OR · Beaver State · West · admitted 1859 (#33)
Oregon map
Oregon highlighted on the US map, with its capital Salem and largest city Portland in the Willamette Valley. The Cascades split the wet west from the dry high desert east.
- Capital
- Salem
- Largest city
- Portland
- Population (2020)
- 4,237,256
- Area
- 98,379 sq mi
- Counties
- 36
- Region
- West · Pacific
- Statehood
- February 14, 1859
Where Oregon is
Oregon is the middle state of the Pacific Northwest coast, between Washington and California. It measures about 400 miles east to west and about 295 miles north to south. Clockwise from the north: Washington across the Columbia River and along the 46th parallel, Idaho across the Snake River and a short meridian to the east, Nevada and California along the 42nd parallel to the south, and 363 miles of Pacific coast to the west. It is the ninth-largest state by area and 27th by population.
Major cities
| City | Region of state | Population (2020) |
|---|---|---|
| Portland | Willamette–Columbia confluence, northwest | 652,503 |
| Eugene | Southern Willamette Valley | 176,654 |
| Salem (capital) | Mid-Willamette Valley | 175,535 |
| Gresham | Portland metro | 114,247 |
| Hillsboro | Portland metro | 106,447 |
| Bend | Central Oregon, east of the Cascades | 99,178 |
About 70 percent of Oregonians live in the Willamette Valley along Interstate 5 between Portland and Eugene. Bend is the largest city east of the Cascades.
Geography
- Highest point — Mount Hood, 11,249 ft, a volcano in the Cascade Range 50 miles east of Portland. The Cascades run the length of the state and include Crater Lake, the deepest lake in the US at 1,949 ft.
- Columbia River — the northern border for about 300 miles, cutting the Columbia River Gorge through the Cascades. See the Columbia River map.
- Willamette River — flows north 187 miles through Eugene, Salem and Portland to the Columbia, through the state's main farmland.
- Snake River — the eastern border, running through Hells Canyon, the deepest river gorge in North America. See the Snake River map.
- East of the Cascades — the high desert of the Great Basin (Harney Basin, Steens Mountain, Alvord Desert), the Blue and Wallowa mountains in the northeast, and the Deschutes River past Bend.
- Time zones — Pacific everywhere except most of Malheur County in the southeast, which keeps Mountain Time with neighboring Boise, Idaho. The coast is the low point at sea level.
Borders
The northern border is natural along the Columbia River from the Pacific to a point near Wallula, then a surveyed line along the 46th parallel east to the Snake. The Snake River forms the Idaho border for more than 200 miles, after which the line runs due south along about 117°02'W to Nevada. The 42nd parallel, fixed as the boundary between Spanish and American claims in 1819, is the entire southern border with Nevada and California. The Washington line was set in 1853 when Washington Territory was carved from Oregon Territory.
Regions of Oregon
The Oregon Coast, the Willamette Valley (Portland, Salem, Eugene), Southern Oregon (Medford, Ashland, the Rogue Valley), the Cascades, Central Oregon (Bend, Redmond), the Columbia Gorge and Plateau, Eastern Oregon (Pendleton, the Blue Mountains, the Wallowas) and the Southeastern high desert of Harney and Malheur counties.
Related maps
- Oregon county map — all 36 counties with seats.
- Blank Oregon map — outline for printing.
- Printable Oregon map.
- Salem — the capital, 45 miles south of Portland.
- Portland — the largest city.
- Neighbors: Washington, Idaho, Nevada, California.
- West, Pacific division, Pacific Northwest, Pacific Time Zone, Mountain Time Zone.
- Geography: Cascade Range, Columbia River, Snake River.