producers and also one of Fairview’s
largest businesses.
A few boat launches around the area provide
easy access to the water on either Blue Lake,
or on the Columbia River by way of the
Chinook Landing boat launch.
Blue Lake Regional Park offers paddle
boat, rowboat, and canoe rentals May
through September. Lake goers also enjoy
the fishing, swimming in the lake, the
gold-level 18-hole disc golf course, or
the “spray ground” water feature, which
keeps kids and adults cool on warm
summer days.
Gresham borders the eastern edge of the
City of Portland, and is the fourth largest
city in Oregon. Gresham is home to three
public school districts, as well as Mt.
Hood Community College. Over the
years, Gresham has seen growth from a
rural, farming community to a community of over 105,000 residents. Two
museums in Gresham capture the history
of the area, including a farmhouse built
in 1874, the Zimmerman House Museum,
which was once a 600 acre farmstead
along the Columbia River. Gresham residents enjoy the close proximity to the Mt.
Hood National forest, which is less than
20 miles away. One of the community’s
most popular events is the Spirit of
Christmas tree lighting ceremony, held on
the Saturday after Thanksgiving every
year. TriMet, the region’s public transit
district, serves Gresham with both buses
and light rail.
Troutdale has anchored the eastern end
of the Portland metropolitan area for
more than 100 years. As the “Gateway to
the Gorge” its residents choose Troutdale
as the place to raise their families, and
businesses locate here, because of the
outstanding combination of small-town
America feel and friendliness, ready
access to the amenities of the Portland
metro area, and equally easy access to the
breathtaking natural beauty and recreational opportunities offered by the
Columbia River Gorge and Mt. Hood.
Troutdale boasts high quality and affordable housing in safe neighborhoods,
high income and education levels, good
schools, great parks, and convenient
access to employment centers in Troutdale, Gresham, and Portland. Troutdale’s
historical sites and the scenic beauty
of the Columbia River Gorge provide
opportunities to learn from and become
part of a community that cherishes a
lifestyle where its residents can hike to
a Gorge waterfall in the morning, shop
at the outlet mall in the afternoon, and
enjoy a summer concert at the Historic
McMenamins Edgefield campus in the
evening.
Many of Troutdale’s residents work in
Portland, which is only about 20 minutes
away, but if you need to fly to conduct
business, Portland International Airport
(PDX) is even closer. If boating or
fishing is your thing, Troutdale’s prox-
imity to the confluence of the Sandy and
Columbia rivers is ideal. If you hike,
Situated between Troutdale, Fairview, and
Gresham, Wood Village is 12 miles east of
Portland along I- 84 in the Columbia River
Gorge. In 1942, the community was
quickly developed as a one square mile
planned community to support the
housing needs of workers at the Reynolds
aluminum factory during World War II.
Today, 4,000 residents live in Wood
Village and it hosts a large variety of
commercial and industrial businesses.
Wood Village is proud of its small town
atmosphere, while providing access to
many urban amenities.
The Wood Village Community Garden is a
popular amenity in the city, and is often full.
The crown jewel of Wood Village is its city
park, Donald L. Robertson Park. It features
the usual attractions with playground safety
features in mind, plus a nature trail and a
wetland area. Wood Village allows private
groups of less than 100 use the park’s event
space at no charge.
