OREGON 2 : East and Southwest - Medford; Bend

Oregon's 2nd covers two-thirds of the state, bordering Washington, Idaho, Nevada and California. About 60 percent of that land is owned by the federal government, causing considerable strife with the district's residents, who depend on fishing, farming and logging to make a living.

The 2nd lost timber jobs when the spotted owl was deemed an endangered species and its Oregon forest habitat protected from clear-cutting. Those jobs have been difficult to replace in a district with few urban areas. Farmers produce fruit, wheat and hay in the district's plateaus and river valleys, but cattle farmers have seen their access to public grazing lands limited. During the 1980s, economic pains drove enough people from the district that it declined in population, but numbers rebounded in the 1990s as retired couples moved to the area.

Hostility toward the federal government makes the 2nd Oregon's most reliably Republican district, voting for the Republican presidential candidate in 1992 and '96. Democrats are scattered through parts of Ashland and Bend, but they are too few to swing the district.

Major Industry
Agriculture, forestry, tourism

Population
568,437 (1990)

Cities
Medford, 56,067; Bend, 31,733 (1996); Altamont (unincorporated), 18,591 (1990)

People
12% urban, 50% rural; 16% age 65+ (ranks first of five in state; top third nationally); 61% married couples, 26% married couples with children; 15% college educated (ranks fifth of five in state; bottom third nationally); 48% white collar (ranks fifth of five in state; bottom third nationally), 29% blue collar (ranks second of five in state; middle third nationally) (1990)

Race
94% white, 0% black, 1% Asian; 5% Hispanic origin (1990)

Median Household Income
$23,949 (ranks fifth of five in state; bottom third nationally) (1990)

Unusual Features
Crater Lake National Park; Warm Springs Indian Reservation.

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