Toward One Oregon: Rural-Urban Interdependence and the Evolution of a State

Preface: A New Oregon Trail

7 Preface A New Oregon Trail In 1842 and 1843, wagon trains began the great migration westward over the Oregon Trail. Two years later the Oregon Territory was created, embracing the area west of the Rockies from the forty-second to the forty-ninth parallels . In 1859 the southwestern portion of the territory was admitted to the Union, and Oregon became a state. In the one hundred and fifty years that have passed since then, the evolution of Oregon’s modern economy has followed a path similar to that in many older states. It is a path that diverged early on into two branches, one for the cities and a separate one for the countryside. This persistent divergence—the so-called rural-urban divide—has shaped Oregon’s history down through the years and continues to do so. This book had its seeds in a comprehensive symposium on rural-urban connections.1 We, the authors, represent the disciplines of history, urban planning , economics, geography, and political science. The book has been a true labor of love for us. Most of us have researched and written extensively on aspects of the rural-urban divide in Oregon. This book sets out to synthesize our findings and those of our colleagues into a single volume that is accessible to a wide audience: fellow researchers, people in public service, community leaders, business leaders, and other interested lay people. We were motivated by a conviction that, despite much bemoaning to the contrary, the relationship between Oregon’s cities and countryside does not have to be a rivalry or a zero-sum game—in fact, we believe that assumption is no longer serving us. We wanted to look instead for opportunities to create a sturdy rural-urban interdependence. To be sure, current trends have seen severe erosion in the historical connections between rural, natural resource-based economies and urban centers of technology, creativity, and commerce. But trend is not destiny. Toward One Oregon paints a sobering but ultimately positive picture, one that we hope 8 PREFACE will guide and inform policy decisions that are critical to the future vitality and well-being of Oregon, this place we all call home. We hope this book will provide the starting place for a new Oregon Trail—a trail that can lead us on the path to robust and lasting connections between rural and urban Oregon, and thereby increase social and economic opportunity for all Oregonians. To our knowledge this is the only book that examines the impacts of a state’s rural-urban concerns with a particular focus on economic health and political leadership. Most of the authors are faculty members at universities within the Oregon University System, and the book is an uncommon example of collaboration among public universities, which are charged with the vital mission of public service. Now more than ever, universities must become engaged with decisionmakers on public-policy concerns. We offer Toward One Oregon as an invitation for communities and their leaders throughout this state to engage in conversations about our collective future. Acknowledgments Financial support for Toward One Oregon came from Oregon State University, Portland State University, and the University of Oregon. Scott Reed, OSU’s vice provost for Outreach and Engagement, put up a $10,000 challenge grant that was matched by Larry Wallack, dean of the College of Urban and Public Affairs at PSU, and also by the dean of the U of O’s School of Architecture and Allied Arts, Francis Bronet, and the U of O’s vice president for research, Richard Linton. The Ford Family Foundation provided financial support for the symposium. The core team of Toward One Oregon is composed of colleagues and friends who were determined to make this book a reality. They have stayed the course since their very first meeting at the North Willamette Research and Extension Center in Aurora in the summer of 2006. They are: Bruce Weber, Lyla Houglum, and Beth Emshoff from Oregon State University; Ethan Seltzer, Stephanie Hallock, and Sheila Martin from Portland State University; and Mike Hibbard and Megan Smith from the University of Oregon. Thanks also to Mary Elizabeth Braun, acquisitions editor for the Oregon State University Press, who encouraged us by believing that this book would be an important contribution to the intellectual, cultural, and social devel- ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 9 opment of Oregon and the West. Our final thanks go to Gail Wells, editor extraordinaire...