5 Things You Didn’t Know About Troutdale, Oregon
Located 12 miles east of Portland, at the confluence of the mighty Columbia river and its major tributary, the Sandy River, the city of Troutdale is known as the Gateway to the Gorge. You can bet that Troutdale is a tourism hotspot — but many Portland home buyers overlook it as a place to settle down.
They’re missing out. Here are five reasons why Troutdale is worth exploring for your real estate investment.
1. Troutdale is named for a fish for a reason.
Dales of trout. Sea captain John Harlow bought the original land claim in the Troutdale area in 1872, and built an expansive estate. Ponds forming in the dales of his land held abundant populations of native trout — both cutthroat and rainbow, wild species that live on in the Sandy River today. When Harlow convinced the railroad magnates to build a depot near his estate, more homes and a post office were soon to follow, and they called the town Troutdale. And yes, there is still great local fishing options!
2. Troutdale has its own tourism industry.
It’s a hub for recreation and business. Troutdale has close ties not only to Portland and its largest suburb, Gresham, but also the nearby cities of Sandy and Corbett. McMenamins Edgefield, outlet malls, the Columbia Gorge and Multnomah Falls are major tourist attractions for the region that provide a constant revenue flow to Troutdale. FedEx and Amazon are the major employers within Troutdale, but most residents of the city commute to Gresham or Portland for work.
3. Troutdale has oversized education opportunities.
Higher ed opportunities. One wouldn’t expect a town of 16,000 to host a college that enrolls 33,000, and in fact, it doesn’t — technically, Mt. Hood Community College is in Gresham. It’s right on the border of Troutdale, though, a fact that lends the city a youthful energy. There’s also of plenty of things to do around the college, from attending a concert by students in their famed jazz program, to working out in their 2,000-square-foot rock climbing gym.
4. Troutdale will encourage you to get outside and have fun.
Not kidding about outdoor recreation. A five-mile stretch of the Sandy River forms Troutdale’s entire eastern border, while the Columbia River runs toward the Pacific along the north end of the city. That means you can walk to the water, or take a forty-minute drive southeast to Mt. Hood National Forest. Rafting, sailing, fishing, windsurfing, kiteboarding, kayaking, hiking, mountain biking, backpacking, snowboarding, skiing — pretty much anything you want to do outdoors, you can do it here.
5. Troutdale is growing and has what it takes to stay a Pacific Northwest landmark.
A new era? Downtown Troutdale is right on the Historic Columbia River Highway, a thoroughfare used by generations of pioneers, travelers and merchants. Redevelopment at the Gorge’s Gateway promises to bring new business, housing and sense of community to the city. Take a trip to Troutdale to tour homes, and you won’t be able to miss the striking new wood-and-stone-motif building that is the landmark of the downtown Discovery Block. A win for real estate values? You bet.
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