There s a big city full of high technology and progressive ideas. There are throw-back ranch towns that seem closer to the 19th century than the 21st. Oregon s variety is especially good news for vacationers. Oregon s countless opportunities for outdoor recreation top the list of reasons to visit, but you don t have to leave with sore muscles. Oregon s cities and towns are rich with history, art, culture and shopping.
Sightseeing is as near as the closest highway.
All that, and it s just plain beautiful out there. More than 80 distinct tribes were enjoying Oregon before the first Europeans arrived. Those of the central and southern Oregon coast including the Tillamook, Coos, Tolowa and other Penutian speakers generally shared traits with other tribes along the northern Pacific Coast. East of the Cascades, where it is considerably drier, the Native Americans led a more nomadic lifestyle, following game as it moved between summer and winter ranges. In the late 1700s, Spain, England, Russia and the newly independent United States all had an interest in the frontier that would become the state of Oregon.