Cedar Hills, Oregon

History

Plans to build the large new neighborhood were announced by the project's developers in April 1946, and construction of the first 50 homes had begun by then. Along with roads and utilities, the plans included a shopping center, schools, parks and churches, in a neighborhood of around 2,000 homes on about 800 acre. A writer for The Oregonian newspaper at the time called it "the most ambitious suburban housing development ever attempted in the Northwest". The planned neighborhood was consistent with the racism in Oregon at the time, as the 1946 restrictions stated that "only Caucasians shall use or occupy the properties, except in the capacity of domestic servants, chauffeurs or employees."

Construction of the planned shopping center began in 1954. Located immediately south of the Sunset Highway, at the northern end of the neighborhood, Cedar Hills Shopping Center opened in April 1955. It originally included a Safeway supermarket (opened in August 1954, months earlier than the remainder of the center), a Rodgers five-and-dime, a Sears catalog store, and several other shops, along with a bank and a gas station. The center's tall neon sign became a local landmark. In 1979, TriMet opened a bus transit center on Wilshire Street, behind the shopping center. Cedar Hills Transit Center remained in operation for almost 20 years, until replaced by the Sunset Transit Center – located immediately across the Sunset Highway (US 26) freeway from Cedar Hills Shopping Center – in 1998, with the opening of the Westside MAX line. The Sunset TC's construction included a long pedestrian bridge over the freeway, to provide access between the TriMet bus and MAX station and the Cedar Hills neighborhood. In 2009, the Oregon Department of Transportation opened a new Driver and Motor Vehicle Services Division (DMV) office in the Cedar Hills Shopping Center, serving as the DMV's Beaverton office, replacing one located on Allen Blvd. in Beaverton proper.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the neighborhood has a total area of 2.3 sqmi, of which 2.3 sqmi is land and 0.43% is water.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 8,949 people, 3,749 households, and 2,361 families residing in the neighborhood. The population density was 3,880.9 PD/sqmi. There were 3,926 housing units at an average density of 1,702.6 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the CDP was 83.28% White, 1.32% African American, 0.57% Native American, 4.78% Asian, 0.35% Pacific Islander, 6.05% from other races, and 3.65% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 11.21% of the population.

There were 3,749 households, out of which 28.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.4% were married couples living together, 9.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.0% were non-families. 29.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.39 and the average family size was 2.94.

In the neighborhood the population was spread out, with 23.0% under the age of 18, 7.7% from 18 to 24, 33.4% from 25 to 44, 23.4% from 45 to 64, and 12.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 98.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.8 males.

The median income for a household in the neighborhood was $48,200, and the median income for a family was $56,401. Males had a median income of $42,293 versus $29,922 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $26,812. About 3.9% of families and 6.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 7.8% of those under age 18 and 3.0% of those age 65 or over.

Public services

Schools

Cedar Hills lies within the Beaverton School District. Cedar Park Middle School and Barnes Elementary School are the only public schools located within the Cedar Hills CDP, but the area's residents are also served by Beaverton High School, Meadow Park Middle School, Ridgewood Elementary and William Walker Elementary. An October 2016 boundary change redirected Cedar Hills to fall under Beaverton High School's coverage area, in place of Sunset High School.

Previously, the area was also the site of Cedar Hills Elementary School, built in the early 1950s, at the intersection of SW Cedar Hills Blvd. and SW Park Way. That school closed in 1983, due to declining student enrollment districtwide at the time, and the building was leased to, and subsequently sold to, the Tualatin Hills Park & Recreation District, which repurposed it as the Cedar Hills Recreation Center.

Other services

Fire protection and emergency medical services are provided through Tualatin Valley Fire and Rescue.

Cedar Hills is served by the Tualatin Hills Park & Recreation District (THPRD), which maintains several parks in the area–including the man-made 20.8 acre Commonwealth Lake Park. The Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife regularly stocks the lake with trout, bass, and other assorted fish. THPRD also operates the Cedar Hills Recreation Center, a community center (not limited to Cedar Hills residents) located in a former elementary school.

References

References

1. "ArcGIS REST Services Directory". United States Census Bureau.
2. "U.S. Census website". [[United States Census Bureau]].
3. {{GNIS. 2408000
4. [http://www.cedarhillshoa.org Homes Association of Cedar Hills] Retrieved May 6, 2013.
5. [http://www.cedarhillshoa.org About Us]. Homes Association of Cedar Hills. Retrieved May 6, 2013.
6. "2000-Home Community Rising Here; Two Firms Launch $25,000,000 Town In Beaverton Area" (April 28, 1946). ''[[The Oregonian. The Sunday Oregonian]]'', p. 1; also section 2, p. 1.
7. Shoemaker, Mervin G. (September 29, 1946). "Cedar Hills: Something New in Building". ''The Sunday Oregonian'', Sunday magazine section, p. 2.
8. "Local Color". Oregon Public Broadcasting.
9. Colby, Richard N.. (August 6, 1997). "Safeway store says quick goodbye". The Oregonian.
10. "$1,000,000 Cedar Hills Shopping Project Started; Second Phase of Big Center to House 27 Shops" (June 20, 1954). ''The Sunday Oregonian'', section 2, p. 8.
11. "Cedar Hills Shop Center Opening" (April 3, 1955). ''The Sunday Oregonian'', section 2, p. 7.
12. "Outlet Added By Safeway: $250,000 Store Opens in Cedar Hills" (August 22, 1954). ''The Sunday Oregonian'', p. 48.
13. Bodine, Harry (June 19, 1979). "Tri-Met west side transfers pass muster". ''[[The Oregonian]]'', p. B4.
14. (August 1997). "Sunset Transit Center: Pedestrian Bridge". TriMet.
15. (April 14, 2009). "DMV to open new Beaverton office April 28". [[Oregon Department of Transportation]].
16. "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov.
17. "Census Population API". United States Census Bureau.
18. Kaur, Ravleen. (October 18, 2016). "Beaverton School District finalizes high school boundary changes". [[Beaverton Valley Times]].
19. "Cedar Hills Starts Work On New Grade School" (May 7, 1950). ''The Sunday Oregonian'', Section 1, p. 9.
20. Thompson, Carla. (May 17, 1983). "Two Beaverton grade schools to close in fall". The Oregonian.
21. Ostergren, Jack. (November 18, 1986). "District 48 OKs sale of schools". The Oregonian.
22. "Commonwealth Lake Park". [[Tualatin Hills Park & Recreation District]].
23. "Weekly trout stocking schedule {{!}} Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife".
24. Gering, Daniel. (2023-08-29). "Fishing Lakes Near Portland".