On Oregon's birthday, here's why we have faith in our future
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Illustration: Lindsey Bailey/Axios
There's a reason we live here. Many in fact. Our state is not only rich in nature — coastal dunes, thick, evergreen forests, ancient rock and painted hills — but intellect, innovation and optimism.
Why it matters: It's innately human to sometimes focus on the bad, the sensational, the overwhelming. So to celebrate Oregon's 166th birthday, we decided to look ahead at all the best that's yet to come.
Here's why we (and several other Oregonians who talked to Axios) have faith in our state.
Oregon's largest city elected a political outsider with a vision to curb the growing homelessness crisis — proving that Portlanders haven't given up hope on solving big issues (even though the mayor didn't respond to our requests to participate in this story).
Our leading research institutions are driving groundbreaking advancements in medicine, from developing a universal flu vaccine and creating the first artificial heart valve to expanding addiction medicine training and more.
- "The innovations we make today are already shaping the next 166 years of Oregon's story," Steve Stadum, the interim president of Oregon Health & Science University, said.
The commitment on behalf of our farms, restaurants and chefs to use hyper-seasonal ingredients in inventive ways, while also bolstering the DIY food scene we're known for, put Oregon on the global culinary map.
- "You can have three of the best meals of your life every day here," according to Bill Oakley, food enthusiast and former head writer of "The Simpsons."
Anti-establishment creativity still runs thick in our veins — from the novels and poems we write about the present, to the art and music we make about what we hope to see in the future.
- "We didn't come all this way to surrender our art, heart, voices and bodies to brutality," Lidia Yuknavitch, author of "Reading the Waves," said. "We are imperfect and working on it. But we are not surrendering."
The Blazers, and their fans, are determined to show the rest of the NBA that they're not a team to bet against.
- "As the state's largest gathering place, we see what makes Oregon beautiful beyond its incredible natural features — the people," Dewayne Hankins, the team's president of business operations, said.
Politics can be a hard-nosed business, but former gubernatorial candidate and current leader of the Oregon House Republican Caucus Christine Drazan echoed Hankins — it's the people here who keep her hopeful.
- "Rain or shine, on the brightest days and on the darkest nights, I have faith in Oregon's future because I have faith in Oregonians," she said.
A quick glance at the Willamette River, which some have overlooked in the past, can provide a necessary dose of confidence for what we can accomplish.
- "We are rich in water resources, which is why I have even more faith in the future!" Olivia Clark, a city councilor for Portland's District 4, said.