Why Beaverton
Beaverton is a city located in Washington County in the U.S. state of Oregon, situated just west of the Tualatin Mountains along the eastern edge of the Tualatin Valley. Forming a key part of the Portland metropolitan area, it is bordered by Portland to the east, Hillsboro to the west, and Tigard to the south. The area was originally home to the Atfalati Native American tribe, who called their village Chakeipi, meaning "place of the beaver." Settlers later named the location Beaverdam due to the local water features created by beaver dams, before the community officially incorporated as Beaverton in 1893.
The city spans nearly twenty square miles of terrain, dominated by land with minor creeks, ponds, and lakes, and elevations ranging from roughly 132 to 698 feet above sea level. Its residential and commercial areas are organized into thirteen official neighborhoods, including Central Beaverton, South Beaverton, Sexton Mountain, Greenway, Highland, Vose, and West Slope.
Downtown Beaverton serves as a central hub, featuring transit-oriented developments centered around MAX Light Rail stations. The Round serves as a notable anchor, housing city hall, residential condominiums, retail space, a hotel, and BG's Food Cartel, a food cart pod with thirty-one vendors, an event venue, and a speakeasy bar. Cultural destinations in the area include the 550-seat Patricia Reser Center for the Arts and the historic Jenkins Estate. Visitors can also visit community features like the Beaverton Farmer's Market.
For outdoor recreation, the city contains open spaces such as Cooper Mountain Nature Park, Tualatin Hills Nature Park, Hyland Forest Park, and Veterans Memorial Park. The Howard M. Terpenning Recreation Complex provides extensive facilities for swimming, athletics, tennis, basketball, baseball, and softball. Sports enthusiasts can also visit the Evergreen Curling Club, which opened as the first dedicated curling ice rink in Oregon.
Commercial and shopping options in Beaverton include Progress Ridge Town Square and Cedar Hills Crossing, the latter offering big-box retail stores, dining, and a bowling alley. Additionally, the city is an economic center within the regional technology sector known as the Silicon Forest, hosting facilities for organizations such as Tektronix and IBM's Linux Technology Center, alongside long-standing company headquarters like Reser's Fine Foods and R.M. Wade & Co.
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