William Smith ENG110 Nancy Alman The Comparison of Living in Oregon as to living in Michigan I have lived in many states in my life time but when it comes to comparing states, I would have to go with Oregon and Michigan. I found that the differences with these two states would have to be these three things. First would have to be the seasons, then the landscape, and finally it would be the people. Oregon tends to have only two seasons. They are summer and winter, or as the locals say wet and dry. In the summer time it gets into the 90’s, yet at night it gets down into the 50’s, which makes for some nice sleeping weather. The summers are a very dry time of year in Oregon. There are no big thunderstorms, no lightening, and very little, if no rain at all. This type of climate makes it hard to grow certain types of crops. Do to the lack of rain and the cool temperatures at night. The one crop that grows best is grass. The Willamette Valley, namely Linn and Benton counties, is the world’s largest producers of cool- weather grasses. Now we come to the winter season. Ah yes, better known as the rainy season, during which it rains for eight months. Because of the amount of rain that falls, grass and fescue, grows very well in this region. The only problem with winter, other than the rain, is that the sun does not come out very often. With the lack of sun shine and over cast skies comes a feeling of depression. Oregon has one of the highest suicide rates in the winter as compared to other states. It is a very depressing time of year. Michigan has four seasons. They are winter; spring, summer, and fall. In the summer the days seem to be longer. The summers in Michigan are very hot and humid, both during the day and the night. This type of climate makes for a good growing season, especially for plants like tomatoes, peppers, and corn all which like hot days and warm nights. It is said, that when it is hot and humid out, you can hear the corn grow. This brings us to fall, for me, maybe the best time of year. The trees are turning colors and there is a nip in the air. The geese and birds are grouping up getting ready to head south. The temperatures are starting to get cooler, yet it warms up nicely during the day. There almost always is a stretch of time, when it warms up and stays that way for a short period of time, this is called Indian summer. Now we are into winter. During this a time of year the nights get bitter cold and the days warm up very little. Unlike Oregon, the sun will come out, every once in a while brightening up the day. This helps with the sometime depressing times of winter. This is also the holiday time, with Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas. With winter lasting six months, the coming of the last season, spring, brings with it a sense of a new beginning. The trees are starting to bud and the spring flowers push their way thru the last of the winter snow. The geese are making their way back north and the song birds are out in force. Oregon has some of the most beautiful landscape. There are mountains on both the coast and in the middle of the state. They are the Cascades in the middle of the state and the Coastal Range which is, between the Willamette Valley and the Pacific Ocean. From the top of the pass that crosses the Cascades you can see many mountain tops, in both Oregon and Washington State. The mountains are mostly covered with conifer trees. The mountains offer some very nice hunting opportunities with plenty of elk, deer, and bear. There are many rivers and streams with some very good fishing. The ocean also offers deep sea fishing along with some very good crabbing areas. Michigan is manly a flat state, that best lends itself to farming. In northern Michigan there are many state forests that encompass thousands of acres of white pines. These wooded areas play host each fall to thousands of hunters. The one thing that impresses me is that on November 15, which is the opening day of whitetail deer season, it is like a national holiday with schools being closed that day. Like Oregon, hunting and fishing, are one of the many things that a person can do. With the vast hardwood forests, the color that can be seen is breath taking. There are many roads that are designated color tour routes just because of the trees that produce some of the most beautiful colors you will see anywhere. The people of Oregon have the tendency to be more on the organic side. I refer to this in the fact that they like to do everything with as little commercial help as possible. Some are happy to live in what we would consider backwoods living. They also think that it is normal to be taxed and to have to dial the area code to make a local phone call. I found that in general the people of Oregon are a hard working people who are dealing with high unemployment due to the crash of the housing industry. The state of Oregon relies on heavily on the logging industry. The people of Michigan are much like the people of Oregon in the fact that they are dealing with high unemployment too. The state of Michigan was dependent on the auto industry, which like the logging industry, has gone by the wayside. People in Michigan, unlike Oregon, are in what it seems as fast mode. They are always in a hurry and they tend to be obnoxious and rude. They are obsessed with having the best and fastest techno toys. They also tend to live above their means, which in turn, has resulted in a high foreclosure rate in this state. After having lived in both states, I would have to say, I would prefer to live in Michigan. Not only does Michigan have four seasons but it’s where I call home. I was born and raised in Michigan, so I am pretty fond of the great lakes state. This is not to say that Oregon is not a great state, it’s just not my great state.