oregon in the year 1843 and the Oregon Territory was created during the year 1848. In the year 1859, Oregon became a state.
The population of the state of Oregon is around 3.8 million, with the majority of these inhabitants located within the valley of the Willamette River within western Oregon. The population of Portland is 583,776.
Crater Lake National Park is the state's only national park. Crater Lake is amongst the world's deepest lakes.
The Willamette Valley is a fertile region due to deposits onto the valley floor of lake sediment from Glacial Lake Missoula in western Montana. The state of Oregon is a top producer of hazelnuts and produces practically all of the domestic hazelnuts sold in the United States. Oregon State is a leading wine-producing area with more than 300 wineries. Wine production has been a substantial business for approximately 40 years. The region has similar soil qualities and weather to those situated in the Alsace and Burgundy regions of France. Cranberry production is found along the Southern coastline covering around 27,000 acres within northern Curry and southern Coos counties, all-around the city of Bandon.
Within the Northeastern area of Oregon, dry and irrigated land wheat is grown around Pendleton. Oregon also produces cattle, dairy products, poultry, eggs and sheep.
Due to its extensive forests, Oregon State was once amongst the countries' main producers of timber. Many factors have caused a vast decline in the timber harvested from federal lands. Forest fires, over-harvesting and legal struggles over management of federal holdings have reduced production of timber.