Eastern Oregon
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Eastern Oregon is a region of the
Compared to that of the
.Geography
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/7f/Wallowa_mts_lake.jpg/220px-Wallowa_mts_lake.jpg)
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a6/Oregon_Trail_IC_Baker_City_OR.jpg/220px-Oregon_Trail_IC_Baker_City_OR.jpg)
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d9/Burns_oregon.jpg/220px-Burns_oregon.jpg)
According to the Eastern Oregon Visitors Association, Eastern Oregon includes only the following eight counties: Morrow, Umatilla, Union, Wallowa, Grant, Baker, Harney, and Malheur. The association divides the eight-county definition into three subregions: the Columbia River Plateau (Morrow and Umatilla counties); northeast Oregon (Baker, Union, and Wallowa counties); and southeast Oregon (Grant, Harney, and Malheur counties).[2] Some definitions of the region are more restrictive,[3] while others include the base eight counties listed above plus several adjacent counties.[4][5] Still others include the entire area east of the Cascade Range;[6] this meaning would also include Sherman, Crook, Deschutes, Gilliam, Jefferson, Klamath, Lake, Wasco, and Wheeler counties.
The extreme eastern section of Oregon in the
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b8/JosephCanyonPanorama.jpg/220px-JosephCanyonPanorama.jpg)
Politics
Although Oregon as a whole is generally considered a
The political divide between the eastern and western parts of the state has led some residents of Eastern Oregon to claim that the state of Oregon, with the majority of its population and political control based in the west of the Cascade Range, has neglected the eastern part of the state, preventing it from developing along with the western part. A movement to have Eastern Oregon secede and join the United States as a 51st state was underway in 2008.[9]
"Greater Idaho"
In 2021, five counties in Eastern Oregon voted to direct their County Commissioners to hold annual hearings on the issue of joining Idaho, the state located east of Oregon. It was initiated by the group "Move Oregon's Border for a Greater Idaho", who support the
On January 10, 2023, Senate Joint Memorial 2, also known as the Greater Idaho Bill, was
Cities
Top 15 most populated Eastern Oregon cities (according to the 8-county definition):
Rank | City | Population[14] (2023) | County |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Hermiston | 20,322 | Umatilla |
2 | Pendleton | 17,006 | Umatilla |
3 | La Grande | 12,823 | Union |
4 | Ontario | 12,206 | Malheur |
5 | Baker City | 10,102 | Baker |
6 | Umatilla | 7,810 | Umatilla |
7 | Milton-Freewater | 7,490 | Umatilla |
8 | Boardman | 4,437 | Morrow |
9 | Nyssa | 3,363 | Malheur |
10 | Burns | 2,730 | Harney |
11 | Union | 2,182 | Union |
12 | Stanfield | 2,313 | Umatilla |
13 | Enterprise | 2,147 | Wallowa |
14 | Irrigon | 2,133 | Morrow |
15 | Vale | 1,947 | Malheur |
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/cf/Hermiston_Butte.jpg/220px-Hermiston_Butte.jpg)
By extending the boundary outside to include neighboring counties, Eastern Oregon would include three of the largest population centers east of the
Climate and ecology
Compared to the
Economy
The region's economy is primarily
Recreation
From the high desert to the rugged mountainous areas of the Eagle Cap Wilderness area, Eastern Oregon has a range of outdoor recreational opportunities such as skiing, rafting, and hiking.[20]
Anthony Lakes is the largest ski resort in Eastern Oregon.[21] Spout Springs, located in the Umatilla National Forest in the Blue Mountains, is popular with families.[22] Rafting is often seasonal on the rivers that are snowpack-dependent and not dammed. The Owyhee River is an example of a desert canyon river experience.[clarification needed] The Snake River offers boating experiences that range from a quiet drift through the desert to hair-raising thrills of class II to III+ rapids.[tone][citation needed]
Transportation
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/ef/Joda_sheeprock.jpg/220px-Joda_sheeprock.jpg)
Historically, the region has been relatively isolated from
Railroads began to be important as early as 1858 with the construction of the
The only other railroad ever built east over the Cascade Mountains was trackage that was to become part of the Southern Pacific Transportation Company, which was opened in 1926 over Willamette Pass to Klamath Falls[24] to bypass the difficult line south of Eugene to Ashland.
All-weather highways over the Cascade Mountains were not completed until the 1930s and 1940s.[25][26]
Major road routes through eastern Oregon include
See also
- Regions of Oregon
References
- ^ Davenport, Timothy Woodbridge (1903). Oregon Historical Quarterly. 4 (1). .
- ^ "Eastern Oregon Visitor's Association". Archived from the original on October 12, 2007. Retrieved October 24, 2007.
- ^ "Frommer's: Eastern Oregon". Archived from the original on August 4, 2008. Retrieved October 26, 2007.
- ^ Explore Eastern Oregon. Oregon Parks and Recreation Department. Retrieved on October 26, 2007.
- ^ Eastern Oregon. Guide to Oregon. Retrieved on October 26, 2007.
- ^ Are Introduced Plants Common in Eastern Oregon Forests? United States Forest Service. Retrieved on October 26, 2007.
- ^ Cohen, Micah (August 16, 2012). "Oregon, Sitting at the Border of Safe and In Play". FiveThirtyEight. The New York Times. Archived from the original on April 12, 2016. Retrieved January 3, 2016.
Oregon, like Wisconsin, is an ideologically polarized state. The Cascade Mountains are a convenient dividing line, politically and geographically.
- ^ "Oregon 2012 Presidential Election Results". US Election Atlas.
- ^ Wright, Phil (April 25, 2008). "Group eyes Eastern Oregon as 51st state". East Oregonian. Retrieved October 14, 2022.
- ^ Perry, Douglas (May 19, 2021). "More Oregon counties vote to consider joining Idaho, part of rural effort to 'gain political refuge from blue states'". oregonlive. Retrieved May 20, 2021.
- ^ "11 of 15 Eastern Oregon Counties Have Already Voted for a "Greater" Idaho". KMVT. November 13, 2022.
- ^ Bourgeois, Michaela; Boddie, Ken (January 15, 2023). "'This is possible': Greater Idaho Movement on border change bill". KOIN.
- ^ Rawlings, Matt (January 10, 2023). "Greater Idaho bill introduced in Oregon State Senate reading". KOIN.
- ^ "Population Estimate Reports". Portland State University. December 18, 2023. Retrieved December 19, 2023.
- ^ "Cattlemen Care: About Oregon's Economy". Oregon Cattlemen's Association. Archived from the original on January 13, 2016. Retrieved January 3, 2016.
Agriculture and related economic activity accounts for over 12 percent of Oregon's economy. Agricultural products lead all Oregon exports by volume and rank second by value; and agriculture creates more than 234,000 jobs in the state.
- ^ Wilson, Jason (January 14, 2016). "The Oregon militia revolt recipe: timber, despair and a crippling political isolation". The Guardian. Archived from the original on November 8, 2020. Retrieved January 17, 2016.
- ^ Margulis, Jennifer (July 8, 2013). "Wolf tourism in Eastern Oregon". Oregon Business. p. 3. Archived from the original on August 6, 2015. Retrieved January 17, 2016.
- ^ "Fishing, Hunting, Wildlife Viewing and Shellfishing in Oregon 2008". Dean Runyan Associates. Archived from the original on April 28, 2016. Retrieved January 17, 2016.
- ^ Rost, Bob (2005). "Blessed with Soil and Precious Little Water". Oregon's Agricultural Progress. Oregon State University. Archived from the original on April 27, 2016. Retrieved January 17, 2016.
- ^ "Eastern Oregon Find Things to See & Do". Travel Oregon. Oregon Travel Commission. Retrieved January 17, 2016.
- ^ The resort has three lifts that offer access to over 1500 acres of dry Eastern Oregon powder. On the Snow.
- ^ On the Snow.
- ^ LCCN 99037058.
- ^ "Southern Pacific Railroad." Trainweb.org.
- ^ Engeman, Richard H. (2005; revised and updated 2014). Subtopic : Revival Styles, Highway Alignment: 1890-1940: One Big City, Many Small Towns. The Oregon History Project. Oregon Historical Society. Retrieved on June 17, 2016.
- ^ Tonsfeldt, Ward and Paul G. Claeyssens (2004; revised and updated 2014). Subtopic : Post-Industrial Years: 1970-Present: Tourism and Recreation. The Oregon History Project. Retrieved on June 17, 2016.