Hillsboro hosts the second largest Fourth
of July parade in Oregon and annual events
including a Latino Cultural Festival, Celebrate
Hillsboro, and the Oregon International Air
Show. Hillsboro is home to the metro area’s
only professional baseball team, the Hillsboro
Hops – the 2014 and 2015 Northwest League
Champions. The Hops play in front of capacity
crowds during the summer at Hillsboro’s Ron
Tonkin Field, and are a single-A baseball affiliate of the Arizona Diamondbacks.
The City of King City is a small community 10 miles south of downtown Portland,
and lies between the Tualatin River and the
south slope of Bull Mountain in Washington
County. King City is on the edge of the
region’s Urban Growth Boundary, where
Washington County transitions to an agricultural area of nurseries, wineries and farms.
With beautiful countryside in its backyard,
King City is one hour from the Oregon Coast
and just over one hour from the mountains.
In 1963, a local developer originated the city
as an adult retirement and recreation community. King City was incorporated in 1966, and
has a population today of about 3,600.
King City was originally chartered as a
retirement community for those aged 55
and up. Much of its housing is centered
around a golf course and civic center with
nearby neighborhood shopping. Residents
benefit from the modest taxes and quality
services the city provides. The charm of King
City has been discovered by others over the
years. Today, King City includes vibrant new
neighborhoods with residents of all ages and
an attractive new city park. In 2005, local
homebuilder Legend Homes assisted with
the development of King City Community
Park, which includes a soccer field, basketball
court, extensive play structure, over 50,000
plants, and a wetlands area.
King City has been identified as one of
seven town centers in the southwest Portland
region, and is part of the Metro 2040 Growth
Concept to have investments made by area
jurisdictions to create a vibrant and successful
town center, and a more walkable commercial district. King City is small, but plays an
important role in the area because of its location along the 99W corridor.
With around 2,000 residents, North Plains is
a small town that is projected to grow to
around 4,000 residents by 2020. North Plains
incorporated in 1963. Its residents have
encouraged the city’s slow growth to maintain the small town character. North Plains is
15 miles west of downtown Portland, along
the northern edge of Highway 26, which
makes for a short drive to the Oregon Coast,
just over an hour away. Many residents of
North Plains are employed by large close-by
companies like Intel, Genentech, and Nike.
New homes are available in North Plains
from the high $200s, and the city is served by
the Hillsboro School District.
North Plains is ideal for people seeking a
quiet rural lifestyle and also want the convenience of close proximity to larger cities
such as Hillsboro, Beaverton, and Portland.
Homes in North Plains are affordable and
located close to schools, parks and other
services. The community provides Concerts
in the Park, a summer concert series at Jessie
Mays Community Park. Several u-pick farms
in the area offer quick access to fresh berries,
apples, peaches, hazelnuts, and pears. Just
east of North Plains is the small, unincorpo-
rated community of Helvetia, known for its
Swiss heritage, half marathon and annual
culture festival. There are numerous cycling
and hiking opportunities around North
Plains, including L.L. “Stub” Stewart State
Park and the Banks-Vernonia trail.
Tucked between suburban Portland and
Oregon’s acclaimed wine country, Sherwood
has fantastic schools, affordable homes, and
strong job opportunities.
The first people to live in Sherwood were the
Tualatin Indians. The first wagon train arrived
in Oregon in 1843, and by 1853, Sherwood
was being settled by farmers. They built their
houses from the logs felled from the forest,
which once covered the area. They grew
nearly everything they needed. Twice a year
they took the three day journey into Portland
for staples like salt, sugar and syrup.
Sherwood was established in the late 1800’s
and for many years was a farming and manufacturing community. In 1911, Sherwood’s
city limits were one square mile, and a population of 350.
Today, Sherwood’s population is over 18,900
and the city limits have expanded to four and
a half square miles. Over the last two decades
Sherwood has been one of the fastest growing
communities in the state. With a population
