Oregon, state in the northwestern United States between Washington and California; 251,500 km2, 4.1 million population (2016), of which 84% are white (2010). Oregon was admitted to the union in 1859 as the 33rd state. Nickname: The Beaver State.
Oregon is predominantly sparsely populated except for the Willamette Valley in the NW with the capitals of Portland, Eugene and the capital Salem. The rest of the residents live in small towns or belong to a declining rural population of almost 30%. The minorities include a small Native American population in addition to Asians, blacks, and Hispanics (especially Mexicans).
Oregon has large hydropower plants, which have been a major driver of economic development since the 1930’s. Most, John Day and Bonneville on the northern border of the Columbia River, are part of multipurpose projects, where the energy for metal smelters and other industries is linked to river control and water supplies to agriculture. The industry has traditionally been linked to the raw materials industries; this applies, for example, to the food industry as well as the timber and paper industry, whose center of gravity lies in the productive coniferous forests to the west and NE. The forest area accounts for 43%, while agriculture covers 45%, of which the majority in the form of grazing areas and extensive grain farming (especially wheat) on the semi-arid highlands to the east. Of the 37,500 holdings of agriculture (1994), however, most are concentrated in the fertile Willamettedal, incl. horticulture, orchards and vineyards. Portland, which is connected to the Pacific Ocean via the Columbia River, has a large port turnover and a high concentration of computer companies.
The landscape is varied and mountainous with extinct volcanoes, water-rich rivers and deep gorges. Highest point is Mt. Hood (3427 m) in the Cascade Range, which divides the state into a temperate coastal climate to the west (annual precipitation 1000-2000 mm) and a dry, mainland climate to the east (annual precipitation 250-500 mm). Tourist destinations include Crater Lake, Oregon Caves, Hell’s Canyon and John Day Fossil Beds as well as numerous nature parks, including along the scenic Pacific coast.
Wine
Oregon has a wine area of approximately 2500 ha and an annual production of 6 million bottles of wine. 70 of the state’s approximately 90 wineries are located in the Willamette Valley, and most produce less than 100,000 bottles. Pinot noir, chardonnay and riesling make up 90% of the wines, but pinot gris and gewurztraminer are also important. Modern viticulture did not begin until the 1960’s, and the breakthrough came when David Letts (b. 1939) pinot noir in 1979 won a tasting in front of great wines from Burgundy.
History
Spanish sailors sailed the coast in the 1540’s, but the area, inhabited by many relatively small Native American communities, was not explored until the late 1700’s; in 1792 the United States claimed it. According to a British-American treaty of 1818, the area was to be open to the interests of both countries, but when the American migration along the so-called Oregon Trail gained momentum in the 1840’s, the United States and Britain entered into an agreement in 1846 on the Oregon Settlement. The Oregon Territory was established in 1848. In 1853, the Washington Territory was separated.
