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Oregon Locations By Per Capita Income

Oregon locations by per capita income

The following is a list of Oregon counties and places in order of per capita income. Oregon has the twenty-third highest per capita income in the United States of America, at $20,940 (2000). Its personal per capita income is $29,340 (2003).

Counties ranked by per-capita income

None of the 36 counties in Oregon are in the 100 richest counties in the country.

Places ranked by per-capita income

1 Lake Oswego, Oregon $42,166
2 West Haven-Sylvan, Oregon $39,055
3 Raleigh Hills, Oregon $37,839
4 Happy Valley, Oregon $36,665
5 West Linn, Oregon $34,671
6 Cedar Mill, Oregon $33,555
7 West Slope, Oregon $32,514
8 Oceanside, Oregon $32,158
9 Rivergrove, Oregon $31,546
10 Butteville, Oregon $31,258
11 Rockcreek, Oregon $30,102
12 Wilsonville, Oregon $29,786
13 Durham, Oregon $29,099
14 Garden Home-Whitford, Oregon $28,681
15 Jacksonville, Oregon $28,152
16 King City, Oregon $27,536
17 Oak Hills, Oregon $27,163
18 Dunes City, Oregon $27,048
19 Cedar Hills, Oregon $26,812
20 Tualatin, Oregon $26,694
21 Cape Meares, Oregon $26,635
22 Neskowin, Oregon $26,576
23 Maywood Park, Oregon $26,472
24 Manzanita, Oregon $26,428
25 Turner, Oregon $26,234
26 Pacific City, Oregon $25,819
27 Sherwood, Oregon $25,793
28 Beaverton, Oregon $25,419
29 Sunnyside, Oregon $25,276
30 Columbia City, Oregon $25,266
31 Gearhart, Oregon $25,224
32 Tigard, Oregon $25,110
33 Depoe Bay, Oregon $24,994
34 Aurora, Oregon $24,839
35 Mount Hood Village, Oregon $24,604
36 Cannon Beach, Oregon $24,465
37 Yachats, Oregon $24,143
38 Metzger, Oregon $24,121
39 Lexington, Oregon $23,152
40 Portland, Oregon $22,643
41 Oak Grove, Oregon $22,643
42 Pleasant Hill, Oregon $22,191
43 Lincoln Beach, Oregon $21,810
44 Troutdale, Oregon $21,778
45 Coburg, Oregon $21,696
46 Hillsboro, Oregon $21,680
47 Clackamas, Oregon $21,672
48 Bend, Oregon $21,624
49 Banks, Oregon $21,354
50 Milwaukie, Oregon $21,342
51 Eugene, Oregon $21,315
52 Ashland, Oregon $21,292
53 Scappoose, Oregon $20,837
54 Newport, Oregon $20,580
55 Dundee, Oregon $20,455
56 Medford, Oregon $20,170
57 Sandy, Oregon $20,138
58 Keizer, Oregon $20,119
59 Bandon, Oregon $20,051
60 Jennings Lodge, Oregon $19,891
61 Oregon City, Oregon $19,870
62 Detroit, Oregon $19,857
63 Aloha, Oregon $19,685
64 Gresham, Oregon $19,588
65 Biggs Junction, Oregon $19,532
66 Three Rivers, Oregon $19,410
67 Gladstone, Oregon $19,388
68 Canby, Oregon $19,322
69 Corvallis, Oregon $19,317
70 St. Paul, Oregon $19,144
71 Salem, Oregon $19,141
72 Island City, Oregon $19,138
73 Fairview, Oregon $19,006
74 Netarts, Oregon $18,888
75 Imbler, Oregon $18,876
76 Tutuilla, Oregon $18,826
77 North Plains, Oregon $18,794
78 Astoria, Oregon $18,759
79 Bay City, Oregon $18,731
80 Sublimity, Oregon $18,646
81 Albany, Oregon $18,570
82 Rainier, Oregon $18,511
83 Condon, Oregon $18,481
84 Glide, Oregon $18,444
85 Dayville, Oregon $18,319
86 Rose Lodge, Oregon $18,297
87 Coos Bay, Oregon $18,158
88 Parkdale, Oregon $18,091
89 Garibaldi, Oregon $18,075
90 Silverton, Oregon $18,062
91 Odell, Oregon $18,023
92 Florence, Oregon $18,008
93 Wasco, Oregon $17,917
94 Seaside, Oregon $17,893
95 Arlington, Oregon $17,883
96 Sisters, Oregon $17,847
97 Wood Village, Oregon $17,833
98 Rockaway Beach, Oregon $17,766
99 Gaston, Oregon $17,758
100 Roseburg North, Oregon $17,705
101 Terrebonne, Oregon $17,698
102 Hayesville, Oregon $17,673
103 Gopher Flats, Oregon $17,628
104 Maupin, Oregon $17,626
105 Mehama, Oregon $17,617
106 Dufur, Oregon $17,615
107 Hood River, Oregon $17,609
108 Shady Cove, Oregon $17,564
109 Pendleton, Oregon $17,551
110 City of The Dalles, Oregon $17,511
111 Antelope, Oregon $17,444
112 Cloverdale, Oregon $17,325
113 Winchester Bay, Oregon $17,307
114 Beaver, Oregon $17,284
115 St. Helens, Oregon $17,237
116 McMinnville, Oregon $17,085
117 Roseburg, Oregon $17,082
118 Hermiston, Oregon $17,075
119 Gates, Oregon $17,065
120 Estacada, Oregon $17,049
121 Tangent, Oregon $17,012
122 Brookings, Oregon $17,010
123 Central Point, Oregon $17,003
124 Forest Grove, Oregon $16,992
125 Johnson City, Oregon $16,967
126 Millersburg, Oregon $16,964
127 Riverside, Oregon $16,954
128 Deschutes River Woods, Oregon $16,934
129 Halsey, Oregon $16,933
130 Warrenton, Oregon $16,874
131 Newberg, Oregon $16,873
132 Gold Hill, Oregon $16,856
133 Carlton, Oregon $16,850
134 Phoenix, Oregon $16,828
135 Rufus, Oregon $16,801
136 Rogue River, Oregon $16,789
137 Enterprise, Oregon $16,755
138 Donald, Oregon $16,752
139 Yamhill, Oregon $16,745
140 Molalla, Oregon $16,738
141 Dallas, Oregon $16,734
142 Heppner, Oregon $16,729
143 Clatskanie, Oregon $16,717
144 Gold Beach, Oregon $16,717
145 Klamath Falls, Oregon $16,710
146 North Bend, Oregon $16,703
147 Lakeside, Oregon $16,702
148 Vernonia, Oregon $16,647
149 Philomath, Oregon $16,620
150 La Grande, Oregon $16,550
151 Pine Hollow, Oregon $16,537
152 Wheeler, Oregon $16,535
153 Sumpter, Oregon $16,518
154 Port Orford, Oregon $16,442
155 Harbor, Oregon $16,318
156 Adair Village, Oregon $16,311
157 Redmond, Oregon $16,286
158 Prairie City, Oregon $16,278
159 Talent, Oregon $16,271
160 Veneta, Oregon $16,239
161 Fossil, Oregon $16,236
162 Grants Pass, Oregon $16,234
163 Burns, Oregon $16,224
164 Paisley, Oregon $16,224
165 Scio, Oregon $16,222
166 Joseph, Oregon $16,163
167 Junction City, Oregon $16,155
168 Reedsport, Oregon $16,093
169 Long Creek, Oregon $16,076
170 Hebo, Oregon $16,053
171 Altamont, Oregon $15,957
172 Waldport, Oregon $15,939
173 Echo, Oregon $15,879
174 Cove, Oregon $15,872
175 Harrisburg, Oregon $15,822
176 Monument, Oregon $15,814
177 Hines, Oregon $15,783
178 Stayton, Oregon $15,740
179 Four Corners, Oregon $15,672
180 Pilot Rock, Oregon $15,666
181 Lakeview, Oregon $15,649
182 Lyons, Oregon $15,628
183 Shaniko, Oregon $15,617
184 Springfield, Oregon $15,616
185 Lincoln City, Oregon $15,597
186 Athena, Oregon $15,566
187 La Pine, Oregon $15,543
188 Mount Angel, Oregon $15,535
189 Eagle Point, Oregon $15,501
190 Chenoweth, Oregon $15,497
191 John Day, Oregon $15,488
192 Rowena, Oregon $15,457
193 Jefferson, Oregon $15,426
194 Nehalem, Oregon $15,408
195 Elkton, Oregon $15,385
196 Cascade Locks, Oregon $15,359
197 Cornelius, Oregon $15,290
198 Brownsville, Oregon $15,272
199 South Lebanon, Oregon $15,247
200 Green, Oregon $15,208
201 Tillamook, Oregon $15,160
202 Scotts Mills, Oregon $15,033
203 Redwood, Oregon $15,025
204 Tri-City, Oregon $15,017
205 Adams, Oregon $14,974
206 Monroe, Oregon $14,970
207 Lebanon, Oregon $14,968
208 Spray, Oregon $14,955
209 Moro, Oregon $14,887
210 Oakland, Oregon $14,867
211 Elgin, Oregon $14,861
212 Myrtle Creek, Oregon $14,813
213 Toledo, Oregon $14,710
214 Siletz, Oregon $14,690
215 Ontario, Oregon $14,683
216 Coquille, Oregon $14,619
217 Irrigon, Oregon $14,600
218 Sodaville, Oregon $14,596
219 Mill City, Oregon $14,595
220 Mosier, Oregon $14,560
221 Cottage Grove, Oregon $14,550
222 Lafayette, Oregon $14,542
223 Harbeck-Fruitdale, Oregon $14,535
224 Ione, Oregon $14,531
225 Jordan Valley, Oregon $14,501
226 Monmouth, Oregon $14,474
227 Barlow, Oregon $14,431
228 Union, Oregon $14,406
229 Canyon City, Oregon $14,404
230 Hubbard, Oregon $14,383
231 Aumsville, Oregon $14,262
232 Tygh Valley, Oregon $14,255
233 Wallowa, Oregon $14,203
234 Baker City, Oregon $14,179
235 Prineville, Oregon $14,163
236 Summerville, Oregon $14,099
237 Lowell, Oregon $14,078
238 Canyonville, Oregon $14,017
239 Ukiah, Oregon $13,945
240 Independence, Oregon $13,933
241 Waterloo, Oregon $13,931
242 Mitchell, Oregon $13,906
243 Falls City, Oregon $13,858
244 Grass Valley, Oregon $13,843
245 Drain, Oregon $13,810
246 Prescott, Oregon $13,773
247 Yoncalla, Oregon $13,756
248 Creswell, Oregon $13,736
249 Myrtle Point, Oregon $13,695
250 Unity, Oregon $13,673
251 Riddle, Oregon $13,666
252 Amity, Oregon $13,563
253 Sweet Home, Oregon $13,548
254 Grand Ronde, Oregon $13,538
255 Richland, Oregon $13,462
256 Sutherlin, Oregon $13,439
257 Sheridan, Oregon $13,426
258 Huntington, Oregon $13,396
259 Lostine, Oregon $13,388
260 Willamina, Oregon $13,349
261 Helix, Oregon $13,338
262 Cayuse, Oregon $13,311
263 Winston, Oregon $13,299
264 Mount Vernon, Oregon $13,241
265 Dayton, Oregon $13,140
266 Haines, Oregon $13,134
267 Milton-Freewater, Oregon $13,101
268 Weston, Oregon $13,089
269 Glendale, Oregon $13,067
270 Barview, Oregon $13,022
271 Halfway, Oregon $12,997
272 Woodburn, Oregon $12,954
273 Madras, Oregon $12,937
274 Oakridge, Oregon $12,885
275 Rickreall, Oregon $12,846
276 Stanfield, Oregon $12,842
277 Seneca, Oregon $12,636
278 Wamic, Oregon $12,575
279 Powers, Oregon $12,544
280 Pine Grove, Oregon $12,526
281 Idanha, Oregon $12,405
282 Boardman, Oregon $12,297
283 Mission, Oregon $12,288
284 Brooks, Oregon $12,008
285 Metolius, Oregon $11,963
286 Vale, Oregon $11,943
287 Kirkpatrick, Oregon $11,884
288 Culver, Oregon $11,865
289 Merrill, Oregon $11,803
290 Butte Falls, Oregon $11,511
291 Umatilla, Oregon $11,469
292 Westfir, Oregon $11,324
293 White City, Oregon $11,253
294 North Powder, Oregon $11,231
295 Gervais, Oregon $10,862
296 Adrian, Oregon $10,740
297 Bunker Hill, Oregon $10,570
298 Cave Junction, Oregon $10,556
299 Nyssa, Oregon $10,317
300 Malin, Oregon $10,258
301 Bonanza, Oregon $10,213
302 Marion, Oregon $09,916
303 Chiloquin, Oregon $09,604
304 Eola, Oregon $09,489
305 Lonerock, Oregon $08,857
306 Labish Village, Oregon $08,789
307 Warm Springs, Oregon $08,583
308 Granite, Oregon $08,024

Category:Oregon Category:United States locations by per capita income

Oregon

Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States 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 well known for the vast forests that cover the western third of the state and a few enclaves of Eastern Oregon. It is less known for the semiarid scrublands, prairies, and deserts that cover approximately half the state in eastern and north-central Oregon. The state's name is properly pronounced . The pronunciation is also common, but considered incorrect by residents, who have been known to sport T-shirts and bumper stickers spelling the name "Orygun" in order to educate visitors. Its population in 2000 was 3,421,399, a 20.4% increase over 1990; as of July 2004, the population had grown to an estimated 3,594,586.

History

Oregon's earliest residents were several Native American tribes, including the Bannock, Chinook, Klamath, and Nez Percé. James Cook explored the coast in 1778 in search of the Northwest Passage. The Lewis and Clark Expedition traveled through the region during their expedition to explore the Louisiana Purchase. They built their winter fort at Fort Clatsop, near the mouth of the Columbia River. Exploration by Lewis and Clark (1805-1806) and Britain's David Thompson (1811) publicized the abundance of fur in the area. In 1811, New York financier John Jacob Astor established Fort Astoria at the mouth of the Columbia River with the intention of starting a chain of Pacific Fur Company trading posts along the river. Fort Astoria was the first permanent white settlement in Oregon. In the War of 1812, the British gained control of all of the Pacific Fur Company posts. By the 1820s and 1830s, the British Hudson's Bay Company dominated the Pacific Northwest. John McLoughlin, who was appointed the Company's Chief Factor of the Columbia District, built Fort Vancouver in 1825. In 1841 the master trapper and entrepreneur Ewing Young died with considerable wealth, no apparent heir, and no system to probate his estate. A meeting followed Young's funeral at which a probate government was proposed. Doctor Ira Babcock of Jason Lee's Methodist Mission was elected Supreme Judge. Babcock chaired two meetings in 1842 at Champoeg - half way between Lees Mission and Oregon City, to discuss wolves and other vermin. These meetings were precursors to an all citizen meeting in 1843, which instituted a provisional government headed by an executive council - made up of David Hill, Alanson Beers, and Joseph Gale. The Oregon Trail infused the region with new settlers, starting in 1842–43, after the U.S. agreed to jointly settle the Oregon Country with the United Kingdom. The border was resolved in 1846 by the Oregon Treaty after a period where it seemed that the United States and the United Kingdom would go to war for a third time in 75 years. In 1844, the Democrat James Polk ran for President on the slogan "Fifty-Four Forty or Fight," referring to the northern border of the Oregon Country at latitude 54°40′. Cooler heads prevailed, and the boundary between the United States and British North America was set at the 49th parallel. The Oregon Territory was officially organized in 1848. Settlement increased due to the Donation Land Claim Act of 1850, in conjunction with the forced relocation of the native population to Indian Reservations in Oregon. The state was admitted to the Union on February 14, 1859. In the 1880s, railroads enabled marketing of the state's lumber and wheat, as well as the more rapid growth of its cities. Industrial expansion began in earnest following the construction of the Bonneville Dam in 1943 on the Columbia River. The power, food, and lumber provided by Oregon have helped fuel the development of the west, and the periodic fluctuations in the nation's building industry has hurt the state's economy on multiple occasions. The state has a long history of polarizing conflicts: Native Americans vs. British fur trappers, British vs. settlers from the U.S., ranchers vs. farmers, wealthy growing cities vs. established but poor rural areas, loggers vs. environmentalists, white supremacists vs. anti-racists, supporters of social spending vs. anti-tax activists, and native Oregonians vs. Californians (or outsiders in general). Oregonians also have a long history of secessionist ideas, ranging from varying parts of the population on all sides of the political spectrum attempting to form other states and even other countries. (See: State of Jefferson, State of Klamath, State of Shasta and Cascadia.) Oregon state ballots often include politically conservative proposals (e.g. anti-gay, pro-religious measures) side-by-side with politically liberal ones (e.g. drug decriminalization), illustrating the wide spectrum of political thought in the state.

The origin of "Oregon"

The origin of the state's name is something of a mystery. The earliest known use of this proper noun was in a 1765 petition by Major Robert Rogers to the Kingdom of Great Britain. The petition referred to Ouragon and asked for money to finance an expedition in search of the Northwest Passage. Why Rogers used the name has led to many theories, which include:
- George R. Stewart argued in a 1944 article in American Speech that the name came from an engraver's error in a French map published in the early 1700s, naming the Ouisiconsink (Wisconsin River). This theory was endorsed in Oregon Geographic Names as "the most plausible explanation."
- In 2001, Scott Byram, (currently the archaeologist for the Coquille Indian Tribe), and David G. Lewis published an article in the Oregon Historical Quarterly argued that the name Oregon came from the word oolighan, referring to grease made from fish, which the Native Americans of the region traded in. Those trade routes brought the term eastward. [http://www.registerguard.com/news/2004/06/06/f1.ed.col.byram.0606.html]
- In a 2004 article for the Oregon Historical Quarterly, professor Thomas Love and Smithsonian linguist Ives Goddard argue that Rogers chose the word based on exposure to either of the Algonquian words wauregan and olighin, both meaning "good and beautiful". Olighin was one of the early names for the Ohio River, shown on a 1680s map of the explorations of René Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle. Rogers is likely to have heard the terms because of his frequent encounters with Mohegans in the late 1750s. Less supported theories are based on it having a Spanish etymology. The theory that it comes from oregano, was dismissed years ago by Henry W. Scott, an early editor of Oregonian. He wrote that it was "a mere conjecture absolutely without support. More than this, it is completely disproved by all that is known of the name." Others have speculated that the name is related to the kingdom of Aragon. In 1778, Jonathan Carver used Oregon to label the Great River of the West in his book Travels Through the Interior Parts of North America. The poet William Cullen Bryant took the name from Carver's book and used it in his poem "Thanatopsis" to refer to the recent discoveries of the Lewis and Clark Expedition; this use helped establish it in modern use.

Geography

Lewis and Clark Expedition Oregon's geography may be split roughly into six areas:
- the Coast Range,
- the Willamette Valley,
- the Cascade Mountains
- the Klamath Mountains,
- the Columbia Plateau, and
- the Basin and Range Region. Basin The state varies from rain forest in the Columbia Gorge to barren desert in the southeast, which still meets the technical definition of a frontier. Oregon is about 360 miles (580 km) long and 261 miles (420 km) wide. In terms of land and water area, Oregon is the ninth largest state, covering 98,386 square miles (254,819 km²). Its highest point is the summit of Mount Hood, at 11,239 ft (3,428 m). As a West Coast state, its lowest point is sea level. Its mean elevation is 3,300 ft (1 km). Crater Lake National Park is Oregon's only national park.

Law and government

State government

national park Oregon state government has a separation of powers similar to the federal government. It has three branches, called departments by the state's constitution:
- a legislative department (the Oregon Legislative Assembly),
- an executive department which includes an "administrative department" and has Oregon's governor serving as chief executive, and
- a judicial department, headed by the Oregon Supreme Court. Governors in Oregon serve four-year terms and are term limited to two consecutive terms, but an unlimited number of total terms. The Secretary of State serves as Lieutenant Governor for statutory purposes. The other constitutional officers are Treasurer, Attorney General, Superintendent of Public Instruction and Labor Commissioner. The Legislative Assembly consists of a thirty-member Senate and sixty-member House. Senators serve four-year terms, and Representatives two. The state supreme court has seven elected justices, including the only openly gay state supreme court justice in the nation, Rives Kistler. They choose one of their own to serve a six-year term as Chief Justice. The only court that may reverse or modify a decision of the Oregon Supreme Court is the United States Supreme Court. Oregon is one of the few states whose legislature is biennial. The debate over whether or not to move to annual sessions is a long-standing battle in Oregon politics, but the voters have resisted the move from citizen legislators to professional lawmakers. Because Oregon's state budget is written in two year increments and its revenue is based largely on income taxes, it is often significantly over- or under-budget. Recent legislatures have had to be called into special session repeatedly to address revenue shortfalls resulting from eceonomic downturns, bringing to a head the need for more frequent legislative sessions. The state maintains formal relationships with the nine federally-recognized tribal governments in Oregon:
- Burns Paiute Tribe
- Confederated Tribes of Coos, Lower Umpqua and Siuslaw Indians
- Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde
- Confederated Tribes of Siletz
- Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs
- Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation
- Coquille Tribe
- Cow Creek Band of Umpqua Indians
- Klamath Indian Tribe of Oregon Oregon adopted many electoral reforms proposed during the Progressive Era, due to the efforts of William S. U'Ren and his Direct Legislation League. Under his leadership, the state overwhelmingly approved a ballot measure in 1902 that created the initiative and referendum processes for citizens to directly introduce or approve proposed laws or amendments to the state constitution. In following years, the primary election to select party candidates was adopted in 1904, and in 1908 the Oregon Constitution was amended to include recall of public officials. More recent progressive innovations include the nation's only doctor-assisted suicide law, called the Death with Dignity law (which was challenged in 2005 by the Bush administration in the U.S. Supreme Court, in contrast to the Republicans' traditional support of states' rights), legalization of medical marijuana, and among the nation's strongest anti-sprawl and pro-environment laws. Of the measures placed on the ballot since 1902, the people have passed 99 of the 288 initiatives and 25 of the 61 referenda on the ballot, though not all of them survived challenges in courts (see Pierce v. Society of Sisters, for example). During the same period, the legislature has referred 363 measures to the people, of which 206 have passed. Oregon has been a pioneer in the use of vote-by-mail:
- 1981 The Oregon Legislature approves experimentation with vote-by-mail for local elections.
- 1987 Vote-by-mail becomes permanent, with the majority of Oregon's counties making use of it.
- 1995 Oregon becomes the first state to conduct a federal primary election totally by mail.
- 1996 Ron Wyden, Bob Packwood's replacement, is elected by mail with a 66% turnout.
- 1998 Through a voter initiative, Oregonians confirm their overwhelming support for vote-by-mail.
- 2000 Oregon becomes the first state in the nation to conduct a presidential election entirely by mail. About 80% of registered voters participated. Oregon is currently seen as a moderate Democratic-leaning Blue State which has voted for the party in every election since 1988. The politics of the state are largely similiar to those of neighboring Washington. The distribution, sales and consumption of alcoholic beverages are regulated in the state by the Oregon Liquor Control Commission. Entering the Union at a time when the status of "Negroes" was very much in question, and wishing to stay out of the looming conflict between the so-called "Union" and "Confederate" States, Oregon banned Negroes from moving into the State in the vote to adopt its Constitution (1858). This ban was not officially lifted until 1925; in 2002, additional language now considered racist was struck from the Oregon Constitution by the voters of Oregon.

Federal government

Oregon is represented at the federal level by two senators and five representatives, which translates into seven electoral votes. Overall, Oregon leans toward the Democratic Party. It has supported Democratic candidates in the last five elections. John Kerry narrowly won the state in 2004 by a margin of 4 percentage points with 51.4% of the vote. Republicans dominate the eastern, central, and southern regions of the state, as well as the southwest and the southern outer suburbs of Portland. Essentially the Willamette Valley is dominated by Democrats while the rest of Oregon is dominated by Republicans. This divide is due to very real cultural and economic differences often with ties to land use issues. The Democratic Party of Oregon is pro-environmental and seen as supportive of urban opinions, while the Republican Party of Oregon is seen as pro-rancher and pro-logger and supportive of rural opinions.

Economy

The Willamette Valley is very fertile and, coupled with Oregon's famous rain, gives the state a wealth of agricultural products. Apples and other fruits, cattle, dairy products, potatoes, and peppermint are all valuable products. Oregon is also one of four major world hazelnut growing regions, and produces 95% of the domestic hazelnuts in the United States. While the history of the wine production in Oregon can be traced to before Prohibition, it became a significant industry beginning in the 1970s and Oregon is home to at least four wine appellations. Due to regional similarities of climate and soil, the grapes planted in Oregon are often the same varieties found in the French region of Alsace. Vast forests have historically made Oregon one of the nation's major timber production and logging states, but forest fires (such as the Tillamook Burn), over-harvesting, and lawsuits over the proper management of the extensive federal forest holdings have reduced the amount of timber produced. According to the Oregon Forest Resources Institute, timber harvested from federal lands dropped some 96% from 1989 from 4,333 million to 173 million board feet (10,000,000 to 408,000 m³) in 2001. While the 1980s saw an unsustainable amount of timber harvested, the drop in timber harvested is still significant, as the total amount of timber harvested in 2001 is less than half of that in the late 1970s. Even the shift in recent years towards finished goods such as paper and building materials has not slowed the decline of the timber industry. Examples include Weyerhaeuser's acquisition of Willamette Industries in January, 2002, the announcement by Louisiana Pacific in September, 2003 that they will relocate their corporate headquarters from Portland to Nashville, and the experiences of small lumber towns like Gilchrist. Despite these changes, Oregon still leads the United States in softwood lumber production; in 2001, according to the Oregon Forest Resources Institute, 6,056 million board feet (14,000,000 m³) was produced in Oregon, against 4,5257 mbf. in Washington, 2,731 in California, 2,413 in Georgia, and 2,327 in Mississippi. The effect of the forest industry crunch is still massive unemployment in rural Oregon and is a bone of contention between rural and urban Oregon. High technology industries and services have been a major employer since the 1970s. Tektronix was the largest private employer in Oregon until the late 1980s. Intel's creation and expansion of several plants in eastern Washington County continued the growth that Tektronix had started. The spinoffs and startups that were produced by these two companies led to the establishment of the Portland metropolitan area as the Silicon Forest. The recession and dot-com bust of 2001 in the Silicon Valley has led to similar results in the Silicon Forest; many high technology employers have either reduced the number of their employees or gone out of business. OSDL made news in 2004 when they hired Linus Torvalds, developer of the Linux kernel. Oregon also is the home of non-technology-based companies such as shoemaker Nike, whose world headquarters is located in Beaverton. Oregon had one of the largest salmon-fishing industries in the world, although ocean fisheries have reduced the river fisheries in recent years. Tourism is also strong in the state; Oregon's evergreen mountain forests, waterfalls, pristine lakes (including Crater Lake National Park), and scenic beaches draw visitors year round. The Oregon Shakespeare Festival, held in Ashland, is a tourist draw near its Californian border which complements the area's scenic beauty and opportunity for outdoor activities. Oregon is home to a number of smaller breweries.

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). The state's population increased by 752,000 between 1990 and 2004, an increase of 26.5% Race
The racial makeup of the state:
- 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%). 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. 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.

Religion

The religious affiliations of the people of Oregon are:
- 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.

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.

Major cities and towns

September 2004 The capital is Salem and the largest city is Portland. Eugene, home of the University of Oregon is the second largest city, followed closely by Salem. Oregon City was the first incorporated city west of the Rockies and later, the first capital of the Oregon Territory, from 1848 to 1852, when the territory capital was moved to Salem, Oregon. It was also the end of the Oregon Trail and the site of the first public library established west of the Rocky Mountains, stocked with only 300 volumes.

Education

Colleges and universities


- Concordia University, Portland
- Corban College
- Eastern Oregon University
- Eugene Bible College
- George Fox University
- Gutenberg College
- Lewis & Clark College
- Linfield College
- Marylhurst University
- Mount Angel Seminary
- Multnomah Bible College and Seminary
- National College of Naturopathic Medicine
- Northwest Christian College
- Oregon Health and Science University
- Oregon Institute of Technology
- Oregon State University
- Pacific Northwest College of Art
- Pacific University
- Portland State University
- Reed College
- Southern Oregon University
- University of Oregon
- University of Portland
- Warner Pacific College
- Western Baptist College
- Western Oregon University
- Western States Chiropractic College
- Willamette University

Community colleges


- Blue Mountain Community College
- Central Oregon Community College
- Clackamas Community College
- Chemeketa Community College
- Klamath Community College
-
- Lane Community College
- Linn-Benton Community College
- Mount Hood Community College
- Portland Community College
- Rogue Community College
- Southwestern Oregon Community College
- Treasure Valley Community College
- Umpqua Community College

Professional sports teams


- Portland Trailblazers of the National Basketball Association
- Portland Winter Hawks of the Western Hockey League
- Portland Timbers of the USL First Division
- Portland Lumberjax of the National Lacrosse League
- Farm clubs of Major League Baseball:
  - Eugene Emeralds, a single-A club in the Northwest League
  - Portland Beavers, a triple-A club in the Pacific Coast League
  - Salem-Keizer Volcanoes, a single-A club in the Northwest League

Broadcasting


- List of television stations in Oregon
- List of radio stations in Oregon
- Oregon Public Broadcasting
- Jefferson Public Radio

State symbols

:State flower: Oregon grape (since 1899) :State song: Oregon, My Oregon (written in 1920 and adopted in 1927) :State bird: Western meadowlark (chosen by the state's children in 1927) :State tree: Douglas-fir (since 1939) :State fish: Chinook salmon (since 1961) :State rock: Thunderegg (like a geode but formed in a rhyolitic lava flow; since 1965) :State animal: Beaver (since 1969) :State dance: Square Dance (Adopted in 1977) :State insect: Oregon Swallowtail Butterfly (Papilio oregonius; since 1979) :State gemstone: Oregon sunstone, a type of feldspar (since 1987) :State nut: Hazelnut (since 1989) :State seashell: Oregon hairy triton (Fusitriton oregonensis, a gastropod in the cymatiidae family; since 1991) :State mushroom: Pacific Golden Chanterelle (since 1999) :State beverage: Milk (since 1997) :State Fruit: Oregon Pear (since 2005)

Trivia


- Before Oregon officially became a U.S. territory in 1848, the provisional government briefly encouraged the minting of $5 and $10 dollar "Beaver Coins" in order to make up for the lack of U.S. currency. Thus Oregon has the distinction of being one of the few U.S. areas to mint its own currency.
- Oregon is the only state in the United States with a flag that features a different obverse and reverse. It is one of the few official flags in the world that do so. The "front" of the flag shows the state seal, while the "back" features a small beaver, in honor of the official state animal.
- Oregon has the smallest park in the world: Mill Ends Park in Portland, Oregon.
- Oregon has no sales tax.
- Abbreviations for the state include OR (postal), Ore., and Oreg.
- Oregon is one of two states that prohibits self-service at its gas stations. The other is New Jersey.
- Movies wholly or partially filmed in Oregon include Animal House, Kindergarten Cop, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, The Hunted, Sometimes a Great Notion, The Goonies, Elephant, Bandits, The Ring 2,The Shining, and Drugstore Cowboy.
- Oregon claims the D River is the shortest river in the world, while the American state of Montana makes the same claim of the Roe River. The Guinness Book of Records officially declared that the two rivers are the same length and can both claim the honor.
- The Kingsmen, who made the song Louie, Louie famous, are from Portland. There was an unsuccessful effort to make Louie, Louie Oregon's official state song.[http://www.louielouie.net/05-louie-faq.htm]
- In 1970 the Oregon Highway Division (now Oregon Department of Transportation) exploded a dead beached whale on a beach just outside Lane County. The results were not as expected and KATU Channel 2 news reporter Paul Linnman captured the results on film of the exploding whale.
- Herbert Hoover lived with his uncle in Newberg, Oregon for six years after his parents died.
- Simpsons creator Matt Groening grew up in Portland's affluent Northwest district and attended Lincoln High School. Portland references from the show include character names Flanders, Lovejoy, Powell, Quimby, and Terwilliger (all streets in Portland), as well as the proximity of a scenic gorge (presumably the Columbia River Gorge) and nuclear power plant (Trojan Nuclear Power Plant).

See also


- Wikitravel Entry
- Music of Oregon

References

External links


- [http://www.oregon.gov/ State of Oregon website]
- [http://bluebook.state.or.us/ Oregon Blue Book], the online version of the state's official directory and fact book
- [http://www.ohs.org/education/oregonhistory/ Oregon History Project]
- [http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/41000.html U.S. Census Bureau]
- [http://www.usnewspapers.org/state/oregon Oregon Newspapers]

Commercial websites


- http://www.oregonlive.com
- http://www.traveloregon.com/index.cfm
- http://www.oregoncitylink.com
- http://www.johann-sandra.com/oregondir.htm
- http://www.stateoforegon.com
- http://www.all-oregon.com
- [http://www.el.com/to/oregon/ Welcome to Oregon], from Essentix, Inc. of Portland
- [http://www.netstate.com/states/geography/or_geography.htm Oregon geography page], from NSTATE, LLC, a Wolfeboro, New Hampshire company
- [http://www.HavenWorks.com/oregon Oregon portal], from HavenWorks.com of Davenport, Iowa
- [http://www.terragalleria.com/america/north-west/oregon/ Photos of Oregon - Terra Galleria]
- [http://www.lighthouse123.com/id41.htm Oregon Lighthouses], from David Goforth
- [http://www.oregonwines.com/ Oregon Wines], from Canvas Dreams of Beaverton, Oregon
- [http://www.ohwy.com/or/o/oregontr.htm Oregon Trail] Category:States of the American West . Category:States of the United States ko:오리건 주 ja:オレゴン州

United States of America

:For alternative meanings, see the disambiguation page for US, USA, United States, or American. The United States of America is a federal democratic republic situated primarily in central North America. It comprises 50 states and one federal district, and has several territories. It is also referred to, with varying formality, as the United States, the U.S., the U.S.A., the States, or simply and most commonly, America. The official founding date of the United States is July 4, 1776, when the Second Continental Congress—representing thirteen British colonies—adopted the Declaration of Independence. However, the structure of the government was profoundly changed in 1788, when the states replaced the Articles of Confederation with the United States Constitution. The date on which each of the fifty states adopted the Constitution is typically regarded as the date that state "entered the Union" (became part of the United States). Since the mid-20th century, following World War II, the United States has emerged as a dominant global influence in economic, political, military, scientific, technological, and cultural affairs.

Geography and climate

The United States shares land borders with Canada (to the north) and Mexico (to the south), and territorial water boundaries with Canada, Russia, the Bahamas, and numerous smaller nations. It is otherwise bounded by the Pacific Ocean and the Bering Sea, in the west; the Arctic Ocean, in the northernmost areas; and the Atlantic Ocean, the Gulf of Mexico, and the Caribbean Sea, in the eastern and southeastern areas. Forty-eight of the states are in the single region between Canada and Mexico; this group is referred to, with varying precision and formality, as the continental or contiguous United States, sometimes abbreviated CONUS, and as the Lower 48. Alaska, which is not included in the term contiguous United States, is at the northwestern end of North America, separated from the Lower 48 by Canada. The archipelago of Hawaii is in the Pacific Ocean. The capital city, Washington, District of Columbia is a federal district located on land donated by the state of Maryland. (Virginia also donated land, but it was returned in 1847.) The United States also has overseas territories with varying levels of independence and organization. When inland water is included in the total area, only Russia and Canada are larger than the United States; if inland water is excluded, China ranks third and the U.S. ranks fourth. The United States' total area is 3,718,711 square miles (9,631,418 km²), of which land makes up 3,537,438 square miles (9,161,923 km²) and water makes up 181,273 square miles (469,495 km²). The United States' landscape is one of the most varied among those of the world's nations: among its many features are temperate forestland and rolling hills, on the east coast; mangrove, in Florida; the Great Plains, in the center of the country; the Mississippi–Missouri river system; the Great Lakes, four of the five of which are shared with Canada; the Rocky Mountains, west of the Great Plains; deserts and temperate coastal zones, west of the Rocky Mountains; and temperate rain forests, in the Pacific northwest. Alaska's tundra, and the volcanic, tropical islands of Hawaii add to the geographic diversity. Hawaii The climate varies along with the landscape, from tropical in Hawaii and southern Florida to tundra in Alaska and atop some of the highest mountains. Most of the North and East experience a temperate continental climate, with warm summers and cold winters. Most of the South experiences a subtropical humid climate with mild winters and long, hot, humid summers. Rainfall decreases markedly from the humid forests of the Eastern Great Plains to the semi-arid shortgrass prairies on the high plains abutting the Rocky Mountains. Arid deserts, including the Mojave, extend through the lowlands and valleys of the southwest, from westernmost Texas to California and northward throughout much of Nevada. Some parts of California have a Mediterranean climate. Rainforests line the windward mountains of the Pacific Northwest from Oregon to Alaska.

History

American history started with the migration of people from Asia across the Bering land bridge approximately 12,000 years ago following large animals that they hunted into the Americas. These Native Americans left evidence of their presence in petroglyphs, burial mounds, and other artifacts. It is estimated that 2-9 million people lived in the territory now occupied by the U.S. before European contact, and the subsequent introduction of foreign diseases such as small pox that greatly diminished the native populations. Some advanced societies were the Anasazi of the southwest, who inhabited Chaco Canyon, and the Woodland Indians, who built Cahokia, located near present-day St Louis, a city with a population of 40,000 at its peak in AD 1200. Vikings first visited North America around 1000, but did not settle permanently. Following the discovery voyages of Christopher Columbus around 1492, other Europeans began to explore and settle there. During the 1500s and 1600s, the Spanish settled parts of the present-day Southwest and Florida, founding St. Augustine, Florida in 1565 and Santa Fe (in what is now New Mexico) in 1607. The first successful English settlement was at Jamestown, Virginia, also in 1607. Within the next two decades, several Dutch settlements, including New Amsterdam (the predecessor to New York City), were established in what are now the states of New York and New Jersey. In 1637, Sweden established a colony at Fort Christina (in what is now Delaware), but lost the settlement to the Dutch in 1655. This was followed by extensive British settlement of the east coast. The British colonists remained relatively undisturbed by their home country until after the French and Indian War, when France ceded Canada and the Great Lakes region to Britain. Britain then imposed taxes on the 13 colonies, widely regarded by the colonists as unfair because they were denied representation in the British Parliament. Tensions between Britain and the colonists increased, and the thirteen colonies eventually rebelled against British rule. British Parliament, George Washington (1789-1797).]] In 1776, the 13 colonies split from Great Britain and formed the United States, the world's first constitutional and democratic federal republic, after their Declaration of Independence of that year, and the Revolutionary War (1775 to 1783). The original political structure was a confederation in 1777, ratified in 1781 as the Articles of Confederation. After long debate, this was supplanted by the Constitution in 1789, forming a more centralized federal government. Prior to all these was the Albany Congress in 1754, in which a union was first seriously proposed. From early colonial times, there was a shortage of labor, which encouraged unfree labor, particularly indentured servitude and slavery. In the mid-19th century, a major division occurred in the United States over the issue of states' rights and the expansion of slavery. The northern states had become opposed to slavery, while the southern states saw it as necessary for the continued success of southern agriculture and wanted it expanded to the territories. Several federal laws were passed in an attempt to settle the dispute, including the Missouri Compromise and the Compromise of 1850. The dispute reached a crisis in 1861, when seven southern states seceded1 from the Union and formed the Confederate States of America, leading to the Civil War. Soon after the war began, four more southern states seceded. During the war, Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, mandating the freedom of all slaves in states in rebellion, though full emancipation did not take place until after the end of the war in 1865, the dissolution of the Confederacy, and the Thirteenth Amendment took effect. The Civil War effectively ended the question of a state's right to secede, and is widely accepted as a major turning point after which the federal government became more powerful than state governments. Thirteenth Amendment). The title of the painting, from a 1726 poem by Bishop Berkeley, was a phrase often quoted in the era of Manifest Destiny, expressing a widely held belief that civilization had steadily moved westward throughout history. [http://americanart.si.edu/t2go/1lw/1931.6.1.html (more)] ]] During the 19th century, many new states were added to the original 13 as the nation expanded across the continent. Manifest Destiny was a philosophy that encouraged westward expansion in the United States. As the population of the Eastern states grew and as a steady increase of immigrants entered the country, settlers moved steadily westward across North America. In the process, the U.S. displaced most American Indian nations. This displacement of American Indians continues to be a matter of contention in the U.S. with many tribes attempting to assert their original claims to various lands. In some areas American Indian populations were reduced by foreign diseases contracted through contact with European settlers, and US settlers acquired those emptied lands. In other instances American Indians were removed from their traditional lands by force. Though some would say the U.S. was not a colonial power until the Spanish-American War when it acquired Puerto Rico, Guam and the Philippines, the dominion exercised over land in North America the United States claimed is essentially colonial. The Philippines became independent in 1946. During this period, the nation also became an industrial power. This continued into the 20th century, which has been termed "the American Century" because of the nation's overriding influence on the world. The US became a center for innovation and technological development; major technologies that America either developed or was greatly involved in improving include the telephone, television, computer, the Internet, nuclear weapons, nuclear power, aviation, and aeronautics. In addition to the Civil War, another major traumatic experience for the nation was the Great Depression (1929 to 1939). The nation has also taken part in several major foreign wars, including World War I and World War II (in both of which the US later joined the Allies). During the Cold War, the US was a major player in the Korean War and Vietnam War, and, along with the Soviet Union, was considered one of the world's two "superpowers". With the collapse of the Soviet Union, the US emerged as the world's leading economic and military power. Beginning in the 1990s, the United States became very involved in police actions and peacekeeping, including actions in Kosovo, Haiti, Somalia and Liberia, and the first Persian Gulf War driving Iraq out of Kuwait. After attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon on September 11, 2001, the United States and other allied nations found themselves involved in what has come to be called the "War on Terrorism," which has primarily encompassed military actions in both Afghanistan and Iraq.

Government

Iraq of the United States.]]

Republic and suffrage

The United States is an example of a constitutional republic, with a government composed of and operating through a set of limited powers imposed by its design and enumerated in the United States Constitution. Specifically, the nation operates as a presidential democracy. There are three levels of government: federal, state, and local. Officials of each of these levels are either elected by eligible voters via secret ballot or appointed by other elected officials. Americans enjoy almost universal suffrage from the age of 18 regardless of race, sex, or wealth. There are some limits, however: felons are disenfranchised and in some states former felons are likewise. Furthermore, the national representation of territories and the federal district of Washington, DC in Congress is limited: residents of the District of Columbia are subject to federal laws and federal taxes but their only Congressional representative is a non-voting delegate.

Federal government

The federal government is the national government, comprising the Legislative Branch (led by Congress), the Executive Branch (led by the President), and the Judicial Branch (led by the Supreme Court). These three branches were designed to apply checks and balances on each other. The Constitution limits the powers of the federal government to defense, foreign affairs, the issuing and management of currency, the management of trade and relations between the states, and the protection of human rights. In addition to these explicitly stated powers, the federal government—with the assistance of the Supreme Court—has gradually extended these powers into such areas as welfare and education, on the basis of the "necessary and proper" clause of the Constitution.

The Congress

necessary and proper The Congress of the United States is the legislative branch of the federal government of the United States. It is bicameral, comprising the House of Representatives and the Senate. The House of Representatives consists of 435 members, each of whom represents a congressional district and serves for a two-year term. House seats are apportioned among the states by population; in contrast, each state has two Senators, regardless of population. There are a total of 100 senators, who serve six-year terms. The powers of Congress are limited to those enumerated in the Constitution; all other powers are reserved to the states and the people. The Constitution also includes the necessary-and-proper clause, which grants Congress the power to "make all laws which shall be necessary and proper for carrying into execution the foregoing powers."

The President

necessary-and-proper clause At the top level of the executive branch is the President of the United States. The President and Vice-President are elected as 'running mates' for four-year terms by the Electoral College, for which each state, as well as the District of Columbia, is allocated a number of seats based on its representation (or ostensible representation, in the case of D. C.) in both houses of Congress (see U.S. Electoral College). The relationship between the President and the Congress reflects that between the English monarchy and parliament at the time of the framing of the United States Constitution. Congress can legislate to constrain the President's executive power, even with respect to his or her command of the armed forces; however, this power is used only very rarely—a notable example was the constraint placed on President Richard Nixon's strategy of bombing Cambodia during the Vietnam War. The President cannot directly propose legislation, and must rely on supporters in Congress to promote his or her legislative agenda. The President's signature is required to turn congressional bills into law; in this respect, the President has the power—only occasionally used—to veto congressional legislation. Congress can override a presidential veto with a two-thirds majority vote in both houses. The ultimate power of Congress over the President is that of impeachment or removal of the elected President through a House vote, a Senate trial, and a Senate vote. The threat of using this power has had major political ramifications in the cases of Presidents Andrew Johnson, Richard Nixon, and Bill Clinton. The President makes around 2,000 executive appointments, including members of the Cabinet and ambassadors, which must be approved by the Senate; the President can also issue executive orders and pardons, and has other Constitutional duties, among them the requirement to give a State of the Union address to Congress once a year. Although the President's constitutional role may appear to be constrained, in practice, the office carries enormous prestige that typically eclipses the power of Congress: the Presidency has justifiably been referred to as 'the most powerful office in the world'. The Vice President is first in the line of succession, and is the President of the Senate ex officio, with the ability to cast a tie-breaking vote. The members of the President's Cabinet are responsible for administering the various departments of state, including the Department of Defense, the Justice Department, and the State Department. These departments and department heads have considerable regulatory and political power, and it is they who are responsible for executing federal laws and regulations. George W. Bush is the 43rd President, currently serving his second term.

The Courts

George W. Bush The highest court is the Supreme Court, which consists of nine justices. The court deals with federal and constitutional matters, and can declare legislation made at any level of the government as unconstitutional, nullifying the law and creating precedent for future law and decisions. Below the Supreme Court are the courts of appeals, and below them in turn are the district courts, which are the general trial courts for federal law. Separate from, but not entirely independent of, this federal court system are the individual court systems of each state, each dealing with its own laws and having its own judicial rules and procedures. A case may be appealed from a state court to a federal court only if there is a federal question; the supreme court of each state is the final authority on the interpretation of that state's laws and constitution.

State and local governments

supreme court of each state. Note that Alaska and Hawaii are shown at different scales, and that the Aleutian Islands and the uninhabited Northwestern Hawaiian Islands are omitted from this map.]] The state governments have the greatest influence over people's daily lives. Each state has its own written constitution and has different laws. There are sometimes great differences in law and procedure between the different states, concerning issues such as property, crime, health, and education. The highest elected official of each state is the Governor. Each state also has an elected legislature (bicameral in every state except Nebraska), whose members represent the different parts of the state. Of note is the New Hampshire legislature, which is the third-largest legislative body in the English-speaking world, and has one representative for every 3,000 people. Each state maintains its own judiciary, with the lowest level typically being county courts, and culminating in each state supreme court, though sometimes named differently. In some states, supreme and lower court justices are elected by the people; in others, they are appointed, as they are in the federal system. The institutions that are responsible for local government are typically town, city, or county boards, making laws that affect their particular area. These laws concern issues such as traffic, the sale of alcohol, and keeping animals. The highest elected official of a town or city is usually the mayor. In New England, towns operate directly democratically, and in some states, such as Rhode Island and Connecticut, counties have little or no power, existing only as geographic distinctions. In other areas, county governments have more power, such as to collect taxes and maintain law enforcement agencies.

Political divisions

With the Declaration of Independence, the thirteen colonies proclaimed themselves to be nation states modeled after the European states of the time. Although considered as sovereigns initially, under the Articles of Confederation of 1781 they entered into a "Perpetual Union" and created a fully sovereign federal state, delegating certain powers to the national Congress, including the right to engage in diplomatic relations and to levy war, while each retaining their individual sovereignty, freedom and independence. But the national government proved too ineffective, so the administrative structure of the government was vastly reorganized with the United States Constitution of 1789. Under this new union, the continued status of the individual states as sovereign nation states fell into dispute in 1861, as several states attempted to secede from the union; in response, then-President Abraham Lincoln claimed that such secession was illegal, and the result was the American Civil War. Since the Union victory in 1865, the independent status of the individual states has not been broached again by any state, and the status of each state within the union has been deemed by mainstream officials and academics to be settled as being subordinate to the union as a whole. In subsequent years, the number of states grew steadily due to western expansion, the purchase of lands by the national government from other nation states, and the subdivision of existing states, resulting in the current total of 50. The states are generally divided into smaller administrative regions, including counties, cities and townships. The United States–Canadian border is the longest undefended political boundary in the world. The U.S. is divided into three distinct sections:
- the "continental United States," also known as "the Lower 48" and more accurately termed the conterminous, coterminous or contiguous United States
- Alaska, which is physically connected only to Canada
- the archipelago of Hawaii, in the central Pacific Ocean. The United States also holds several other territories, districts, and possessions, notably the federal district of the District of Columbia, which is the nation's capital, and several overseas insular areas, the most significant of which are American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, and the United States Virgin Islands. The Palmyra Atoll is the United States' only incorporated territory; it is unorganized and uninhabited. The United States Navy has held a base at a portion of Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, since 1898. The United States government possesses a lease to this land, which only mutual agreement or United States abandonment of the area can terminate. The present Cuban government of Fidel Castro disputes this arrangement, claiming Cuba was not truly sovereign at the time of the signing. The United States argues this point moot because Cuba apparently ratified the lease post-revolution, and with full sovereignty, when it cashed one rent check in accordance with the disputed treaty.

Foreign relations and military

sovereign] The immense military and economic dominance of the United States has made foreign relations an especially important topic in its politics, with considerable concern about the image of the United States throughout the world. Reactions towards the United States by other nationalities are often strong, ranging from uninhibited admiration and mimicking of all things American to anti-Americanism. US foreign policy has swung about several times over the course of its history between the poles of strict isolationism and imperialism and everywhere in between. Three of the nation's four military branches are administered by the Department of Defense: the Army, the Navy (including the Marine Corps), and the Air Force. The Coast Guard falls under the jurisdiction of the Department of Homeland Security in peacetime, but is placed under the Department of the Navy in time of war. The combined United States armed forces consist of 1.4 million active duty personnel, along with several hundred thousand each in the Reserves and the National Guard. Military conscription ended in 1973. The United States Armed forces are considered to be the most powerful military (of any sort) on Earth and their force projection capabilities are unrivaled by any other nation. The 2005 defense budget amounted to $401.7 billion, which is an increase of 4% over 2004 and of 35% since 2001. Over 50% of that number is spent in research & development. (For comparison, in 2004 the European Union (considered as the second-largest military force) had a combined total of 1.6 million troops, and a defense budget of €160 billion, with less than 10% of that being spent on R&D.)

Largest cities

The United States has dozens of major cities, including 11 of the 55 global cities of all types — with three "alpha" global cities: New York City, Los Angeles, and Chicago. The figures expressed below are for populations within city limits. A different ranking is evident when considering U.S. metro area populations, although the top three would be unchanged. Note that some cities not listed (such as Atlanta, Boston, Las Vegas, Miami, Nashville, New Orleans,