1. The Names Are Weird. Learn Them.
Willamette is pronounced ‘will-am-mit’. People will laugh if you say “Willa-meet-tee’ (not in a mean way; people from Hillsboro are pretty nice, but they’ll still laugh). And Tualatin is “Too-wall-li-tin” in case you were wondering. And while we’re on the topic, if you say “Oregon” with three syllables, you’re doing that wrong, too.
2. Hillsboro Is No Stranger To Big Business
Beaverton has Nike, but Hillsboro has Intel. Together they make up part of what’s called ‘Silicon Forest’, Oregon’s attempt at copying Silicon Valley. Silicon Forest facilities and the jobs they offer are admittedly a big reason people move to the area—as of a couple years ago, Intel’s Hillsboro facility employed around 17,000 people.
3. There Are Probably No Ghosts, Hopefully
Move over, New England. HIllsboro has nine sites on the National Register of Historical Places. Check out the Old Scotch Church, Imbrie Farm, Harold Wass Ray House, and the other six. You'll be reminded that Hillsboro isn’t just another outgrowth of Portland.
4. Root, Root, Root For The...Hops?
The Hillsboro Hops replaced the Portland Beavers in 2012 and are basically your only option for pro baseball in the Portland metro area. They started out in Salem and actually moved to Yakima, Washington for a while, but clearly missed home too much. When they moved back they became the Hillsboro Hops, to honor what’s really important—the fact that Oregon is the second-largest hops producing state in the US.
5. The People Have Harnessed The Power Of The Sun
SolarWorld, a German company that makes photovoltaic products, has a facility in Hillsboro. So what, right? Turns out that facility is the largest solar cell manufacturer in all of North America. Now, I had to Google ‘photovoltaic’, but from what I’m understanding, it turns sunlight into a renewable energy source. That can only be good, right?
6. Chivalry Is Alive And Well In Hillsboro
The Oregon Renaissance Festival of Hillsboro descends in late summer, and for two months you can spend your weekends cheering on your favorite jousting knights, listen to crooning wandering minstrels, and chowing down on giant turkey legs like nobody’s business.
7. Hillsboro Is Almost Famous
Remember that show “Little People, Big World?” The Roloff family’s farm is located in an unincorporated community called Helvetia, just a few minutes outside of Hillsboro. I’m sure they already get enough adoring fans.
8. Far From Portland But Not Too Far. But Just Far Enough
Portland can get pretty busy sometimes, which is what makes cities like Hillsboro nice. It’s just far enough away that you don’t have to live in Portland if that’s not your thing, but you’re still close enough to go see Cher on the weekends. Because that’s what’s important anyway, right?
9. And You Won’t Even Really Notice The Distance
The Portland metro area has some pretty great public transportation. The MAX has multiple lines connecting different areas and the Blue Line goes all the way out to Hillsboro. It might be one of the longer MAX rides, but it is totally possible to ride from Hillsboro into Downtown Portland and beyond.
10. Hillsboro Seriously Rocks
I’m so sorry. I had to do it. But the Rice Northwest Museum of Rocks and Minerals is pretty awesome. It’s the largest museum of its kind in the Pacific Northwest with 20,000 gemstones, meteorites, agates, fossils—not to mention the Rainbow Gallery, a collection of minerals that react to ultraviolet light. They also have the largest opal-filled thunderegg in the world. IN THE WORLD.
11. Hillsboro Takes Care Of Nature
The Jackson Bottom Wetlands Preserve was once a fertile area that native peoples used for hunting and gathering, but as white settlers and cattle moved into the area it got a little worn out. In the 1970s people came together to restore the land, and today it’s part of the city park system.
12. People In Hillsboro Are Masters Of The Skies
The Oregon International Airshow has been around for almost three decades and draws 75,000 people to the Hillsboro area to gape at some truly death-defying moves. That’s nearly 80 percent of the city itself!
13. Don’t Spell The Name Wrong
It actually was originally spelled “Hillsborough” (much fancier) but apparently that was just too many letters because it was later shortened to “Hillsboro.” I only bring it up because people ask. And because getting it wrong will immediately let people know you’re new.
14. Hillsboro Had A National Record Snatched Away
Mary Ramsey Wood was nicknamed the “Mother Queen of Oregon,” which was fitting because she was, ahem, more mature than anyone else around. She moved to the Oregon Territory in 1853 at the sprightly age of 66, settled in Hillsboro, got married, had some kids and died in 1908 at a whopping 120 years old. Even though it was later understood that she was more like 98 at the time of her death and therefore not the oldest American, it’s still pretty cool.
15. Make That Two Records
The Hillsboro wireless tower was constructed in 1921, and at the time it was the second tallest steel tower in the world, coming in just behind a little landmark called the Eiffel Tower. This photo only shows half of how tall it was. Hillsboro’s nice try was used during World World II by the Coast Guard as a telegraph station. It was torn down in 1952, so don’t go looking for it, but it’s still a neat fact, right?
16. The Secret Ingredient Is Love
Established in 1970, Oak Knoll Winery is the oldest and largest winery in the county. They’ve received numerous awards and accolades for their wines, and are the official wine sponsor of the Portland Rose Festival. On top of that, much of the caring for the vineyard is done by hand, including the picking of the grapes.
17. Don’t Write Hillsboro Off
In 2010, CNN Money Magazine named Hillsboro #92 on their list of Best Places to Live for America’s small cities, and the only other Oregon city included in the top 100 was Beaverton at #98. More recently, in 2012 HIllsboro was put on the list at #95. Not too shabby for a tiny Oregon town.
18. So Much Cheese
Hillsboro is just a little bit closer to the ocean than the rest of the Portland metro area (it’ll only take you about an hour to get there), so if going to the beach is big for you, Hillsboro is your better bet. But more importantly, it’s closer to Tillamook, which makes it closer to where all that delicious cheese comes from. Yum.
19. Buy Your Alpacas In Hillsboro
The Northwest Alpaca Farm sells the furry guys primarily for business purposes—alpaca fiber is a lot like like cashmere, and the staff at the Northwest Alpaca Farm know what they’re talking about when it comes to breeding, selling, caring for, and just generally understanding alpacas. C’mon, look at that face!
20. Stop-Motion Is The Speed Limit In Hillsboro
Hillsboro is also home to LAIKA, the animation studio that recently created a couple movies, I dunno, maybe you’ve heard of them, called ‘Coraline’ and ‘ParaNorman’. They have also have an office in downtown Portland where they create all their animation mediums, but their stop-motion production facility is located out in Hillsboro.
21. This Is No Band Camp
The Hillsboro Symphony Orchestra is a non-profit organization founded in 2001, and while most of the musicians are adults, the orchestra does include several talented high school students drawn together by a passion for music and a love of performance. That got a little sappy, but I’m not sorry. It’s a beautiful thing and I stand by it.
22. The People Love To Celebrate Themselves
The Hillsboro Farmers Market is all about coming together as a community to support local farmers and artists, and promote sustainability as well as the benefits of buying local. Plus the food is amazeballs too. But that’s secondary. Right?
