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Oregon State Symbols

Welcome to the Beaver State! California may be the Golden State, but some of that gold rubbed off on Oregon. Yellow is the color of Oregon’s state flower, the Oregon grape. It is also a prominent color on the state bird and insect, the western meadowlark and Oregon swallowtail butterfly. (Continued below)

Oregon State Flag
Nicknames & Slogans
Nicknames The Beaver State, Webfoot State, Hard-case State  
Symbols of State
Motto Alis Volat Propriis
Song Oregon, My Oregon 1927
EcoSymbols
Flower Oregon grape (Berberis aquifolium) 1899
Tree Douglas fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii) 1939
Fruit pear (Pyrus communis) 2005
Nut hazelnut (Corylus avellana) 1989
Vegetable potato (Solanum tuberosum) 2023
(Song)bird western meadowlark (Sturnella neglecta) 1927
Raptor osprey (Pandion haliaetus) 2017
Animal beaver (Castor canadensis) 1969
Pet shelter cats and dogs 2023
Fish Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) 1961
Insect Oregon swallowtail (Papilio oregonius) 1979
Crustacean Dungeness crab (Metacarcinus magister) 2009
Shell Oregon hairy triton (Fusitriton oregonensis) 1989
Mushroom Pacific golden chanterelle (Cantharellus formosus) 1999
Microbe Brewer’s Yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) 2013
Rock thunderegg 1965
Gemstone Oregon sunstone 1987
Fossil † Metasequoia (Metasequoia) 2005
Soil Jory 2011
Cultural Symbols
Colors navy blue and gold 1959
Mother of Oregon Tabitha Moffatt Brown 1987
Father of Oregon Dr. John McLoughlin 1957
Hostess Miss Oregon 1969
Team Portland Trail Blazers 1991
Pie marionberry pie 2017
Beverage milk Redundant Symbol 1997
Dance square dance Redundant Symbol 1977
Statehood Pageant The Champoeg Historical Pageant 1987
Outdoor Pageant and Wild West Show Happy Canyon Indian Pageant and Wild West Show 2011

Of course, we can’t forget the golden beaver (the state animal) on Oregon’s state flag. Curiously, it is only displayed on one side, however.

Some of Oregon’s more unusual symbols include an official crustacean, mushroom, and microbe. And if you ever visit Oregon, beware of thundereggs and Oregon sunstones falling out of the sky.

Now, grab a pear, some hazelnuts, and a slice of marionberry pie and see if you can guess what Oregon’s official colors are.

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If you think state flags and flowers are nothing more than trivia, guess again. A thorough exploration of the more than 1,500 items adopted as state symbols embraces geography, history, and psychology.

You have found the best state symbols website, but it’s just the tip of the iceberg. The introduction above is adapted from Geobop’s State Symbols and My State Symbols Book, by far the biggest and most detailed state symbols references ever. You can learn still more about the symbols of the 50 states in the books Flag Quest and Grading the States. (Learn more about them here.)

After you spend some time exploring your favorite state’s symbols, you can come back here and tell us what you think about them.

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