Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. As of the 2020 U.S. census, it is the 27th-most populous state, with 4,237,256 inhabitants,[1] and ranked 10th by land area, spanning 95,988 square miles (248,610 km2) of land.[2][3] Oregon is divided into 36 counties and contains 241 incorporated cities.[3][4] Approximately 71 percent of the state's population lives in cities, which also generate 83 percent of economic activity and have 82 percent of Oregon's jobs.[4]
The most populous municipality in Oregon is Portland with 652,503 residents, and the least populous municipality is Greenhorn with three residents.[5][6] In 2020, the state had five cities with populations greater than 100,000 residents.[2][7] Portland is also the largest city by land area, at 133.45 sq mi (345.6 km2), while Barlow is the smallest at 0.05 sq mi (0.13 km2).[3][8] The oldest city in Oregon is Oregon City, which was incorporated in 1844 by the Provisional Legislature and was the first recognized city west of the Rocky Mountains.[9] The most recent city to incorporate is La Pine, which was formed in 2006.[10] Cities are able to be dissolved through disincorporation or consolidated to form a new city, such as the amalgamation of three cities in 1965 to create Lincoln City.[11]
All cities have an elected council and an executive that differs based on the chosen form of local government. A majority of large cities use the council–manager form, which has an executive city manager who is appointed by the council but is not directly elected. The mayor–council form includes an elected mayor that serves as the chief executive.[4][12] Until its change to a mayor–council system in 2025, Portland used the commission form of government in which elected members of the city commission were also appointed by the mayor to lead city departments.[12][13] Cities are generally responsible for providing emergency services, land use planning, maintenance of streets, water and waste treatment utilities, and other social services.[4] Revenue for these municipal services is primarily derived from property taxes, followed by fees, hotel taxes, and some funding that is shared with the state government.[14]