Gresham

Gresham, Oregon
—  City  —
NW Burnside at night in Gresham
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
Named for	Walter Q. Gresham
Government
• Mayor	Shane T. Bemis
Area
• City	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 (2010)
• City	105,594 (253rd)
• Density	4,504.5/sq mi (1,736.1/km2)
• Urban	102,033
• Metro	2,241,841
Time zone	Pacific (UTC-8)
• Summer (DST)	Pacific (UTC-7)
ZIP codes	97030, 97080, 97233
Area code(s)	503 and 971
FIPS code	41-31250[1]
GNIS feature ID	1121424[2]
Website	www.greshamoregon.gov

Gresham ( /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 105,594 at the 2010 census. This makes Gresham the fourth largest city in Oregon.

History

This section needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (September 2010)

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 Q. 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 and the Willamette Valley.^[3] 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.^{[citation needed]}

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 22.2 square miles (57 km²), of which 22.1 square miles (57 km²) is land and 0.1 square miles (0.26 km²) is water. The total area is 0.40% water, which includes parts of Fairview Creek and Johnson Creek.

Climate

Demographics

Graph showing the city's population trend^[5]

As of the census^[1] of 2010, there were 105,594 people, 41,015 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 4,551.3 per square mile (615.5/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 68.7% White, 4.3% Asian, 3.5% African American, 1.3% Native American, 0.7% Pacific Islander, 7.02% from other races, and 4.5% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 18.9% 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^[6]

• 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

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.^[7] 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

More information on the City of Gresham Mayor and Council

• Shane Bemis, Mayor
• David Widmark, since 2007 - current Council President
• Paul Warr-King, since 2005
• Josh Fuhrer, since 2009
• Karylinn Echols, since 2011
• John H. Kilian, since 2011
• Lori Stegmann, since 2011

Education

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

Arts and Culture

This section requires expansion.

• Center for the Arts Plaza
• Gresham Art Walk

Transportation

Highways

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

Mass Transit

MAX Blue Line in Gresham
Legend East 162nd Avenue East 172nd Avenue East 181st Avenue Rockwood/E. 188th Ave. Ruby Junction/E. 197th Ave. Civic Drive Gresham City Hall Gresham Central TC Cleveland Avenue

Gresham is serviced by TriMet's bus system and the MAX Light Rail Blue Line, which includes the following MAX stations:

• East 162nd Avenue
• East 172nd Avenue
• East 181st Avenue
• Rockwood/East 188th Avenue (serving the Rockwood neighborhood)
• Ruby Junction/East 197th Avenue
• Civic Drive (opened on December 1, 2010)
• Gresham City Hall
• Gresham Central Transit Center
• Cleveland Avenue (Blue Line's eastern terminus)

Gresham is also served by the fareless Sandy Area Metro shuttle bus to Sandy, Oregon.

Bicycle/pedestrian trails

• Springwater Corridor
• 40 Mile Loop

Notable people

• ‎Randy Alcorn, Christian author
• Shannon Bex, member of girl group Danity Kane
• Brian Burres, Major League Baseball pitcher
• Randy Couture, mixed martial arts fighter
• 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
• Sokcho, South Korea
• Owerri, Nigeria

References

External links

• Entry for Gresham in the Oregon Blue Book
• Gresham Library
• Gresham Chamber of Commerce
• Historic Downtown Gresham

v t e Municipalities and communities of Multnomah County, Oregon, United States County seat: Portland Cities Fairview Gresham Lake Oswego‡ Maywood Park Milwaukie‡ Portland‡ Troutdale Wood Village Unincorporated communities Bonneville Bridal Veil Corbett Dodson Dunthorpe Interlachen Kings Heights Latourell Riverview Riverwood Springdale Warrendale Footnotes ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties

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