Oregon

Oregon is a state located on the United States' northwest, and bordering the Pacific Ocean, California, Washington, Idaho, and Nevada. Its northern border lies along the Columbia River and the east along the Snake River. Two north-south mountain ranges - the Coastal Range and the Cascade Mountain Range - form the two boundaries of the Willamette Valley, one of the most fertile and agriculturally productive regions in the world. Oregon is known for its abundant rainfall, but only the western 35% of the state and a bit of northeastern Oregon is notably rainy; east of the Cascades the climate is much more arid. Nonetheless, 40% of the state is or was forested.

Demographics

As of 2004, Oregon's population was estimated to be 3,594,586. This includes 309,700 foreign-born (accounting for 8.7% of the state population) and an estimated 90,000 illegal aliens (2.5% of the state population).

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The state's population increased by 752,000 between 1990 and 2004, an increase of 26.5%

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Race

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The racial makeup of the state:

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• 83.5% White
• 8.0% Hispanic
• 1.6% Black
• 3.0% Asian
• 1.3% Native American (U.S. Census)
• 3.1% Mixed race

The largest reported ancestry groups in Oregon are: German (20.5%), English (13.2%), Irish (11.9%), American (6.2%), and Mexican (5.5%).

Related Topics:
German - English - Irish - Mexican

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Most Oregon counties are inhabited principally by residents of British ancestry, with a high proportion of German-Americans in the northwest. There are large numbers of Mexicans in Malheur and Jefferson counties.

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6.5% of Oregon's population were reported as under 5, 24.7% under 18, and 12.8% were 65 or older. Females made up approximately 50.4% of the population.

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See also the list of people from Oregon and the list of Portlanders. A list of Oregon locations by per capita income is also available.

Related Topics:
List of people from Oregon - List of Portlanders - Oregon locations by per capita income

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Religion

The religious affiliations of the people of Oregon are:

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• Christian – 75%
• Protestant – 55%
• Baptist – 6%
• Lutheran – 6%
• Methodist – 4%
• Presbyterian – 3%
• Episcopal – 2%
• Pentecostal – 2%
• Church of Christ – 2%
• Other Protestant or general Protestant – 30%
• Roman Catholic – 15%
• Mormon – 4%
• Other Christian – 1%
• Other Religions – 1%
• Non-Religious – 24%

Although most people from Oregon still identify themselves (at least nominally) as Christians, Oregon has the lowest church membership of all 50 states. While some parts of the USA have church membership rates as high as 80%, it runs only about 12% in Oregon. Nearly one in four Oregonians identify themselves as non-religious, giving Oregon one of the highest percentages of non-religious people in the nation. "Non-religious" is an umbrella term which is sometimes synonymous with or includes elements of atheism, agnosticism, skepticism, freethought, humanism, secular humanism, heresy, logical positivism, and even apathy.

Related Topics:
Church - Umbrella term - Atheism - Agnosticism - Skepticism - Freethought - Humanism - Secular humanism - Heresy - Logical positivism - Apathy

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2000-2003 population trends

Estimates released September 2004 show double-digit growth in Latino and Asian American populations since the 2000 Census. About 60% of the 138,197 new residents come from ethnic and racial minorities. Asian growth is located mostly in the metropolitan areas of Portland, Salem, and Eugene; Hispanic population growth is across the state.

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