

By 1778, the spelling had shifted to Oregon. The term referred to the then-mythical River of the West (the Columbia River). Īnother early use of the name, spelled Ouragon, was by Major Robert Rogers in a 1765 petition to the Kingdom of Great Britain. It is also possible that the American territory was named by the Spaniards, as there is a stream in Spain called the "Arroyo del Oregón" (which is located in the province of Ciudad Real), or that the "j" in the Spanish phrase "El Orejón" was later corrupted into a "g". Another possible source is the Spanish word oregano, which refers to a plant that grows in the southern part of the region.

This chronicle is the first topographical and linguistic source with respect to the place name Oregon. The term "orejón" (meaning "big ear") comes from the historical chronicle Relación de la Alta y Baja California (1598), written by Rodrigo Montezuma of New Spain it made reference to the Columbia River when the Spanish explorers penetrated into the North American territory that became part of the Viceroyalty of New Spain. The earliest evidence of the name Oregon has Spanish origins. The origin of the state's name is a mystery. Oregon border welcome sign at Denio, Nevada Sportswear company Nike, Inc., headquartered in Beaverton, is the state's largest public corporation with an annual revenue of $46.7 billion. Technology is another one of Oregon's major economic forces, beginning in the 1970s with the establishment of the Silicon Forest and the expansion of Tektronix and Intel. Oregon is the top lumber producer of the contiguous United States, with the lumber industry dominating the state's economy during the 20th century. Oregon's economy has historically been powered by various forms of agriculture, fishing, logging, and hydroelectric power. The state is also home to the single largest organism in the world, Armillaria ostoyae, a fungus that runs beneath 2,200 acres (8.9 km 2) of the Malheur National Forest. Oregon's only national park, Crater Lake National Park, comprises the caldera surrounding Crater Lake, the deepest lake in the United States. At 11,249 feet (3,429 m), Mount Hood, a stratovolcano, is the state's highest point.

Oregon is also one of the most geographically diverse states in the U.S., marked by volcanoes, abundant bodies of water, dense evergreen and mixed forests, as well as high deserts and semi-arid shrublands. The Portland metropolitan area is the 25th largest metro area in the nation, with a population of 2,512,859. Portland, with 652,503, ranks as the 26th among U.S. The capital, Salem, is the second-most populous city in Oregon, with 177,723 residents. Today, with 4.2 million people over 98,000 square miles (250,000 km 2), Oregon is the ninth largest and 27th most populous U.S. In 1843, an autonomous government was formed in the Oregon Country, and the Oregon Territory was created in 1848. The Lewis and Clark Expedition traversed Oregon in the early 1800s, and the first permanent European settlements in Oregon were established by fur trappers and traders. In 1592, Juan de Fuca undertook detailed mapping and studies of ocean currents in the Pacific Northwest, including the Oregon coast as well as the strait now bearing his name. As early as 1564, the Spanish began sending vessels northeast from the Philippines, riding the Kuroshio Current in a sweeping circular route across the northern part of the Pacific. The first European traders, explorers, and settlers began exploring what is now Oregon's Pacific coast in the early to mid-16th century. Oregon has been home to many indigenous nations for thousands of years. The western boundary is formed by the Pacific Ocean. The 42° north parallel delineates the southern boundary with California and Nevada. Oregon is a part of the Western United States, with the Columbia River delineating much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of its eastern boundary with Idaho. Oregon ( / ˈ ɒr ɪ ɡ ən/ ( listen)) is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States.
