This month’s State Spotlight takes us to outstanding Oregon! The Beaver State is known for its breathtaking landscapes, unique creative culture, world-class wineries, and so much more. There’s also an abundance of lucrative, resume-building Travel Nurse jobs in this majestic state. Read on to learn more about why Travel Nursing in Oregon is A-OK in a magical way!
Travel Nursing in Oregon
Oregon is a fantastic place for Travelers to take an assignment. In The Beaver State you will never be bored on your days off and you’ll enjoy access to lots of amazing career opportunities at top-notch Traveler-friendly hospitals.
Oregon is home to about 65 hospitals — 10 of which meet high enough standards to be ranked among U.S. News & World Report’s 2018/2019 Best Hospitals list. That includes their #1-ranked Oregon hospital, OHSU Hospital in Portland, which is nationally ranked in six specialties and seven children’s specialties, in addition to being ranked “High Performing” in five adult specialties and eight procedures/conditions. Rounding out the top five overall best hospitals in Oregon are: Portland’s Providence St. Vincent Medical Center, Portland’s Providence Portland Medical Center, Salem’s Salem Hospital, and Kaiser Permanente Sunnyside Medical Center in Clackamas.
U.S. News & World Report’s 2018 “Best States” ranked Oregon #16 overall, as well as #6 for economy and #3 for infrastructure. The publication also named Portland, Oregon #6 on its 2018 list of “Best Places to Live.”
As for licensing, Oregon is not currently a walk-through state or a compact state, but it is a NURSYS state. Click here for more, up to date info on licensing in Oregon.
Oregon Fast Facts
State Nickname: The Beaver State
Capital: Salem
Largest City: Portland
National Parks: 5
State Parks: 255
National Historic and Natural Landmarks: 28
State Motto: “She flies with her own wings”
State Flower: Oregon Grape
State Tree: Douglas Fir
State Fish: Chinook Salmon
State Animal: American Beaver
State Rock: Thunder-egg (geode)
State Gem: Oregon sunstone
Oregon was the 33rd state.
Oregon’s is the only U.S. state flag with different designs on each side.
Portland, Oregon has more breweries within its city limits than any other city in the world.
Oregon’s Crater Lake is the deepest lake in the nation. It formed more than 6,500 years ago inside the remains of an ancient volcano!
Eugene, Oregon was the first city to have one-way streets.
Marionberries, the Nike swoosh, Pendleton blankets, the first Wiki site, American-style Maraschino cherries, the computer mouse, hacky sacks, erector sets, spikeless track shoes, the Leatherman, Rogue Ales (and SO many other beers), Tillamook Cheese, and the Coolest cooler (a tricked out cooler with a blender, stereo, USB charging port, and more!) were all invented in or originated in Oregon!
Oregon is home to the most ghost towns in the United States.
Oregon’s Tillamook Cheese Factory is the largest cheese factory in the world, yielding delicious results for cheese-lovers.
The D River in Lincoln City, Oregon is one of the world’s shortest rivers at a mere 121 feet.
On the other hand, The Beaver State’s Hells Canyon clocks in as the deepest river gorge in North America at a whopping 8,000 feet deep.
Oregon is the only state with an official state nut. The nut in question? The humble hazelnut!
Nike, originally called Blue Ribbon Sports, was started in Oregon. PSU student Carolyn Davidson designed Nike’s iconic swoosh in 1971 and sold it to the company for just $35!
Until January 2018, Oregon was one of only two U.S. states without self-serve gas stations. While Oregon now allows patrons to pump their own gas only at stand-alone stations in counties with less 40,000 residents, New Jersey is still holding out!
Calling all winos! Oregon is home to more than 750 vineyards.
Way back in 1973, Oregon became the first state to decriminalize marijuana. It followed up in 2014 by becoming one of the first states to legalize recreational marijuana.
Famous folks from or who’ve lived in Louisiana include Tonya Harding, Ty Burrell, Lisa Rinna, Kathleen Hanna, Howard Hesseman, Isaiah Mustafa, River Phoenix, Holly Madison, Steve Prefontaine, Beverly Clearly, Clark Gable, Matthew Fox, Ginger Rogers, Kim Novak, Courtney Love, Ken Kesey, Jon Heder, Phil Knight, Raymond Carver, Tommy Thayer, Dorothy McCullough, and Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh.
When naming the city of Portland, the odds were 50-50 and decided by a coin toss. If the coin had landed the other way Portland would be called Boston!
The biggest mushroom on Earth — a honey fungus spanning more than two miles — resides in Oregon’s Blue Mountains. It’s believed to be thousands of years old.
If you didn’t know, the dream of the ’90s is alive in Portland! In addition to the popular TV show “Portlandia,” The Goonies and One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest were set and filmed in Oregon.
The world’s tallest barber pole stands 72-feet high and resides in Forest Grove, Oregon.
Oregon has nine beautiful lighthouses along its coastline.
Mount Hood, a dormant volcano, is Oregon’s highest peak at 11,239 feet tall.
Oregon’s largest state park, Silver Falls State Park, boasts 10 waterfalls.
To Do & See in Oregon
From breathtaking natural sights to quirky urban areas, The Beaver State is a magical playground for Travel Nurses! The state offers a diverse landscape of mountains, forest, and beaches, as well as world-class wine, craft beer, incredible dining, and stimulating culture — making Oregon a wonderful place to embark on your next Travel Nurse journey!
For city lovers, The Beaver State’s largest cities include Portland, Salem, Eugene, Gresham, Beaverton, and Bend. As you have heard via TV’s “Portlandia,” the dream of the ’90s is alive in Portland — but that’s not all that make it a great place to take an assignment or a day trip. Where else can you visit Forest Park — the largest park in city limits in the U.S. and the world’s smallest park, Mill’s End Park, which is a wee spot on a median?! You will also definitely want to check out Powell’s Books, Crystal Springs Rhododendron Garden, the Portland Mercado, Portland Art Museum, Portland Japanese Gardens, Multnomah Falls, Voodoo Doughnut, Washington Park, Pittock Mansion, Portland Saturday Market, Hoyt Arboretum, Oregon Museum of Science and Industry, gigantic Paul Bunyan, and so many more incredible spots. Craft beer lovers and wine aficionados will feel pampered with the many offerings here as well!
Outside of the big city, adventurers will want to check out Cannon Beach — which many will recognize from The Goonies, The Oregon Vortex and House of Mystery in Gold Hill, The Enchanted Forest near Salem, the Wooden Shoe Tulip Farm, Astoria, the Willamette Valley, and so many more.
For those who love the great outdoors, get ready to fall hard for Oregon. The Beaver State is known for its almost otherworldly natural beauty. To experience this, check out places like Crater Lake National Park, Cascades Lake Scenic Byway, Mount Hood, Hells Canyon Recreational Area, Yachats, Wallowa Lake, Columbia River Gorge, Greenwood Poplar Tree Farm, Thor’s Well, The Painted Hills and the John Day Fossil Beds, Natural Bridges, Deschutes River, and Dee Wright Observatory, to name a few.
If you like to eat you will LOVE Oregon!The farm-to-table restaurant scene is a big deal here, resulting in incredible dining options, and the state is also known for its fresh seafood and unique regional favorites. While on assignment in Oregon enjoy iconic faves like marionberry pie, Dungeness crab, Moonstruck Chocolates, hazelnuts, Tillamook Cheese, Vietnamese chicken wings, Salt & Straw Ice Cream, Voodoo Doughnuts, tater tots, Tofurky, steamer clams, salmon, wild mushrooms, fish & chips, and oysters. Wash it all down with a piping-hot Stumptown Coffee, and ice-cold Rouge Ale, or a fine Oregon Pinot and you’ll be living like a true Oregonian!