I remember well the anticipation of relocating to Oregon was as exciting as the actual move. I loved that Oregon was like a well-kept secret, open only to insiders who "get it": that this is a very special place unlike other states.
How else to explain Oregon's trailblazing ways! Twas the first to require a bottle deposit; 300 miles of beaches, all open to the public; one of only two states with no sales tax; the only one with free health care for its poorest; medical marijuana; assisted-suicide and so on.
I had assumed the whole state of Oregon was progressive. After all, it had always been well-known for being liberal. This, I considered a good thing.
Then I moved here and learned differently; how wrong I was! Perhaps it was political naivete`. To believe that all of Oregon was as progressive as Portland couldn't have been further from the truth: that being, like most states, Oregon has many rural regions populated with staunchly-conservative, gun-toting rednecks.
I can't remember the exact moment I found out but I do remember being dumbfounded. Turns out, it's mostly metropolitan areas along the I-5 corridor that are, so-called, liberal.
The root word, 'liber'--and literal definition--means "free and broad-minded"~~two adjectives I proudly call myself. It's also why I love living where there's a cultural awareness of its true meaning.
Oregon may be just as conservative as other states but fortunately, when it comes to legislative acts, it is those who call themselves "open-minded" who usually prevail.
