Beaverton, Oregon

Beaverton is a city in the Tualatin Valley. It is in Washington County in the U.S. state of Oregon. A small part of Beaverton touches the city of Portland. It is one of the main cities in the Portland metropolitan area.

In 2020, the city had a population of 97,494 people. This made it the second largest city in Washington County and the seventh-most populous city in Oregon. Beaverton, together with its neighbor Hillsboro, is an important economic center for Washington County.

History

Early settlement

Beaverton's name comes from its early days near a big body of water made by beaver dams. The area was first home to the Atfalati, a Native American tribe. Settlers later called the place "Beaverdam."

Early families like the Halls and Denneys moved to the area. In 1847, Lawrence Hall was the first to claim land and built a mill. By 1872, Beaverton got its first post office, and in 1893, it officially became a city with its first mayor, Alonzo Cady.

20th century

Beaverton became a place for car dealers, with a Ford Motor Company dealership starting in 1915. In the 1920s, it even had a small movie studio that made about fifteen films. The town's first library opened in 1925 and moved several times over the years.

21st century

In 2004, Beaverton planned to grow and become one of Oregon's larger cities. The city tried to include big companies like Nike, but they did not agree.

In 2016, voters approved building a new Public Safety Center to be ready for earthquakes. It opened in 2020. The city also developed areas around its train stations, creating places to shop, eat, and live, known as Downtown Beaverton.

Geography

Beaverton covers an area of 19.7 square miles (51 km²). It has mostly land with small creeks, ponds, and lakes. The city is along the eastern edge of the Tualatin Valley, just west of the Tualatin Mountains. It is bordered by Portland to the east, Hillsboro to the west, and Tigard to the south. The area north and southwest of Beaverton is part of unincorporated Washington County. The city's elevation ranges from 131.7 feet (40.1 m) to 698.2 feet (212.8 m) above sea level. The average elevation is 189 feet (58 m).

Neighborhoods

Beaverton has 13 neighborhoods: Central Beaverton, Denney Whitford, Raleigh West, Five Oaks, Triple Creek, Greenway, Highland, Neighbors Southwest, Sexton Mountain, South Beaverton, Vose, West Beaverton, and West Slope. Most neighborhoods have a group called a Neighborhood Association Committee (NAC) to discuss local matters. Five Oaks and Triple Creek do not have NACs. Denney Whitford and Raleigh West share one NAC together.

Demographics

As of the 2020 census, Beaverton had a population of 97,494.

2020 census

The median age was 36.6 years. About 20.4% of residents were younger than 18, and 14.5% were 65 years or older. For every 100 females, there were 95.1 males.

Most people lived in urban areas, with only a tiny fraction in rural areas.

There were 40,240 households. About 28.0% of these households had children under 18 living in them. Many households were made up of individuals, and some had someone living alone who was 65 or older.

There were 42,288 housing units. Some were vacant, while others were rented or owned by the people living there.

The median income for a household was $38,261, and for a family, it was $71,806. About 5.0% of families and 7.8% of the population were below the poverty line.

2010 census

As of the census of 2010, there were 89,803 people living in Beaverton. The racial makeup of the city was 73.0% White, 2.6% African American, 0.6% Native American, 10.5% Asian, 0.5% Pacific Islander, 8.2% from other races, and 4.5% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents made up 16.3% of the population.

The median age in the city was 34.7 years. About 22.9% of residents were under the age of 18, and 10.4% were 65 years or older. The gender makeup of the city was 48.6% male and 51.4% female.

Economy

Beaverton is home to many important companies. Reser's Fine Foods makes and sells freshly prepared foods. Leupold & Stevens is known for making special optics.

Beaverton is part of the Silicon Forest, a region with many technology companies. Some of these include the Linux Technology Center of IBM, Tektronix, VeriWave, Khronos Group, and the Oregon Technology Business Center. Phoenix Technologies has a large office in the area as well.

The city has many places to visit, such as the Beaverton Farmer's Market, Cooper Mountain Nature Park, and the Patricia Reser Center for the Arts. Shopping spots include Cedar Hills Crossing, a large mall with many stores and restaurants, and Progress Ridge Town Square.

Government

The mayor of Beaverton is Lacey Beaty. She was first elected in 2020. The city has a City Council with six councilors. Both the mayor and the councilors are elected by the whole city. They serve four-year terms. They work together with a city manager who helps run the city every day.

Sports

The Howard M. Terpenning Recreation Complex, which opened in 1978, has many fun places to play, including swimming, athletics, tennis, baseball, softball, and basketball.

Beaverton has had some great moments in youth sports. In 2014, a local baseball team went to a tournament in Arizona. In 2006, another team made it to the 2006 Little League World Series, which was a big achievement for Oregon. They reached the semi-finals before the final game was canceled because of rain. That same year, a girls' softball team from Beaverton also played in a big tournament in Kirkland, Washington. In 2002, a girls' softball team came in second place at a national tournament.

In 2013, Beaverton became the first city in Oregon to have a special ice rink for the sport of curling. In 2017, this rink hosted an important championship for older women players.

Education

Beaverton has many schools to help students learn. Most public schools are part of the Beaverton School District. There are six main public high schools: Aloha High School, Beaverton High School, Mountainside High School, Southridge High School, Sunset High School, and Westview High School. There are also special schools for older students, like the International School of Beaverton, Arts and Communication Magnet Academy, and Beaverton Academy of Science and Engineering.

Some parts of Beaverton are served by other school districts, such as the Hillsboro School District and the Portland Public Schools. There are also private schools in the area, like German American School, Jesuit High School, and Southwest Christian School.

Additionally, Portland Community College has some buildings in Beaverton, even though it is mainly based in Portland.

Infrastructure

Fire protection in Beaverton is provided by Tualatin Valley Fire and Rescue, and emergency medical services are offered by Metro West Ambulance.

Transportation

Beaverton has many ways to get around, thanks to services run by the area's transit agency, TriMet. You can ride transit buses, commuter rail, and light rail. The MAX Light Rail has seven stops in the city, from Elmonica/Southwest 170th Avenue in the west to Sunset Transit Center in the east. The MAX Blue Line stops at all seven stations, while the MAX Red Line only stops at Beaverton Transit Center and Sunset Transit Center. Beaverton Transit Center is very busy and also connects to many bus routes and the end of the line for WES Commuter Rail. Another stop for WES is at Hall/Nimbus. There are also intercity bus services like POINT and TCTD that stop in Beaverton.

In the past, Oregon Electric and Red Electric lines helped people travel around. Later, Tualatin Valley Stages provided bus service until TriMet took over in 1970, expanding service across more of Beaverton.

The city has a major road crossing where U.S. Route 26 (Sunset Highway) and Oregon Route 217 meet. The Sunset Highway links Beaverton to Hillsboro and the Oregon Coast to the west, and to Portland to the east. OR 217 goes south through Tigard and ends at Interstate 5.

Notable people

Beaverton, Oregon has been home to many well-known people from different fields. Some of these include:

• David Adelman – head coach of the Denver Nuggets
• Shoshana Bean – singer and actress
• Suzanne Bonamici – U.S. representative, former Oregon state senator and Oregon state representative
• Mike Byrne – drummer for the Smashing Pumpkins
• Ward Cunningham – inventor of the wiki
• Mike Dunleavy Jr. – basketball player and general manager of the Golden State Warriors
• Katee Sackhoff – actor
• Tommy Thayer – lead guitarist for Kiss

These people have made their mark in sports, entertainment, politics, and more while living in or being connected to Beaverton.

Sister cities

Beaverton has several sister cities around the world. These include:

• Birobidzhan, Russia (since 1990)
• Cheonan, South Korea (since 1989)
• Cluses, France (since 1999)
• Gotemba, Japan (since 1987)
• Hsinchu, Taiwan (since 1988)
• Trossingen, Germany (since 1993)