Oregon’s climates range from equable, mild, marine conditions on the coast to continental conditions of dryness and extreme temperature, in the interior. Location with respect to the ocean, prevailing wind and storm paths, and topography and elevation are the principal climatic control factors.

The narrow coastal area and the bordering mountain slopes are marine-influenced. Temperatures are moderate: July temperatures average in the upper 50s F (about 14 °C), January temperatures in the low 40s F (about 5 °C). Summers are relatively dry but receive only half the sunshine possible; other seasons are cloudy and wet. Annual precipitation ranges from 60 to 120 inches (1,500 to 3,000 mm) or more.

The lowlands of the Willamette, Umpqua, and middle Rogue rivers are warmer in summer and slightly cooler in winter, and they have less precipitation than the coast. July temperatures average about 70 °F (21 °C), with 65 to 70 percent of the possible sunshine; January averages about 40 °F (4 °C). The rainy season extends from October through April, with precipitation averaging 35 to 40 inches (900 to 1,000 mm), except in the middle Rogue valley, where 20 to 25 inches (500 to 650 mm) is common.

The Cascade Range has copious winter precipitation, including phenomenal snow depth, and short, dry, sunny summers. Above 3,000 feet (900 metres), January average temperatures are below 32 °F (0 °C). Snow begins to fall in October and remains through April, with large patches persisting until July. The higher peaks support snowfields and small glaciers throughout the year. July average temperatures range between 50 and 60 °F (10 and 15 °C).

The north-central Oregon plateau receives 10 to 20 inches (250 to 500 mm) of precipitation annually. Distribution is fairly even, but the majority of the rainy days occur in winter. Summers are sunny, with July temperatures averaging in the low 70s F (about 23 °C). The brisk winters have considerable sunny weather, and January temperatures average in the low 30s F (about 1 °C). The plateau area of central and southeastern Oregon has climatic characteristics similar to the north-central plateau except for somewhat less precipitation and lower temperatures at higher elevations.

The Blue-Wallowa mountains have climates that vary with location. The intermontane basins and valleys are similar to the north-central plateau but with colder winters, while the higher, exposed elevations receive heavy precipitation, much of it in the form of snow during winter.

Plant and animal life

Forests cover more than two-fifths of Oregon. In the eastern two-thirds of the state, ponderosa pine, large sagebrush, and western juniper predominate, along with various annual grasses and wildflowers. On the Blue-Wallowa mountains and the eastern slopes of the Cascades occur great stands of ponderosa pine in association with ground coverings of bitter brush, green manzanita, and herbaceous plants. The western slopes of the Cascade, Klamath, and Coast ranges are heavily forested with stands of Douglas fir, with varying degrees of understory vines and intrusions of other tree growths depending on the age of the stand. In cleared areas of the damp coastal region are found alder and noncommercial deciduous growth. In the alpine zones of the mountains, larch, mountain hemlock, and alpine firs occur in association, and mountain mahogany is found in the Blue Mountains.

Oregon’s animal life is related to its climatic zones. Deer and elk flourish in less-populated parts, and antelope are found in the eastern high plateau and bear and fox in the mountain foothills. Oregon’s coastal waters are home to sea lions and sea otters.

Population composition

Oregonians are predominantly of European descent and are American-born. About one-tenth of the population is made up of Hispanics. There are small numbers of Asians, Native Americans, and African Americans. Roman Catholics form the largest single religious denomination but make up only one-third of all religious adherents. Evangelical Protestants, Methodists, Baptists, Presbyterians, Disciples of Christ, Lutherans, and Mormons are other large religious denominations.

Settlement patterns

The people are unevenly distributed, the great majority living west of the crest of the Cascade Range in the Willamette valley. Almost one-fourth of all Oregonians live in three cities: Portland, Eugene, and Salem. Portland, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers, is the largest city in the state, a leading West Coast port, and the major commercial, industrial, service, and cultural centre of the state. Eugene and Salem, the next largest cities, are important for trade and processing. Salem, the state capital, is among the country’s leading food-processing centres. The major cities outside the Willamette valley are Grants Pass, Ashland, and Medford, in the Rogue valley; Bend and Redmond, along the Deschutes River in the Cascade foothills of central Oregon; and Klamath Falls, in the south-central part of the state.

At least five major patterns of land use emerge from the tangle of Oregon’s natural landscapes and climates. The forested mountains—the Coast Range, the Cascades, the Klamath, and the Blue-Wallowas—show relatively little evidence of human habitation or modification except for the harvest pattern of clear-cutting in the Douglas fir region, the logging and forest-management roads, and scattered roadside homesites at lower elevations. Most of the few loggers live in the valley towns.

The western valleys, dominated by the Willamette, are Oregon’s main centres of population, industry, and transportation. Most people live close to urban centres. The nearly 1,300 wood-product plants that in 1947 were located in valley towns or up tributary valleys into the forested mountains had by the early 21st century dwindled to fewer than 300 large-scale sawmills, plywood plants, and pulp mills.

In the rolling, sparsely populated wheat country of north-central Oregon, ranches commonly exceed 1,500 acres (600 hectares) in the eastern portion and double that size to the west, where wheat-fallow rotation is practiced. In regions of natural erosion, alternate bands of crop and fallow occur. Farmsteads are widely separated, and owners often live in towns.

The growth of natural feed in open range country is relatively poor, and cattle scatter over enormous areas. There are fences, occasional watering places with metal tanks, and ranch steads located at great distances from one another.

Most of the eastern Oregon towns except Pendleton lie in the area of irrigated agriculture, on the eastern slopes of the Cascades or near the Idaho border. Farming is highly mechanized.