Beaverton Oregon | Washington County | Greater Portland Metro Area

Colorful flowers decorate family-friendly Beaverton streetsThe city of Beaverton is a family-friendly city in Washington Co., 7 miles west of Portland, Oregon. It is the second largest city that was incorporated in Washington County and the sixth largest in Oregon state. The native people of the area were called the Atfalati, which was later mispronounced and mispelled by early European Settlers as Tualatin, thus the origin of the valley name. The first native Americans to occupy Beaverton settled in a village area called the Chakeipi, which is now on the existing Beaverton and Fanno creeks location. The meaning of the name Chakeipi translates to “Place of the Beaver.” Initially it was called “Beaverdam” but it would later be renamed by settlers to Beaverton. The small community in the area continued to grow and a railroad was built in 1868, leading to the incorporation of the city in 1893 with a population of about 400 residents. The city is currently home to numerous corporations such as Nike and Reser’s fine foods. It is also home to OTBC, a non profit organization known as Oregon’s Technology Business Center.

City Attractions and Recreation

Beaverton is a unique city well known for its well designed and planned neighborhoods. Residents enjoy the largest shopping district in west metropolitan Portland including dozens of churches in the local community. There is an enormous amount of green space with several parks all over town. Outdoor activities include ski slopes to the east and ocean beaches to the west! There is also the popular Tualatin Hills Park and Recreation District that offers a variety of sports, nature and general recreational activities.

Education and Demographics

The Beaverton School District is the largest in Oregon with more than 40,700 students. It is nationally acclaimed for the high SAT scores achieved by its students that go to highly regarded private schools and private universities. Beaverton is located in the Portland, Oregon, metropolitan area and is the sixth largest city in Oregon. As of 2010, there were 89,803 people, composed of 73.0% Whites, 2.6% African Americans, 0.6% Native Americans, 10.5% Asians, 0.5% Pacific Islanders, and 16.3% of Hispanics or Latinos.