Which Portland Suburbs are Growing the Fastest?
Portland Population Growth
The fastest-growing city in the Portland metro area is – surprise – not Portland! According to the U.S. Census Bureau, since 2010, the city has added 60,000 new residents, giving it a growth rate of 10%. (That Portland population explosion has slowed down significantly in 2017 and even more so in 2018, but for years Portland was on the top charts for growth.) Portland beats out other cities in Oregon for sheer numbers, but that’s just a fifth of the rate of Oregon’s fastest-growing city: Happy Valley. Here’s your guide to the boomtowns of Portland.
Happy Valley Population Growth
This idyllic-sounding city to the southeast of Portland has grown a whopping 1,215 percent since 1990! (The entire city is made up of primarily of new housing.) In the past twelve years alone, it’s nearly doubled the number of acres within city limits, adding thousands of new homes. Thankfully, despite the population boom, Happy Valley has maintained green spaces through regulations on development. Like Portland, it’s an official “Tree City, USA” and homeowners here enjoy great access to schools and healthcare as well as the great outdoors.
Population in 2017: 21,196
Growth since 2010: 46 percent
Wilsonville Population Growth
Most of the new homes accounting for the explosive growth of Wilsonville have been built as part of the Villebois development, a planned community right along the I5 corridor. Next, this former farming town turned business hub has set its sights on 275 acres to the east, where it plans to add two new walkable neighborhoods known as Frong Pond East and South. By including schools and businesses in its plans, the community hopes to attract young families ready to purchase real estate in the Portland area.
Population: 24,058
Growth: 23.2 percent
Hillsboro Population Growth
Hillsboro is known as the biggest little high-tech city in the state. Positioned in the hills west of Beaverton, Hillsboro is a quick drive to either Portland or the Oregon Coast. Thanks to the booming tech industry here, college graduates are rushing into the region at a higher rate than anywhere else in the state, contributing to the city’s strong growth over the past eight years. Hillsboro shows no sign of slowing down, either, with the 8,000-home South Hillsboro development in the works, a planned community that promises to be truly state-of-the-art.
Population: 106,894
Growth: 15.5 percent
Forest Grove Population Growth
Known as one of the most affordable suburbs of Portland, Forest Grove is located just outside Hillsboro and Beaverton and is catching spillover from both of these booming Portland-area metro centers. Yet Forest Grove maintains as character all of its own, with close connections to the Tillamook State Forest and surrounding wine country. Pacific University lends a cultural flair to the small-town atmosphere, and the public school district is highly acclaimed. Forest Grove is primed for investment and real estate is moving fast.
Population: 24,141
Growth: 12.8 percent
Oregon City Population Growth
This former Oregon capital was a timber hub until the decline of the industry in the 1980s, but the city was reborn when high-tech and light manufacturing businesses saw the advantages of positioning themselves here in the central Willamette Valley. Now, plans are in the works to create a public riverwalk alongside the Willamette River Falls, laying the groundwork for vibrant downtown development. For now, the pressure of high Portland real estate prices is finding a relief valve in Oregon City, but for how long?
Population: 36,360
Growth: 11.2 percent
