Rockwood is a neighborhood in the northwest section of

Gresham, Oregon Gresham ( ) is a city located in Multnomah County, Oregon, in the United States of America, immediately east of Portland, Oregon. It is considered a suburb within the Greater Portland Metropolitan area. Though it began as a settlement in the mid- ...

History

In the late 19th century, a stone marker was placed every mile east of the courthouse in

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 ...

, resulting in a "Base Line Road" along the

Willamette Baseline The Willamette Stone was a small stone obelisk originally installed by the Department of Interior in 1885 in the western hills of Portland, Oregon in the United States to mark the intersection and origin of the Willamette meridian and Willamett ...

: Rockwood developed at the 10-mile mark, in a rocky and wooded area that was later the inspiration for the name of the community.Rockwood Urban Renewal
from the city of Gresham's website A Ten-Mile Inn located in present-day Rockwood became a

stagecoach stop A stagecoach is a four-wheeled public transport coach used to carry paying passengers and light packages on journeys long enough to need a change of horses. It is strongly sprung and generally drawn by four horses although some versions are draw ...

, a junction that also attracted a school, a

grange hall The Grange, officially named The National Grange of the Order of Patrons of Husbandry, is a social organization in the United States that encourages families to band together to promote the economic and political well-being of the community and ...

, a church, a grocery store, among other businesses. The Rockwood area was annexed by Gresham in the mid-1980s.

Demographics

The Rockwood neighborhood is situated in the zip codes 97233 and 97230 and based on 2010 census data (estimating 97233 zip also in Portland boundaries) has a population of approximately 28.000 people - approximately 1/3 of the population of Gresham. The census tracts included are: 98.01, 97.02, 96.06, 96.05, 96.04, 96.03. This neighborhood makes up much of the westernmost boundary of Gresham as it connects to Portland. The income range/household median income falls below the average income for the Multnomah County area where it is located. Within the County, the areas in Rockwood are within the ten lowest income zip codes east of the Willamette River.

Public services

Since 2003, a area of Rockwood has been included in a Gresham-Rockwood Urban Renewal Area. Rockwood is served by the

Rockwood / East 188th Avenue Rockwood/East 188th Avenue is a MAX light rail station in Gresham, Oregon. It serves the Blue Line and is the 21st stop eastbound on the eastside MAX branch. The station is at the intersection of Southeast 188th Avenue and Burnside Street, withi ...

light-rail station on 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 ...

. The neighborhood has been the site of a branch of the

Multnomah County Library Multnomah County Library is the public library system serving Portland and Multnomah County, Oregon, United States. A continuation of the Library Association of Portland, established in 1864, the system now has 19 branches offering books, magaz ...

since 1963. In April 2010, decades after a 1960s state law required Multnomah County to provide a court services in Gresham for residents east of 122nd Avenue, the county's Board of Commissioners approving a resolution that calls for the construction of a courthouse in Rockwood by 2012.Commissioners approve building of east Multnomah County courts facility
an April 22, 2010 article from ''

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 ...

References

External links

Rockwood Community Development CorporationRockwood Business CoalitionFairview-Rockwood-Wilkes Historical Society
{{Authority control Neighborhoods in Oregon Gresham, Oregon