[13] Culture Regions of the US

Oregon is located in the "Northwest" culture region of the US; eastern Oregon is also considered part of the "Mountains" culture region.



Human settlement in this region relies on the natural resources of the area. In the last 200 years, human activities such as logging, mining, and fishing have impacted the land. Nowadays, this region is well known for its environmentalism. There has been an adoption of sustainable practices by resource-based industries and growing tourism to the region's beautiful forest areas.

Oregon is the first state to create the country's first recycling refund program and initiated a wide-scale preservation of its coastline for public use.



Recently they passed Measure 49 by an unexpected margin of 61%! It protects farm and forest lands, as well as water supplies by limiting large subdivisions and commercial and industrial development. Measure 49 also allows land-owners who only want to build a few homes on their rural property a simpler and fairer way to do so, providing the fairness that Measure 37 promised, but failed to deliver.

Portland is one of the most fountain-centric U.S. cities, with a well-regarded municipal water bureau that maintains 17 decorative outdoor fountains—as well as over 120 public drinking fountains. Many Portland water fountains are the winners of local and international design competitions; others were gifts and commissions to the city from prominent private citizens.

All fountains in the Portland area continuously recycle the water through low energy, high efficiency pumps. They are also chlorinated.Portland’s fountains are for admiring—not drinking.

Most of Portland’s decorative fountains run spring through fall from 6:30 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. The city’s drinking fountains also run on timers.


Keller Forecourt fountain


Salmon Street Springs fountain
As stated in the text, Portland is also known for its social tolerance, especially tolerance of new migrants into the area.

Sources
Environment Oregon
Portland Water Fountains

[11] Recreational Resources

Oregon has various recreational activities available to its residents. Oregon is an environmentally friendly and conscious state, so there are many outdoor activities to engage in. One can mountainbike, windsurf, hike, camp, ski, swim, etc. Oregon is home to 222 beautiful waterfalls. Click on this link to locate them!

There are also many urban destinations. In the Portland metro area alone, recreational activities range from gardens, museums, waterfalls, outdoor markets, a zoo, parks, sports, and performing arts. Not far away is Mt Hood and the Columbia River Gorge.

Portland's gardens include:
- The International Rose Test Garden : This is the most famous of Portland's gardens which has numerous roses in different colors and varieties. It was founded in 1917.
- The Japanese Garden : It is the most authentic garden found outside Japan. It includes a pond garden, a natural setting garden, a sand and stone garden, a flat garden and traditional tea garden.
-The Classical Chinese Garden : It was built as an authentic Suzhou-style garden
- The Peninsula Park Rose Garden
- Crystal Spring Rhododendron Gardens
- The Portland Memory Garden
- Leach Botanical Gardens
- Mill's End Park

Chinese Garden (Top) & Japanese Garden (Bottom)

Oregon has over 200 museums! The Oregon Museums Association has compiled a list of museums across the state and in which areas they could be found. The city of Portland, alone, has 14 musuems (34 total in the metro area ).

Portland Art Museum (Top) & Oregon Musuem of Science & Industry (Bottom)

Along Oregon's rivers, one can kayak, whitewater rafting, fish, or hike along its path. Along the coast, one can drive up and enjoy the scenery the coastline has to offer. Oregon is home to the Devil's Punchbowl (below), a state park open year round which has a unique rock formation that ocean waves churn in.

Oregon is famous for its many lighthouses along its coast. These are monuments to Oregon's maritime heritage and are accessable links to the past. They serve as excellent wildlife viewpoints, storm watching destinations, and posts for whale lookouts. The NPS registers 9 historic lighthouses and they are :

CAPE ARAGO (CAPE GREGORY) LIGHT (1934)
Location: Gregory Point/SW of Coos Bay entrance
Current Use: None

CAPE BLANCO LIGHT (1870)
Location: Southernmost Oregon Coast
Current Use: Active aid to navigation

CAPE MEARES LIGHT (1890)
Location: Southern entrance to Tillamook Bay
Current Use: State park/National Wildlife Refuge *top right*

COQUILLE RIVER (BANDON) LIGHT (1896)
Location: Entrance to Coquille River
Current Use: State park
*bottom right*

HECETA HEAD LIGHT (1894)
Location: North of Siuslaw River
Current Use: Active aid to navigation /Community College Program

TILLAMOOK ROCK LIGHT (1881)
Location: Off Tillamook Head
Current Use: Columbarium in National Wildlife Refuge

UMPQUA RIVER LIGHT (1894)
Location: Umpqua River above entrance to Winchester Bay
Current Use: Active aid to navigation /Museum

YAQUINA BAY LIGHT (OLD) (1871)
Location: Yaquina Bay State Park
Current Use: Museum in state park/Private aid to navigation

YAQUINA HEAD LIGHT (1873)
Location: 3 miles north of Yaquina Bay entrance
Current Use: Active aid to navigation

Oregon's National Forests are:

· Deschutes National Forest
· Fremont National Forest
· Malheur National Forest
· Mt. Hood National Forest
· Ochoco National Forest
· Rogue River National Forest
· Siskiyou National Forest
· Siuslaw National Forest
· Umatilla National Forest
· Umpqua National Forest
· Wallowa-Whitman National Forest
· Willamette National Forest
· Winema National Forest




Oregon has 6 National Natural Landmarks (from North to South). These are public and private biological and geological features protected through conservation.

-Crown Point

-Willamette Floodplain

-Lawrence Memorial Grassland Preserve

-Hoprse Ridge Natural Area

-Newberry Crater

-Fort Rock State Monument

If you want to visit a park in Oregon, here is a comprehensive list:
All state parks map

Sources
NPS
Oregon Museums Association
Oregon.com
Oregon Parks and Recreation Dept
Waterfalls in Oregon
National Forests of Oregon and Washington

[12] Human Impact on the Environment

Fires

According to Oregon.gov...
There are about 1,100 fires annually on the 16 million acres of private and public forestland protected by the Oregon Dept. of Forestry. On average, those fires burn about 12,000 total acres. The forestlands protected by the department include about 13 million acres of private and non-federal public lands, and about 3 million acres of Bureau of Land Management lands west of the Cascades.

About two-thirds of Oregon's wildfires are caused by people and one-third by lightning. At one time, forest operators were responsible for the majority of human-caused fires. But that has changed. Logging technology and methods have improved, sharply reducing the number of operator-caused fires. At the same time our population has grown, with more and more Oregonians living in or near the forest and recreating there. As a result, the public now accounts for half or more of all human-caused fires. Common causes include debris burns, gas-powered equipment use, campfires, off-road vehicle use and smoking. Practicing fire safety in the woods is crucial to prevent large fires that can damage the forest, destroy homes and even take lives.

Below is a chart on Oregon's most destructive fires in it's history.



Sources: Forest Log, National Interagency Coordination Center situation reports

Air Quality



Click on the image above for a closer look at the air quality in Oregon.

Color indicators:
blue = Best/Cleanest in the US
teal = low/mid
green = medium
yellow = mid/high
red = Worst/Dirtiest in the US

Counties in OREGON with the Greatest Reported Releases of Lead to Air:

1. KLAMATH @ 682 lbs
2. DOUGLAS @ 227 lbs
3. WASHINGTON @ 61 lbs
4. UNION @ 51 lbs
5. CLACKAMAS @ 4 lbs

The chart below shows grades for each type of emission, the overall ambient grade, and the resultant county grades. There are two county grades, "self" for the county as determined by its own emission and ambient grades, and "map" for the county as affected by neighboring counties.



The graph below shows how many days in a year the air is healthy around Multnomah County (Portland, OR)



Water Pollution

In some areas of Oregon, more groundwater has been drawn by wells than is replaced by rainfall and snow melt.

There are parts of the state that have widespread nitrate contamination of groundwater.

And, there are localized cases of leaks, spills, or dumping that have polluted the groundwater.

The WACKER SILTRONIC CORP in PORTLAND releases 1,074,401 lbs of water pollutants in the us, ranking 48 in the nation.

Animal Wastes



Oregon ranks #32 in producing 11,000,000 tons of animal waste pollution (1997).

Animal Waste Trends in MULTNOMAH County
Animal Type :: Percentage Change in Animal Waste

Hogs :: Decreased by 63% from 1987 to 1997
Cattle :: Increased by 101% from 1987 to 1997
Poultry :: Increased by 3% from 1987 to 1997
Sheep :: Decreased by 88% from 1987 to 1997

***Total Animal Increased by 91% from 1987 to 1997***

Sources
Creative Methods
Groundwater Stewardship in Oregon
Oregon.gov
Scorecard, the pollution info site

[09] Cities

For this section, I will include some quick points on cities in Oregon. I will focus mainly on Portland, which is Oregon's major metropolitan city.

Portland-Oregon is part of the group in the Northwest of unconnected, yet closesly spaced metropolitan districts that also include: Tacoma-Seattle-Bellingham (WA) and Vancouver (BC, Canada).

The Oregon portion of the metropolitan area is the state's largest urban center, with about 2 million people and about 550 to 600 sq. mi. of urbanized land area, and the state's hub for trade, transportation, and business. Most is under the jurisdiction of Metro, a directly-elected regional government which, among other things, is responsible for land use planning in the region.

According to the US Census stats of 2006, the Portland–Vancouver–Beaverton Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) ranks 23 of the 25 most populated areas in the US, with a population of 2,137,565 people. It consists of Multnomah, Washington, Clackamas, and parts of Columbia and Yamhill counties in Oregon, as well as Clark County, Washington and Skamania County, Washington. The area includes Portland and the neighboring cities of Beaverton, Gresham, Hillsboro, Milwaukie, Lake Oswego, Oregon City, Fairview, Wood Village, Troutdale, Tualatin and Tigard, as well as Vancouver, Washington.

Races in Portland:
White Non-Hispanic (75.5%)
Hispanic (6.8%)
Black (6.6%)
Two or more races (4.1%)
Other race (3.5%)
American Indian (2.3%)
Vietnamese (2.0%)
Chinese (1.4%)
Other Asian (1.3%)
Filipino (0.5%)
Japanese (0.5%)

(Total can be greater than 100% because Hispanics could be counted in other races)


Major Economic Trends Growing industries: hi-tech, metals, transport equipment, printing, retail and service sector Declining industries: lumber/wood, paper, food processing

Below I have included graphs regarding city demographics of Portland, OR.



The Portland-Salem CMSA 's population (Census 2006 est.) had increased since July 2000 because of net domestic migration (an annual average of about 11,975 more native-born residents arriving than leaving), natural change (an annual average of about 15,470 more births than deaths) and net international migration (about 12,860 more foreign-born residents arriving than leaving). Therefore, immigration was the second largest component of population increase, and it accounted directly for nearly one-third (32.9%) of the metro area’s increase over this period.





Sources
Census Bureau
City Data
FAIR: Metro Area Factsheet

[10] Neighborhoods

Downtown Portland has its own set of "neighborhoods" or districts. Look at this downtown map of Portland, identifying its 8 seperate districts. The first two districts have a more detailed description.

- Northwest & Nob Hill
Portland's trendiest shopping is on ten blocks of Northwest 23rd Avenue between Burnside and NW Northrup streets. Some of the Portland's best dining spots are located here. 23rd is a browsers paradise with numerous shops ranging from clothing boutiques to book stores. Twenty-third is the place to go if you want to walk and people-watch and browse through a lot of shops. The Northwest is a well known entertainment center, too.

- Pearl District
This district is transitioning from an industrial warehousing area to one of the most desirable locations in the city. Renovations and adaptive use of historical and other structures have led to loft housing, row houses, condos, new restaurants, art and ceramic galleries, and a burst of new retail activity. A flurry of important new urban creative-commerce entrepreneurs, ranging from small internet firms to world-class advertising and multi-media companies, are staking out territory here.

- Lloyd District
- Old Town & Chinatown
- Downtown
- University District
- Central Eastside
- South Waterfront District & Johns Landing

Here is a Portland Neighborhood Map (Portland and the cities/neighborhoods surrounding it).

This is an alternative look to Portland neighborhoods.



Some general Portland Neighborhood info:

Downtown Portland
(Info above)

South Waterfront
This area is being redeveloped and will be the largest and most expensive redevelopment effort in Portland history which plans on transforming an abandoned industrial site along the Willamette River south of downtown into a high-rise neighborhood as dense as parts of Manhattan. Eventually, some 20 high-rise buildings will be built on the site. This includes medical offices and labs for Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU).

Southwest Portland
Bridlemile - Corbett-Terwilliger-Lair Hill - Hillsdale - Multnomah - Sylvan-Highlands

Residents in the area live here for the schools, hilly terrain, and the "safe neighborhoods" and parks. The area of Southwest Portland has many city attractions such as the International Rose Test Garden, Japanese Gardens, Hoyt Arboretum, Children's Museum, and Oregon Zoo.

West Hills
Arlington Heights - Council Crest - Forest Park - Hillside - Portland Heights

The West Hills are littered with historic homes and even a couple of castles. Common styles found in the hills include English Cottage, Foursquare, Colonial, Tudor, and Arts & Crafts. Most West Hills homes were built in the early part of the 20th Century. This area is home to many doctors, lawyers, VPs, managers, and small business owners.

Southeast Portland
Eastmoreland - Hosford-Abernethy - Mt. Tabor - Sellwood-Moreland - Sunnyside

This area has many industrial plants that provide thousands of jobs for Portlanders. The Hawthorne and nearby Belmont districts are filled with single-family homes and apartment buildings. Bakeries, coffeehouses, boutiques, music and bookstores, micro-pubs, and restaurants line the two streets. Hawthorne Boulevard supports a thriving district that is full of activity. Here, high-density housing meshes with retail activity, creating one of the city's more interesting shopping areas -- pedestrian friendly, lined with gift stores, period clothing shops, eateries, and espresso shops.

North Portland
Boise - Piedmont - University Park
2005 the average price of a home is $208,800.

Northeast Portland
Alameda - Beaumont-Wilshire - Concordia - Grant Park - Irvington - Laurelhurst

Optimal for urban living, checking out historic homes, seeing tree-lined streets, enjoying city parks and street shopping (instead of malls).
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Portland has 94 formally recognized neighborhoods, which doesn't include the outlying areas, ranging from little Fairfield Village to major cities such as Vancouver, Washington, which are considered part of the greater metropolitan area.

Want to get interactive? Check out the Portland Neighborhood map, in which you can click on a neighborhood and find some census data pertaining to that neighborhood.

You can also check out Individual Neighborhood Maps , which are very detailed.

Below are some graphs revealing social status indicators within Portland that give an idea of how the physical structure of the city might look like.











Sources
Moving to Portland
Portland Neighborhoods