West of the West
This is not a land of deserts and sage brush, but a region of deep forests, mist, rivers, and rugged coastline. The land we share in the Diocese of Oregon lies west of the Cascade Range, from California to Washington, and on the edge of the Pacific Ocean. Nearly 300 miles in length, our region has a long and varied seashore filled with rugged beauty and quiet beaches, and coastal mountain rainforest.
It contains a great valley of rich farmland traversed by the Willamette River that flows northward to the Columbia River, the largest river by discharge flowing into the Pacific Ocean from North America and is the fourth largest by volume in the US. There are many other smaller rivers, streams, and lakes, including Crater Lake the deepest in the United States. Oregon has dozens of state and regional parks, beaches, and nature reserves. Forests make up 80% of the landscape west of the Cascades with the Douglas Fir as the state tree.
Four Distinct Regions
We invite you to keep reading to learn more about the regions within the Diocese of Oregon:
- Willamette Valley: located along the northern half of I-5
- Rogue River: located along the southern half of I-5
- Coastal Oregon: located along Highway 101.
- Portland Metropolitan Region: located at the northern edge of the diocese