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)
| 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  |
1997 | > |
| Dance | square dance |
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.
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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