Beaverton, Oregon

You are driving up to the impressive entrance to Nike World Headquarters. The campus is super-chic and beautifully landscaped. You are hoping to catch a glimpse of billionaire Phil Knight—founder of the largest athletic equipment company in the world. No luck so far. Maybe you will catch a quick peek at one of the famous athletes that wear the bold Nike swoosh logo but alas, you must content yourself with watching the hip young employees jogging around the beautiful campus on their lunch hour. Is this L.A? Atlanta? Chicago? No, Beaverton, Oregon.

The day is gorgeous. It is neither to hot nor too hot—and that is quite normal. Northwestern Oregon has one of the mildest climates in the US (rarely freezes, rarely cracks the nineties). The sky is absolutely clear except for a few fleecy cumulus clouds. Contrary to popular misconception it doesn’t rain all the time here. The average annual rainfall in Beaverton is only 39 inches a year. And Nike isn’t the only major company to hang their corporate hat here in Oregon’s the fifth largest city. Intel has a huge, HUGE presence and Tektronix, one of the largest manufactures of electronic test equipment in the world has there headquarters here. With over 300 high-tech companies in Beaverton and surrounding Washington County this part of Oregon is quickly getting the title of the “Silicon Forest”. Not bad for a city that is named for the once plentiful beaver dams in the area.

Roughly 80,000 people call Beaverton home and as far as livable communities go it’s got to be one of America’s best kept secrets. Besides the mild climate we mentioned (most homes over 15 years old still don’t have air-conditioning) here are a few perks:

• Low crime rate
• No Sales Tax!
• Affordable housing (2005 average $246,000 in Beaverton)
• 7 mile drive to downtown Portland—Oregon’s largest city
• 15 minute drive to beautiful rolling hill farm land
• An award-winning parks department with over 100 parks
• Excellent Tri-Met mass transit with the MAX light-rail in addition to numerous bus routes
• The unsurpassed beauty of the Pacific Northwest. Those pictures you’ve seen are real.
• Access to great public and private schools
• Access to numerous public and private colleges and universities
• Minutes from the Portland Zoo and huge Washington Park
• Access to the outstanding Portland music and arts scene with world class jazz and blues, the fabulous Oregon symphony, Opera, Ballet, numerous theater groups, a mind-numbing number of art galleries and a vast array of great local rock and acoustic acts.
• The Portland Rose Garden Arena, which is a normal stop for almost all national touring acts. The Beatles, the Rolling Stones, The Who, U2, Clapton, etcetera have all played in Portland at one time or another. The only difference is that here you can usually get tickets.
• Recreation! It’s a short morning or afternoon drive to snow skiing (Mount Hood), water skiing (Hagg Lake), wind surfing (Columbia River) or the beach. It is said that this is one of the few places on earth you can snowboard in the morning, water ski in the afternoon and have a romantic walk on the beach by sunset.
• With over 1.5 million people in the greater metro area there is every kind of hobby group, club, organization, action committee or special interest group you can imagine. If you can think of it, it is probably here.
• Great food for low $$$. There are great restaurants of every stripe and you typically have to hunt for an entrée over $25.
• A large number of churches and religious facilities. In Oregon the emphasis is on casual. If you see a guy on Sunday morning with a tie he is probably the pastor.
• Never more than a 1/4 mile from coffee! No, really.

Here are some great Beaverton events and activities to look forward to:

• Beaverton Farmers Market – Saturday 8AM to 1:30PM May through October and often with live entertainment.
• Festa Italiana at Ponzi Vineyards
• Beaverton Celebration Parade
• Summerfest – Beaverton’s biggest music & food bash at Griffith Park

More annual events a short distance away:

• The Rose Festival & Parade
• The Washington County Fair
• The Portland Air Show
• The Portland Auto Show
• The Portland Rod & Custom Show
• The Portland Home Show
• Oregon Zoo Concerts – all summer long
• The Oktoberfest at Mount Angel
• The Portland Jazz Festival
• The Waterfront Blues Festival
• A Bite of Portland
• The Portland Greek Festival
• The Oregon Seafood and Wine Festival
• The Portland International Film Festival
• The Portland Marathon
• Oregon Brewers Festival
• Cinco de Mayo
• Peacock Lane Christmas Lights

Local Attractions in the Metro area:

• Rose Garden Arena and The Portland Trailblazers (NBA)
• OMSI – the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry with IMAX
• Oregon Wine Country
• The Japanese Gardens
• The Vietnam Memorial
• The Chinese Classical Gardens
• The Pittock Mansion
• The Arlene Snitzer Auditorium with The Oregon Symphony
• Pumpkin Ridge Championship Golf Course
• Portland Raceway
• PGE Park and the Portland Beavers Baseball
• Sauvie Island with farmers markets and a wild game preserve
• The Portland Art Museum
• The World Forestry Center
• The Portland Children’s Museum
• Tom McCall Waterfront Park
• Saturday Market
• Powell’s City of Books – one of the largest bookstores in the world
• The Pearl District – just amazing
• The Portland Spirit and Paddle Wheeler Dinner Cruises
• Oaks Amusement Park – over 100 years old
• Union Station

Other Attractions within driving range:

• Mount Hood and Timberline Lodge—one of the premier US ski lodges.
• Mount Saint Helens Park in southern Washington State.
• The Oregon Coast Aquarium in Newport
• The Oregon Gardens in Silverton
• The Hood River Dinner Train
• Evergreen Air Museum and the Spruce Goose in McMinnville
• The Tillamook cheese factory near the coast
• The Astoria Maritime Museum and Astoria Column