Hillsboro ( ) is the
fifth-largest city in the
U.S. state
In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sover ...
of
Oregon
Oregon () is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of it ...
and is the
county seat
A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or civil parish. The term is in use in Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, Taiwan, and the United States. The equivalent term shire town is used in the US st ...
of
Washington County.
Situated in the
Tualatin Valley
The Tualatin Valley is a farming and suburban region southwest of Portland, Oregon in the United States. The valley is formed by the meandering Tualatin River, a tributary of the Willamette River at the northwest corner of the Willamette Valley, ...
on the west side of 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, ...
, the city hosts many
high-technology
High technology (high tech), also known as advanced technology (advanced tech) or exotechnology, is technology that is at the cutting edge: the highest form of technology available. It can be defined as either the most complex or the newest te ...
companies, such as
Intel
Intel Corporation is an American multinational corporation and technology company headquartered in Santa Clara, California. It is the world's largest semiconductor chip manufacturer by revenue, and is one of the developers of the x86 seri ...
, locally known as the
Silicon Forest
Silicon is a chemical element with the symbol Si and atomic number 14. It is a hard, brittle crystalline solid with a blue-grey metallic luster, and is a tetravalent metalloid and semiconductor. It is a member of group 14 in the periodic tab ...
. At the
2020 census, the city's population was 106,447.
For thousands of years the
Atfalati
The Atfalati , also known as the Tualatin or Wapato Lake IndiansRobert H. Ruby, John A. Brown & Cary C. Collins, Atfalati, in ''A Guide to the Indian Tribes of the Pacific Northwest'' (3d ed. 2010, University of Oklahoma Press) are a tribe of the ...
tribe of the
Kalapuya
The Kalapuya are a Native American people, which had eight independent groups speaking three mutually intelligible dialects. The Kalapuya tribes' traditional homelands were the Willamette Valley of present-day western Oregon in the United Sta ...
lived in the Tualatin Valley near the later site of Hillsboro. The climate, moderated by the Pacific Ocean, helped make the region suitable for fishing, hunting, food gathering, and agriculture. Settlers founded a community here in 1842, later named after
David Hill, an Oregon politician. Transportation by riverboat on the
Tualatin River
The Tualatin River is a tributary of the Willamette River in Oregon in the United States. The river is about long, and it drains a fertile farming region called the Tualatin Valley southwest and west of Portland at the northwest corner of the W ...
was part of Hillsboro's settler economy. A railroad reached the area in the early 1870s and an
interurban
The Interurban (or radial railway in Europe and Canada) is a type of electric railway, with streetcar-like electric self-propelled rail cars which run within and between cities or towns. They were very prevalent in North America between 1900 a ...
electric railway about four decades later. These railways, as well as highways, aided the slow growth of the city to about 2,000 people by 1910 and about 5,000 by 1950, before the arrival of high-tech companies in the 1980s.
Hillsboro has a
council–manager government
The council–manager government is a form of local government used for municipalities, counties, or other equivalent regions. It is one of the two most common forms of local government in the United States along with the mayor–council gover ...
consisting of a city manager and a city council headed by a mayor. In addition to high-tech industry, sectors important to Hillsboro's economy are health care, retail sales, and agriculture, including grapes and
wineries
A winery is a building or property that produces wine, or a business involved in the production of wine, such as a wine company. Some wine companies own many wineries. Besides wine making equipment, larger wineries may also feature warehouses, b ...
. The city operates more than twenty parks and the mixed-use
Hillsboro Stadium
Hillsboro Stadium is a multi-sport stadium in the northwest United States, located in Hillsboro, Oregon, a suburb west of Portland. Opened in 1999 and owned by the city of Hillsboro, the award-winning stadium is part of the Gordon Faber Recr ...
, and ten sites in the city are listed on the
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...
(NRHP). Modes of transportation include private vehicles, public buses and
light rail, and aircraft using the
Hillsboro Airport
Hillsboro Airport , also known as Portland–Hillsboro Airport, is a corporate, general aviation and flight-training airport serving the city of Hillsboro, in Washington County, Oregon, United States. It is one of three airports in the Portland, ...
. The city is home to
Pacific University
Pacific University is a private university in Forest Grove, Oregon. Founded in 1849 as the Tualatin Academy, the original Forest Grove campus is west of Portland. The university maintains three other campuses in Eugene, Hillsboro, and Wood ...
's Health Professions Campus. Notable residents include two Oregon governors.
History
The first people of the Tualatin Valley were the
Atfalati
The Atfalati , also known as the Tualatin or Wapato Lake IndiansRobert H. Ruby, John A. Brown & Cary C. Collins, Atfalati, in ''A Guide to the Indian Tribes of the Pacific Northwest'' (3d ed. 2010, University of Oklahoma Press) are a tribe of the ...
or Tualaty tribe of the
Kalapuya
The Kalapuya are a Native American people, which had eight independent groups speaking three mutually intelligible dialects. The Kalapuya tribes' traditional homelands were the Willamette Valley of present-day western Oregon in the United Sta ...
, who inhabited the region for up to 10,000 years before white settlers arrived. The valley consisted of open grassland maintained through annual burning by the Atfalati, with scattered groves of trees along the streams. The Kalapuya moved from place to place in good weather to fish and hunt and to gather nuts, seeds, roots, and berries. Important foods included
camas and
wapato, and the Atfalati traded for salmon from
Chinookan
The Chinookan languages were a small family of languages spoken in Oregon and Washington (state), Washington along the Columbia River by Chinook peoples. Although the last known native speaker of any Chinookan language died in 2012, the 2009-2013 ...
tribes near
Willamette Falls
The Willamette Falls is a natural waterfall on the Willamette River between Oregon City, Oregon, Oregon City and West Linn, Oregon, in the United States. It is the largest waterfall in the Northwestern United States by volume, and the seventeen ...
on the
Willamette River
The Willamette River ( ) is a major tributary of the Columbia River, accounting for 12 to 15 percent of the Columbia's flow. The Willamette's main stem is long, lying entirely in northwestern Oregon in the United States. Flowing northward b ...
. During the winter, they lived in longhouses in settled villages, some near what became Hillsboro and
Beaverton. Their population was greatly reduced after contact in the late 18th century with Europeans, who carried
smallpox
Smallpox was an infectious disease caused by variola virus (often called smallpox virus) which belongs to the genus Orthopoxvirus. The last naturally occurring case was diagnosed in October 1977, and the World Health Organization (WHO) c ...
,
syphilis
Syphilis () is a sexually transmitted infection caused by the bacterium ''Treponema pallidum'' subspecies ''pallidum''. The signs and symptoms of syphilis vary depending in which of the four stages it presents (primary, secondary, latent, an ...
, and
malaria
Malaria is a mosquito-borne infectious disease that affects humans and other animals. Malaria causes symptoms that typically include fever, tiredness, vomiting, and headaches. In severe cases, it can cause jaundice, seizures, coma, or death. S ...
. Of the original population of 1,000 to 2,000 Atfalati reported in 1780, only 65 remained in 1851. In 1855, the U.S. government sent the survivors to the
Grande Ronde reservation further west.
The European-American community was founded by David Hill, Isaiah Kelsey, and Richard Williams, who arrived in the Tualatin Valley in 1841, followed by six more pioneers in 1842.
The locality went by two other names—East Tualatin Plains and Columbia—before it was named "Hillsborough" in February 1850 in honor of Hill, when he sold part of his land claim to the county.
On February 5, 1850, commissioners chosen by the
territorial legislature selected the community to be the seat of the county government.
Hill was to be paid $200 for his land after plots had been sold for the town site,
but he died before this occurred, and his widow Lucinda received the funds.
The town's name was later simplified to Hillsboro. A log cabin was built in 1853 to serve as the community's first school, which opened in October 1854. Riverboats provided transportation to Hillsboro as early as 1867 when the side-wheel steamer ''Yamhill'' worked on the Tualatin River.
[
]
In 1871, the Oregon and California Railroad
The Oregon and California Railroad was formed from the Oregon Central Railroad when it was the first to operate a stretch south of Portland in 1869. This qualified the railroad for land grants in California, whereupon the name of the railroad s ...
line was extended to the area, but it ran just south of town because the city did not want to give the railroad land in exchange for the rail connection.[ Hillsboro was incorporated as the Town of Hillsboro on October 19, 1876, by the ]Oregon Legislature
The Oregon Legislative Assembly is the state legislature for the U.S. state of Oregon. The Legislative Assembly is bicameral, consisting of an upper and lower house: the Senate, whose 30 members are elected to serve four-year terms; and the ...
. The first mayor was A. Luelling, who took office on December 8, 1876, and served a one-year term. Notable later mayors included Congressman Thomas H. Tongue
Thomas H. Tongue (June 23, 1844January 11, 1903) was an American politician and attorney in the state of Oregon. Born in England, his family immigrated to Washington County, Oregon, in 1859. In Oregon, he would serve in the Oregon State Senate, S ...
(1882 and 1886) and state senator William D. Hare (1885).[ In 1923, the city altered its charter and adopted a council-manager government with a six-person city council, a part-time mayor who determined major policies, and a city manager who ran day-to-day operations.
On September 30, 1908, 5,000 people gathered as the ]Oregon Electric Railway
The Oregon Electric Railway (OE) was an interurban railroad line in the U.S. state of Oregon that linked Portland to Eugene. Service from Portland to Salem began in January 1908. The Spokane, Portland and Seattle Railway purchased the system ...
opened a connection between the city and Portland
Portland most commonly refers to:
* Portland, Oregon, the largest city in the state of Oregon, in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States
* Portland, Maine, the largest city in the state of Maine, in the New England region of the northeas ...
with an interurban
The Interurban (or radial railway in Europe and Canada) is a type of electric railway, with streetcar-like electric self-propelled rail cars which run within and between cities or towns. They were very prevalent in North America between 1900 a ...
electric rail line, the first to reach the community. In January 1914, the Southern Pacific Railroad introduced its own interurban service, known as the Red Electric, on a separate line and serving different communities between Hillsboro and Portland. SP discontinued its Hillsboro service on July 28, 1929, while the Oregon Electric Railway's passenger service to Hillsboro lasted until July 1932.
A brick building was constructed in 1852 to house the county government, followed by a brick courthouse in 1873. In 1891, the courthouse was remodeled and a clock tower was added, and the building was expanded with an annex in 1912. A new courthouse replaced the brick structure in 1928. The last major remodel of the 1928 structure occurred in 1972, when the Justice Services Building was built and incorporated into the existing building.[
The city's first fire department was a hook and ladder company organized in 1880 by the board of trustees (now city council). A drinking water and electricity distribution system added in 1892–93 gave the town three fire hydrants and minimal street lighting. Hillsboro built its first sewer system in 1911, but sewage treatment was not added until 1936. In 1913, the city built its own ]water system
A water supply network or water supply system is a system of engineered hydrologic and hydraulic components that provide water supply. A water supply system typically includes the following:
# A drainage basin (see water purification – source ...
, and the first library, Carnegie City Library, opened in December 1914. From 1921 to 1952, the world's second-tallest radio tower stood on the south side of the city, but in 1952, the wireless telegraph tower was demolished. During the 1950s and 1960s, the privately owned company Tualatin Valley Buses, Inc., provided transit service connecting Hillsboro with Beaverton and Portland. It was taken over by the publicly owned transit agency 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 ...
in 1970.
In 1972, the Hillsboro City Council passed a Green River Ordinance
A Green River Ordinance is a common United States city ordinance prohibiting door-to-door solicitation. Under such an ordinance, it is illegal for any business to sell their items door-to-door without express prior permission from the household. ...
banning door-to-door
Door-to-door is a canvassing technique that is generally used for sales, marketing, advertising, evangelism or campaigning, in which the person or persons walk from the door of one house to the door of another, trying to sell or advertise a p ...
solicitation, but it was ruled unconstitutional by the Oregon Supreme Court
The Oregon Supreme Court (OSC) is the highest state court in the U.S. state of Oregon. The only court that may reverse or modify a decision of the Oregon Supreme Court is the Supreme Court of the United States.[Intel
Intel Corporation is an American multinational corporation and technology company headquartered in Santa Clara, California. It is the world's largest semiconductor chip manufacturer by revenue, and is one of the developers of the x86 seri ...]
opened its first facility in Hillsboro. The Hawthorn Farm campus was followed by the Jones Farm campus adjacent to the airport in 1982, and finally by the Ronler Acres campus in 1994.[ TriMet opened a Metropolitan Area Express (MAX) light rail line into the city in 1998. A cultural center was added in 2004, and a new city hall was completed in 2005. In 2008, SolarWorld opened a facility producing solar ]wafers
A wafer is a crisp, often sweet, very thin, flat, light and dry biscuit, often used to decorate ice cream, and also used as a garnish on some sweet dishes. Wafers can also be made into cookies with cream flavoring sandwiched between them. They ...
, crystals, and cells, the largest plant of its kind in the Western Hemisphere. U.S. President Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, Obama was the first African-American president of the U ...
visited the city and Intel's Ronler Acres campus in February 2011.
Registered Historic Places
Properties listed on the National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...
(NRHP) in and around Hillsboro include the Old Scotch Church
The Old Scotch Church, also known as the Tualatin Plains Presbyterian Church, is a church and national historic site located in an Unincorporated area, unincorporated part of Washington County, Oregon, near Hillsboro, Oregon, Hillsboro, Oregon, U ...
, completed in 1876 north of the city. Near the Orenco neighborhood is Imbrie Farm, which includes a house built in 1866 and the Frank Imbrie Barn, both of which McMenamins
McMenamins is a family-owned chain of brewpubs, breweries, music venues, historic hotels, and theater pubs in Oregon and Washington. Many of their locations are in rehabilitated historical properties; at least nine are on the National Register ...
converted for use as a brewpub
Craft beer is a beer that has been made by craft breweries. They produce smaller amounts of beer, typically less than large breweries, and are often independently owned. Such breweries are generally perceived and marketed as having an emphasis o ...
. Built in 1935, the Harold Wass Ray House is near Intel's Hawthorn Farm campus.[ Historic properties in downtown include the Zula Linklater House (completed 1923), Rice–Gates House (1890), ]Edward Schulmerich House
The Edward Schulmerich House is a two-story private residence on East Main Street in downtown Hillsboro, Oregon, United States. Completed in 1915, the Bungalow#American Craftsman bungalow, American Craftsman Bungalow style structure was construct ...
(c. 1915), and Charles Shorey House (c. 1908).[ The Richard and Helen Rice House is adjacent to the Sunset Highway on the north side of the city and houses the Rice Northwest Museum of Rocks and Minerals.][ The Old Washington County Jail had been at the Washington County Fairgrounds (now known as the Westside Commons) in the city,][ but was restored and moved to the Five Oaks Museum outside the city in 2004, and was de-listed from the NRHP in 2008.] In 2007, the Manning–Kamna Farm was added to the NRHP and includes 10 buildings, dating to as early as 1883. The Malcolm McDonald House in Orenco was added to the Registry in 2015.
Geography
Hillsboro is located at . 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 ...
reports the city has a total area of , all of which is land. In 2013, Hillsboro itself reported an area of , equivalent to . The city is located in the Tualatin Valley
The Tualatin Valley is a farming and suburban region southwest of Portland, Oregon in the United States. The valley is formed by the meandering Tualatin River, a tributary of the Willamette River at the northwest corner of the Willamette Valley, ...
, and the Tualatin River
The Tualatin River is a tributary of the Willamette River in Oregon in the United States. The river is about long, and it drains a fertile farming region called the Tualatin Valley southwest and west of Portland at the northwest corner of the W ...
forms part of the southern city limits. The city's terrain is fairly level, consistent with an agricultural past and the farms still in operation. Hillsboro is about west of Portland
Portland most commonly refers to:
* Portland, Oregon, the largest city in the state of Oregon, in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States
* Portland, Maine, the largest city in the state of Maine, in the New England region of the northeas ...
and immediately west of Beaverton, at an elevation of above sea level
Mean sea level (MSL, often shortened to sea level) is an average surface level of one or more among Earth's coastal bodies of water from which heights such as elevation may be measured. The global MSL is a type of vertical datuma standardised g ...
. In addition to the Tualatin River, streams include Dairy Creek, McKay Creek, Rock Creek, Dawson Creek, and Turner Creek. Neighboring communities in addition to Beaverton are Aloha
''Aloha'' ( , ) is the Hawaiian language, Hawaiian word for love, affection, peace, compassion and mercy, that is commonly used as a simple greeting but has a deeper cultural and spiritual significance to native Hawaiians, for whom the term is u ...
, Cornelius, Glencoe, North Plains, Reedville, Scholls, and West Union.
Hillsboro's street system differs from many others in the county. Most cities in Washington County use a numbering system and cardinal direction
The four cardinal directions, or cardinal points, are the four main compass directions: north, east, south, and west, commonly denoted by their initials N, E, S, and W respectively. Relative to north, the directions east, south, and west are at ...
orientation based on a grid that begins at the Willamette River
The Willamette River ( ) is a major tributary of the Columbia River, accounting for 12 to 15 percent of the Columbia's flow. The Willamette's main stem is long, lying entirely in northwestern Oregon in the United States. Flowing northward b ...
in downtown Portland, which was originally part of Washington County.[ For example, the street names in Beaverton generally include Southwest (SW) prefixes because Beaverton lies in the southwest quadrant of the Portland grid. Previously, some county road names and addresses in Hillsboro conformed to the Portland grid instead of Hillsboro's internal cardinal direction grid.] In January 2015, the city began the process of making all addresses and streets within Hillsboro conform to the internal grid, through the Connecting Hillsboro Address Project.
The internal grid in Hillsboro centers on the downtown intersection of Main Street, which runs east–west, and First Avenue, which runs north–south. Most addresses within the city include a quadrant prefix: NW, NE, SW, or SE. Main Street is simply designated as East Main or West Main, and First Avenue is only North First or South First. Addresses on the streets' south side and the avenues' east side have even numbers, while odd numbers are on the opposite side.[ Hillsboro's street system contains 20 blocks per mile (12.5 blocks per kilometer).][
North–south through roadways are called ''avenues'', while east–west roadways are called ''streets''.] All cul-de-sacs are named ''courts''.[ Private roadways are named ''ways'' or ''places''.] Roads that curve can be named ''drives''.[ Alleys are named ''lanes''.] Non-city streets may not conform to these naming conventions.[
]
Neighborhoods
The city's municipal code has designated several special plan areas, each of which follow area-specific plans and codes:
* Downtown encompasses the original city core and the area immediately surrounding it. Blocks in the downtown core are long on each side.
* Orenco consists of the Orenco Townsite Conservation zone (encompassing a former company town originally created by the Oregon Nursery Company) and the Orenco Station sub-area, which is described in the city code as a "compact, transit-supportive mixed-use neighborhood with reduced automobile reliance".
* The Hawthorn Farm / Fair Complex Plan District is centered on the Hawthorn Farm LRT station and the Washington County Fairgrounds (known since 2019 as the Westside Commons).
* Amberglen, located just south of the Tanasbourne neighborhood, is envisioned as "a vibrant, regional activity center enlivened with high-quality pedestrian and environmental amenities, taking advantage of the region’s light rail system". Located within the district is Oregon Health & Science University
Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) is a
public research university focusing primarily on health sciences with a main campus, including two hospitals, in Portland, Oregon. The institution was founded in 1887 as the University of Oregon Medi ...
's West Campus.
* The South Hillsboro planning district encompasses the newly annexed South Hillsboro neighborhood, described in the city code as "a complete, connected and green community". The neighborhood, built on land once used as a hobby farm by William Ladd
William Ladd (May 10, 1778 – April 9, 1841) was one of the earliest United States, American anti-war activists, and the first president of the American Peace Society.
Biography
Ladd was born in Exeter, New Hampshire as a direct lineal descenda ...
and Simeon Reed
Simeon Gannett Reed (April 23, 1830 – November 7, 1895) was an American businessman and entrepreneur in Oregon. A native of Massachusetts, he made a fortune primarily in the transportation sector in association with William S. Ladd. Reed is the ...
, is slated to become "a residential mixed-use community organized around a town center and complemented by a village center".
* The North Hillsboro Industrial Area Plan District lies within Hillsboro's Industrial District, where many of the Silicon Forest
Silicon is a chemical element with the symbol Si and atomic number 14. It is a hard, brittle crystalline solid with a blue-grey metallic luster, and is a tetravalent metalloid and semiconductor. It is a member of group 14 in the periodic tab ...
's manufacturing and technology businesses reside. Over half of the city's total employment is located within the Hillsboro Industrial District.
* The city's Comprehensive Plan outlines several other plan areas not defined in the city code: Quatama, Tanasbourne, NE 28th Ave/East Main Street Plan Area, and Witch Hazel
Witch-hazels or witch hazels (''Hamamelis'') are a genus of flowering plants in the family Hamamelidaceae, with three species in North America ('' H. ovalis'', '' H. virginiana'', and '' H. vernalis''), and one each in Japan ('' H.&nb ...
Village.
Climate
Summers in Hillsboro are generally warm, but temperatures year-round are moderated by a marine influence from the Pacific Ocean. The Willamette Valley
The Willamette Valley ( ) is a long valley in Oregon, in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. The Willamette River flows the entire length of the valley and is surrounded by mountains on three sides: the Cascade Range to the east, ...
in which Hillsboro lies receives the majority of its precipitation
In meteorology, precipitation is any product of the condensation of atmospheric water vapor that falls under gravitational pull from clouds. The main forms of precipitation include drizzle, rain, sleet, snow, ice pellets, graupel and hail. ...
during the winter months, with the wettest period from November through March.[ This occasionally includes snowfall. Hillsboro receives precipitation on 161 days per year, on average.][ Retrieved on November 24, 2008.] The average yearly precipitation between 1930 and 1998 was . August is the warmest month with an average high temperature of , while January is the coolest month with an average high of . The highest recorded temperature, , occurred on June 28, 2021, and the lowest, , occurred on January 31, 1950.
According to the Köppen climate classification
The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, notabl ...
system, Hillsboro has a warm-summer Mediterranean climate
A Mediterranean climate (also called a dry summer temperate climate ''Cs'') is a temperate climate sub-type, generally characterized by warm, dry summers and mild, fairly wet winters; these weather conditions are typically experienced in the ...
(Köppen Csb).
Demographics
Hillsboro's population grew from 402 in 1880 to 2,016 by 1910, making it the county's most populated city, according to the 1910 census data. By 1970, it had increased to more than 15,000, although neighboring Beaverton had overtaken it as the county's most populous city. By 1990 there were more than 37,000 residents, and commuters raised this to 110,000 during daytime. At the 2010 Census, the population was 91,611, fifth in rank among the state's largest cities behind Portland, Eugene, Salem and Gresham and slightly ahead of Beaverton, which ranked sixth. This figure was a 30.5% increase from Hillsboro's 70,186 residents in 2000, which made Hillsboro the fourth fastest-growing city in the state during the 2000s (decade), and the fastest-growing city in the Willamette Valley
The Willamette Valley ( ) is a long valley in Oregon, in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. The Willamette River flows the entire length of the valley and is surrounded by mountains on three sides: the Cascade Range to the east, ...
over the same period. In 2007, there were 17,126 houses lived in by their owners, with an average home price in the city of $246,900. ''Bloomberg Businessweek
''Bloomberg Businessweek'', previously known as ''BusinessWeek'', is an American weekly business magazine published fifty times a year. Since 2009, the magazine is owned by New York City-based Bloomberg L.P. The magazine debuted in New York City ...
'' listed the city as the fastest-growing in Oregon for the period between 1990 and 2010, for cities with populations over 10,000.
2010 census
As of the census of 2010, there were 91,611 people, 33,289 households, and 22,440 families residing in the city. The population density was about . There were 35,487 housing units at an average density of about . The racial makeup of the city was approximately 73% 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 ...
, 2% 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 ...
, 1% Native American, 9% 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 ...
, less than 1% 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 ...
, 10% from other races, and 5% 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 ...
or 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 about 23% of the population.
There were 33,289 households, of which about 38% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51% were married couples living together, 11% had a female householder with no husband present, 5% had a male householder with no wife present, and 33% were non-families. About 24% of all households were made up of individuals, and 6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.71 and the average family size was 3.24.
The median age in the city was 32 years. About 27% of residents were under the age of 18; 9% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 35% were from 25 to 44; 21% were from 45 to 64; and 8% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 50.2% male and 49.8% female.
2000 census
At the time of the 2000 census, there were 25,079 households, of which about 38% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55% were married couples living together, 9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32% were non-families. About 23% of all households were made up of individuals, and 5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.8 and the average family size was 3.3.
City residents included about 28% under the age of 18, 11% from 18 to 24, 37% from 25 to 44, 17% from 45 to 64, and 6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 30 years. For every 100 females, there were about 106 males.
The median household income
The median income is the income amount that divides a population into two equal groups, half having an income above that amount, and half having an income below that amount. It may differ from the mean (or average) income. Both of these are ways of ...
was about $52,000 and the median family income was $57,000. Males had a median income of $41,000 compared to $30,000 for females. The per capita income for the city was about $22,000. Approximately 6% of families and 9% 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 11% of those under age 18 and 8% of those age 65 or over. In 2007, 28% of people 25 and older held at least a bachelor's degree, while an additional 11% held an associate degree.[ Those with less than a high school diploma made up 15% of the population, and 22% of residents had more than a high school diploma but less than a college degree.][
]
Crime
For the year 2011, the city had 180 violent crime
A violent crime, violent felony, crime of violence or crime of a violent nature is a crime in which an offender or perpetrator uses or threatens to use harmful force upon a victim. This entails both crimes in which the violence, violent act is t ...
s reported to law enforcement, and 2,154 reports of property crime
Property crime is a category of crime, usually involving private property, that includes, among other crimes, burglary, larceny, theft, motor vehicle theft, arson, shoplifting, and vandalism. Property crime is a crime to obtain money, property, o ...
s. The violent crime rate
Crime statistics refer to systematic, quantitative results about crime, as opposed to crime news or anecdotes. Notably, crime statistics can be the result of two rather different processes:
* scientific research, such as criminological studies, vi ...
was 157.2 per 100,000 people compared to a national average of 309.3 and 287 for Oregon. Property crime nationally was 3,335[ per 100,000 compared to 3,203 in Hillsboro, and 4,402 for the state.][ Violent offenses include forcible rape, robbery, murder, non-negligent manslaughter, and aggravated assault. Property crimes include arson, motor vehicle theft, larceny, and burglary.][ Statistics published by the Oregon Criminal Justice Commission showed a slight downward trend in the Washington County crime rate between 1991 and 2005. The rate for index crimes, a group comprising the combined violent offenses and property crimes mentioned above, was 3,930 per 100,000 in 1991 and rose to 4,440 per 100,000 in 1997 before falling to 3,410 per 100,000 in 2005.][ To view the Washington County statistics, select "Washington County" on the first interactive screen and "Summary Rates" on the second screen. For ease of comparison, rates given as crimes per 10,000 have been converted to crimes per 100,000 by multiplying by 10.]
Economy
Manufacturing is the leading employment sector in Hillsboro, employing 24% of the workforce, followed by health care, education, and social services with a total of 15%.[ One example of a manufacturer headquartered in Hillsboro is Beaverton Foods, a family-owned ]condiment
A condiment is a preparation that is added to food, typically after cooking, to impart a specific Flavoring, flavor, to enhance the flavor, or to complement the dish. A table condiment or table sauce is more specifically a condiment that is serv ...
manufacturer since 1929, with 70+ employees and $25 million in annual sales; it moved to its current headquarters in 2001. Retail employment constitutes 12%, construction makes up 7%, and 13% of workers are employed in the administrative, scientific, professional, or waste management industries.[ 68% of workers commute alone to the workplace, and 8% use public transportation.][ The average one-way commute time is about 24 minutes.][
Many technology companies operate in Hillsboro, making it the center of Oregon's ]Silicon Forest
Silicon is a chemical element with the symbol Si and atomic number 14. It is a hard, brittle crystalline solid with a blue-grey metallic luster, and is a tetravalent metalloid and semiconductor. It is a member of group 14 in the periodic tab ...
. In particular, Intel
Intel Corporation is an American multinational corporation and technology company headquartered in Santa Clara, California. It is the world's largest semiconductor chip manufacturer by revenue, and is one of the developers of the x86 seri ...
's largest site is in Hillsboro, and includes three large campuses: Ronler Acres, Jones Farm, and Hawthorn Farm, along with several smaller campuses that employ about 16,000 workers. Other high-tech companies operating facilities in Hillsboro include Synopsys
Synopsys is an American electronic design automation (EDA) company that focuses on silicon design and verification, silicon intellectual property and software security and quality. Products include tools for logic synthesis and physical design ...
, Epson, Salesforce
Salesforce, Inc. is an American cloud-based software company headquartered in San Francisco, California. It provides customer relationship management (CRM) software and applications focused on sales, customer service, marketing automation, a ...
, and Oracle's (formerly Sun Microsystems) High-End Operations. Hillsboro is the corporate headquarters for RadiSys
Radisys Corporation is an American technology company located in Hillsboro, Oregon, United States that makes technology used by telecommunications companies in mobile networks. Founded in 1987 in Oregon by former employees of Intel, the compan ...
and Planar Systems
Planar Systems, Inc. is an American digital display manufacturing corporation with a facility in Hillsboro, Oregon. Founded in 1983 as a spin-off from Tektronix, it was the first U.S. manufacturer of electroluminescent (EL) digital displays. Planar ...
among others.
In 2006, Genentech
Genentech, Inc., is an American biotechnology corporation headquartered in South San Francisco, California. It became an independent subsidiary of Roche in 2009. Genentech Research and Early Development operates as an independent center within R ...
announced plans to locate a packaging and distribution facility on in Hillsboro. The $400 million facility opened in 2010, which Oregon officials hoped would eventually also be used for research and development for the biotechnology
Biotechnology is the integration of natural sciences and engineering sciences in order to achieve the application of organisms, cells, parts thereof and molecular analogues for products and services. The term ''biotechnology'' was first used b ...
company. Other biotech or medical companies based in Hillsboro include FEI Company
FEI Company (Field Electron and Ion Company, FEI) is an American company that designs, manufactures, and supports microscope technology. Headquartered in Hillsboro, Oregon, FEI has over 2,800 employees and sales and service operations in more tha ...
and Acumed
Acumed, LLC is a Privately held, privately owned medical device manufacturer based in Hillsboro, Oregon in the Portland metropolitan area of the United States. Founded in 1988, the company employs nearly 500 people domestically and internationally ...
.
The city is also a landing point on three fiber optic cable systems linking the United States across the Pacific Ocean: , Southern Cross Cable
The Southern Cross Cable is a trans-Pacific network of telecommunications cables commissioned in 2000. The network is operated by the Bermuda-registered company ''Southern Cross Cables Limited''.
The network has 28,900 km of submarine an ...
, and VSNL Transpacific
TGN-Pacific (TGN-P, previously VSNL Transpacific) is a Submarine communications cable, submarine telecommunications cable system transiting the Pacific Ocean.
The cable system is constructed with one cable from Emi, Japan, to Hillsboro, Oregon, Un ...
. These cable landings, lower energy costs, and tax breaks led to a boom of data center
A data center (American English) or data centre (British English)See spelling differences. is a building, a dedicated space within a building, or a group of buildings used to house computer systems and associated components, such as telecommunic ...
s being built starting about 2010. Data centers include those for Adobe, NetApp, Umpqua Bank
Umpqua Holdings Corporation, d.b.a. Umpqua Bank, is a financial holding company based in downtown Portland, Oregon, United States. Headquarters are in the Umpqua Bank Plaza, formerly the headquarters of Benj. Franklin Savings and Loan. The fir ...
, OHSU, and Fortune Data Centers.
Hillsboro serves as the corporate headquarters for Rodgers Instruments
Rodgers Instruments Corporation is an American manufacturer of classical and church organs. Rodgers was incorporated May 1, 1958 in Beaverton, Oregon by founders, Rodgers W. Jenkins and Fred Tinker, employees of Tektronix, Inc., of Portland, O ...
, Soloflex, Norm Thompson Outfitters, and Parr Lumber, among others. Fujitsu and NEC Corporation formerly had factories in Hillsboro. Hillsboro is also home to the Laika
Laika (russian: link=no, Лайка; – 3 November 1957) was a Soviet space dog who was one of the first animals in space and the first to orbit the Earth. A stray mongrel from the streets of Moscow, she flew aboard the Sputnik 2 spacecra ...
stop-motion animation studio, creator of the Oscar-nominated feature films ''Coraline
''Coraline'' () is a dark fantasy horror children's novella by British author Neil Gaiman. Gaiman started writing ''Coraline'' in 1990, and it was published in 2002 by Bloomsbury and HarperCollins. It was awarded the 2003 Hugo Award for Best ...
'' (2009) and ''Paranorman
''ParaNorman'' is a 2012 American stop-motion animated comedy horror film directed by Sam Fell and Chris Butler (the latter's feature directorial debut), and written by Butler. Produced by Laika, the film stars the voices of Kodi Smit-McPhee, J ...
'' (2012). In addition, Erickson Aero Tanker, an aviation company which operates McDonnell Douglas MD-87
The McDonnell Douglas MD-80 is a series of five-abreast single-aisle airliners developed by McDonnell Douglas. It was produced by the developer company until August 1997 and then by Boeing Commercial Airplanes. The MD-80 was the second gene ...
jetliners converted for use as aerial firefighting air tankers
The atmosphere of Earth is the layer of gases, known collectively as air, retained by Earth's gravity that surrounds the planet and forms its planetary atmosphere. The atmosphere of Earth protects life on Earth by creating pressure allowing for ...
, is based in Hillsboro.
The Hatfield Government Center in Hillsboro is the western terminus of the MAX Blue Line
The MAX Blue Line is a light rail service in Portland, Oregon, United States, operated by TriMet as part of the MAX Light Rail system. It travels east–west for approximately —the longest in the network—between Hillsboro, Beaverton, Po ...
, part of the Portland metropolitan area's light-rail system. The presence of MAX prompted the development of the pedestrian-oriented community of Orenco Station within Hillsboro. (See also: Orenco, Oregon.) Orenco Station was called the Best Planned Community
A planned community, planned city, planned town, or planned settlement is any community that was carefully planned from its inception and is typically constructed on previously undeveloped land. This contrasts with settlements that evolve ...
of 1999 by the National Association of Home Builders. It was also named "Best new burb" by ''Sunset'' magazine in 2006. Hillsboro overall was listed on CNN ''Money Magazine'''s list of best places to live in 2010 for cities with populations between 50,000 and 300,000 residents. The city came in at 92, the highest ranking for any city in the state.
Hillsboro's primary commercial cores are concentrated along Tualatin Valley Highway and Cornell Road. Additionally, the Tanasbourne neighborhood is a regional shopping area on the eastern edge of the city. The neighborhood is home to the lifestyle shopping center The Streets of Tanasbourne
The Streets of Tanasbourne is an outdoor shopping mall located in the Tanasbourne area of Hillsboro in the U.S. state of Oregon. Opened in October 2004, the center provides shopping to the Hillsboro/ Beaverton area west of Portland, near the Su ...
. The $55 million outdoor complex with of retail space opened in 2004 with Meier & Frank
Meier & Frank was a prominent chain of department stores founded in Portland, Oregon, and later bought by The May Department Stores Company. Meier & Frank operated in the Pacific Northwest from 1857 to 2006.
History Summary
Meier & Frank was f ...
(later Macy's
Macy's (originally R. H. Macy & Co.) is an American chain of high-end department stores founded in 1858 by Rowland Hussey Macy. It became a division of the Cincinnati-based Federated Department Stores in 1994, through which it is affiliated wi ...
) as the anchor tenant.[
The other large shopping center in the city is The Sunset Esplanade, located along Tualatin Valley Highway. In November 2005, the world's largest ]Costco
Costco Wholesale Corporation (doing business as Costco Wholesale and also known simply as Costco) is an American multinational corporation which operates a chain of membership-only big-box retail stores (warehouse club). As of 2022, Costco i ...
, a warehouse club store, opened in Hillsboro. The store, with of floor space, is about bigger than the average Costco.
Wineries near the city include Oak Knoll Winery, established in 1970, the oldest and largest winery in Washington County. Helvetia Winery & Vineyards to the north of Hillsboro started in the 1980s.[ Wineries to the south include Gypsy Dancer Estates Winery and Raptor Ridge. Local wines include ]pinot noir
Pinot Noir () is a red-wine grape variety of the species ''Vitis vinifera''. The name may also refer to wines created predominantly from pinot noir grapes. The name is derived from the French language, French words for ''pine'' and ''black.' ...
, pinot gris
Pinot Gris, Pinot Grigio (, ) or Grauburgunder is a white wine grape variety of the species ''Vitis vinifera''. Thought to be a mutant clone of the Pinot Noir variety, it normally has a grayish-blue fruit, accounting for its name, but the gra ...
, and chardonnay
Chardonnay (, , ) is a green-skinned grape variety used in the production of white wine. The variety originated in the Burgundy wine region of eastern French wine, France, but is now grown wherever wine is produced, from English wine, Englan ...
.
Culture
Within the city are two commercial movie theaters with a total of 29 screens. Until its closure in 2017, one historic theater had also remained in operation: the Venetian Theatre, which had re-opened at the site of the old Town Theater in 2008. The Oregon Chorale (a 60-person symphonic choir), a men's barbershop chorus, the Hillsboro Symphony Orchestra, and the Hillsboro Artists' Regional Theatre are also located in Hillsboro. The orchestra was founded in 2001 under the direction of Stefan Minde. In 2004, the city opened the Glenn & Viola Walters Cultural Arts Center in a remodeled church in downtown. The center provides space for galleries and performances, as well as classrooms for art instruction. The Rice Northwest Museum of Rocks and Minerals is located on the northern edge of the city. The Five Oaks Museum (at the time Washington County Museum) was located in downtown Hillsboro from 2012 to 2017, and later moved back to its previous location, at the Rock Creek campus of Portland Community College
Portland Community College (PCC) is a public community college in Portland, Oregon. It is the largest post-secondary institution in the state and serves residents in the five-county area of Multnomah, Washington, Yamhill, Clackamas, and Colu ...
, just northeast of Hillsboro.
Hillsboro operates two library branches. Opened in 2007 after a smaller location was closed, the main branch is located in the north-central section of the city. The older, smaller second branch is in Shute Park in the southwest area of the city. The Hillsboro libraries are part of Washington County Cooperative Library Services
Washington County Cooperative Library Services (WCCLS) is the library system serving Washington County, Oregon. WCCLS distributes tax funds to libraries. It was established in 1975.
Libraries
WCCLS is made up of 16 libraries which are operated by ...
, which allows residents to use other libraries in the county and includes interlibrary loan
Interlibrary loan (abbreviated ILL, and sometimes called interloan, interlending, document delivery, document supply, or interlibrary services, abbreviated ILS) is a service where patrons of one library can borrow materials and receive photocopies ...
s.
Media
The weekly ''Hillsboro Tribune
The ''Hillsboro Tribune'' was a weekly newspaper that covered the city of Hillsboro in the U.S. state of Oregon and was published from 2012 to 2019. It was replaced in 2019 by a Hillsboro edition of the Forest Grove '' News-Times'', a sister publ ...
'', launched in 2012, was based in Hillsboro. It was replaced in 2019 by a Hillsboro edition of the '' News-Times'', a weekly newspaper owned by the same company and based in nearby Forest Grove. Historically, the city's longtime newspaper of record
A newspaper of record is a major national newspaper with large circulation whose editorial and news-gathering functions are considered authoritative and independent; they are thus "newspapers of record by reputation" and include some of the o ...
was the weekly ''Hillsboro Argus'' newspaper (published twice-weekly from 1953 to 2015). It was published in Hillsboro for more than 120 years until its discontinuation in 2017.
The city is also served by Portland-based media outlets, including ''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 ...
'', ''Willamette Week
''Willamette Week'' (''WW'') is an alternative weekly newspaper and a website published in Portland, Oregon, United States, since 1974. It features reports on local news, politics, sports, business, and culture.
History
Early history
''Willame ...
'', and all broadcast stations.[ AM radio station ]KUIK Kuik ( fa, كوئيك) may refer to:
* Kuik, Kermanshah, village in Sarpol-e Zahab County, Kermanshah province
* Kuik, Kurdistan
* Kuik, West Azerbaijan
* Kuik-e Azizi Amin, former village merged into Kuik, Kermanshah
* Kuik-e Hasan, former vil ...
was based in Hillsboro until sold in 2018. KUIK was a 5,000-watt station broadcasting at the 1360 frequency.
Recreation
Hillsboro's Department of Parks and Recreation operates more than 20 facilities, including the Gordon Faber Recreation Complex which includes Hillsboro Stadium
Hillsboro Stadium is a multi-sport stadium in the northwest United States, located in Hillsboro, Oregon, a suburb west of Portland. Opened in 1999 and owned by the city of Hillsboro, the award-winning stadium is part of the Gordon Faber Recr ...
and Ron Tonkin Field
Ron Tonkin Field, originally Hillsboro Ballpark, is a baseball Baseball park, park in the Pacific Northwest, northwest United States, located in Hillsboro, Oregon, a suburb west of Portland, Oregon, Portland. The stadium has a capacity of 4,500 ...
. There are 23 parks, two sports complexes, the Walters Cultural Arts Center, the Shute Park Aquatic & Recreation Center, and three other mixed-use facilities. The city also owns the Jackson Bottom Wetlands Preserve
Jackson Bottom Wetlands Preserve in Hillsboro, Oregon, United States, is a wetlands area along the Tualatin River in Washington County, Oregon. Located on the south end of the city along Highway 219, this lowland area is a designated Important ...
along the Tualatin River on the south side of the community. South of city is Bald Peak State Scenic Viewpoint
Bald Peak State Scenic Viewpoint is a state park located atop Bald Peak located in Yamhill County, in the United States. The day use only park offers picnic tables and a hiking trail for views of the Willamette Valley and the Cascade Range. Th ...
, which is day-use only, and is the closest state park to Hillsboro. L.L. "Stub" Stewart Memorial State Park is the closest full-service state park.
Local golf courses include The Reserve Vineyards and Golf Club (36 holes) that was completed in 1997, Meriwether National Golf Course (27 holes) established in 1961, and the 9-hole McKay Creek Golf Course that was built in 1995. Other courses in the area include Killarney West Golf Club (9 holes), Rock Creek Country Club (18 holes), Forest Hills Country Club (18 holes), and Pumpkin Ridge Golf Club
Pumpkin Ridge Golf Club is a championship golf club in the northwest United States, located in North Plains, Oregon, northwest of Portland. The award-winning 36-hole club opened in 1992 and has hosted several major golf tournaments, including t ...
(36 holes).
Hillsboro's annual Fourth of July Parade is the second-largest Independence Day parade in Oregon. The Oregon International Air Show
The Oregon International Air Show - formerly the "Portland Rose Festival Air Show" - is an annual event held in Oregon, United States. The event began in 1988, and has an average annual attendance of 55,000. Profits from the show are distributed t ...
, Oregon's largest air show, is held each year during the summer at the Hillsboro Airport.[ Each summer the city offers a free concert series at Shute Park (Showtime at Shute), while the Washington County Fair is held annually at the Westside Commons (county fairgrounds) adjacent to the airport. The name ''Westside Commons'' is a 2019 renaming of the Washington County Fairgrounds (also known as Fair Complex).] A new conference center and exhibition hall, known as the Wingspan Event & Conference Center, opened at the Commons in August 2020, replacing buildings demolished in 2018.
Hillsboro Farmers' Markets operates weekend farmers' market
A farmers' market (or farmers market according to the AP stylebook, also farmer's market in the Cambridge Dictionary) is a physical retail marketplace intended to sell foods directly by farmers to consumers. Farmers' markets may be indoors or o ...
s on Saturdays downtown and on Sundays at Orenco Station, from May to October.[ The Saturday market began in 1982 and sells arts and crafts, food, produce, and plants.] A different organization, Hillsboro Tuesday Marketplace, operates a downtown farmers' market on Tuesdays from mid-June through September 1. Farmers' markets also operate on Wednesday afternoons from June through August at Kaiser Permanente and on Thursday afternoons at Tuality Hospital from June through August.
The city has two professional sports teams, the Portland Timbers 2
Portland Timbers 2 is an American professional soccer team based in Portland, Oregon. The team, often referred to as "T2", serves as the reserve squad for the Portland Timbers of Major League Soccer (MLS).
The team was a member of the USL Champio ...
(T2) of MLS Next Pro
MLS Next Pro is a men's professional soccer league in the United States and Canada that is affiliated with Major League Soccer. It launched in 2022 with 21 teams and will expand to 28 in 2023. The league comprises 27 reserve sides for MLS clubs ...
who began play at Hillsboro Stadium in 2020 and the Hillsboro Hops
The Hillsboro Hops are a Minor League Baseball team in the northwest United States, located in Hillsboro, Oregon, a city in the Portland metropolitan area. The Hops are members of the Northwest League as an affiliate of the Arizona Diamondbacks. ...
of High-A West
The Northwest League is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the Northwestern United States and Western Canada. A Class A Short Season league for most of its history, the league was promoted to High-A as part of Major League Basebal ...
, a Minor League Baseball club affiliated with the Arizona Diamondbacks
The Arizona Diamondbacks (colloquially known as the D-backs) are an American professional baseball team based in Phoenix. The Diamondbacks compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. The f ...
. The baseball team relocated from Yakima, Washington, in 2012 and began play as the Hops on June 14, 2013, with its inaugural home game at the new Ron Tonkin Field on June 17.
Landmarks
Landmarks in Hillsboro include the Washington County Courthouse, the seat of county government. Along the western edge of the city is Hillsboro Pioneer Cemetery
The Hillsboro Pioneer Cemetery is a pioneer cemetery in Hillsboro, Oregon, United States. It is located at the west end of the city along the Tualatin Valley Highway and adjacent to Dairy Creek. The cemetery comprises three formerly private cem ...
, established in 1870, which serves as the final resting place of city pioneers and politicians. Next to the airport is the Westside Commons (known as the Washington County Fairgrounds, or Fair Complex, until 2019), home to the annual county fair. Located at Shute Park
Shute Park is a municipal park in the city of Hillsboro, Oregon, United States. Acquired in 1906, the park is the oldest park in the city. Located at southeast Tenth and Maple streets along Tualatin Valley Highway, Shute Park includes an aquatic ...
was the tall wood sculpture ''Chief Kno-Tah
''Chief Kno-Tah'' was a wooden statue located in Shute Park in Hillsboro in the U.S. state of Oregon. Carved by Peter Wolf Toth, it was the 56th Native American head in his ''Trail of the Whispering Giants'' series. The tall, statue was the f ...
'', donated to Hillsboro and dedicated in 1987 as part of Peter Wolf Toth
Peter Wolf Toth (born December 1947) is a Hungarian-born American sculptor, who immigrated to the United States and settled in Akron, Ohio. He later studied art at the University of Akron. He created a series of sculptures called ''Trail of t ...
's Trail of the Whispering Giants
The ''Trail of the Whispering Giants'' is a collection of sculptures by Hungarian American, Hungarian-born artist Peter Wolf Toth. The sculptures range in height from , and are between in diameter. In 2009, there were 74 ''Whispering Giants'', wi ...
. Due to storm damage, it was removed in 2017.
File:Washington County Courthouse and grounds - Hillsboro, Oregon.jpg, The Washington County Courthouse
File:Hillsboro, Oregon (November 2020) - 10.jpg, Morgan and Bailey Building
File:Hillsboro, Oregon (November 2020) - 26.jpg, Hill Theatre, now an antique mall
File:Imbrie Farm farmhouse - Hillsboro Oregon.jpg, The Imbrie House
File:Malcolm McDonald House - Hillsboro, Oregon (2017).jpg, Malcolm McDonald House
Government
Hillsboro operates under a council–manager form of city government. Voters elect six at-large
At large (''before a noun'': at-large) is a description for members of a governing body who are elected or appointed to represent a whole membership or population (notably a city, county, state, province, nation, club or association), rather than ...
councilors and a mayor, who each serve four-year terms, subject to a charter-imposed limitation of two consecutive terms. The mayor and council appoint a city manager
A city manager is an official appointed as the administrative manager of a city, in a "Mayor–council government" council–manager form of city government. Local officials serving in this position are sometimes referred to as the chief execu ...
to conduct the ordinary business of the city. Policy decisions are the responsibility of the council and mayor. Administrative functions are carried out by the manager and manager-appointed staff. Government functions are centered at the Hillsboro Civic Center
The Hillsboro Civic Center is a government-built, mixed-use development in downtown Hillsboro, Oregon, United States. The development includes the city hall for the county seat of Washington County, located west of Portland, Oregon. Covering , ...
, which houses the office of the city manager and is the location of the twice-monthly city council meetings. As of 2021, Steve Callaway was the mayor; Beach Pace, Rick Van Beveren, Kyle Allen, Anthony Martin, Olivia Alcaire, and Gina Roletto were the city councilors. Robby Hammond serves as the city's manager.
Hillsboro operates its own library system, fire department, parks department, water system, police department,[ and municipal internet service. The ]Hillsboro Fire Department
Hillsboro Fire & Rescue is the municipal fire department for the city of Hillsboro in the U.S. state of Oregon. Founded in 1880, the department operates five stations with six companies. The nationally accredited department has 123 members and i ...
has five stations, and the Hillsboro Police Department operates two standard precincts and a mobile precinct. Wastewater treatment is provided through the county-wide Clean Water Services
Clean Water Services is the water resources management utility for more than 600,000 residents in urban Washington County, Oregon and small portions of Multnomah County, Oregon and Clackamas County, Oregon, in the United States. Clean Water Serv ...
. The city's municipal internet service, HiLight, was initially launched in 2020 and expects to cover all households by 2027.
At the federal level, Hillsboro lies in Oregon's 1st congressional district
Oregon's 1st congressional district is a congressional district located in the U.S state of Oregon. The district stretches from Portland's western suburbs and exurbs, to parts of the Oregon coast. The district includes the principal cities of ...
, represented by Suzanne Bonamici
Suzanne Marie Bonamici ( ; born October 14, 1954) is an American lawyer and politician serving as the U.S. representative for Oregon's 1st congressional district, a seat she was first elected to in a 2012 special election. The district includes m ...
. In the State Senate
A state legislature in the United States is the legislative body of any of the 50 U.S. states. The formal name varies from state to state. In 27 states, the legislature is simply called the ''Legislature'' or the ''State Legislature'', whil ...
, Hillsboro is in District 15, represented by Chuck Riley, District 13, represented by Kim Thatcher
Kim Thatcher (born 1964) is an American politician serving as member of the Oregon State Senate from the 13th district, which is currently assembled for the 81st legislative session. She previously served as a member of the Oregon House of Re ...
, and District 12 represented by Brian Boquist
Brian James Boquist (born October 20, 1958) is an Independent, formerly Republican, politician from Oregon; he currently serves in the Oregon Senate representing District 12. Previously, he was in the Oregon House of Representatives, represent ...
. In the House
A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air condi ...
, Districts 24 (Ron Noble
Ron Noble (born January 25, 1960) is an American politician serving as a member of the Oregon House of Representatives from the 24th district, which covers parts of northern Yamhill County and southern Washington County, including the city of ...
), 26 (Courtney Neron
Courtney Neron is an American politician from Oregon. A Democratic Party (United States), Democrat, she represents Oregon's 26th House district, District 26 in the Oregon House of Representatives, which is currently assembled for its 81st Oregon ...
), 29 ( Susan McClain) and 30 ( Janeen Sollman) cover the city. Parts of county commissioner districts 1 ( Nafisa Fai), 2 ( Pam Treece), and 4 (Jerry Willey
Jerry Willey (born September 25, 1947) is an American politician who is currently a Washington County Commissioner and was the 41st mayor of Hillsboro, Oregon, a position he held from 2009 to 2017.
Biography
Willey was born in Walla Walla, Washi ...
) overlap the city. In addition, Hillsboro lies within District 4 (Juan Carlos González
''For the Chilean footballer with the same name see Juan Carlos González (Chilean footballer)''
Juan Carlos González Ortiz (22 August 1924 – 15 February 201was a Uruguayan Association football, footballer. He played for CA Peñarol.
For the ...
) and District 3 ( Gerritt Rosenthal) of the Metro
Metro, short for metropolitan, may refer to:
Geography
* Metro (city), a city in Indonesia
* A metropolitan area, the populated region including and surrounding an urban center
Public transport
* Rapid transit, a passenger railway in an urba ...
regional government.
Education
Public schools in Hillsboro are operated by the Hillsboro School District
The Hillsboro School District 1J is a unified school district located in Hillsboro, Oregon, Hillsboro, Oregon, United States. The district operates 26 elementary schools, four middle schools, and four high schools. Founded in 1851, the school di ...
(1J). The district is a unified school district
A unified school district (in the states of Arizona, California, Kansas and Oregon) or unit school district (in Illinois), in the United States of America, is a school district that generally includes and operates both primary schools (kindergarten ...
with twenty-three elementary schools, four middle schools, and four high schools.[ The district also operates the Miller Education Center, an alternative school, the ]Hare Field
Hare Field is a multi-sport facility located in Hillsboro, Oregon, United States. The facility opened in 1965 and is owned by the Hillsboro School District. Hare Field includes a baseball stadium, a football stadium, practice fields, and track an ...
athletic complex, and City View Charter School. The school district covers Hillsboro, Scholls, Reedville, North Plains, West Union, and other surrounding communities.[ Total enrollment as of the 2015–16 school year was 20,501 students, making it the fourth-largest district in the state (behind Portland, Salem-Keizer, and Beaverton). The four traditional public high schools are, in order of creation:
Post-secondary educational opportunities include the west campus of ]Oregon Health & Science University
Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) is a
public research university focusing primarily on health sciences with a main campus, including two hospitals, in Portland, Oregon. The institution was founded in 1887 as the University of Oregon Medi ...
(OHSU) while Pacific University
Pacific University is a private university in Forest Grove, Oregon. Founded in 1849 as the Tualatin Academy, the original Forest Grove campus is west of Portland. The university maintains three other campuses in Eugene, Hillsboro, and Wood ...
operates a satellite Pacific University Health Professions Campus, Health Professions Campus in downtown adjacent to Tuality Community Hospital.[ The OHSU site was formerly that of the Oregon Graduate Institute (later OGI School of Science and Engineering) and the Oregon National Primate Research Center portions of OHSU. Other educational opportunities are available at the Work Force Training Center (]Portland Community College
Portland Community College (PCC) is a public community college in Portland, Oregon. It is the largest post-secondary institution in the state and serves residents in the five-county area of Multnomah, Washington, Yamhill, Clackamas, and Colu ...
) and a branch of the University of Phoenix. Hillsboro is home to private primary and secondary schools including Faith Bible High School, St. Matthew Catholic School, Tualatin Valley Academy, and Renaissance Alternative School, among others.
Infrastructure
Transportation
Public transportation is available by bus and light rail, managed by regional transit agency 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 ...
.[ The first MAX Light Rail line, now known as the MAX Blue Line, Blue Line, was extended to serve Hillsboro on September 12, 1998.] The western terminus is located downtown. The Willow Creek and Hillsboro transit centers (TC) are the main hubs of the public transit system, although seven other MAX stations provide varying degrees of bus interconnection. MAX stations (west to east) are the , Hillsboro Central/Southeast 3rd Avenue Transit Center, Hillsboro Central TC, Tuality Hospital/Southeast 8th Avenue station, Tuality Hospital, Washington/Southeast 12th Avenue station, Washington/Southeast 12th Avenue, , , Orenco station (TriMet), Orenco, , and Willow Creek/Southwest 185th Avenue Transit Center, Willow Creek TC. Located next to the Tuality Hospital station is the Hillsboro Intermodal Transit Facility, which opened in 2010 and was jointly paid for by the hospital, Pacific University, and the city. The facility is primarily a parking garage, but includes lockers and showers for bicyclists along with electric vehicle charging stations.
Freight rail service from Portland and Western Railroad with interconnections to the BNSF Railway and the Union Pacific Railroad both serve Hillsboro. The city is not served by passenger rail service over a heavy-rail line.[ Air travel is available at the ]Hillsboro Airport
Hillsboro Airport , also known as Portland–Hillsboro Airport, is a corporate, general aviation and flight-training airport serving the city of Hillsboro, in Washington County, Oregon, United States. It is one of three airports in the Portland, ...
in the center of the city and at Stark's Twin Oaks Airpark, a general aviation field south of the city. The Hillsboro Airport is a general aviation airport operated by the Port of Portland (Oregon), Port of Portland, and is the second-busiest airport in the state after Portland International Airport. The airport mainly serves private pilots and corporate flights, with no Airline, scheduled airline flights from its two runways, but does have an on-call customs service.[
Oregon Route 8, known locally as the Tualatin Valley Highway (TV Highway), is the primary east–west highway.][ U.S. Route 26 (Oregon), U.S. Route 26, also known as the Sunset Highway (Oregon), Sunset Highway, bisects the northeast corner of the city. Other major east–west roads are Cornell Road and Main Street (formerly Baseline Road).][ Major north–south routes are Oregon Route 219 / 1st Avenue, 10th Avenue, Cornelius Pass Road, and Brookwood.][ The easternmost north–south route, 185th Avenue, borders Beaverton and runs between the Tanasbourne Town Center and the rest of Hillsboro. TV Highway connects to Cornelius and Forest Grove to the west and Beaverton to the east.
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Health care
Hospital services in the city are provided by Hillsboro Medical Center (formerly Tuality Community Hospital) in the downtown area of the city.[ Opened in 1918 as the city's first hospital, the 167-bed facility is operated by Tuality Healthcare. Other significant medical facilities include Kaiser Permanente's Sunset Medical Office and Providence Health & Services' immediate care center, both in the Tanasbourne neighborhood. Kaiser Permanente also opened the Kaiser Westside Medical Center, a 126-bed hospital in 2013, next to its Sunset Medical Office. The United States Department of Veterans Affairs, Department of Veterans Affairs opened a medical clinic in the Tanasbourne area in 2008.
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Notable people
For more than 150 years, the city has had residents as varied as David Hill, the city's founder, to Tiffeny Milbrett, an Olympic and World Cup champion soccer player. Two governors of Oregon, James Withycombe and Paul L. Patterson, have called the city home. Other politicians included Congressmen Thomas H. Tongue
Thomas H. Tongue (June 23, 1844January 11, 1903) was an American politician and attorney in the state of Oregon. Born in England, his family immigrated to Washington County, Oregon, in 1859. In Oregon, he would serve in the Oregon State Senate, S ...
and Samuel Thurston; mayors William N. Barrett, Benjamin P. Cornelius, and William D. Hare, patriarch of the Hare political family.[ Athletes include Erik Ainge, Scott Brosius, Colt Lyerla, Ad Rutschman, Wes Schulmerich, Wally Backman, and Olympic medalists Josh Inman, Thomas Garrigus, and Jean Saubert. Hillsboro has also been home to Peggy Y. Fowler, the former chief executive officer of Portland General Electric, producer Bryce Zabel, the "Mother Queen of Oregon" Mary Ramsey Wood, Tommy Overstreet, musician Esperanza Spalding and professional wrestler Roddy Piper.
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Sister city
Hillsboro's only Town twinning, sister city relationship is with Fukuroi, Shizuoka, Fukuroi, a city of about 85,000 residents in the Shizuoka Prefecture in central Japan. The cities, which have similar economic bases in agriculture and high technology, began their relationship in November 1988. The relationship has included exchanges of students between schools in each city. In the late 2000s, Hillsboro unsuccessfully explored finding a sister city in Mexico and also neglected the relationship with Fukuroi. However, in 2008, a Fukuroi contingent of adults visited Hillsboro to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Sister City agreement.
References
External links
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City of Hillsboro, OR, official website
Hillsboro Historical Society
Map
(PDF) – Oregon Department of Transportation
{{Featured article
Hillsboro, Oregon,
Cities in Oregon
Cities in Washington County, Oregon
County seats in Oregon
Populated places established in 1842
Portland metropolitan area
1842 establishments in Oregon