Oregon is a great place to live. This is largely due to the fact that 99% of the rest of the world doesn't seem to realize it. Oregon is one of those rare states with out sales tax. Oregon does not generally allow people to pump their own gas. We were the first state with a deposit on canned beverages. We were also the first state to try vote by mail. Most every beach was declared to be a "state highway" quite some years ago so that greedy types couldn't buy them up and prevent public access. From the largest city, Portland (population ~600,000, metro area ~1.5 million), it is about an hours drive to: coastal, desert, forest, or moutainous places. We have several notable schools, including Oregon State, University of Oregon, Portland State, Southern Oregon University, and University of Portland. Oregon became a state on February 14, 1859. We pronouce it Ore-gen, *not* O-re-gon. You will be taunted and tortured mercilessly if you mis-speak. The Portland area (especially the western suburbs) are known in many circles as the Silicon Forest. Many big tech companies, including Intel and HP, have major facilities here.