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Outlying Areas to the West

Beaverton

Beaverton, the largest city in Washington County, was home to the first production studio in the northwest. Long gone is also the small town atmosphere. With one third of all the housing starts occurring during the last 10 years, Beaverton, like West Linn, has neighborhoods with homes that are relatively new. Now stretching over 15 square miles, Beaverton is home to the new west side MAX light rail system serving the downtown Portland commuter. Served by the Tualatin Hills Park and Recreation District, Beaverton's goal is to locate a park within a half mile of every home. In addition, the city provides more than 150 parks and recreational facilities including 30 miles of hiking trails, 91 tennis courts, more than 100 sports playing fields, and offers over 3,000 classes and programs at its seven swim centers. The only downside to this almost utopia sounding suburb is that the two main arterials leading to Beaverton, the infamous Sunset Highway and Highway 217, become very congested during peak traffic hours. But who cares, with those statistic, most people are out jogging in their running shoes provided by home town shoe magnate, Nike Inc.

Hillsboro

Not too unsimilar to Wilsonville, Hillsboro was a trek to get to in the old days. Portlanders "drove by" Hillsboro on the Sunset Highway on their way to the coast. Passing by thousands of acres (over 9,000 give or take a few hundred) of rolling farmland, no one would have guessed this land would become the home of some of the largest computer and "high tech" companies in the world. Yes, Hillsboro, once rich in wheat and barley, is now rich in computer chips and processors- Oregon's fastest-growing economic center. The Silicon Valley of Oregon with approximately 19 square miles and 20 minutes (on a good day) from Portland, Hillsboro has transformed from a small farming community to a high tech city of the future, light rail and mixed-used housing to boot. Families, young and old, are found moving to the Hillsboro are, primarily fueled by the employment opportunities at one of these international companies. However, if you are looking for that American dream of a house on 5 acres, go somewhere else; the dirt has become too expensive here. Take a look at the City of Hillsboro homepage for more information.