Oregon Geography

Oregon is a state in the pacific northwestern region of the United States of America. The state is bordered by the Pacific Ocean to the west and the capital city Washington D.C to the south. Among all other states, Oregon is one of the three that border the Pacific Ocean and have a coastline on the ocean. The climate of the state is heavily influenced by its proximity to the Pacific Ocean despite the fact that it is in the northern latitude. Statistics indicate that Oregon State is the ninth largest in the United States and has a population of approximately 4 million people. The capital city of Oregon is known as Salem and is among the three most populated cities in the nation. The city is also a hive of many economic activities, which ultimately contribute to the region’s wellbeing. The state’s economy is mainly driven by activities such as agriculture, fishing and hydroelectric power. These economic activities tend to do well in this state mainly due to its diverse landscapes and waterways. Another major economic driving force in the region is technology, which began in the 1970’s.
Statistics further indicate that Oregon is the ninth largest state covering a total of 98,381 miles (Parkman 55).
The state’s geography is divided into eight main regions depending on the different elevations and highest summits. These eight regions include the Blue Mountains, the high desert, the Columbia plateau, Klamath Mountains, Cascade Range, rogue valley, Willamette valley, and Oregon coast. The climate in the region is generally mild ranging from oceanic climate to a Mediterranean climate. The oceanic climate is mainly influenced by the Pacific Ocean and is more common in the areas that border the ocean. On the other hand, the Mediterranean climate is comprised of sunny winter and hotter summers because of the proximity to the rogue
valley.
Most of the population in Oregon is concentrated in the Willamette valley, which is the home to the University of Oregon in Eugene. The governance of Oregon State indicates that the government is similar to the federal government where by there is separation of powers into three main branches. These branches include Oregon legislative assembly, which deals with all legislative matters, the judicial branch, which comprise of Oregon Supreme Court, and the executive branch, which includes the governor to the state and the administrative department. The governance of the region is that governors are allowed to serve a four year term and are only limited to two consecutive terms. Oregon State revenue is largely from income taxes because sales taxes are not covered in the budget. Studies indicate that the state reports very few cases of crime as compared to other states in the nation. Most of the crimes reported are mainly robbery and property crimes as well as cases of assault.
In the United States, Oregon State is among the highest income earners with a GDP pf $219.6 billion in 2013. Statistics indicate that it is among the 30 wealthiest states in the nation based on their GDP (Parkman, 45). The unemployment rate in the state stands at 5.5% as per December 2016. Due to its agricultural nature, Oregon State is the third largest food producer in the United States. The diverse landscapes in the region make it ideal for various types of agriculture and farming. Tourism is also a strong industry in Oregon with much of it concentrated on the state’s natural features. Most of the country’s largest corporations such as Nike are located in Oregon State thus making it one of the fastest growing states in the nation. The largest denomination in Oregon State is the Roman Catholic Church followed by Assemblies of God. The state has many public and private primary and secondary schools. The list of colleges and universities indicates that Oregon State is home to the three largest universities, which are University of Oregon, Portland State University, and Oregon State University.
The University of Oregon, founded in the 1876, is located in Eugene along the Willamette River and occupies approximately 300 acres of land. The University offers more than 300 undergraduate and degree programs in various disciplines. The University has eight colleges, which represent the various disciplines offered and a graduate school, which is responsible for the graduate and certified programs (Oregon, 12). Apart from education, the University also engages in other extracurricular activities such as athletics and football. The eight colleges available in the University are the college of education, college of business, school of law, school of journalism and communication, college of arts and sciences, school of architecture, and the clack honors college.
I study English in the college of education, which was established in 1910 and was previously known as the school of education. The college of education is involved in teaching and research in areas that are related to the field of education. Statistics indicate that the college of education in Oregon University ranks in the top five among the public universities and top twenty overall. The school of education has a special education branch which ranks 3rd in the country. The University admissions are selective based on performance. There are equal chances to all students from the 50 states in the country. As an English student in the University of Oregon, I benefited greatly from the debate club. Apart from educational performance, studying in the University helped me identify and nurture my talents. I was also able to engage in various community service projects, which allowed me to learn the importance of giving back to the community.
The campus has eighty buildings in total that are spread over the 300 acres of land. There is also an arboretum in the campus, which is home to almost 500 species of trees. Despite the eighty buildings present in the campus, construction is still ongoing with plans to build new facilities underway (Elizabeth, 2017). There are student recreation and union centers located at the center of campus, which allows for easy accessibility from the major academic halls. From the University, it is a two-hour drive to Portland, which is the largest metropolitan area in the state. The University of Oregon has one of the largest multi branch libraries, which contains a wide variety of education technology and media services. In addition, the University library has the largest variety of instruction and reference materials, which assist the learning process.
The University has a very rich student life and culture with more than 250 student groups available. These student groups allow the students in the University to identify their talent engage in-group work and community services as well as nurture various professions. Other activities in the University include an active athletics and football team. The teams have successfully competed in national championships.