Fun Facts That Make Me Love Oregon Even More

Oregon flag.
*The only state with an image on each side of the flag.

Article by Wendy McCance

I could spend hours talking about all of the things I love about Oregon and why I am so excited to go there. Mountains, an endless coastline and vineyards galore, rainy days and biking everywhere, farmers markets and bookstores lining every town basically make for a state seemingly created just for my personality. It’s everything I love all wrapped up into one place.

Reading up on the state, I seem to find more and more reasons to love a place I will one day call home. Here are some of my favorite fun facts that make the state simply perfect in my opinion.

Eugene is rated a top bicycling community in the U.S.
Florence is known for their Rhododendron (one of my favorite flowers).
Oregon’s state birthday is on Valentine’s Day (my favorite holiday).
The Columbia River Gorge is considered to be one of the best places in the world to windsurf.
One of my favorite childhood authors, Beverly Cleary grew up in Oregon.
Portland, Oregon has more breweries than any other city in the world. Beer anyone?
You get to stay inside your car as an attendant pumps your gas (even when it’s raining) because it’s actually illegal to pump gas yourself.
The world’s largest Naked Bike Ride is in Portland, Oregon (which is definitely an unusual site to see I’m sure).
There are over 80 ghost towns (which is unreal). One of the ghost towns is in a town called Idiotville which just cracks me up.
The largest cheese factory is in Tillamook, Oregon. Mmm cheese.
The are vineyards everywhere. 750 to be exact! Which makes one wonder, wine and cheese? Someone, somewhere was a genius coming up with that combination all in one place!
The smallest park (which is completely adorable and rather amusing) is in Portland. The park is shaped like a circle and 2 ft across in total.
The shortest river is D River in Lincoln, City at just 440 ft. What is it about Oregon and very tiny things? Tiny park, tiny river… It’s like living in a little dollhouse community which is just absolutely charming.
Portland’s name was decided with the toss of a coin. If only all decisions could be made that easily.
Oregon has a city named Sisters and another city named Brothers which is simply fantastic. Wonder if they are orphan cities since there is no city named Mother or Father around.
In many states these days, bookstores have become extinct. Not in Oregon where most of their cities boast several bookstores. In Portland, Powell’s the most incredible bookstore ever is several floors tall, stretches a city block and has a store map to guide you around.

What do you love best about Oregon? Is there a town you enjoy or a place to eat that can’t be beat? What about all of the outdoor activities? Share your favorites in the comments below.

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Wendy McCance

Wendy McCance is a Michigan based freelance writer and social media consultant. Wendy has gained attention as the founder of the popular blog Searching for the Happiness which can be viewed in 9 local papers online, including the Oakland Press. The combination of writing skills and social media knowledge is what makes Wendy such a powerhouse to work with. Stay tuned for opportunities to advertise, guest post and as always, have your questions answered.

To contact Wendy McCance about a writing or social media assignment, interview or speaking engagement, please email her at: [email protected]