Beaverton, Oregon

Beaverton is a city located in Washington County, Oregon. The city was named after the beaver, whose activities left fertile soil known as beaverdam. (There is also a Beaverdam Street in the older part of this city.) As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 76,129. Beaverton is located seven miles west of Portland in the Tualatin River Valley. The City is Oregon's fifth largest city and is the largest incorporated city in the county.

History

The area of Tualatin Valley which became Beaverton was originally the home of a Native American tribe known as the Atfalati or the Tualatin. They were hunter-gatherers whose land including a village that was called Chakeipi, meaning Place of the Beaver. The Atfalati population dwindled in the latter part of the 18th century, and the prosperous tribe was no longer dominant in the area by the 19th century when westerners first visited.

Early settlers referred to the place as "Beaverdam", later changed to "Beaverton". Early settlers include the Hall Family from Kentucky, the Denneys who lived on their claim near current day Scholls Ferry Road and Hall Blvd, and Orrin S. Allens who resided at SW Allen and Hall Blvd.

19th century

• 1847: Lawrence Hall (for whom Hall Boulevard is named) purchases 640 acres (2.6 km²) in Beaverdam and builds a grist mill with his brother near present-day Walker Road (maybe on Cedar Mill Creek??).
• 1849: Thomas Denney came to the area and built its first sawmill.
• 1860: A plank road from Portland to Beaverton is completed over a trail called Canyon Road.
• 1868: Joshua Welch, George Betts, Charle Angel, W.P. Watson, John Henry and other settlers of the area laid out what is now known as Beaverton hoping they could bring a railroad to an area once described as "mostly swamps & marshes connected by beaver dams to create what looked like a huge lake".
• 1872: Beaverton's first post office opens under George Betts, the first postmaster, in his general store. Betts street, where the current post office now stands, was named in honor of him.
• 1893: The city of Beaverton is officially incorporated with a population of 400 and Alonzo Cady, a local businessman, as the first mayor.

20th century

Beaverton was an early home to automobile dealerships. A Ford Motor Company dealership was established there in 1915; it was purchased by Guy Carr in 1923 and over the years Carr expanded it into several locations throughout Beaverton.

In the early 1920s, Beaverton was home to Premium Picture Productions, a movie studio which produced about fifteen movies.

The town's first library opened in 1925. Originally on the second floor of the Cady building, it has moved to several other locations. In 2000 it was moved to its current location on Hall Street and 5th

Since 1929, Beaverton has been home to Beaverton Foods, a manufacturer of nationally-distributed condiments.

More recently, Beaverton was the headquarters of Tektronix, which manufactures electronics including oscilloscopes, computer printers and monitors, and the headquarters of Nike, both located just outside of the city limits.

Beaverton is the home of the Open Source Development Labs.

Geography

Beaverton is located at 45°28'47" North, 122°48'36" West (45.479686, -122.809954)¹.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 42.3 km² (16.3 mi²), none of which is covered with water.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there are 76,129 people, 30,821 households, and 18,646 families residing in the city. The population density is 1,801.1/km² (4,664.5/mi²). There are 32,500 housing units at an average density of 768.9/km² (1,991.3/mi²). The racial makeup of the city is 78.31% White, 1.74% African American, 0.67% Native American, 9.65% Asian, 0.36% Pacific Islander, 5.53% from other races, and 3.74% from two or more races. 11.12% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There are 30,821 households out of which 32.3% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.8% are married couples living together, 9.7% have a female householder with no husband present, and 39.5% are non-families. 29.7% of all households are made up of individuals and 7.1% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.44 and the average family size is 3.07.

In the city the population is spread out with 25.0% under the age of 18, 10.6% from 18 to 24, 35.2% from 25 to 44, 20.3% from 45 to 64, and 9.0% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 33 years. For every 100 females there are 97.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 94.9 males.

The median income for a household in the city is $47,863, and the median income for a family is $60,289. Males have a median income of $41,683 versus $31,204 for females. The per capita income for the city is $25,419. 7.8% of the population and 5.0% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total people living in poverty, 8.5% are under the age of 18 and 6.8% are 65 or older.

Education

See Beaverton School District