Many people might say Oregon is boring, cold, unadventurous, and so on. I, on the other hand, love Oregon. I don’t think Oregon is any of those things (well, maybe cold) but that is something that makes Oregon wonderful. I have lived in Oregon for 13 years, and for as long as I can remember, Winter has been cold, and Summer has been warm, and I’m pretty sure that’s the same as New York, so why so many people in New York? The reason is New York is filled with crammed streets and overly expensive stores! For some weird reason, people love that! I am not one of them. I love the small town feel where everyone knows your name. That’s why one of my favorite towns is Stayton. Many people might not know where that is, but its outside of Lyons (outside of Salem). My grandparents Candy and Gary have lived there my entire life. The view is AMAZING, you can see for miles in every direction, unlike in New York where your view is blocked by gigantic buildings. The people are friendly and caring to everyone they meet. Stayton is full of amazing mountains, beautiful sunsets, gorgeous animals and most importantly, beautiful people.

 My other favorite town is Seaside. It is only an hour and a half from my house so it’s pretty close if you just want to go for the day. The beaches in Oregon are most definitely some of the prettiest I have ever seen. The sounds of the waves crashing against each other, the seagulls soaring, kids laughing, and families playing, it’s all so surreal that sometimes I forget I’m still in Oregon.

 I have been throughout the West side of Oregon, and my number one favorite town is Yamhill. Every year my family goes to Flying M Ranch at least twice a month, give or take a few trips. We spend most of our time riding four-wheelers, building campfires, playing catch, and talking. My family and I love the smell of the mountain air- nothing like in New York where all you smell is nasty trash and icky gas from old mufflers. In the mountains, you don’t have to worry about traffic or if you’re running late, all you have to remember is to bring bug spray! The beautiful mountains are just one of many spectacular things about Oregon.

 Oregon has some amazing landmarks that people all around America come to see. For example, North America’s largest Sitka Spruce tree was located in Seaside Oregon. The tree was a landmark known across the United States, this past Winter the tree toppled to the ground during one of Oregon’s infamous windstorms. The storms might be horrible, but I personally love them. My favorite thing about them is, seeing people help complete strangers rebuild homes and cleanup fallen trees in the aftermath.

 It seems like the worst things are the things that bring us Oregonians closer together. Happy 150th Birthday Oregon!