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It's hard to picture
Oregon without thinking of the lush green slopes of the
Klamath and Cascade Mountains; or the intoxicating scent
of pine in the Willamette, Deschutes, and Mt. Hood
National Forests (just to name a few); or an
exhilarating drive down the state's coastline on Highway
101, miles above the beaches in some cases, or in
others, practically at the water's edge. This is a
beautiful place.
Even Oregon's principal cities seem forested and less
urban than their neighbors to the north and south.
Portland sits on the Washington/Oregon state line,
nestled snugly between the Oregon beaches and the peaks
of Mt. Hood National Forest; bounded by the clear waters
of the Columbia and Willamette Rivers. Meanwhile, the
intellectual and cultural atmosphere nurtured by the
University of Oregon in Eugene creates a surprisingly
metropolitan feeling in a community otherwise free from
the attendant woes of urban living. In a state of
physical contrasts, the merger seems a most comfortable
fit.
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