Tigard / Tualatin

Tigard Tualatin Neighborhoods

Tualatin Neighborhoods – Easy access and great amenities

Tualatin, ‘Tree City USA’ is just south of Tigard and north of Wilsonville, and is part of the Tigard-Tualatin School District. Located along I-5, this City of about 27,000 residents enjoy the beauty of the Tualatin River and direct access to the City of Sherwood to the west (wine country) and the Oregon Coast beyond via Highway 99W and Highway 18. Just 12 miles south of downtown Portland, it also offers an easy downtown commute. More than 60% of the homes in Tualatin have been built since 1980. There is still some new construction available but vacant land is going fast. This is a beautiful community with rural surroundings and a well planned core.

Tualatin’s downtown area lacked any sense of identity until the late 1990’s when city planners and citizens created a new center of town. The Tualatin Commons is a man-made lake with a wide concrete esplanade all the way around it. This is built where there once was a dog food factory. I know, I lived in my first apartment just up the hill from this area in the early 80’s. The commons is a beautiful place bordered by condos, restaurants, office buildings, and a hotel. Hayden’s Lakefront Grill is a great place for a quality lunch, dinner, or an after work beverage. Next door is a splendid boutique hotel also overlooking the lake, the Century Hotel.

Schools are great in Tualatin. Byrom Elementary is consistently one of the top elementary schools in the area. The High School is a relatively new one, built around 2000 with excellent facilities. The neighborhoods around these two schools are some of my favorites. Ibach Park is just east of Byrom and has a number of quality homes built-in the 90’s by builder JC Reeves. These are excellent homes that will hold their value for many years to come. Tualatin Elementary is a new school completed in 2009 and adds a wonderful new facility to the community.
On the north end of Tualatin is the Bridgeport Village shopping center. This is a regional destination for shopping with many upscale shops, an 18 screen plus IMAX cinema, and great restaurants like California Pizza Kitchen, McCormick & Schmick’s, and PF Chang’s. There is covered parking and valet service if you like. Across the street is an REI – an essential store for life in Oregon, and to enjoy all that the outdoors has to offer. Tualatin is also home to the brand new (and totally huge) Cabela’s. And next door is a WholeFoods Market for upscale organic foods.  See more on our Tualatin Pinterest Board.

Homes in Tualatin Currently for Sale

Tigard is a much larger city than Tualatin and is a few miles closer to downtown Portland. Travel is often on Hwy 217 which is very congested during rush hour. Hwy 217 is just five miles long and connects I-5 with Hwy 26. Both of those freeways will take you into downtown. It contains Washington Square Mall and the Lincoln Towers office complex. Entry level neighborhoods start with older homes built-in the 1970’s ($300k) and include newer townhomes built off Murray and Barrows. Mid level housing is found in many of the neighborhoods at the base of Bull Mtn. which were built-in the 1990’s. ($300-$400k). and around Tigard High School and Cook Park. Higher end house is found on Bull Mountain where large custom homes were built starting in the early 1990’s ($400k+). Many of these homes have wonderful views of Mt. Hood and the coast range. Tigard also has two Adult Communities (age 55+), King City and Summerfield. Both have golf courses at the center but they are very different. King City was built-in 1968-69 and has very small two bedroom homes on small lots, along with a few condos.