Oregon is a state dominated by a love of the outdoors, and this isn't surprising when you realize just how much nature dominates beyond the city limits. From almost anywhere in Oregon, it's possible to look up and see green forests and snow-capped mountains, and a drive of less than 2 hours from any Willamette Valley city will get you to the mountains or the Pacific Ocean's beaches.
Oregonians don't let the weather stand between them and the outdoors. The temptation is too great to head for the mountains, the river, or the beach--no matter what the forecast. Consequently, life in Oregon's cities tends to revolve less around cultural venues and shopping than around parks, gardens, waterfronts, rivers, mountains, and beaches. Portland has its Forest Park, Rose Garden, Japanese Garden, Classical Chinese Garden, and Waterfront Park. Eugene has its miles of riverside parks, bike paths, and even a park just for rock climbing. In Hood River, the entire Columbia River has become a playground for windsurfers and kiteboarders, and when the wind doesn't blow, there are always the nearby mountain-bike trails and rivers for kayaking. In Bend, mountain biking, downhill skiing, and snowboarding are a way of life. These outdoor areas are where people find tranquillity, where summer festivals are held, where locals take their visiting friends and relatives, and where Oregonians tend to live their lives when they aren't being interrupted by such inconveniences as work and sleep.
This is not to say, however, that the region is a cultural wasteland. Both Portland and Eugene have large, modern, and active performing arts centers. During the summer months, numerous festivals take music, theater, and dance outdoors. Most impressive of these are the Oregon Shakespeare Festival and the Britt Festivals, both of which are staged in southern Oregon. Many other festivals feature everything from chamber music to alternative rock.
Word of the state's natural beauty and the Oregon good life has been spreading far and wide in recent years, and the state has been experiencing unprecedented growth. As the population in urban areas of the Willamette Valley has expanded, a pronounced urban-rural political split has developed in Oregon. Citizens from the eastern part of the state argue that Salem and Portland are dictating to rural regions that have little in common with the cities, while urban dwellers, who far outnumber those living outside the Willamette Valley, argue that majority rule is majority rule. This split has pitted conservative voters (often from rural regions) against liberal voters (usually urban) on a wide variety of issues, and the reality of Oregon politics is now quite a bit different from the popular perception of a state dominated by liberal, forward-thinking environmentalists and former hippies. Medical use of marijuana and assisted suicide, both of which were legalized in Oregon in the late 1990s, have both continued to generate controversy and court cases.
Some areas outside of Oregon's urban population centers have also been experiencing rapid growth. Hood River in the Columbia Gorge, Bend in central Oregon, and the Ashland/Medford area of southern Oregon have all been attracting large numbers of wealthy retirees and other transplants. These areas have all seen lots of development in the past few years, and along with this development has come a proliferation of high-end restaurants. So, for anyone visiting the state, Oregon's popularity as a place to live has also made the state a great place to visit.
