Gresham

Gresham, Oregon
Downtown Gresham at NE Roberts St and Powell Blvd.
Location in Oregon
Coordinates: 45°30′13″N 122°26′22″W / 45.50361°N 122.43944°W / 45.50361; -122.43944Coordinates: 45°30′13″N 122°26′22″W / 45.50361°N 122.43944°W / 45.50361; -122.43944
Country	United States
State	Oregon
County	Multnomah
Incorporated	1905
Government
- Mayor	Shane Bemis
Area
- Total	22.2 sq mi (57.6 km2)
- Land	22.2 sq mi (57.4 km2)
- Water	0.1 sq mi (0.2 km2)
Elevation	301 ft (91.7 m)
Population (July 1, 2008)
- Total	100,655 (est)
- Density	4,504.5/sq mi (1,736.1/km2)
Time zone	Pacific (UTC-8)
- Summer (DST)	Pacific (UTC-7)
ZIP codes	97030, 97080, 97233
Area code(s)	503
FIPS code	41-31250[1]
GNIS feature ID	1121424[2]
Website	greshamoregon.gov

Gresham (pronounced /ˈɡrɛʃəm/) is a city located in Multnomah County, Oregon, United States immediately east of Portland. It was named for the American Civil War general, and Postmaster General, Walter Quinton Gresham. The population was 90,205 at the 2000 census; in 2008, the Population Research Center estimated the city's population at 100,655.^[3] This makes Gresham the fourth largest city in Oregon.

History

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The city of Gresham could not establish itself as a city unless given a post office and postal code. A local storeowner offered to use his store as a post office and offered to name the city after Postmaster General Walter Quinton Gresham if a post office was granted. Until that time, the city had simply been known as Campground because this forested site was where pioneers often stopped to spend the night and compose themselves before moving on to Portland. Although a post office was established in May, 1884, Gresham was not incorporated as a city until 1905. Lewis Shattuck, son of a pioneer family, was the first mayor.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 22.2 square miles (57.6 km²), of which, 22.1 square miles (57.4 km²) of it is land and 0.1 square miles (0.2 km²) of it is water. The total area is 0.40% water.

Demographics

As of the census^[1] of 2000, there were 90,205 people, 33,327 households, and 22,695 families residing in the city. The population density was 4,071.6 people per square mile (1,572.4/km²). There were 35,309 housing units at an average density of 1,593.8/sq mi (615.5/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 82.72% White, 1.89% African American, 0.94% Native American, 3.33% Asian, 0.27% Pacific Islander, 7.02% from other races, and 3.82% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 11.90% of the population.

There were 33,327 households out of which 36.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.9% were married couples living together, 12.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.9% were non-families. Out of all households, 24.3% were made up of individuals and 7.8% had someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.67 and the average family size was 3.17. In the city, the population was spread out with 27.5% under the age of 18, 11.1% from 18 to 24, 30.3% from 25 to 44, 21.2% from 45 to 64, and 9.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females, there were 97.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.9 males. The median income for a household in the city was $43,442, and the mean income for a family was $51,126. Males had a median income of $37,701 versus $27,744 for females. The per capita income for the city was $19,588. About 8.4% of families and 12.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 17.2% of those under the age of 18 and 6.7% of those 65 and older.

2005-2007 American Community Survey Estimates^[4]

• 83.9% - White (71.1 non-Hispanic White)
• 18.3 - Hispanic or Latino (of any race)
• 5.1% - Asian
• 5.1% - Some other race
• 4.7% - American Indian or Alaska Native
• 3.7% - African American or Black
• 0.3% - Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander

Arts and culture

Annual cultural events

• Mount Hood Jazz Festival

Government

The City of Gresham operates under the council-manager form of government. The mayor and city council are elected to be the legislative and policy-making body for the city.

The council appoints a professional city manager who is responsible for day-to-day city operations.^[5] As of 2008, the city manager of Gresham is Erik Kvarsten, who is a professional city manager with 20 years of experience. Kvarsten was appointed to the position on August 1, 2004.

The city council consists of the mayor and six councilors, all of whom serve four-year terms. Elections are held in November of even-numbered years. In elections in years divisible by four, (e.g. 2000, 2004, 2008), three councilors are elected. In elections in years not divisible by four, (e.g. 1998, 2002, 2006), the other three councilors and the mayor are elected.

Mayor and council

• Shane Bemis, Mayor
• Paul Warr-King, Council President, since 2005
• Mike Bennett, since 2007
• Shirley Craddick, since 2007
• Carol Nielsen-Hood, since 2007
• Richard Strathern, since 2007
• David Widmark, since 2007

Education

Gresham is served by three school districts: Centennial, Gresham-Barlow, and Reynolds. Mount Hood Community College is also located in Gresham.

Infrastructure

Transportation

Highways

Gresham is accessed from Interstate 84 and U.S. Route 26.

Mass transit

The city of Gresham is serviced by TriMet's bus system, MAX Light Rail line as well as the fareless Sandy Area Metro (SAM) shuttle bus to Sandy, Oregon. The Blue Line contains the following MAX stations:

• East 162nd Avenue
• East 172nd Avenue
• East 181st Avenue
• Rockwood/East 188th Avenue Transit Center
• Ruby Junction/East 197th Avenue
• Gresham City Hall
• Gresham Central Transit Center
• Cleveland Avenue

Notable residents

• ‎Randy Alcorn, Christian author
• Shannon Bex, member of girl group Danity Kane
• Brian Burres, Major League Baseball pitcher
• Randy Couture, mixed martial arts fighter and current UFC Heavyweight Champion
• Mike Ekstrom, Major League Baseball pitcher
• Nikki Fuller, professional female bodybuilder
• Katie Harman, Miss America 2002
• Fred Jones, National Basketball Association player
• Ronald A. Marks, former CIA official
• Angela Via, singer
• ‎Stu Weber, Christian author
• William P. Young, author

Sister cities

Gresham has sister cities in other countries. They are:

• Ebetsu, Japan - 1977
• Sok-Cho, South Korea
• Owerri, Nigeria

References

External links

• City of Gresham (official website)
• Gresham Library
• Gresham Chamber of Commerce
• Historic Downtown Gresham
• Oregon Blue Book entry for Gresham

v • d • e Municipalities and communities of Multnomah County, Oregon County seat: Portland Cities Fairview | Gresham | Lake Oswego‡ | Maywood Park | Milwaukie‡ | Portland‡ | Troutdale | Wood Village Unincorporated communities Bonneville | Bridal Veil | Corbett | Dunthorpe | Latourell | Riverview | Riverwood Footnotes ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties

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