Aloha (, not ) 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, su ...
and
unincorporated community
An unincorporated area is a region that is not governed by a local municipal corporation. Widespread unincorporated communities and areas are a distinguishing feature of the United States and Canada. Most other countries of the world either hav ...
in
Washington County,
Oregon
Oregon () is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of its eastern boundary with Idah ...
, United States. By road it is west of downtown
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 ...
.
As of the
2020 Census, the population was 53,828. Fire protection and EMS services are provided through
Tualatin Valley Fire and Rescue.
[and Metro West Ambulance.] and
Metro West Ambulance.
History
On January 9, 1912, the community received its name with the opening of a post office named Aloha; the area had previously been known as Wheeler Crossing.
According to ''
Oregon Geographic Names
''Oregon Geographic Names'' is a compilation of the origin and meaning of place names in the U.S. state of Oregon, published by the Oregon Historical Society. The book was originally published in 1928. It was compiled and edited by Lewis A. Mc ...
'', the origin of the name Aloha is disputed. Some sources say it was named by Robert Caples, a railroad worker, but it is unknown why the name was chosen. In 1983 Joseph H. Buck claimed that his uncle, the first postmaster, Julius Buck, named the office "Aloah" after a small resort on
Lake Winnebago
Lake Winnebago ( mez, Wenepekōw Nepēhsæh, oj, Wiinibiigoo-zaaga'igan, one, kanyataláheleˀ) is a shallow freshwater lake in the north central United States, located in east central Wisconsin. At 137,700 acres it is the largest lake entire ...
in
Wisconsin
Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...
. Supposedly the last two letters were transposed by the
Post Office
A post office is a public facility and a retailer that provides mail services, such as accepting letters and parcels, providing post office boxes, and selling postage stamps, packaging, and stationery. Post offices may offer additional serv ...
during the application process. The local pronunciation, however, has remained rather than .
The community attempted to incorporate in 1984, but the regional boundary commission halted the effort after determining the community could not provide the needed municipal services of a city.
In 2012, a public library was opened in a space within a
strip mall
A strip mall, strip center or strip plaza is a type of shopping center common in North America where the stores are arranged in a row, with a sidewalk in front. Strip malls are typically developed as a unit and have large parking lots in front. ...
shopping center on Farmington Road at Kinnaman Road (previously anchored by Bales Thriftway until its closure in 2020). Named the
Aloha Community Library, it was established by the non-profit Aloha Community Library Association and is staffed by volunteers. At the time of its opening, it had about 4,500 books.
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
An economy is an area of th ...
, the CDP has a total area of , all land.
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 in ...
of 2000, there were 41,741 people, 14,228 households, and 10,841 families residing in the community. The
population density
Population density (in agriculture: Stock (disambiguation), 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 ...
was 5,660.5 people per square mile (2,186.7/km
2). There were 14,851 housing units at an average density of 2,013.9 per square mile (778.0/km
2). The racial makeup of the CDP was 79.40%
White
White is the lightness, 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 diffuse reflection, reflect and scattering, scatter all the ...
, 1.35%
African American
African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American ...
, 0.78%
Native American, 7.69%
Asian, 0.37%
Pacific Islander
Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the Pacific Islands. As an ethnic/racial term, it is used to describe the original peoples—inhabitants and diasporas—of any of the three major subregions of Ocea ...
, 6.70% from
other races, and 3.72% from two or more races.
Hispanic
The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, 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 viceroyalties for ...
or
Latino of any race were 12.93% of the population.
There were 14,228 households, out of which 42.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.4% 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, 11.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 23.8% were non-families. 16.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 3.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.92 and the average family size was 3.28.
In the community, the population was spread out, with 29.8% under the age of 18, 9.1% from 18 to 24, 35.0% from 25 to 44, 20.3% from 45 to 64, and 5.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 31 years. For every 100 females, there were 101.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 99.8 males.
The median income for a household in the community was $52,299, and the median income for a family was $56,566. Males had a median income of $40,369 versus $29,921 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 community was $19,685. About 5.6% of families and 7.9% 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 ...
, including 9.4% of those under age 18 and 5.2% of those age 65 or over.
Education

Aloha is served by the
Beaverton and
Hillsboro school districts.
Beaverton schools in the area include
Aloha High School and the
International School of Beaverton
The International School of Beaverton (ISB) is an option school that serves grades 6-12 in the Beaverton School District. It is the only school in the district to be a full International Baccalaureate (IB) school, where all students take IB course ...
. Aloha is served by Mountain View and Five Oaks middle schools and Aloha-Huber Park, Beaver Acres, Cooper Mountain, Errol Hassell, Hazeldale, and Kinnaman elementary schools.
Hillsboro schools serving Aloha include
Century High School, R. A. Brown middle school, and Butternut Creek, Imlay, Indian Hills, Reedville, and Tobias elementary schools.
Private schools in or near Aloha include Life Christian School, Palace of Praise Academy, and the elementary campus of
Faith Bible Christian School
Faith Bible High School is a private school, private, nondenominational Christian school in Hillsboro, Oregon, Hillsboro, Oregon, United States. Opened in 1976, the school offers classes from ninth through twelfth grade. The school is part of the F ...
.
Notable people
*
Jeff Barker, Oregon State Representative
*Damien Echols, member of the
West Memphis Three
*
Jensen Huang, Founder and CEO of
Nvidia
Nvidia CorporationOfficially written as NVIDIA and stylized in its logo as VIDIA with the lowercase "n" the same height as the uppercase "VIDIA"; formerly stylized as VIDIA with a large italicized lowercase "n" on products from the mid 1990s to ...
*
Loren Parks, Businessman, founder of Parks Medical Electronics, and political donor
See also
*
M. E. Blanton House
References
External links
*
Harvey the Giant Rabbit
{{Authority control
Census-designated places in Oregon
Portland metropolitan area
Unincorporated communities in Washington County, Oregon
1912 establishments in Oregon
Census-designated places in Washington County, Oregon
Unincorporated communities in Oregon
Populated places established in 1912