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Oregon is a state in the
Pacific Northwest region of
the United States. The area
was inhabited by many
indigenous tribes before the
arrival of traders,
explorers and settlers. The
Oregon Territory was created
in 1848 after American
settlement began in earnest
in the 1840s. Oregon became
a state (33rd) on February
14, 1859. Oregon is located
on the Pacific coast between
Washington to the north,
California to the south,
Nevada on the southeast and
Idaho to the east. The
Columbia and Snake rivers
delineate much of Oregon's
northern and eastern
boundaries respectively.
Salem is the state's third
most populous city and the
state capital, with Portland
the most populous.
The valley of the Willamette
River in western Oregon is
the most densely populated
and agriculturally
productive region of the
state and is home to eight
of the ten most populous
cities. Oregon's population
in 2000 was about 3.5
million, a 20.3% increase
over 1990; it is estimated
to have reached 3.7 million
by 2006. Oregon's largest
private employer is Intel,
located in the technology
focused Silicon Forest area
on Portland's west side. The
state has 199 public school
districts, with Portland
Public Schools as the
largest. There are 17
community colleges, and
seven publicly financed
colleges in the Oregon
University System. Oregon
State University in
Corvallis and the University
of Oregon in Eugene are the
two flagship universities of
the state, while Portland
State University has the
largest enrollment.
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