Cedar Hills is a

census-designated place A census-designated place (CDP) is a concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only. CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the counterparts of incorporated places, such ...

and neighborhood in

Washington County, Oregon Washington County is one of 36 counties in the U.S. state of Oregon and part of the Portland metropolitan area. The 2020 census recorded the population as 600,372, making it the second most populous county in the state and most populous "Wash ...

, United States south of

U.S. Route 26 U.S. Route 26 (US 26) is an east–west United States highway that runs from Seaside, Oregon to Ogallala, Nebraska. When the U.S. highway system was first defined, it was limited to Nebraska and Wyoming; by the 1950s, it continued into Idaho and ...

and west of

Oregon Route 217 Oregon Route 217 is an Oregon state highway which serves the western suburbs of Portland. OR 217 is a controlled-access highway which connects U.S. Route 26 with Interstate 5. OR 217 consists of the Beaverton-Tigard Highway 144 (see Oregon hig ...

and within the

Portland metropolitan area The Portland metropolitan area is a metro area in the U.S. states of Oregon and Washington centered on the principal city of Portland, Oregon. The U.S. Office of Management and Budget (OMB) identifies it as the Portland–Vancouver–Hillsboro, ...

. Constructed starting in 1946, Cedar Hills was the largest single housing tract development in the western United States at the time of its completion in 1961. Cedar Hills is located almost entirely in unincorporated Washington County. In the early 2000s, a small portion of the neighborhood was annexed by the city of Beaverton, mainly comprising one school property and an adjacent community center, and in a plan agreed to by the county and Beaverton the remainder is scheduled for annexation in the future. The formal Cedar Hills neighborhood currently includes 2,114 homes,Homes Association of Cedar Hills
Retrieved May 6, 2013. whose owners are subject to the rules and covenants enforced by the area's

homeowners' association A homeowner association (or homeowners' association, abbreviated HOA, sometimes referred to as a property owners' association or POA), or a homeowner community, is a private association-like entity often formed either ''ipso jure'' in a building ...

, the Homes Association of Cedar Hills.About Us
Homes Association of Cedar Hills. Retrieved May 6, 2013. The population was 8,949 at the 2000 census.

History

Plans to build the large new neighborhood were announced by the project's developers in April 1946, and construction of the first 50 homes had begun by then."2000-Home Community Rising Here; Two Firms Launch $25,000,000 Town In Beaverton Area" (April 28, 1946). ''

The Sunday Oregonian ''The Oregonian'' is a daily newspaper based in Portland, Oregon, United States, owned by Advance Publications. It is the oldest continuously published newspaper on the U.S. west coast, founded as a weekly by Thomas J. Dryer on December 4, 185 ...

'', p. 1; also section 2, p. 1. Along with roads and utilities, the plans included a shopping center, schools, parks and churches, in a neighborhood of around 2,000 homes on about .Shoemaker, Mervin G. (September 29, 1946). "Cedar Hills: Something New in Building". ''The Sunday Oregonian'', Sunday magazine section, p. 2. A writer for ''

The Oregonian ''The Oregonian'' is a daily newspaper based in Portland, Oregon, United States, owned by Advance Publications. It is the oldest continuously published newspaper on the U.S. west coast, founded as a weekly by Thomas J. Dryer on December 4, 185 ...

'' newspaper at the time called it "the most ambitious suburban housing development ever attempted in the Northwest". The planned neighborhood was consistent with the

Racism in Oregon The history of racism in Oregon began before the territory even became a U.S. state. The topic of race was heavily discussed during the convention where the Oregon Constitution was written in 1857. In 1859, it became the only state to enter the ...

at the time, as the 1946 restrictions stated that "only Caucasians shall use or occupy the properties, except in the capacity of domestic servants, chauffeurs or employees." Construction of the planned shopping center began in 1954."$1,000,000 Cedar Hills Shopping Project Started; Second Phase of Big Center to House 27 Shops" (June 20, 1954). ''The Sunday Oregonian'', section 2, p. 8. Located immediately south of the Sunset Highway, at the northern end of the neighborhood, Cedar Hills Shopping Center opened in April 1955."Cedar Hills Shop Center Opening" (April 3, 1955). ''The Sunday Oregonian'', section 2, p. 7. It originally included a

Safeway Safeway is an American supermarket chain founded by Marion Barton Skaggs in April 1915 in American Falls, Idaho. The chain provides grocery items, food and general merchandise and features a variety of specialty departments, such as bakery, d ...

supermarket (opened in August 1954, months earlier than the remainder of the center),"Outlet Added By Safeway: $250,000 Store Opens in Cedar Hills" (August 22, 1954). ''The Sunday Oregonian'', p. 48. a

Rodgers Rodgers is a patronymic surname of Old English origin derived from the Norman personal name "Roger", with the addition of the genitive suffix "-s" and meaning “son of Roger.” The intrusive “d” in Rodgers is either a Welsh or Scottish ...

five-and-dime A variety store (also five and dime (historic), pound shop, or dollar store) is a retail store that sells general merchandise, such as apparel, automotive parts, dry goods, toys, hardware, home furnishings, and a selection of groceries. It us ...

, a

Sears Sears, Roebuck and Co. ( ), commonly known as Sears, is an American chain of department stores founded in 1892 by Richard Warren Sears and Alvah Curtis Roebuck and reincorporated in 1906 by Richard Sears and Julius Rosenwald, with what began a ...

catalog store, and several other shops, along with a bank and a gas station. The center's tall

neon sign In the signage industry, neon signs are electric signs lighted by long luminous gas-discharge tubes that contain rarefied neon or other gases. They are the most common use for neon lighting, which was first demonstrated in a modern form in Decem ...

became a local landmark. In 1979,

TriMet TriMet, formally known as the Tri-County Metropolitan Transportation District of Oregon, is a public agency that operates mass transit in a region that spans most of the Portland metropolitan area in the U.S. state of Oregon. Created in 1969 ...

opened a bus

transit center A transport hub is a place where passengers and cargo are exchanged between vehicles and/or between transport modes. Public transport hubs include railway stations, rapid transit stations, bus stops, tram stops, airports and ferry slips. F ...

on Wilshire Street, behind the shopping center.Bodine, Harry (June 19, 1979). "Tri-Met west side transfers pass muster". ''

'', p. B4. Cedar Hills Transit Center remained in operation for almost 20 years, until replaced by the

Sunset Transit Center The Sunset Transit Center is a TriMet bus transit center and light rail station on the MAX Blue and Red lines in Beaverton, Oregon. It opened for MAX in 1998 and is the 5th stop westbound on the Westside MAX. This is the first stop after the ...

– located immediately across the Sunset Highway (US 26) freeway from Cedar Hills Shopping Center – in 1998, with the opening of the

Westside MAX West Side or Westside may refer to: Places Canada * West Side, a neighbourhood of Windsor, Ontario * West Side, a neighbourhood of Vancouver, British Columbia United Kingdom * West Side, Lewis, Outer Hebrides, Scotland * Westside, Birmingham E ...

line. The Sunset TC's construction included a long pedestrian bridge over the freeway, to provide access between the TriMet bus and MAX station and the Cedar Hills neighborhood. In 2009, the

Oregon Department of Transportation The Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) is a department of the state government of the U.S. state of Oregon responsible for systems of transportation. It was first established in 1969. It had been preceded by the Oregon State Highway Depar ...

opened a new Driver and Motor Vehicle Services Division (DMV) office in the Cedar Hills Shopping Center, serving as the DMV's Beaverton office, replacing one located on Allen Blvd. in Beaverton proper.

Geography

According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of the ...

, the neighborhood has a total area of , of which is land and 0.43% is water.

Demographics

As of the

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses incl ...

of 2000, there were 8,949 people, 3,749 households, and 2,361 families residing in the neighborhood. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical term.Matt RosenberPopul ...

was 3,880.9 people per square mile (1,495.8/km²). There were 3,926 housing units at an average density of 1,702.6 per square mile (656.2/km²). The racial makeup of the CDP was 83.28%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White on ...

, 1.32%

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

, 0.57% Native American, 4.78%

Asian Asian may refer to: * Items from or related to the continent of Asia: ** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia ** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia ** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...

, 0.35%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe the original p ...

, 6.05% from

other races Other often refers to: * Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy Other or The Other may also refer to: Film and television * ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack * ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...

, and 3.65% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to Vic ...

Latino Latino or Latinos most often refers to: * Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America * Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States * The people or cultures of Latin America; ** Latin A ...

of any race were 11.21% of the population. There were 3,749 households, out of which 28.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.4% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between t ...

living together, 9.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.0% were non-families. 29.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.39 and the average family size was 2.94. In the neighborhood the population was spread out, with 23.0% under the age of 18, 7.7% from 18 to 24, 33.4% from 25 to 44, 23.4% from 45 to 64, and 12.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 98.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.8 males. The median income for a household in the neighborhood was $48,200, and the median income for a family was $56,401. Males had a median income of $42,293 versus $29,922 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...

for the CDP was $26,812. About 3.9% of families and 6.5% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for t ...

, including 7.8% of those under age 18 and 3.0% of those age 65 or over.

Public services

Schools

Cedar Hills is within the

Beaverton School District The Beaverton School District is a school district in and around Beaverton, Oregon, United States. It serves students throughout Beaverton, Hillsboro, Aloha, and unincorporated neighborhoods of Portland, OR. The Beaverton Elementary School Distri ...

. Cedar Park Middle School and Barnes Elementary School are the only public schools located within the Cedar Hills CDP, but the area's residents are also served by Sunset High School, Meadow Park Middle School, Ridgewood Elementary and William Walker Elementary. At the high school level, boundary changes approved in October 2016 and scheduled to take effect with the 2017–2018 school year will make Cedar Hills part of

Beaverton High School Beaverton High School (often referred to as The Beaverton High School) is a public high school located in Beaverton, Oregon, United States. The original schoolhouse, called Beaverton Public School, opened in 1875 on land between Canyon Road and Br ...

's coverage area, in place of Sunset High School. Previously, the area was also the site of Cedar Hills Elementary School, built in the early 1950s, at the intersection of SW Cedar Hills Blvd. and SW Park Way."Cedar Hills Starts Work On New Grade School" (May 7, 1950). ''The Sunday Oregonian'', Section 1, p. 9. That school closed in 1983, due to declining student enrollment districtwide at the time, and the building was leased to, and subsequently sold to, the

Tualatin Hills Park & Recreation District Tualatin Hills Park & Recreation District (THPRD) is a special parks district located in the eastern part of Washington County in the U.S. state of Oregon. Created in 1955, the district covers all of the city of Beaverton and many of those commu ...

, which repurposed it as the Cedar Hills Recreation Center.

Other services

Fire protection and emergency medical services are provided through

Tualatin Valley Fire and Rescue Tualatin Valley Fire & Rescue (TVF&R) is a special-purpose government fire fighting and emergency services district in the Portland metropolitan area of Oregon. Established in 1989 with a merger between Washington County Fire District 1 and the T ...

. Cedar Hills is served by the Tualatin Hills Park & Recreation District (THPRD), which maintains several parks in the area – including the Commonwealth Lake Park. THPRD also operates the Cedar Hills Recreation Center, a

community center Community centres, community centers, or community halls are public locations where members of a community tend to gather for group activities, social support, public information, and other purposes. They may sometimes be open for the whole co ...

(not limited to Cedar Hills residents) located in a former elementary school.

References

External links

* {{authority control 1946 establishments in Oregon Census-designated places in Oregon Census-designated places in Washington County, Oregon Portland metropolitan area Unincorporated communities in Oregon Unincorporated communities in Washington County, Oregon