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Oregon
The Beaver State, from rainforest coast to high desert
Oregon is a study in contrasts drawn by a single mountain range. The Cascade Range runs north to south down the state, and it changes everything: to the west lies a lush, rainy world of Pacific coast, the fertile Willamette Valley, and dense conifer forest — to the east stretches a dry, sparsely peopled high desert of sagebrush plateau and scattered ranges. The wet third holds most of the people — the dry two-thirds hold most of the land.
The Cascades themselves are a chain of volcanoes, crowned by Mount Hood at 11,249 feet (3,429 m), the state high point. One of them, ancient Mount Mazama, blew apart and collapsed to form Crater Lake, the deepest lake in the United States, filled with startlingly blue water. The Columbia River carves the state's entire northern border, cutting the only sea-level gap through the Cascades at the dramatic Columbia River Gorge. From the foggy, rugged coastline to the painted hills of the eastern desert, Oregon packs the full range of the Pacific Northwest into one state. Portland and the Willamette Valley anchor its population.
Economy
Oregon's economy pairs a high-tech corridor known as the Silicon Forest - where Intel is the largest private employer - with a global athletic-apparel cluster led by Nike and Columbia Sportswear. Timber and forest products, long the state's backbone, remain important alongside a celebrated wine and agriculture sector in the Willamette Valley. Oregon levies no general sales tax.
Politics
Oregon carries 8 electoral votes and votes reliably Democratic in presidential elections, anchored by Portland and the populous Willamette Valley. The rural, drier eastern two-thirds of the state lean strongly Republican, producing a sharp west-east divide.