A known city in its own right, Beaverton is nestled between the Tualatin Valley farmlands and the West Hills and one of Portland’s fastest-growing, thriving suburbs. With a population of 97,494, up from 89,803 in 2010, it’s easy to see why so many people are making Beaverton home. The city’s 16 square mile land mass, Washington County’s second largest city, is only seven miles west of Portland and boasts over 100 parks, restaurants, shops, wineries, historic landmarks, and highly recognized corporations.
In 2021, we deemed Beaverton the top Portland suburb. We thought we’d take an even closer look to see what makes Beaverton such a unique city. Here’s what we found.
Beaverton, Oregon Wants to Make the World a Better Place
In 2020, the City of Beaverton proposed the Downtown Equity Strategy initiative, a move to redevelop the city’s downtown area in the interest of racial equity. Stating that Beaverton’s downtown belongs to all residents, public investments and updates will be made to create a space that is “interesting, inviting, and accessible to people of all backgrounds, centering Black, Indigenous and people of color; and in doing so, prevent, minimize, and mitigate involuntary residential and business displacement.” This initiative is a move in the right direction, as Beaverton’s degree of diversity is changing in its schools and in its workforce.
This isn’t the only way Beaverton is working to progress and grow. In 2019 the City adopted the Climate Action Plan with the goal to fight climate change by becoming carbon neutral by 2030 and reducing Beaverton’s greenhouse gas emission to zero by 2050. This plan is a reaction to the city’s eco-friendly mentality, reflected in its 133 bike paths, and encouraging residents to make cycling a way of life through events like Bike Beaverton. Deemed a “Green Power Community” by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in 2007 and maintaining the designation to now, Beaverton is not only conscious of its kilowatt-hours usage, but its local businesses, including housing developers, are also mindful of the impact of our presence on the earth.
Even Though it’s Name has Changed, Beaverton has Always Been a Beaver Town
The Atfalati tribe were the first residents of the Tualatin Valley and Beaverton area. They were a hunter-gatherer group that got their sustenance more from plants than animals, including food, clothes, housing, and more. They occupied a village on the Fanno and Beaverton creeks called Chakeipi, which meant “place of the beaver.” Early settlers, however, called the village Beaverdam due to the plethora of dams they saw in the area’s bodies of water. Later, the city was named Beaverton.
Beavertonians Have an Excellent Quality of Life
Beaverton is brimming with features that make it a desirable place to live. In addition to the above-mentioned equity initiative and climate action plan, the city is full of features that lend to a high quality of life.
Beaverton loves the arts, and the brand new Patricia Reser Arts Center for the Arts is a testament to this fact. Opening its doors in 2022, The Reser seeks to honor the cultures and customs of the city’s diverse community and creates an environment for connection and understanding between people through the power of the arts.
Like many Oregon cities, Beaverton has its own farmers market. In operation since 1988, the market offers residents and visitors high-quality local produce, plants, honey, and more. The market is also a gathering place where people come to enjoy prepared foods and connect while listening to local musical acts and art viewings.
Beaverton has a happening foodie scene, nestled in Tualatin wine country. The 2018 increase of drinking and eating establishments in the city in 2018—which included familiar names like Afuri Izakaya, Top Burmese, Whole Bowl, Ex Novo Brewing—has held steady, but pales in comparison with what’s to come. Apparently, the city is about the undergo a boom in the restaurant/bar arena. On the tails of the Reser Arts Center grand opening, new eateries have sprung up from Old Town to Cedar Hills Crossing. Others are slated to open in the near future. From Korean food, sushi, and Indian fusion to a boba shop, a beer bar, and a microbrewery, to name a few, Beaverton residents will have the privilege of a multitude of growing gastronomical options that mirror Portland’s foodie scene. If you’re in the mood for a quiet tour through the area’s abundant wine country, keep Cooper Mountain Vineyards and Hamacher Wines in mind. Both are within the Beaverton zip code, with several other wineries in nearby surrounding towns.
Lastly, Beaverton has plenty of fun, unique events. The city hosts a few specially themed walks annually, like the bubble tea, wine, and beer walks in Old Town for tasty samplings and camaraderie. Beaverton Night Market features authentic international foods, arts in a variety of forms, including musical acts, to celebrate the growing diversity of the community. In early fall, Beaverton Restaurant Week is a great way to check out all the downtown eateries with foods made specifically for the event. Pride Beaverton is an annual event created to acknowledgement, support, and joy to the city’s LGBTQ community, complete with a parade and entertainment. Other events include the Mayor’s Ball, Beaverton Arts Mix! Show & Sale, the Beaverton Half Marathon, and Welcoming Week.
Considering the fact that Beaverton is located in Oregon’s Silicon Forest, with coveted high-tech employers including Tektronix, Maxim, VTech, Merix, and IBM, as well as Columbia Sportswear and Nike, the largest company in Oregon, the job market here is thriving and strong.
According to the State of Oregon’s Economic and Revenue Forecast, the 2021 national economic growth was the highest it’s been since the early 1980s. The report also states that Oregon’s wages and salaries are at an all-time high.
Beaverton is Rich in History
The first acquired land claim in Beaverton went to Lawrence Hall in 1847. He and his brother built the first grist mill in the area with many soon to follow, providing support for Oregon’s early agriculture communities. The other early influential industry at the time was logging and wood products, with the first saw mill established in the Beaverton area by Thomas Hicklin Denney and his wife Berrilla in 1849. In 1850, the Portland-Tualatin Valley Plank Road Company set out to build plank roads along Canyon Road between Portland and Hillsboro to accommodate the transportation of agricultural and wood products. Despite financial problems, the construction of the road made it as far as Beaverton by 1860.
Motion pictures came to Beaverton in 1920 with the construction Premium Picture Productions near Erickson Street. The company employed local residents but went bankrupt in 1925 after making about 15 movies. When the studio closed, the site became an aircraft hangar factory, and Watts Airport was built, and for a time, Beaverton was known as a location for home-built airplanes.
One of Beaverton’s long-time companies is Beaverton Foods, owned and operated by the Biggi family and started by Rose Biggi in 1929. They make gourmet condiments and ship across the globe.
As a response to Beaverton’s growing population, the South Cooper Mountain Community Plan was proposed in 2018. The entire Cooper Mountain area is comprised of a 1,242-acre urban reserve area sandwiched between a 510-acre area to the north and a 544-acre area to the south, the latter of which was annexed into the city in 2012 and is slated for residential development. Learn more about the Cooper Mountain Project.
Ready to Make Your Move to Beaverton?
If Beaverton sounds like a place you’d love to live or if you want to relocate within Beaverton, get in touch with our top 1% buyer’s agents or our top 1% seller’s agents. We’ve been helping people buy and sell homes in the Portland metro area for almost 20 years, and we’d love to help you find your next home. Chat with the bot on our site or give us a call today. We can wait to show you what Beaverton has to offer!
Stephen FitzMaurice, Realtor is a top 5% real estate agent in the U.S. A Principal Broker in Oregon, Managing Broker in Washington, he has been licensed since 2003 for residential real estate sales. Call his team in Oregon at 503-714-1111 or in Washington at 360-345-3833.
