About the Hillsboro, Oregon Area

Hillsboro, with a population of approximately 81,470, is an exciting and rapidly growing city. It is one of the oldest communities in the state, and in spite of its astounding growth, has maintained its small town appeal. Hillsboro offers excellent employment opportunities and a huge range of recreational possibilities in a beautiful natural environment. Portland, with all its amenities and cultural facilities, is easily accessible to Hillsboro residents. Hillsboro is a big city with a small town heart. It’s all here, in Hillsboro. 

Location 

Hillsboro is a city in Washington County, northwest Oregon. It is the largest city in Washington County as well as the county seat. It is bounded by Tualatin Valley Highway on the south, West Union Road on the north, Dairy Creek on the west, and 185th Avenue on the east. Hillsboro is situated in the northwest United States. Washington County is bordered by St. Helens County to the north, Tillamook County to the west, Yamhill County to the south, and Clackamas and Multnomah Counties to the east. 

Geography/Terrain 

Hillsboro covers an area of 22.8 square miles, and sits at an elevation of 150 feet in the Tualatin Valley. The Tualatin River forms part of the southern city limits. Its terrain is fairly flat and the Pacific Ocean lies to the west of the city. Hillsboro is halfway between Mount Hood and the stunning Oregon coast. 

Distance to 3 closest major cities 

Hillsboro is 18 miles west of Portland and directly west of Beaverton. It is located 130 miles northwest of Bend, 102 miles north of Eugene, and 147 miles south of Seattle, Washington. 

Jobs 

Hillsboro is a flourishing hub of agriculture and high-technology industry. It is the center of Oregon’s Silicon Forest, and the leading industry is semiconductor manufacturing. The city is home to Intel, Sun Microsystems, Fujitsu, Epson, NEC, and TriQuint Semiconductor. There are 35 business parks in the area, some as large as 300 acres. Hillsboro is also home to Rodgers Instruments, The Streets of Tanasbourne, and KUIK. Genentech will be locating a state-of-the-art product packaging and distribution facility in the city. Farming and timber are economic foundations for the area. Oak Knoll Winery, just south of Hillsboro, sells its fine wines throughout the U.S., Great Britain, and Scandinavia. Manufacturing provides 27.6% of the employment in the area, educational, health and social services provide 14.7%, retail trade provides10.9%, professional, scientific, management, and administrative, and waste management services provide10.1%.The unemployment rate in Hillsboro is 5.60% and recent job growth is 2.23%. The average commute time is 25 minutes. The median household income is $56,990 and the per capita income is $24,039. 

Housing 

Hillsboro offers a variety of great neighborhoods and housing prices. You can find everything from high-end apartments and condominiums, to row houses, brownstones, and cottages. Homes are on the market for an average of 39 days. 

Parks/Sports/Recreation/Golf 

Hillsboro Parks and Recreation Department operates over 18 parks including the large, modern Hillsboro Sports Park with its impressive stadium. Most of the parks provide green space for the local neighborhood with picnic, playground, and basketball court facilities. Noble Woods is a park located in a small forest. Rood Bridge Park provides mooring areas for canoes into the Tualatin River. The main branch of the Hillsboro Public Library is located at Shute Park. Jackson Bottom Wetlands Preserve is situated on the southern edge of Hillsboro, bordering the Tualatin River. This 700-acre preserve is home to many species of waterfowl and migratory birds. 

Shute Park Aquatic Center is equipped with indoor and outdoor pools, a hydrotherapy pool, saunas, and exercise facilities. The Tyson Recreation Center offers children's classes. The city sponsored recreational activities are available year-round at the public swimming pools and athletic fields. Besides the new Sports Park, Hillsboro has several lighted softball fields, tennis courts as well as a soccer-football field at the Washington County Fair Complex. The Hillsboro School District maintains Hare Field, a complex for football, soccer, and baseball games. 

Hillsboro’s recreational opportunities are enhanced by its proximity to the Oregon Coast and winter recreational areas on Mount Hood, which are less than 90 minutes away. Water sports enthusiasts enjoy the area's many lakes and rivers, and just a short drive away; you can enjoy rural hiking and boating, fishing, hunting and sightseeing. Hagg Lake, which is just 15 miles southwest of Hillsboro in the foothills of the Coast Range, is a 1,100-acre lake stocked with trout, bass, and perch. 

There are nine golf courses in or near Hillsboro. In Hillsboro itself, Killarney West Golf Course is a public 9-hole course with a flat terrain and many different types of trees lining its fairways. McKay Creek is a nine-hole, links-style course with tree-lined fairways. Meriwether National Golf Club has three nine-hole courses that are played in three eighteen-hole combinations, as well as a nine-hole executive course. Orenco Woods is the fourth 9-hole public course, which is very hilly and has only a few trees. 

Special Attractions/Events 

Hillsboro enjoys its share of parades, festivals, and fairs. The city hosts the Washington County Fair in late summer, and the Hillsboro Rotary July 4th Parade is one of the state’s best. In March you can enjoy the St. Patrick's Day Parade, and in the autumn, the Hillsboro Chamber of Commerce presents "Black Tie & Blue Jeans.” The fair complex itself is home to shows, exhibits, and fairs of special interest groups throughout the year. 

The Hillsboro Farmers Market takes place from May to November. Farmers and crafters sell their produce and wares from wagons and truck beds parked alongside the sidewalks. The Hillsboro Tuesday Marketplace offers farm products, hot foods, and musical entertainment. Shopping in Hillsboro is easy, with large shopping centers located in Tanasbourne and along the east edge of the city. 

The Hillsboro Artists Repertory Theater is Hillsboro’s local community drama group. They perform classical and contemporary plays nine months out of the year in a small theater downtown. The new Cultural Arts Center provides opportunities for youth and adult art education, greater access to local, regional, and national artists, as well as meeting, banquet, and reception spaces. Many facilities in nearby Portland, such as the Portland Art Museum, Oregon Symphony and Oregon Ballet Theatre, provide exceptional, cultural opportunities for Hillsboro residents. 

Interesting Facts/Historic Buildings and Places 

When early pioneers first reached the Tualatin Valley in the 1840s, it was sparsely settled by retiring mountain trappers and Atfalati Indians. The trackers began to develop a community and government center. The residents initially lived on farms or were engaged in milling and timber work, but eventually founded building, trade and retail businesses. When the railroad arrived in 1870s, the Tualatin Valley began supplying dairy products, fruits and vegetables as well as timber products to the city of Portland. 

Hillsboro was originally called East Tualatin Plains. It was later given its current name for its founder, David Hill, who traveled the Oregon Trail by wagon train in the 1840’s, seeking a new life in the Oregon Territory. Many other families arrived this way in the 1850’s and 1860’s. Others came by ship, traveling around Cape Horn. Yet others moved to the area after surviving the California Gold Rush of 1849 and 1850. Hillsboro was incorporated in 1876. 

By 1850 there was a post office at Columbia, (the name Hill had given the area). The settlement took the name Hillsborough after Hill donated a portion of his land claim for the courthouse. Later, it was shortened to Hillsboro. Hillsboro was a market town for the farming community of the Tualatin Valley. The farmers and transporters drove wagons over primitive roads to reach ports along the Willamette and Columbia rivers and to bring back manufactured goods. They also shipped by boat on the Tualatin River. 

Well known Hillsboro residents include: Wally Backman, Phil Knight, Tiffeny Milbrett, and Roddy Piper. 

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