Hillsboro

Known colloquially as the Silicon Forest, Brookwood is a quiet, primarily residential neighborhood developed mainly in the second half of the 20th century through the growing tech industry presence. Despite the rapid industrial growth, Brookwood retains a friendly, rural feel. “It’s got charm,” says resident, Realtor and owner of NextHome Next Chapter Realty Connection with 14 years in the industry, Christina Saribay. “It’s really community-based. When I think of Brookwood, I think of that cozy farm community that has evolved with tech but still has that country feel, that closeness.” Flanked on all sides by shopping, dining and entertainment opportunities, Brookwood offers all the comforts of a suburban neighborhood just a stone's throw from Hillsboro’s shopping district. Home styles here include ’70s- and ’80s-era ranches and Minimal Traditional homes, alongside a variety of contemporary and New Traditional two-story homes built in the ’90s and 2000s. A quiet, cozy atmosphere with streets that wind around flowering trees and evergreens is characteristic of the Pacific Northwest landscape. Yards are compact, featuring bordering shrubbery, rosebushes and ornamental gardens with groundcover landscaping. Though there is plenty of room for street parking, most residences have driveways and attached garages. Homes with 1,500 square feet or less tend to sell for $400,000- $600,000, with the average sale price falling around $500,000. Houses that boast 2,000 square feet or more range from $500,000- $800,000, with the average price falling around $650,000. The Hillsboro School District serves the residents of Brookwood. Students can begin their education at City View Charter School, which scored a B-minus on Niche. Students can finish their education at Hillsboro High School, which earned a C-plus on Niche. Hillsboro High also offers an International Baccalaureate Organization's Diploma Program, which provides a pre-university course of study to prepare students for college success. The MAX Blue Line runs through the neighborhood, offering an 8.5-mile ride to the shops and employers of nearby Beaverton or an 18-mile ride to Portland. Local shops and restaurants within the neighborhood are at Ebenezer Main Plaza, home to the Filipino snack and bubble tea shop BoBaLicious and the Good Taste Noodle House. “Good Taste Noodle House is a mom-and-pop shop with the best Chinese food ever,” says Saribay. “They’re always busy and always friendly. They recognize you when you come in.” Residents seeking more options only need to head a few blocks south to reach big-box stores such as Target along Tualatin Valley Highway, or they can go north and grab some food at one of the many highly rated Asian restaurants at Airport Center, as well as pick up groceries at the nearby Albertsons. Downtown Hillsboro offers a more personalized shopping experience, including a variety of local boutiques and restaurants alongside the Walters Cultural Arts Center and the Hillsboro Artists’ Regional Theatre. Turner Creek Park is a prominent local green space that offers a playground, soccer and softball fields, and tennis courts. Hikers can walk beneath the towering evergreens along Rock Creek Trail as it meanders through many of north and central Hillsboro’s green spaces. When looking for a bit of entertainment, residents can check the schedule at the Westside Commons convention center, which hosts everything from craft brewing festivals to jiujitsu championships. Residents can swing by Next Level Pinball Shop & Museum and play classic arcade games surrounded by pop culture memorabilia. With summer comes the Helvetia Lavender Festival, where locals can view 60 different varietals as they wander through the gardens. Visitors can pick lavender bundles, enjoy the view beneath the shade of the pavilion or peruse the many lavender products and gifts available. The festival is held every year at Helvetia Lavender Farm and Christmas Tree Farm, just 10 miles north of the neighborhood. The neighborhood is particularly popular with tech workers: Intel is the largest employer in Hillsboro, and Brookwood is within 4 miles of each of the city’s four Intel campuses.

Sandwiched between two of the nicest parks in the West Portland suburbs, and bordered to the north by Hillsboro’s retail corridor, the neighborhood of South Hillsboro offers easy access to both nature and modern conveniences. Developed in spurts over the last century, the neighborhood features historic farmhouses, compact fifties-era bungalows, along with contemporary saltbox houses and craftsmans. In the eastern part of the neighborhood, streets curve gently and houses back up against the thickly wooded parks; gridlike streets in the northeast are home to identical houses and heavily shaded sidewalks.<br><br>On the neighborhood’s east side, the 635 acre Jackson Bottom Wetlands has 4.5 miles of well-maintained trails, and is visited by over 200 species of birds each year. To the west, Rood Bridge Park offers a combination of manicured greens and meandering forest trails alongside the placid Tualatin River, a perfect spot for beginner paddlers. If you prefer a more curated outdoor experience, the 27-hole Meriwether National Golf Club has some of the most popular public links in the area. Swimmers will appreciate Shute Park Aquatic center, while just around the corner Hillsboro Shute Park Library hosts regular storytimes and children's events.<br><br>Running along the neighborhood’s north side, the Tualatin Valley Highway offers 20 miles of shopping centers, including South Hillsboro’s own Sunset Esplanade, where residents can pick up groceries, hardware, or everyday amenities. The highway is also home to most of the neighborhood’s restaurants, including highly rated taco truck Tacontento, and unpretentious chophouse Hale’s Restaurant and Lounge, whose popular Eggs Spartan is named for Hillsboro High’s mascot. Locals looking for a quiet drink can stop by one of the many wineries located south of the neighborhood, and sip on some pinot while taking in breathtaking views.<br><br>Tualatin Valley Highway also provides residents with a simple and direct route to downtown Hillsboro, where much of the city’s nightlife and entertainment can be found. Head the other direction, and central Beaverton is just twenty minutes away, offering a wide variety of top-tier shopping and dining. Downtown Portland is a 30 minute drive, or about an hour by public transit, while Portland International Airport is about 45 minutes from South Hillsboro (Hillsboro Airport has a few popular air shows each year, but doesn’t handle commercial flights).<br><br>Local Hillsboro High School, known around town as “Hilhi,” has a number of STEM-focused clubs and extracurriculars, including a popular robotics team. It also offers students the chance to enroll in an International Baccalaureate (IB) program if they’re interested in studying abroad, or just learning about other countries.<br><br>South Hillsboro has everything you might want in a Portland suburb: nature, shopping, and a strong sense of community.

The Witch Hazel and Reedville neighborhoods have become a land of cozy subdivisions surrounding the bustling retail on Tualatin Valley Highway (TV Highway). “The area south of TV Highway is fairly new,” says Steve Roesch, broker and owner of NextHome Portland/Salem and Vancouver, Washington. “Things are more established north of the highway in Reedville. The neighborhood isn’t much different from Rock Creek to the north, but it’s easily $100,000 to $200,000 cheaper in Reedville than Rock Creek or Reedville Crossings.” Students study within the Hillsboro School District, which is graded a B on Niche and is the No. 4 school district in Washington County. Country club golf courses, small parks and walking trails are available to residents who enjoy being outside, and traveling to Portland is convenient through the TriMet bus and rail lines.<br><br>In established Reedville, there is a mixture of traditional split-level and snout-style ranch homes that can often be dated back to the 1960s through the 1980s, with prices ranging between $450,000 and $750,000 dollars. Witch Hazel, on the other hand, was a 1990s building project designed to house 5,000 people by 2004 on 318 acres of land, which led to densely packed single-family homes and rows of townhouses. These townhouses can vary in style and can cost between $500,000 and $600,000. Single-family homes in Witch Hazel with a mix of Tudor and Craftsman accents can be priced between $375,000 and $500,000. Reedville Crossings, to the east of Witch Hazel, is beginning to boom with new construction. “It’s rare to see these big master-planned communities being built because of Oregon’s zoning laws, which protect our timber, farming and natural resources. That’s why, for people who want to buy a brand-new home, they’re coming over here,” Roesch says.<br><br>Though all the schools in this area fall within the Hillsboro School District, depending on their address, students will attend different schools within Witch Hazel and Reedville. Those living south of TV Highway on the west side of Witch Hazel may first attend Witch Hazel Elementary School, while those on the east side may attend Rosedale Elementary School. Both teach kindergarten through sixth grade and are ranked a C-plus on Niche. South Meadows Middle School teaches seventh and eighth grade and rates a B-plus. They would then attend Hillsboro High School, graded a C-plus. Depending on their address, students in Reedville north of the highway would either attend Ladd Acres Elementary School, graded a B, or Imlay Elementary School, graded a B-plus. Both schools teach kindergarten through sixth grade. R.A. Brown Middle School also ranks a B-plus and teaches seventh and eighth grade. Century High School is graded an A-minus and offers dozens of clubs and advanced placement classes to its students.<br><br>Though the area is quite packed with residential homes, Witch Hazel still has many outdoor green spaces. Residents can walk along the blooming tree paths at Brookwood Crossing, or head over to Frances Street Park which has a basketball court and small playground, as well as a large green lawn. Frances Street Park is a great picnic area and space to play after school or on weekends. On the north side of town, residents can take advantage of Noble Woods Park, with paved trails for viewing nature. South of town are The Reserve Vineyard Golf Club and Meriwether National Golf Club, with golfing, dining and wedding venue services for those who love to get outside. For days indoors, the Park Lanes Family Entertainment Center includes not just bowling but a pro shop, restaurant, arcade and batting cages.<br><br>Much of the shopping and dining in the area happens on TV Highway, where residents can find dozens of familiar stores like Lowe’s and Target, alongside popular restaurant chains like Red Robin, Jack in the Box and Cold Stone Creamery. “Tanasbourne’s high-density shopping centers aren’t far, but people are also taking advantage of shops on TV Highway. Now, they won’t have to drive 20 minutes to get a cup of coffee,” Roesch says. For something a little more local, Hale’s Restaurant & Lounge is a classic American restaurant with big pancake breakfasts and prime rib dinners. Hidden in the business park off Southeast Cornelius Pass Road is Blind Satyr, a brewery with several beer options on tap, cider and wine. It's also a friendly space for larping, cosplayers and Dungeons & Dragons fans. For Mexican cuisine, Mazatlán Bar & Grill chooses locally sourced, organic and sustainable ingredients for their grilled meat and seafood dishes.<br><br>The MAX Blue Line rail service travels east and west through the light rail line north of town. On TV Highway to the south and Main Street to the north, there are several bus stops residents can use to travel through the TriMet bus lines that take them all around the Portland area. However, a freight train track crosses in front of the entrance and exits to the Witch Hazel neighborhoods, which can cause delays. “Hillsboro also has a little airport that is big enough to bring in UPS and FedEx, but mostly for private, small-time pilots,” Roesch says. Residents who may work at the Intel campus 4 miles north of town can reach it via SE Cornelius Pass Road. Downtown Portland is 16 miles east via the Sunset Highway for nights on the town or commutes to work.

Known locally as "Silicon Forest," the verdant town of Hillsboro is Oregon's 5th most populous city, and its western end contains some of its most sought-after details. Rich with colorful parks, diverse eateries and shops, and a community that centers upon these things, West Hillsboro is one of the most culturally vibrant areas one can find jammed between acres of farmland. And with access to major employers, highways and public transportation, homebound residents and commuters alike are seldom deprived of color and convenience. The southern section of West Hillsboro is mostly commercial properties and government buildings. North of that, West Hillsboro is growing – it has been since the 1950s. "Hillsboro is popular with folks who want to get out of the city and go out west to build a home," says Realtor Cassandra Marks of Real Broker, who sells properties all across the greater Portland area. This means the haphazard grid is a mostly established neighborhood with newly built homes filling empty spaces. Its oldest homes are mainly concentrated at the center of West Hillsboro, which has many single-story ranchers, bungalows and Cape Cods with narrow sidewalks and one-car garages. A denser collection of new builds is located north in a subdivision of two-story new traditional homes and townhouses. These usually implement Craftsman design elements. In general, homes in West Hillsboro are listed for slightly less than other parts of town, with most selling between $400,000 and $560,000. Local students begin at Free Orchards, W. Verne McKinney or Patterson Elementary Schools, which all earn Niche scores of C-plus or higher. Next comes Evergreen Junior High, which has a B-plus Niche score and is considered the 3rd most standout public middle school in the Portland area. Finally, Glencoe High School comes highly rated and highly diverse. The school earns a B-minus score from Niche and offers an International Baccalaureate Program. Others are attracted to Glencoe for its wealth of multicultural opportunities, including dual-language immersion and foreign exchange student programs. Its gem flea market, M&M Marketplace, furthers the diversity of West Hillsboro. The multinational market houses more than 80 vendors serving up a rainbow of handmade items and flavorful dishes. Locals head there to scarf down tacos al pastor from El Mercadito before heading in to peruse clay pots and molcajete hand-crafted by artisans. Those in the neighborhood's north end are never too far from Italian and American options at Jersey Girl Pizza, which serves a rotating menu of craft beers to its cornhole-playing customers. For groceries, a WinCo Foods supermarket is in the neighborhood's south end. When looking to dive deep into the culture, residents have a wealth of events at M&M Marketplace to attend, such as an annual Father's Day Car Show. In the summertime, the El Sol Festival is where locals head for a wide array of international food vendors, artist pop-ups and music performances. Local golfers also hit the links every November for the Turkey Shoot Open Tournament at McKay Creek Golf Course & Driving Range. The fairly walkable neighborhood sits roughly 3 miles south of U.S. Highway 26, which goes straight into downtown Portland. Employees who commute to nearby campuses for Intel or Nike "can completely avoid driving into the city," says Marks. "But it's honestly not that far from Downtown Portland either; the map just makes it look that way." Both campuses are within proximity of a MAX light rail station, but accessing the stations from home will require a walk as there are few bus routes in West Hillsboro. Ripe with parks, West Hillsboro's greenery takes the form of small lots with amenities for play, and large nature preserves with acres to roam and explore. When the kids need to burn off some energy, many head down to McKinney Park's playground and basketball court. A similar option can be found less than a mile south at Dairy Creek Park, which also includes walking paths and a 9-hole disc golf course. Local birdwatchers migrate south to the Jackson Bottom Wetlands Preserve – a 635 acre conservation area home to over 150 bird species, including bald eagles, herons and great horned owls.

Orenco Station's two-part history can be told through its name alone, which is part historic acronym, part recognition for recent accomplishments. Once a company town for the Oregon Nursery Company, Orenco Station became a development hotspot in the early 1990s when Portland expanded the MAX blue line westward. The name not only acknowledges its past but celebrates its future proudly. And it certainly deserves to be celebrated, as evidenced by countless awards won for its availability of transit options and robust housing. Not to mention its residents routinely report high levels of satisfaction thanks to a wealth of commerce, job opportunities, nature-loving schools and vibrant parks. Many hallmarks of a main street USA town are present here – bustling commerce in a manicured downtown filled with the activities of town residents. But unlike most others, Orenco Station features a lot more modernity with its postindustrial 5-over-1 buildings along tree-shaded sidewalks and pedestrian-first crossings. The town then fans out to pockets of subdivisions and condo communities adjacent to downtown. Most of these follow a similar, if not slightly more traditional architectural style, often implementing elements common to Craftsman designs. "There's a lot of new construction going on in that area," says Realtor Cassandra Marks of Real Broker, who sells homes all across the greater Portland area. "It kind of came up out of nowhere, everybody suddenly wanted to be in that area because of all the building and retail going on." Prices tend to be fairly consistent with the greater area, with a median single-family price of $577,450 and a median townhouse price of $362,000. Parents are drawn to Orenco Station for its schools. Belonging to the Hillsboro School District's Liberty Feeder Group, students attend one of six elementary schools. But most attend those in town, including Orenco and Quatama Elementary's, the latter of which has a vegetable garden for students. Both schools have B Niche scores. Poynter Middle comes next, which is Niche's 8th most standout public middle school in Oregon. The last step, Liberty High, also has a community garden. Both Poynter and Liberty receive Niche scores of B. Employees of Intel are drawn to Orenco Station for its immediate proximity to the company's campus. For them and everyone else, the town offers many ways of getting around. "It's very walkable and has most of what you need at your fingertips," says Marks. A car is not necessarily needed for commuting, as most streets contain separated bike lanes and bus stops. Of course, driving Highway 26 is still an option if commuting into downtown Portland. But the local MAX light rail stop offers an alternative. Between the MAX station and Cornell Road sits a downtown area filled with restaurants and boutiques. The lamb shank from Salam is popular when seeking Lebanese and Persian cuisine. Others head next door to peruse hardcopies at the Orenco Learning Club Bookstore. Home cooked meals can be taken care of at one of several grocery stores in town, including Costco Wholesale. Further north, the beloved local chain McMenamins offers yet another uniquely themed location for beer, cider tastings and events. When looking for a scenic route, locals have a huge supply of parks to pass through. Smaller spaces like Cornell Park offer cut-throughs on the way to several nearby community gardens, plus sights of outdoor ping pong matches and dogs playing fetch at the off-leash area. Further south, the 42 acre Orenco Woods Nature Park offers a secluded location for picnics, hikes and playground visits. But the crown jewel of Orenco Station is at Hidden Creek, where local children climb the famous "Oro the Friendly Giant" -- a massive sculpture of a monkey that functions as a jungle gym. Their parents meanwhile head there to play pickleball on dedicated courts. And when it's raining, the Hidden Creek Community Center's indoor basketball courts are open for free throws and pickup games. Orenco Station is home to events all throughout the year. Locals enjoy a sea of German beer, foods and activities like a beer stein holding contest every September at OrenKoFest. Throughout the week, the Hillsboro Brookwood Library hosts local artist exhibitions, Spanish proficiency workshops and group reading, sometimes with therapy dogs.