The 2170 mile Oregon Trail connected various towns along a 150 mile long valley, forms the cultural and political heart of Oregon, and is home to three of Oregon's largest cities, including which city that is the state capital?
Willamette Valley The Willamette Valley ( ) is a 150 mi long valley in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. The Willamette River flows the entire length of the valley, and it is surrounded by mountains on three sides – the Cascade Range to the east, the Oregon Coast Range to the west, and the Calapooya Mountains to the south. It forms the cultural and political heart of Oregon, and is home to approximately 70 percent of its population including its three largest cities: Portland, Eugene and Salem, the state capital.
Forest Grove, Oregon Forest Grove is a city in Washington County, Oregon, United States, 25 mi west of Portland. Originally a small farm town, it is now primarily a bedroom suburb of Portland. Settled in the 1840s, the town was platted in 1850, then incorporated in 1872, making it the first city in Washington County. The population was 21,083 at the 2010 census, an increase of 19.1% over the 2000 figure (17,708).