Between California and Washington, Oregon is a large state in terms of area, but rather smaller in terms of population density, located on the west coast of the Pacific. The forestry industry, which once dominated here, also gave the state its nickname “Beaver State”. The landscape is shaped by its volcanic past, as impressively illustrated by Crater Lake at Mount Mazama, the strikingly colored rock strata of the Painted Hills and the Cascade Range. The tall peaks of these mountains run the entire length of the state for 300 miles, many of them covered with snow year-round. The state's main population centers are located west of the Cascades, from Portland to Eugene to Salem, the state capital. Here, Oregon's economy is shaped primarily by the technology companies of the “Silicon Forest”...