Oregon spans two time zones: Mountain & Pacific. While most of Oregon is in the Pacific Time Zone, most of Malheur County is on mountain time because it is economically connected to neighboring Idaho.
The state animal is the beaver (Castor canadensis). A beaver appears on the reverse of the state flag, and Oregon’s nickname is The Beaver State (stemming from the early 19th century when fur hats were fashionable and the streams were an important source of beaver). Beavers are the second-largest rodent in the world (after the capybara) and are closely related to squirrels. Photo by Keith Williams on Flickr
Visiting ghost towns is the ultimate history road trip and Oregon has 256! The state’s frontier history is a series of booms and busts. Many were former mining or lumber towns from the Pioneer days. You’ll discover the most in Central, Eastern, and Southern Oregon, where you can visit full-fledged Wild West relics set up for tourism, like Shaniko, as well as ghostlier “true” ghost towns, like Golden.
One of the largest cheese factories in the world is in Tillamook, Oregon. The factory is run by the Tillamook County Creamery Association, a farmer-owned cooperative established in 1909. The visitor center is one of the most popular tourist attractions in the state with nearly a million visitors a year. You can learn about cheesemaking, packaging, and the ice cream-making process from a viewing gallery over the main production floor.
The Oregon coast aquarium in Newport spans 39 acres! It is a nonprofit, public aquatic and marine science exhibition facility offering educational programs and exhibits. The exhibits showcase seabirds, marine mammals, fishes, invertebrates, and plants primarily native to the Oregon coast. Home to 259 species with 15,000 specimens, approximately 420,000 visitors come to the Aquarium each year.
The pear is the official Oregon state fruit. Pears are the top-selling tree fruit crop and grow particularly well in the Rogue River Valley and along the Columbia River near Mt. Hood. Oregon produces a variety of pears including Comice, Anjou, Bosc, and Bartlett. Pears are thought to have originated in present-day western China and have been cultivated since antiquity (pears are mentioned in the oldest Greek writings, and they were cultivated by the ancient Romans).
Visit our website to learn more about our Sweet Homes where you can stay relaxed while you explore the beauty and diversity of the Central Oregon coast and discover more of what this amazing area has to offer.