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Two cities dominate the western suburbs - Beaverton and Hillsboro. Beaverton is the first city heading west out of Portland and Hillsboro is the next in line. Both cities are one of Oregon's centers of manufacturing and technology. But you might not believe this at first, due to the lack of gridlock, skyscrapers, and air pollution. Most of Hillsboro's commercial industry is done in industrial park campus settings designed to blend in with the countryside. The people that work at companies like Intel, Toshiba, Tektronix and others live in the heart of the country, breathing fresh air, serenaded by songbirds, and soothed by the green, fertile farmland around them.
The west side is located in the middle of the warm, temperate Tualatin Valley, equidistant between the Cascade Range and the Pacific Ocean. Also easy access to Portland. You will find good schools, numerous parks, green lawns, and a variety of housing.
Orenco Station
 We are very biased about Orenco Station in Hillsboro - we love it. If you want the feel of a city lifestyle and the advantages of the suburbs, consider living at Orenco Station. It has stacked up an impressive list of awards.
We like the fact that you can walk to your shopping and restaurants. And it's a good bet that you walk through one of the numerous green spaces on your way to grab a latte. Your homeward bound commute can include daily errands as you walk home from the train station totally unscathed by rush hour traffic. The Town Center becomes a meeting place, and a focus for the social fabric of the community.
Please be aware that the Orenco Station name is being used more and more as a geographical location by developers advertising their homes and rentals around the parameter of the original "Orenco Station." They want to associate themselves with the successful planned community.
Shopping
Orenco Station has a number of retail establishments to include New Seasons Market, a Portland-based group of grocery stores that emphasize local and organic products, two restaurants, cleaners, kitchen supply store women's clothier, Starbucks, and many others.
The Crossroads at Orenco Station is a major retail center located within easy walking distance of the residences within Orenco Station. Anchors include Waremart Foods, a major warehouse grocery outlet, and G.I. Joe's, a popular northwest sports and auto retailer. Other shops and services include AlphaGraphics print shop, Blockbuster Video, Washington Mutual bank, US Bank and Carl's Jr. restaurant. The center will ultimately include offices, restaurants, shops and services, conveniently located for area residents.
Origin of Name
The credit goes to Mrs. J.R. McNew of Cornelius in the early 1900s. She used the first three letters of 'Oregon,' the first letter of 'Nursery' and the abbreviation of 'Company' to get ' Orenco.' MAX, the light-rail line, created a 'Station' stop in Orenco when it opened the west line in 1998. The 'Nursery' comes from The Oregon Nursery Company, a thriving nursery business established in the early 1900s. They (two Scottish Canadians who owned the nursery) decided to incorporate the area into the city of Orenco. Both the nursery business and the city of Orenco failed in the 20s-30s and the area became part of the City of Hillsboro.
Directions
 Driving Directions Take Highway 26 to Cornelius Pass exit; right on Cornelius; right on Cornell Road; right on Orenco Station Parkway to the Town Center.
Light Rail Directions Orenco/231 MAX Station. Walk up Orenco Station Parkway and cross Cornell Road to the Town Center.
Lewis & Clark Study
Researchers at Lewis and Clark College in Portland conducted surveys in 2000-2003 in order to identify social and environmental characteristics of neighborhoods across the Portland Metropolitan region. One of the reports examines the successes and limitations of a Orenco Station. To quote from the report:
The community is shown to have achieved impressive levels of social cohesion and satisfaction among local residents. Though designed to encourage the use of mass transit, the survey shows that relatively few residents have come to rely primarily on mass transit. Nevertheless, this new urbanist community shows that high density, mixed use developments can thrive in both commercial and social respects in the Portland area.
Key issues that are explored include the following: Has the Orenco Station project succeeded in fostering a sense of community for its residents? How have residents responded to living in a higher density situation? And, of particular importance from an environmental perspective, have Orenco Station residents reduced their reliance on automobiles since moving into the community? My research demonstrates that Orenco Station has succeeded in fostering an unusually high level of social cohesion within the community. Moreover, the extremely high satisfaction ratings given by Orenco residents to their community’s physical design suggests that high density, multi-use developments are quite capable of competing in a market place dominated by more traditional, diffuse suburban neighborhoods.
To read the entire report you can download the entire report from the Lewis and Clark College Web site.
Who lives in Orenco Station
Singles, married couples of all ages, and empty nesters. As of the Spring 2001, less than 20 families out of 250 have children. You will see more children as homes are now being built for the budget of younger couples.
Schools
Elementary School: Orenco Elementary and West Union. Middle School: Brown Middle School and Poynter Middle School. High School: Century High School
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