Oregon Fun Facts
Information About Oregon, Oregon Geography, and Oregon Schools

The abbreviation of Oregon is OR. The capital of Oregon is Salem and the largest city is Portland. Residents of Oregon are referred to as "Oregonians."

The unofficial name of Oregon is "The Beaver State." The state song is "Oregon, My Oregon." The state motto is, "She Flies with Her Own Wings."

The origin of the name Oregon is not certain. One theory has it that the name comes from the French Canadian word "ouragan" meaning "storm" or "hurricane." It's thought that the Columbia River was at one time called "the river of storms" by Canadian fur traders plying their trade in the area.

Oregon is ranked 28th in population and received its statehood February 14, 1859.

Oregon's state bird is the Western Meadowlark. The state flower is the Oregon Grape and the state tree is the Douglas Fir.

California, Idaho, Nevadan and Washington are bordering states of Oregon. The Pacific Ocean is a major body of water bordering Oregon.

Major industries of Oregon are timber, paper products, farming (wheat, cattle), mining (coal), and computer equipment.

There were 537,854 K12 students in the Oregon public schools in 1996. Out of those students 42,819 were first grade students. There were also 26,757 K12 public school teachers in the Oregon public schools system. There were a total of 1,222 Oregon public schools in 1996. (Source: IES National Center for Education Statistics)

Want to know about preparing for the Oregon Assessment of Knowledge and Skills or OAKS Standardized Tests?

Are you interested in information on Homeschooling in Oregon or a Oregon homeschool parent support group?

Find the terms and definitions in Time4Learning's homeschool glossary.