Our Town

Once a month, Think Out Loud heads to a different town in Oregon or Southwest Washington to find stories that go beyond the daily news.

This year Think Out Loud has been traveling across Oregon and Southwest Washington, seeking the stories and issues that identify a community. The series shares the rich complexities that make up life in towns throughout our region.

The Towns Think Out Loud Has Visited

Below you will find a collection of portraits from all the towns, and an interactive map displaying all the places Think Out Loud has visited.

Portraits

A series of photos from the different towns throughout Oregon and Southwest Washington

Interactive Map

An interactive map of all the places and people from the Our Town series. Visit the Google Map in a full screen.

Our Town: Fields

Amanda Peacher/OPB

By Dave Blanchard , Amanda Peacher , Lee Anne Barham
OPB
Nov. 26, 2013 11:18 p.m.

The Our Town series continues with its smallest destination yet — Fields, Oregon.

Our Town: Longview, Washington

Allison Frost/OPB

By Allison Frost
OPB
Sept. 18, 2013 10:22 a.m.

Longview has a unique civic history and many distinctions, not the least of which is being the only city that is home to three squirrel bridges.

Our Town: Sauvie Island

Kathryn Boyd-Batstone

By Sarah Jane Rothenfluch
OPB
July 30, 2013 11:01 a.m.

Sauvie Island is often called "Portland's backyard." In the summer people go there to pick berries, buy produce, bike on country roads, and sun on the beaches (one is clothing optional). In the fall it is all about pumpkins.

Our Town: Vanport

Oregon Historical Society

By Dave Blanchard
OPB
May 29, 2013 4 p.m.

For the next installment of the Our Town series, we'll focus on a city that was destroyed in a flood 65 years ago: Vanport.

Our Town: Rosewood

By Amanda Peacher , Allison Frost
OPB
April 11, 2013 4:58 p.m.

The next stop in the Our Town series is the newly formed neighborhood of Rosewood which straddles Portland and Gresham.

Our Town: Montavilla

Michael Clapp/OPB

By Julie Sabatier , Michael Clapp
OPB
March 10, 2013 2:12 p.m.

Portland's Montavilla neighborhood, nestled in the city's southeast quadrant, has seen a lot of changes in recent years.

Our Town: Baker City

Vince Patton/OPB

By Amanda Peacher , Vince Patton
OPB
Dec. 12, 2012 3:19 p.m.

Baker City is a town that has seen a lot of ups and downs. The community of about 10,000 is situated in the high desert of eastern Oregon, surrounded by sagebrush and snow-dusted mountains.

Our Town: Port Orford

Amanda Peacher/OPB

By Amanda Peacher , Julie Sabatier
OPB
Nov. 13, 2012 4:11 p.m.

Port Orford is the oldest city on the Oregon coast. We're in town talking to people about the local fishing economy, the arts and the effort to "keep the port in Port Orford."

Our Town: La Pine

Dave Blanchard/OPB

By Dave Blanchard
Sept. 27, 2012 10:56 a.m.

The Central Oregon town of La Pine is the most recently incorporated city in the state. We're in town to find out more about the community, and how to build a city from scratch.

Our Town: Ontario

John Rosman/OPB

By John Rosman , Allison Frost
July 25, 2012 9:01 a.m.

The City of Ontario is virtually as far east in Oregon as you can get — right next to the Idaho border and on Mountain Time. In fact, the city's website describes Ontario as, "Where Oregon begins."

Our Town: Bend

By John Rosman
July 27, 2012 6:35 a.m.

Most Oregonians are familiar with Bend, whether it's because of the biking, the beer, or the real estate bubble that brought the economy to a halt. That infamous bubble led many here to christen Bend as a place to live in "poverty with a view." Bend saw the largest drop in house prices in the country, and the trend of Californians buying second homes in the region disappeared.

Our Town: Roseburg

John Rosman/OPB

By John Rosman
July 30, 2012 3:43 a.m.

Roseburg, Oregon is a city of 21,790 in the southwestern part of the state. It's within 100 miles of three of the state's national forests, which is why its history is so closely entwined with the that of the timber industry. After World War II, Roseburg was known as the Timber Capitol of the Nation, due to the abundance of Douglas Fir lumber produced in and around the small city.

Our Town: Lakeview

John Rosman/OPB

By John Rosman
July 30, 2012 6:41 a.m.

The town of Lakeview sits in south-central Oregon a mere 15 miles from the California border. Residents can drive to Reno, Nevada in four hours — half the time it takes to get to Portland.

Our Town: Woodburn

John Rosman/OPB

By John Rosman
July 30, 2012 8:06 a.m.

Woodburn may be best known to many as the home of Woodburn Company Stores — an popular outlet mall — or possibly the Wooden Shoe Tulip Fest that happens every spring, but the town is so much more. Woodburn epitomizes the stories of immigration and growth that hit the headlines regularly.

Our Town: Warm Springs

By John Rosman
July 30, 2012 8:41 a.m.

A treaty signed in 1855 designated that the land between the Cascade Mountains and the Deschutes River in a region of North Central Oregon become the Warm Springs Indian Reservation

Our Town: Monument

John Rosman/OPB

By John Rosman
July 30, 2012 9:28 a.m.

According to the 2010 census, this southeastern Oregon town on the John Day River has a population of 128. That doesn't include people who live in outlying areas and are also part of the community. Ranching is the primary source of employment for people in Monument.

Our Town: Astoria

John Rosman/OPB

By John Rosman
July 30, 2012 1:10 p.m.

Astoria is the oldest town in Oregon. In fact, the Chamber of Commerce is among those who regularly boast that it's the oldest American settlement west of the Rockies. Just a few years before fur trader John Jacob Astor set up the fur trading post that would become Astoria, explorers Lewis and Clark arrived on the west coast under orders from President Thomas Jefferson and established a base at nearby Fort Clatsop.

Our Town: Camas

By John Rosman
July 30, 2012 1:55 p.m.

In the 1930s about 4,200 people lived in Camas. Sixty years later the population of Camas was still around 6,800. But through the 1990s and the 2000s, Camas's population has boomed to nearly 20,000. At the same time, the paper mill in Camas, which once employed thousands of workers, has decreased it's payroll to about 450 unionized employees, plus management.

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About Our Town

Once a month, Think Out Loud heads to a different town in Oregon or Southwest Washington to find stories that go beyond the daily news.

News

Portraits

Interactive Map

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About Our Town

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