By the numbers

An Oregon-accented list that will likely lead to lots of head scratching

Not sure “sexy” is the best description for Oregon’s Duck, but publicity is publicity.

AS I APPROACH my 100th Heart, Humor & Hope column since starting this Substack gig in January 2024, I find myself at a loss for words. So this week, numbers will have to do. In the spirit of Harper’s Index, I present an Oregon-accented version. (Warning: Contains sports-related numbers).

Rank, by “Vegas Insider,” of the UO’s Duck among the country’s sexiest college mascots: 3

Percent of people in the U.S. who live in Oregon: 1.28

Percent of llamas in the U.S. owned by Oregonians: 25

Price of the most expensive tickets when the Beatles played two concerts at Portland’s Memorial Coliseum in 1965: $6

Portion of Oregon that is considered desert: 2/3

Number of Dari Marts in the Willamette Valley: 39

Number of seasons the University of Oregon’s men’s basketball team played before winning its first game: 4

Miles out to sea the bow of the Philippines-flagged New Carissa — grounded near Coos Bay in 1999 — was towed to be sunk before it broke free and washed ashore just north of Waldport: 50

Median home listing price in the Eugene-Springfield area last February: $529,725

Number of wineries in Oregon: 750

Amount of tuition for international students at the University of Oregon for the 2024-25 school year: $44,598

Size of Portland’s Mill Ends Park, the smallest in the world, in square inches: 452

Cost of a small Coca-Cola on the train that took Oregon State College’s football team to the 1942 Rose Bowl in Durham, N.C.: 20 cents

Source: The Old Spaghetti Factory in Corvallis.

Number of DUII arrests in Eugene for 2014: 661

For 2024: 260.

Chances of Portland having been named Boston after a coin flip in 1854 decided it: 1 in 2