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.
Tualatin River The Tualatin River is a tributary of the Willamette River located in Oregon in the United States. The river is approximately 83 mi long, and it drains a fertile farming region called the Tualatin Valley southwest and west of Portland at the northwest corner of the Willamette Valley. There are approximately 500,000 people residing on 15 percent of the land in the river's watershed.