HILLSBORO, OREGON

'Hillsboro' is a city in and county seat of Washington County, Oregon, United States. The population was 70,186 as of the 2000 census. As of 2006, the estimated population is 84,445,^[1] making it the most populated city in the county and fifth most populated in the state. Additionally, there is a daytime population due to commuting of 110,000.^[2]

Contents

Government

History

Geography

Climate

Economy

Demographics

Education

Transportation

Medical centers and hospitals

Culture

Recreation

Notable residents

Sister city

References

External links

Government

The City operates under a council/manager form of government. Voters elect six councilors and a mayor. Each serves a four-year term, subject to a charter imposed limitation of two consecutive terms, council members are elected at large. The mayor and council appoint a City Manager to conduct the business of the city. Policy decisions are the responsibility of the council and Mayor. Administrative functions are carried out by the manager and manager-appointed staff.^[3]
Hillsboro operates its own library system, fire department, parks department, water system, and police department. The fire department has four stations while the police department operates two standard precincts along with a mobile precinct.^[4]
[5]

★ 'Federal': Hillsboro is inside Oregon's 1st congressional district and is represented by David Wu.

★ 'State': In the State Senate Hillsboro lies in the 15th District (Bruce Starr), with the 13th District (Larry George) abutting to the south. In the House, Districts 29 (Chuck Riley) and 30 (David Edwards) cover the city.^[6]

★ 'County': Parts of county commissioner districts 1 (Dick Schouten), 2 (Desari Strader), and 4 (Andy Duyck) cover the city.^[7]

★ 'Regional': Hillsboro is within District 4 (Kathryn Harrington) of the Metro regional government entity.^[8]

History

The community was founded by David Hill, Isaiah Kelsey, and Richard Williams who arrived in the Tualatin Valley in 1841 followed by six more pioneers in 1842.Buan, Carolyn M. ''This Far-Off Sunset Land: A Pictorial History of Washington County, Oregon''. Donning Company Publishers, 1999. It went by two other names — East Tualatin Plains and Columbia, before it became Hillsborough in honor of Hill in February 1850 when he sold part of his land claim to the county.^[9] It is at this time, February 5, 1850, that the community was chosen as the seat of the county government, as designated by commissioners chosen by the territorial legislature. Hill was to be paid $200 for the land after plots had been sold for the town site, but he died before this occurred and his widow Lucinda received the funds.^[10] The spelling of the town was later simplified to Hillsboro. A log cabin was built in 1853 to serve as the community’s first school with classes first held in October 1854.^[11] Riverboats provided transportation to Hillsboro as early as 1867 when the side-wheel steamer ''Yamhill'' worked on the Tualatin River.
In 1871 the Oregon and California Railroad line was added, but ran just south of town in a dispute over the city not giving the railroad land in exchange for the rail connection. Hillsboro was incorporated in 1876.^[5] The first mayor was A. Luelling who took office on December 8 1876 and served a one year term.Mayors of City of Hillsboro. ''Hillsboro Argus'', October 19, 1976 Notable later mayors included Congressman Thomas H. Tongue (1882 & 1886) and state senator William D. Hare (1885). On September 30 1908 the Oregon Electric Railway connected the city to Portland with an interurban electric rail line. In 1923 the city altered its charter and adopted a Council-manager form of city government in which there is a six person city council member with a part-time mayor that determine major policies while day-to-day city operations are run by the city manager.^[13]
In 1852 a brick building was constructed to house the county government, followed by a brick courthouse in 1873.Oregon County Historical Records Guide: Washington County History Then in 1891 the courthouse was remodeled and a clock tower was added.^[14] It was then expanded in 1912 when an annex was added. In 1928 a new courthouse was built to replace the brick structure, with the last major remodeling coming in 1972 when the Justice Services Building was built and incorporated into the existing building.
The city’s first fire department was a hook and ladder company organized in 1880 by the board of trustees (now city council).^[15]
Hillsboro built its first sewer system in 1911, while sewage treatment was not added until 1936.^[16] In 1913 the city built its own water system to serve residents.^[17] The first library was opened in December 1914 when the Carnegie City Library was dedicated.^[18] From 1921 to 1952 the world’s second tallest radio tower was located on the south side of the city.World’s second-largest tower relayed wireless messages. ''Hillsboro Argus'', October 19, 1976. In 1952 this wireless telegraph tower was demolished.
In 1972, the Hillsboro City Council passed an ordinance that banned door-to-door solicitation, but was ruled unconstitutional by the Oregon Supreme Court in a 1988 decision.Leeson, Fred. High court strikes down anti-peddler ordinance. ''The Oregonian'', September 21, 1988. The court determined the city ordinance was overly broad in a case that was seen as a test case for many similar laws in the state. In 1980, Intel begins construction of its first facility in Hillsboro.Bittner, Werner. Intel’s evolution in Oregon. ''The Oregonian'', July 16, 2000. The Jones Farm campus adjacent to the airport is followed by Hawthorne Farm and finally Ronler Acres where construction began in 1994.
===Registered Historic Places===

★
★ Charles Shorey House

★
★ Edward Schulmerich House

★
★ Harold Wass Ray House

★
★ Imbrie Farm

★
★ Old Scotch Church

★
★ Washington County Jail

★
★ Zula Linklater House

★
★ Rice-Gates House

Geography

Shute Park Sculpture

Hillsboro is located at .^[19] The United States Census Bureau reports the city has a total area of 55.9 km² (21.6 mi²), all of which is land. As of 2006, Hillsboro itself reports an area of 22.8 sq. miles (14,619 acres or 59.052 km²).
Hillsboro is located in the Tualatin Valley, and the Tualatin River forms part of the southern city limits. Its geography is fairly level, consistent with an agricultural past and the farms still in operation. Hillsboro is about 18 miles to the west of Portland, immediately west of Beaverton. In addition to the Tualatin River, other water features include Dairy Creek, McKay Creek, Rock Creek, Dawson Creek, and Turner Creek.
'Neighborhoods':
The city is divided into eight planning areas, each of which contains several neighborhoods.City of Hillsboro: Hillsboro Planning Subareas In the northeast corner of Hillsboro is the East planning area which contains the Tanasbourne neighborhood and the section with Oregon Health & Science University’s West Campus. West of this in the north-central area is the Northeast planning area that includes the Orenco, Orenco Station, Airport, and West Union neighborhoods. Further west is the Northwest area that has the Jackson School, Sunrise, and Glencoe neighborhoods. Then on the western edge of Hillsboro is the West area, consisting of the Dennis, Garibaldi, and Connell neighborhoods.
In the central core of the community is the Central planning area that has the Downtown, Jackson Bottom, Henry, and Eastwood neighborhoods. South of that is the South planning area with neighborhoods such as Minter Bridge, Rood Bridge, and River Road. East of this is the Southeast area with Reedville and Witch Hazel as the neighborhoods. Lastly, in the center of the city is the Brookwood planning area which contains the Cedar, Bentley, and Brogden neighborhoods.
'Landmarks':

★ Chief Kno-Tah Native American Sculpture in Shute Park^[20]

★ Hillsboro Pioneer Cemetery

★ Washington County Courthouse

★ Washington County Fair Complex^[21]
'Neighboring Communities':

★ Aloha

★ Beaverton

★ Cornelius

★ North Plains

★ Reedville

★ Scholls

★ West Union

Climate

Summers in Hillsboro are generally warm, but temperatures year-round are moderated by a marine influence from the Pacific Ocean.Oregon Climate Service: The Climate of Oregon The Willamette Valley that Hillsboro lies within receives the majority of its precipitation during the winter months, with the wettest period from November through March. The average yearly precipitation between 1930 and 1998 was 38 inches.^[22] August is the hottest month with the average high temperature registering 80.2°F, while January is the coolest month at 45.3°F. The average high temperature for the year is a high of 62.4°F. The coolest average low temperature is in January with a reading of 32.5°F. July has the warmest average low temperature at 51.8°F, with the average low temperature overall at 41.3°F.

Economy

Ronler Acres Intel Facility

Many technology companies operate in Hillsboro, making it the center of Oregon's Silicon Forest. In particular, Intel's largest site is in Hillsboro which includes three large campuses, Ronler Acres, Jones Farm, and Hawthorn Farm along with several smaller campuses.^[23] Sun Microsystems High-End Operations is headquartered in the city. Other high-tech companies with facilities in Hillsboro include Yahoo!,^[24] FEI Company,^[25] Credence Systems,^[26] Synopsys, Epson,^[27] and TriQuint Semiconductor.
Hillsboro is the corporate headquarters for Corillian Corporation,^[28] Lattice Semiconductor, RadiSys and Planar Systems.
In March 2006, Genentech announced plans to locate a packaging and distribution facility on 100 acres in Hillsboro.^[29] The city is also a landing point on three fiber optic cable systems linking the United States across the Pacific Ocean: C2C, Southern Cross Cable, and VSNL Transpacific. Fujitsu and NEC formerly had factories in Hillsboro.^[30] Additionally, Hillsboro is the corporate headquarters for Rodgers Instruments, Soloflex, Pizza Schmizza, and Parr Lumber.
The Hatfield Government Center in Hillsboro is the western terminus of the MAX Blue Line, part of the Portland metropolitan area's light-rail system. The presence of MAX prompted the development of the pedestrian-oriented community of Orenco Station within Hillsboro. (See also: Orenco, Oregon.) Orenco Station was called the Best Planned Community of 1999 by the National Association of Home Builders.^[31] It was also named "Best new burb" by Sunset magazine in 2006.^[32]
'Shopping':


★ The Streets of Tanasbourne

Demographics

The population of Hillsboro was 402 people in 1880, 980 in 1900 and 2,016 in 1910. According to that census, Hillsboro was the most populated city in the county. In the 1920 census the town had grown to 2,468, then 3,039 in 1930, followed by 3,747 people at the 1940 census, then 5,142 in 1950, and 8,232 in the 1960 census. In 1970, Hillsboro’s population nearly doubled to 15,365, but slipped to second largest in the county behind Beaverton.County population neared 6,000 century ago. ''Hillsboro Argus'', October 19, 1976. The city grew to 27,664 people at the 1980 census and to 37,598 in the 1990 census.Oregon Economic & Community Development Department: Hillsboro Community Profile

Hillsboro’s Civic Center and City Hall

As of the census of 2000, there were 70,187 people, 25,079 households, and 17,078 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,256.3/km² (3,253.8/mi²). There were 27,211 housing units at an average density of 487.1/km² (1,261.5/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 77.50% White, 6.53% Asian, 1.22% African American, 0.82% Native American, 0.25% Pacific Islander, 10.38% from other races, and 3.30% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 18.90% of the population. This compares to the state's overall racial makeup of 93.45% White, 2.17% African American, 3.75% Asian, and 7.63% Hispanic.^[33]
There were 25,079 households out of which 37.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.7% were married couples living together, 9.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.9% were non-families. 23.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 5.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.76 and the average family size was 3.28.
In the city the population was spread out with 28.3% under the age of 18, 11.4% from 18 to 24, 37.0% from 25 to 44, 17.0% from 45 to 64, and 6.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 30 years. For every 100 females there were 105.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 105.8 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $51,737, and the median income for a family was $57,379. Males had a median income of $41,046 versus $30,172 for females. The per capita income for the city was $21,680. About 6.0% of families and 9.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 10.9% of those under age 18 and 7.2% of those age 65 or over.

Education

'Public Education':
The Hillsboro School District is a unified school district. It operates 23 elementary schools, four middle schools, and four high schools. There is also a special alternative school and the Hare Field athletic complex. The school district covers Hillsboro, Scholls, Reedville, North Plains, West Union, and other area communities.
Total enrollment as of 2006: 19,938 students, 4th largest in the state.
The four public high schools in order of creation:

★ Hillsboro High School (colloquially known as Hilhi) (current campus in 1969)

★ Glencoe High School (1980)

★ Century High School (1997)

★ Liberty High School (2003)
'Private Schools':
Hillsboro is home to a variety of private educational opportunities. These vary from elementary schools to high school.^[34]

★ Faith Bible High School

★ Saint Matthew’s Parish School

★ Tualatin Valley Junior Academy

★ Swallowtail School

★ Heritage Christian School
'Colleges & Universities':
The west campus of Oregon Health and Science University is located in Hillsboro in the Tanasbourne neighborhood. This is the Oregon Graduate Institute (OGI) and Oregon National Primate Research Center portions of OHSU.
Pacific University operates a satellite Health Professions Campus in downtown.
Other educational opportunities are available at the Work Force Training Center (Capital Center) and a University of Phoenix branch, both located in Tanasbourne.

Transportation

A variety of transportation options serve Hillsboro.
'Highways':
The primary east-west corridor is served by Oregon Route 8, known locally as TV Highway. The northeast corner of the city is bisected by U.S. Route 26, also know as the Sunset Highway. Other major east-west roads are Cornell Road and Main Street/Baseline Road.
Major north-south routes are Oregon Route 219/1st Street, 10th Street/Cornell Road, Cornelius Pass Road, and Brookwood. 185th Avenue is the eastern most north-south route that borders Beaverton, but bisects the Tanasbourne Town Center from the rest of Hillsboro. TV Highway connects to Cornelius and Forest Grove to the west and Beaverton to the east.

The MAX Blue Line in Hillsboro.

'Public transit':
Public transportation is provided by TriMet. Hillsboro is served by both TriMet’s MAX Light Rail and buses, whose planing began in the mid 1980s.^[35] The western terminus of the MAX Blue Line is located in downtown. The Willow Creek and Hillsboro Transit Centers are the main hubs of the public transit system, though there are seven other MAX stations with varying degrees of bus interconnection.
MAX Stations (west to east):

★ Hatfield Government Center

★ Hillsboro Central TC

★ Tuality Hospital

★ Washington Street

★ Fair Complex/Hillsboro Airport

★ Hawthorn Farm

★ Orenco

★ Quatama

★ Willow Creek TC
'Air':

★ Hillsboro Airport, part of the Port of Portland, is a major airport located in Hillsboro, serving corporate jets and other general aviation needs of the area.

★ Stark's Twin Oaks Airpark, a bustling general aviation field south of Hillsboro.
'Rail':
Rail freight service is available from Portland and Western Railroad.

Medical centers and hospitals

Hospital service within the city is provided by the Tuality Community Hospital in downtown.
Other significant medical facilities include Kaiser Permanente’s Sunset Medical Office and Providence Health & Services's immediate care center, both in the Tanasbourne neighborhood.
Kaiser Permanente plans to build a hospital at their medical office site in the next few years.^[36]

Culture

'Arts':
There are two movie theaters with a total of 29 screens in the city. In addition there are the Hillsboro Actors Repertory Theatre,^[37] the Oregon Chorale^[38] the Hillsboro Symphony Orchestra,^[39] and a men's barbershop chorus.^[40]
'Libraries':
Hillsboro operates two library branches. The main branch is located in Shute Park in the southwest area of the city, while the second branch is in the north-central section of the city. The Hillsboro Public Libraries are part of the Washington County Cooperative Library Services.^[41]
'Media':
Hillsboro is home to AM radio station KUIK and the twice-weekly Hillsboro Argus newspaper. The Argus is published on Tuesday and Thursday, and has been in publication since 1873.^[42]

Recreation

Hillsboro Stadium

'Parks':
Hillsboro’s Department of Parks and Recreation operate over 20 facilities including Hillsboro Stadium. There are 21 parks, 2 sports complexes, the Walters Cultural Arts Center, the Shute Park Aquatic and Recreation Center, and 3 other mixed-use facilities.^[43]
Other area parks include:

★ Jackson Bottom Wetlands Preserve

★ Bald Peak State Scenic Viewpoint
'Golf courses':
Local courses include The Reserve Vineyards & Golf Club, Meriwether National Golf Course, and McKay Creek Golf Course.
'Events':
Hillsboro's 4th of July Parade is the second largest Independence Day parade in Oregon.^[44][45]
The Oregon International Airshow is held each year at the Hillsboro Airport.
'Other':
Wineries

★ Oak Knoll Winery

★ Lion Valley Winery

★ Gypsy Valley Winery

★ Helvetia Winery & Vineyards

Notable residents

★ Erik Ainge, football player

★ Wally Backman, baseball player

★ Scott Brosius, baseball player

★ Phil Knight, founder of Nike, Inc.^[46]

★ Tiffeny Milbrett, soccer player

★ Tommy Overstreet, country music singer

★ Roddy Piper, professional wrestler^[47]

★ Wes Schulmerich, baseball player

★ William Swanberg, "Lego Bandit"

★ Samuel Thurston, first Congressional delegate from Oregon

★ Thomas Tongue, former Oregon Supreme Court justice

★ Thomas H. Tongue, former Congressman

★ James Withycombe, former Oregon governor

Sister city

Hillsboro's sister city is Fukuroi, Japan.

References

1. PSU:Population Research Center
2. Two Mayors, Two Visions: How Conversations Can Change Communities, from the City Club of Portland Friday Forums Archive for July 14, 2006
3. City of Hillsboro
4.
Secretary of State
5. Entry for Hillsboro from the Oregon Blue Book
6. Oregon SOS: Senate and House District Legislature Listing
7. Washington County: Map of Board of Commissioner Districts
8. Metro
9.
Washington County Probate Court Records, , , , Provisional & Territorial Records,

10.
Washington County Probate Court Records, , , , Provisional & Territorial Records,

11. Philpott, Betty. Hillsboro school began in one-room log cabin in 1854. ''Hillsboro Argus'', October 19, 1976
12. Entry for Hillsboro from the Oregon Blue Book
13. Council-manager form works well. ''Hillsboro Argus'', October 19, 1976
14. Oregon Justice Department: Washington County Circuit Court: History
15. Hook-ladder Company authorized by trustees. ''Hillsboro Argus'', October 19, 1976
16. Council establishes first sewer district. ''Hillsboro Argus'', October 19, 1976
17. Officials display foresight in water system. ''Hillsboro Argus'', October 19, 1976
18. Culture, knowledge brought to community by new library. ''Hillsboro Argus'', October 19, 1976
19. Hillsboro City Information from the city's official website
20. Chief Kno-Tah
21. faircomplex.com: Washington County Fair Complex
22. Oregon Climate Service: Hillsboro station daily precipitation
23. Intel in Your Community
24. KATU
25. FEI
26. Credence moving jobs to Hillsboro. Portland Business Journal, November 3, 2004.
27. EPI
28. Corillian
29. Portland Business Journal: Genentech picks Hillsboro. March 17, 2006.
30. The Oregonian
31. Community Building Sourcebook (in PDF format) from the TriMet website
32. Sunset Magazine
33. U.S. Census: Oregon
34. All Private Schools
35. C. Michael Hogan, Kay A. Ransom, Marc Papineau et al., ''West Side Corridor Light Rail System Environmental Impact Statement, Portland, Oregon'', Earth Metrics Inc., prepared for Metro (1985)
36. Kaiser Permanente
37. H.A.R.T.
38. Oregon Chorale
39. Hillsboro Symphony
40. Tualatin Valley Harmony Masters
41. Hillsboro Libraries
42. University of Oregon
43. Hillsboro Parks
44. Hillsboro Rotary Club
45. Loughran, Siobhan. A guide to a family Fourth of July. The Oregonian, June 29, 1990.
46. MSNBC
47. Willamette Week

External links

★ City of Hillsboro

★ Greater Hillsboro Area Chamber of Commerce

★ Hillsboro Historical Society