Southern Oregon

Approached from the north, southern Oregon begins where the verdant lowlands of the Willamette Valley give way to a complex collision of mountains, rivers, and ravines. The intricate geography of the "Land of Umpqua," as the area around Roseburg is somewhat romantically known, signals that this is territory very distinct from neighboring regions to the north, east, and west. Wild rivers—the Rogue and the Umpqua are legendary for fishing and boating—and twisting mountain roads venture through the landscape that saw Oregon's most violent Indian wars and became the territory of a self-reliant breed. Don't-Tread-on-Me southern Oregonians see themselves as markedly different from fellow citizens of the Pacific Wonderland. In fact, several early-20th-century attempts to secede from Oregon and proclaim a "state of Jefferson" survive in local folklore and culture—the region's beloved public radio affiliate, for instance, is Jefferson Public Radio. More »