Cedar Hills is a

census-designated place A census-designated place (CDP) is a Place (United States Census Bureau), 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 counte ...

and neighborhood in

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

, United States south of

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

and west of

Oregon Route 217 Oregon Route 217 (OR 217), also known as the Beaverton-Tigard Highway 144, is a north-south controlled-access state highway in Washington County, Oregon. The route travels along the west suburbs of Portland, starting at US Route 26 ...

and within the

Portland metropolitan area The Portland metropolitan area is a metropolitan area, metro area with its urban area, core in the U.S. states of Oregon and Washington (state), Washington. It has 5 principal cities, the largest being Portland, Oregon. The U.S. Office of Man ...

. Construction began in 1946. 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, the Homes Association of Cedar Hills.About Us
Homes Association of Cedar Hills. Retrieved May 6, 2013.

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 West Coast of the United States, U.S. West Coast, founded as a weekly by Tho ...

'' 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 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, Inc. is an American supermarket chain. The chain provides grocery items, food and general merchandise and a variety of specialty departments, such as bakery, delicatessen, floral and pharmacy, as well as Starbucks coffee shops, and veh ...

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 deriving from the given name of " Rodger" commonly used by the Normans and meaning "son of Rodger". Variant form of Rogers. The name Rodger is of Old German origin and is likely derived from the Germanic name Hrod ...

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, auto parts, dry goods, toys, hardware, furniture, and a selection of groceries. It usually sells th ...

, a

Sears Sears, Roebuck and Co., commonly known as Sears ( ), is an American chain of department stores and online retailer founded in 1892 by Richard Warren Sears and Alvah Curtis Roebuck and reincorporated in 1906 by Richard Sears and Julius Rosen ...

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 The Tri-County Metropolitan Transportation District of Oregon (TriMet) is a Transit district, transit agency that serves most of the Oregon part of the Portland metropolitan area. Created in 1969 by the Oregon Legislative Assembly, Oregon legi ...

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. ...

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 – 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 ...

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 De ...

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, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

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

Demographics

As of the

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

of 2000, there were 8,949 people, 3,749 households, and 2,361 families residing in the neighborhood. The population density was . There were 3,926 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the CDP was 83.28%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 1.32%

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 0.57% Native American, 4.78% Asian, 0.35%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, 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 th ...

, 6.05% from other races, and 3.65% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino 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 recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

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 average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

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 ...

, 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 (BSD 48J) 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 S ...

. 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 (BHS) is a public high school located in Beaverton, Oregon, United States. It is the oldest high school in Beaverton and is believed to be the oldest public high school in the state of Oregon that is in its original locatio ...

'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, 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 district, 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 ...

. Cedar Hills is served by the Tualatin Hills Park & Recreation District (THPRD), which maintains several parks in the area–including the man-made Commonwealth Lake Park. While the Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife regularly stock the lake with trout, bluegill and bass can be found in the lake, as well as carp. THPRD also operates the Cedar Hills Recreation Center, a

community center A community centre, community center, or community hall is a public location where members of a community gather for group activities, social support, public information, and other purposes. They may be open for the whole community or for a sp ...

(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