Oregon, Ohio

Oregon is a city in Lucas County, Ohio, United States. Located on Lake Erie, it is a suburb of Toledo lying east of the city and is home to Maumee Bay State Park. The population was 19,950 at the 2020 census.

Oregon was once part of the Great Black Swamp. The swamp area was rich with oak, hickory, ash, walnut, elm and maple trees. This led to the establishment of numerous sawmills and settlements. The harvested forests created rich farmland, but the area remained swampy and there was a need for storm drainage. Major ditches were constructed, usually along roadways that followed the path of old Indian trails. These ditches continue to provide storm drainage today, carrying storm water into Maumee Bay.

"The town was named Oregon by Pierre M. Irving, a nephew of Washington Irving, author of the popular book Astoria.^{[citation needed]} This book attracted considerable interest in John Jacob Astor's trading lands which were located in what is now the state of Oregon. The story, however, is an account of Astor's fur trading in the territory of Oregon; but since the nephew was representing Astor's interest in fur trading east of the Maumee River, he succeeded in having the town named Oregon. In 1838, Mr. Irving, accompanied by his wife, went to New York expecting to remain there for the summer; but for some reason he never returned." Quoted in the History of Oregon and Jerusalem book, authored by Josephine Fassett.^{[full citation needed]}

The first government was Oregon Township, formed in 1838. The land was surveyed and there were public sales for settlements. The area that was the township, is now the City of Oregon, which is bounded on the west by the City of Toledo, the North by Maumee Bay/Lake Erie, on the east by Jerusalem Township (Lucas County) and on the South by the City of Northwood (Wood County). In 1856 the township took ownership of two cemeteries which remain owned by the City today.

The 1800s and 1900s saw the development of an extensive rail system. The Port of Toledo began operations on the south bank of the Maumee River in the early 1800s and developed port operations on the Maumee Bay in Oregon in 1955. These operations continue in the Northwest area of the city.

Because of the water, rail, and surface transportation access available in the city, two major refineries, British Petroleum (BP) and Sun Marketing opened in Oregon around the turn of the century. These two refineries have historically been two of the city's largest employers..

The northwestern end of the city grew as an industrial center with a coal powered electrical generating facility and several chemical plants. Pipelines were laid to carry petroleum products to and from the port facilities and other regions. Buckeye Pipeline has the largest pipeline distribution system in Oregon.

As industrialization continued, commercial and residential growth followed. Generally, urban growth continued eastward from Interstate 280 - one of the nation's first Interstates. Recently, residential growth has also occurred south of Maumee Bay in the waterfront areas and with perimeter development in the more rural areas.