Oregon Vortex

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The Oregon Vortex is a roadside attraction located in Gold Hill, Oregon, in the United States. It consists of a number of optical illusions which the attraction's proprietors claim are the result of paranormal properties of the area (see gravity hill).

According to local legend, a gold assay office built in the area in 1890 slid from its foundation, coming to rest at an odd angle. Visitors to the structure subconsciously assume that its walls are vertical and its floor level, since those rules apply to every other building they have visited. This erroneous assumption provides the illusion of a localized gravity anomaly, as objects seem to roll uphill or balance at odd angles. The same phenomenon is demonstrated in Pennsylvania's Laurel Caverns and at Santa Cruz, California's Mystery Spot.

Many of the paranormal events based on visual information are well known optical illusions, [1]. The most famous illusion involves two people changing in relative heights depending on where they stand. This effect may be due to a distorted background which results in a forced perspective, as with an Ames room.

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