Lake Oswego
Although it's just eight miles south of downtown Portland, Lake Oswego is not your typical bedroom community. The thriving city of 33,000 is centered around the lake of the same name and bordered by the Willamette River, offering wonderful views and great walks. In the nineteenth century, Lake Oswego was a thriving steel town, but after the smelter fell silent, the area was reborn as a residential development. Since the 1930s Lake Oswego has been the well-heeled suburb of Portland, boasting graceful architecture and ample recreation. The parks, public golf course and meandering picturesque river make the community a pleasant retreat. Portland's urban amenities are close by and Lake Oswego also supports numerous local cultural endeavors.
The Lake
The most desirable property is around the large private lake fed by the Tualatin River. The lake is maintained by the Lake Oswego Corporation, and lake access is mostly deeded to lakefront property owners.
The Lake Oswego Corporation (LOC) is a non-profit organization that manages all matters regarding the 403-acre Oswego Lake and its 694 lakefront properties: safety (via the Lake Patrol), water quality, maintenance, boat and operator licensing, lakefront building permits, and special events. The LOC, with the Chamber of Commerce and the City of Lake Oswego, co-sponsor a variety of community activities. Events include: July Fourth Boat Parade and fireworks display; Earth Day, a water-quality education program; and a Christmas Holiday Boat Parade featuring lighted watercraft. The LOC diverts water from the Tualatin River and produces energy through its hydroelectric facility.
First Addition
Historic Lake Oswego is known as "First Addition" which originated in the 1890s when the town was still called simply Oswego. This neighborhood is in the far east side of the city, north of "A" Street. It's an area of 25-30 blocks of historic homes. You will also find many newer homes in the area. This property is so desirable that people buy up bargain homes and replace them with new ones. Many of the First Addition blocks have alleys.
If you live in First Addition, it's a short walk to the "Village Center" a 5-6 block area of offices, shops, markets, and a few restaurants. The north end of the neighborhood borders the 645-acre Tyron Creek State Park.
First Addition was where "additional" workers lived when a local iron foundry boomed briefly. Remnants of the foundry may still be seen a short way downriver at George Rogers Park, where picnic grounds, ball fields, tennis courts and cozy beaches offer a compact and inviting family-fun venue.
Visit the First Addition Neighborhood Association Web site. Take a tour of homes in the First Addition.
Parks and Recreation
The Lake Oswego Parks & Recreation Department offers numerous programs and activities for adults, teens, and youngsters. Classes include gardening, golf, tennis, sculling, plus many others.
There is a city-owned sports center on the Willamette River, two public swimming facilities on the 405-acre Oswego Lake, a self-financed 18-hole golf course, indoor tennis center, and outdoor amphitheater right along the river.
Lakewood Theatre Company
The Lakewood Theatre Company is a popular and financially successful member of the arts community, it is the cornerstone around which Lakewood Center has been built. Lakewood Theatre Company began in November, 1952, when a group of Lake Oswegans decided that their community was not complete without a theatre and decided to organize what was known as the Oswego Players.
Community Profile
You can download a Community Profile (PDF format) of Lake Oswego, as well as other communities in Oregon, from the Oregon Economic and Community Development Department.
To learn more about Lake Oswego, visit these Web sites:
Location Eight miles south of downtown Portland. You can approach Lake Oswego from the west on I-5 and the east on Highway 43.
Origin of Name Oswego is name for a city, county, and river in New York.
Neighborhood Associations The City has 17 neighborhood associations.
Topography Gently rolling hills and some flat areas with mature trees in yards and parks.
Public Transportation Five Tri-Met bus lines travel to or through Lake Oswego: 35, 36, 37, 38, and 78. View the schedules and a map of the Lake Oswego Transit Center. Two bus routes, the 35 and the 36, go between the downtown Portland bus mall and Lake Oswego. View a map and schedule for bus 35 and for bus 36.
2000 Demographics Population - 32,989. Area size - 405 acres or 11.2 square miles. Number of households - 15,741
Renters vs. Home Owners
Occupied units in Lake Oswego, according to Clackamas County Business and Economic Development Services:
Owner Occupied - 70.88%
Renter Occupied - 29.12%
Who Lives in Lake Oswego Families drawn to the highly-regarded school system and quiet suburban life style as well as retirees who want to golf and enjoy the facilities of the Adult Community Center.
They Probably Drive Lexuses and Mercedes are common, along with many SUVs
Shopping and Eating There are three commercial areas in Lake Oswego.
(1) A 5-6 block area known a First Addition along Highway 43 on the east side of the city. This commercial section continues south of the First Addition along highway 43,
(2) A mix of malls and businesses on the west side of Lake Oswego and south of Kruse Way on Boones Ferry Road.
(3) A mall on the north end (west side) of the city on Boones Ferry Road.
Schools Lake Oswego School District. The schools in the city rate among the best in the state, with more than 80% of high school students going on to attend college.
Housing Types and Styles Lake Oswegos original neighborhoods reflect a glimpse of England, with English Cottage and Tudor Revival homes designed by architect Richard Sundeleaf between 1920 and 1940. Today most residents live in new developments in a variety of housing types to include condos and townhomes.
Prices for Residential Condos and Townhomes Sold in 2002 Average price of 197 condos was $165,667 with average square foot cost of $135. Forty condos sold for less than $100,000. Average price of 77 townhomes sold in 2002 was $269,329 with an average square foot cost of $141. Twenty-four townhomes sold for less than $200,000.
Prices for Residential Detached Single-Family Sold in 2002 Up to $200,000: Ninety-eight homes sold for an average price of $174,702 and average square foot cost of $129.
$201,000 - $300,000: Two-hundred and forty-nine homes sold for an median price of $253,000 and an average square foot cost of $125.
$301,000 - $500,000: Two-hundred and twenty-five homes sold for an average price of $380,692 and an average square foot cost of $136. Forty-nine homes sold for less than $225,000.
$501,000 - $1,000,000: One-hundred and twenty-eight homes sold for an average price of $669,270 and an average square foot cost of $183. Forty-seven of these homes sold for less than $600,000.
$1,000,001 - $2,000,000: Twenty-seven homes sold for an average price of $1,381,165 and an average square foot cost of $279.
Please be aware that the above figures are subject to error and are intended as guidelines only.
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Lake Owego
Lake Oswego
click to enlarge
The Lake Oswego Golf Course
is an eighteen hole par-three course
that plays 2,724 yards for a par 54.
The groomed public course has
a gentle roll and a creek
that winds through several
of the holes on the back nine.
The mountain views from the
driving range include
St. Helens and Mt. Adams.
This new Cape Cod in the
First Addition
sold for $330,000 in 2001.
It has 2,250 square feet of
living space, 3-bedrooms, 2-bath,
and a double-car garage
in the alley.
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Tualatin Skateboard Park
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Tualatin
Tualatin is located 12 miles southwest of Portland, accessible by Interstates 5 and 205 and Highway 99W.
The Tualatin River meanders through town at an unhurried pace, carrying canoes and kayaks along its tree-lined expanse. More than 110 acres of parklands and an active tree preservation and planting program have earned Tualatin the nickname "Tree City, U.S.A." And in an echo of the town's past as an onion and hops-farming community, the popular produce market Lee's Farms still sells pumpkins, Christmas trees and other fresh homegrown goods year-round. Rapid evolution Despite its sleepy history, Tualatin has awakened to dramatic growth and change over the last 30 years.
Home builders have flocked to Tualatin to satisfy the metro area's demand for new homes on good-sized lots, not too far from Portland. Legend Homes, Don Morissette Homes, J.C. Reeves Construction and SLS Construction are just a few of the builders working in Tualatin, which is within Portland's urban growth boundary.
Developments such as Fox Hill, Victoria Woods, Lakeridge Terrace, Hedges Park, Hedges Estates and Lake Forest (host of the 2002 Street of New Beginnings), seem to have sprouted almost as many new homes as there are trees.
For most of its history, what Tualatin lacked was a proper downtown. So in 1985, Tualatin's urban renewal agency bought 19 acres in the town's core and set about building the downtown Tualatin never had.
The result is Tualatin Commons, a 3-acre man-made lake surrounded by a hotel, restaurants, office buildings, apartments, condos and shops. Construction was completed in 1994.
Now, Tualatin residents can go into town, stroll around the lake and enjoy outdoor concerts every Friday night in July and August. In early August, there's the venerable Crawfish Festival at Tualatin Commons and nearby Tualatin Community Park, where residents munch on miniature crustaceans and enjoy the festival atmosphere.
Though many residents commute to nearby Hillsboro, Beaverton or Portland for work, Tualatin employs about 9,000 people in its own community, including about 1,100 at the Tigard-Tualatin School District, 760 at Legacy Meridian Park Hospital and 700 at United Parcel Service.
When school lets out for the summer, Tualatin offers a raft of activities to keep children and young people busy: kickflipping at the skateboard park, scrabbling around on the play equipment at Ibach Park, participating in the library's summer reading program, attending a city- and school district-sponsored summer camp for middle schoolers, or paddling a kayak or canoe rented at Brown's Ferry Park.
Websites City of Tualatin, 18880 S.W. Martinazzi Avenue, Tualatin; 503-691-3018.
Tualatin Chamber of Commerce, 19358 S.W. Boones Ferry Road, Tualatin; 503-692-0780.
Parks Tualatin River; 111 acres of community parks, including Tualatin Commons with a man-made lake, Tualatin Community Park with a skate park, Brown's Ferry Park with Tualatin River access, Ibach Park, Atfalati Park and Jurgens Park.
Origin of Name The word is derived from an Indian expression referring to the Tualatin River and plains.
Public Transportation Tri-met Green Leaf line.
Demographics In 1970, the population was still just 1,000, said Doug Rux, Tualatin's economic development director. But by July 2001, the population had soared to 23,000, according to the Portland State University Population Research Center.
Who Lives in Tualatin People who want a place where you can live, work and play.
They Probably Drive Tualatin residents drive mini-vans and SUVs.
Shopping and Eating Shopping and dining opportunities at the Fred Meyer mall, Martinazzi Square and Hedges Greene (which houses a Haggen's grocery store, Starbucks, a video store and other modern necessities).
Schools The Tigard-Tualatin School District includes Byrom, Bridgeport and Tualatin elementary schools, Hazelbrook Middle School and Tualatin High School.
Housing Styles "We try to provide a variety of housing types in close proximity to the central core area," said Rux. City plans call for "55 percent of the residential housing stock to be single-family homes and 45 percent multifamily -- apartments, condos and rowhouses."
Average Home Prices 2002 Current listings (July 2002) range from just under $100,000 for a condo to nearly $3 million for a luxury home, but the average Tualatin home sale is about $219,000, according to the Realtors Multiple Listing Service -- about $11,000 higher than the average sale price in the Portland metro area overall.
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