Tigard (IPA: [taɪˈ gərd]) is a city in Washington County, Oregon, United States. The population was 41,223 at the
2000 census. The 2006 estimate is 46,300 residents.[1] According to the 2003 Oregon Blue
Book, Tigard is the state's 11th largest city.[1] Located south of Beaverton and north of
Tualatin, it is part of the Portland
metropolitan area.
History
Like many towns in the Willamette Valley, Tigard was originally settled by several
families, the most noteworthy of which was the Tigard family, headed by Wilson M. Tigard. Arriving in the area known as "East
Butte" in 1852, the family settled and became involved in organizing and building the East Butte
School, a general store (which starting in 1886 housed the area's post office) and a meeting hall,
and renamed East Butte to "Tigardville". The Evangelical organization built the Emanuel Evangelical Church at the foot of Bull
Mountain, south of the Tigard store in 1886. A blacksmith shop was opened in the 1890s by John
Gaarde across from the Tigard Store, and in 1896 a new E. Butte school was opened to handle the
growth the community was experiencing from an incoming wave of German settlers.
The period between 1907 and 1910 marked a rapid acceleration in
growth as Main Street blossomed with the construction of several new commercial buildings, Germania Hall (a two-story building
featuring a restaurant, grocery store, dance hall, and rooms to rent), a shop/post office, and a livery stable. Limited telephone
service began in 1908.
In 1910, the arrival of the Oregon Electric Railway triggered the development
of Main Street and pushed Tigardville from being merely a small farming community into a period of growth which would lead to its
incorporation as a city in 1961. The town was renamed Tigard by the railroad to greater distinguish
it from the nearby Wilsonville, and the focus of the town reoriented northeast
towards the new rail stop as growth accelerated.
1911 marked the introduction of electricity, as the Tualatin Valley Electric company joined Tigard to a service grid with
Sherwood and Tualatin. William Ariss built a
blacksmith shop on Main Street in 1912 that eventually evolved into a modern service station. In
the 1930s the streets and walks of Main Street were finally paved, and another school established
to accommodate growth.
The city was the respondent in (and eventual loser of) the landmark property rights case, Dolan v. City of
Tigard, decided by the Supreme Court of the United States in
1994. The case established the "rough proportionality" test that is now applied throughout the
United States when a local government evaluates a land use application and determines the exactions to require of the recipient
of a land use approval.[citation needed]
In the 2004 general elections, the city of Tigard won approval from its voters to annex the unincorporated suburbs on
Bull Mountain, a hill to the west of Tigard. However, residents in that area have
rejected annexation and are currently fighting in court various moves by the city.
Government
Past mayors
These people have served as mayor of the city.[citation needed]
- 1971-1978: Wilbur Bishop
- 1984: Ken Scheckla [P]
- 1984-1986: John Cook
- 1987-1988: Tom Brian
- 1989-1994: Gerald Edwards
- 1994: Jack Schwab
- 1994-2000: Jim Nicoli [D]
- 2001-2003: Jim Griffith [A][D]
- From 2003: Craig Dirksen [A]
[A] Appointed to fill out term
[D] Died in office
[P] Mayor Protem
Geography
Tigard is located at 45°25′40″N, 122°46′44″W (45.42764,
-122.77897)1.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area
of 28.2 km² (10.9 mi²). 28.1 km² (10.9 mi²) of it
is land and 0.09% is water.
Demographics
As of the census2 of 2000, there were 41,223 people, 16,507 households, and 10,746 families
residing in the city. The population density was 1,465.6/km² (3,795.3/mi²). There
were 17,369 housing units at an average density of 617.5/km² (1,599.1/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 85.38%
White, Hispanic or Latino of any race were 8.94% of the population. 5.57% Asian, 1.14% African American, 0.61% Native American, 0.53% Pacific Islander, 3.76% from other races, and 3.00% from two or more races.
There were 16,507 households out of which 33.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.0% were married couples living together, 9.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.9% were
non-families. 26.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or
older. The average household size was 2.48 and the average family size was 3.03.
In the city the population was spread out with 25.5% under the age of 18, 9.0% from 18 to 24, 34.1% from 25 to 44, 21.4% from
45 to 64, and 10.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 96.0 males.
For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.8 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $51,581, and the median income for a family was $61,656. Males had a median
income of $44,597 versus $31,351 for females. The per capita income for the city was
$25,110. About 5.0% of families and 6.6% of the population were below the poverty
line, including 7.8% of those under age 18 and 3.6% of those age 65 or over.
North of McDonald street, Tigard, along with Metzger and the unincorporated Bull
Mountain area, uses the 97223 ZIP code for incoming mail, while the southern half of the city
uses 97224, as does the nearby city of King City and the community of Durham. All mail for both ZIP codes are processed in Portland. The Tigard Post Office on Main street has
a ZIP code of 97281, which is used only for post office boxes. Local phone numbers may be within the 503 or 971 area codes.
Local attractions
The John Tigard House, constructed by the son of Wilson M. Tigard in 1880 at the corner of SW
Pacific Hwy and SW Gaarde St, remains, having been saved from demolition in the 1970s by the
Tigard Area Historical and Preservation Association. It became registered as a National Historic Place in 1979, and now resides at the corner of SW Canterbury Lane and SW 103rd.
During the Portland Rose Festival every summer, the Tigard Festival of Balloons is held at Cook Park near
Tigard High School.
Education
The city of Tigard falls mostly under the jurisdiction of the Tigard-Tualatin School District, however some of the northwestern most part of the city
falls under the jurisdiction of the Beaverton School District. The
Tigard-Tualatin School District contains 10 elementary schools, 3 middle schools, and 2 high schools. Tigard is home to
Tigard High School, Fowler Middle School, Twality Middle School, Alberta Rider
Elementary, CF Tigard Elementary, Durham Elementary, Mary Woodward Elementary and Templeton Elementary.
External links
Coordinates:
45.42764° N 122.778974°
W
References
- ^ PSU:Population Research Center
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