Hillsboro is now a six-figure city.
That’s according to the latest population estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau, which show Washington County’s largest city crossing the 100,000 barrier and joining Portland, Eugene, Salem and Gresham as Oregon cities in the six-figure club.
“By planning decades in advance for smart growth, the City of Hillsboro has earned a reputation as a highly-desirable place to live and a strategic place to do business,” said Hillsboro Mayor Jerry Willey, via email. “This has led to many new employment opportunities and an increased demand for housing, transportation, and other services that impact our residents’ quality of life.”
Hillsboro gained nearly 3,000 new residents from 2014 to 2015, the Census Bureau estimated, more than any city in the state except Portland.
“As we welcome new neighbors in Orenco Station, downtown Hillsboro, AmberGlen and South Hillsboro, the City of Hillsboro is working to be cost efficient in how we implement the Hillsboro 2035 Community Plan, which includes new housing options, expanded road capacity, and a 50-year water supply,” Willey said.
Portland’s rapid growth continued in 2015, the Census Bureau said, with the Rose City gaining nearly 12,000 new residents – more than 32 new residents a day. That’s on par with San Diego, San Jose, Columbus, Oklahoma City and Las Vegas.
Nationally, Portland jumped Oklahoma City and Baltimore to become the 26th-largest in the country. Its 1.92 percent growth rate was the 15th-highest in the country, third-highest for cities north of the Sun Belt. Only Seattle and Denver outpaced Portland in that group.
Since 2010, the Census Bureau estimates 46,882 people have moved to Portland. If all of those people lived in their own city, it would be the 13th-largest in Oregon.
“Again in 2015, Portland added far more households than any of its suburban neighbors, demonstrating that here, as in every other thriving metropolitan area, the ‘core cities’ are the most desired locations for housing and jobs,” said Metro Councilor Bob Stacey, whose district includes much of Portland.
GROWING POPULATION
New estimates from the Census Bureau show how cities in the Portland region are continuing to grow.
City • 2015 estimate • 2010 population
Portland • 632,309 • 583,776
Gresham • 110,109 • 105,594
Hillsboro • 102,347 • 91,611
Beaverton • 96,577 • 89,803
Tigard • 51,253 • 48,035
Lake Oswego • 38,496 • 36,619
Oregon City • 35,831 • 31,859
Tualatin • 27,154 • 26,054
West Linn • 26,593 • 25,109
Forest Grove • 23,897 • 21,083
Wilsonville • 22,789 • 19,509
Milwaukie • 20,830 • 20,291
Sherwood • 19,283 • 18,194
Happy Valley • 18,493 • 13,903
Troutdale • 16,631 • 15,962
Cornelius • 12,317 • 11,869
Gladstone • 11,986 • 11,497
Gresham remained the Portland metro’s second-largest city, with 110,553 residents, the Census Bureau estimated. Rounding out the top 10 were Beaverton (96,577), Tigard (51,253), Lake Oswego (38,496), Oregon City (35,831), Tualatin (27,154), West Linn (26,593) and Forest Grove (23,897).
Happy Valley had the highest percentage of growth in the Portland region, gaining 1,222 new residents and growing by 7.08 percent, the Census Bureau estimated.
The Census Bureau also released county-level housing unit estimates on Wednesday. The bureau estimated that Clackamas, Multnomah and Washington counties added 8,775 new homes, apartments and condos from July 1, 2014, to July 1, 2015, with just more than half of those coming in Multnomah County.
The bureau, however, may be underestimating Portland’s growth – the Portland Bureau of Planning and Sustainability recently reported that that about 5,800 new homes, apartments and condos were built in the Portland city limits alone in 2015, up from 5,400 in 2014.
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