Washington County Oregon Real Estate

Washington County has grown from 531,000 to over 615,000 in the last 15 years. That's over a 15% increase according to census data. But population growth is only one part of the story. A lot of people think Portland means Multnomah County, downtown, the Pearl District, the neighborhoods everyone talks about. They're not wrong, but they're missing the bigger picture. Washington County is one of the biggest economic powerhouses in the entire Portland area. The Silicon Forest, our tech industry, is concentrated right here. Nike World Headquarters is in Beaverton. Intel has massive campuses in Hillsboro and Aloha. This is where the jobs are, where the housing stock is growing, and where a lot of relocating buyers end up once they understand the lay of the land.

I've been selling real estate on the west side for over 20 years. In this guide, we're going to talk about the major roads that are the connective tissue throughout the entire southwest side of Portland. We'll talk about major employers and economic forces driving things. We'll cover five distinct zones in Washington County: Tigard and King City, Sherwood, Beaverton, Southwest Portland (specifically Raleigh Hills and Garden Home), and Tualatin. Each one costs differently, lives differently, and appeals to different buyers. If you're relocating here from out of state or you're a local buyer trying to figure out where your budget actually goes, this is the map you need.

Now, we can also call this section Tigard / King City because technically King City is also in Tigard. They share the zip code 97224. King City back in the '50s and '60s was notorious for starting as a 55 or older community. For the better part of the last 25 years, it's been building out quietly and adding subdivisions that are not age-restricted. One of the areas building fast and furious right now is Kingston Terrace . All of this area in green on the map, I'm talking clearing the land as we speak. I just drove by part of this yesterday where they cleared acres and acres of land soon to be housing. Kingston Terrace sits at the intersection of Beef Bend and Roy Rogers, and there's a whole subdivision going in as we speak.

The city also has plans to create a Riverwalk along the Tualatin River. They have a lot of plans to enter into retail development. The farms in this area have not been in operation for a long time. A lot of them look like they haven't been touched in 20 years. But all of this has gotten bought up, or most of it has, and the plans are being made. Over the next 5 to 8 years, you're going to see a lot of new construction going in this area. If you drive down Beef Bend, you're going to see a bunch of land being cleared. If you're a gardener and you like to play with plants, you can't beat Al's Garden Center . They have a wine bar, a coffee bar. It's a destination.

You might have heard about Tigard and you may have heard about Bull Mountain . Bull Mountain is one of the biggest areas of Tigard. A lot of build-out over the years, '70s, '80s, '90s, early 2000s, and then you got kind of everything in between. It's really where a lot of people like to look at housing stock because there's just so much variety. Some houses have views, some have big lots, some have no lots, and everything in between. But Bull Mountain is kind of our major neighborhood within the Tigard area. Some of those homes have killer views if you're up high enough.

If you're not on Bull Mountain, you're kind of in the more flat-terrain areas. You've got an older neighborhood called Summerlake Park , built in the '80s. It has a man-made lake in it that's beautiful. This is the most underrated park, in my opinion, on the west side. It's got a great dog park, pickleball courts (they converted all of the tennis courts into pickleball), basketball courts, fields to play and run in. It's kind of buried in the neighborhood, so I'm always surprised when a local has never been there.

Just north of Durham Road is Summerfield , a 55 or older community. It's one of the biggest 55+ communities on the west side. The average sales price in there is going to be in the $600,000 range. They've got condos available too. Now in addition to that 55 or older community, right across Highway 99 is King City , also 55 or older. The housing stock was built in the '60s in this area. It's cheaper than Summerfield, so budget-wise, if you're being budget conscious, you can easily get properties in the $300,000 and $400,000 range in here. They can go up a little bit depending on if it's been renovated or size, but mostly you're looking at that range.

Tigard has Cook Park down near Durham Road. They have the Tigard Festival there every year. It's a great annual event. They let the big balloons up in there. Cook Park butts up against the Tualatin River, and there's trails that go from Tigard, Cook Park, all the way through to Tualatin. Bridgeport Mall sits right at the intersection of I-5 where Lake Oswego, Tualatin, and Tigard meet. I like to call it our California mall. It's indoor-outdoor. I don't know why we have an outdoor mall when we have rain and it gets cold out here. My understanding is it was designed by a California architect, builder, developer who thought it'd be great to have that same feel here.

You're also close to Progress Ridge shopping area, which has a Beaverton address but is technically right up against Tigard. It's the local spot where you can go to New Seasons, and they've got a Big Al's, and they've got all the little shops that you like to get to when you're running errands. Tigard is really close to Lake Oswego. If you cross over Hall Boulevard into Bonita, it dumps you right into Lake Oswego. So Tigard is right next to Lake Oswego, and obviously we've got I-5 running between it.

One thing to be aware of: Highway 217 handles north-south traffic between Beaverton and Tigard, and it backs up pretty badly during rush hour. The WES commuter rail (Westside Express) runs 14.7 miles from Wilsonville to Beaverton, and it's become a selling point for Portland commuters. If you need to get to Portland without sitting in traffic, that's an option. Tigard is a great little spot. I think this is a really great option for a lot of people who are not looking to break the budget either. It's not a budget breaker.

Sherwood sits at the southern edge of Washington County. It has a unique reputation in that people think it's so, so affordable, but actually the numbers don't show that. It's not the cheapest alternative, but it does have a soft landing for numbers. You can get a great house in the $600,000 to $700,000 range. Yes, we see a lot of families enter this community. It has everything kind of baked in. But it also is a great place for some retirees who either want to be close to family or just like the vibe. They do offer some one-level options here and there, or main-level living if that suits your fancy. But it is a slower pace in a very, I would say, family-ish oriented community.

Now, Sherwood, by the looks of it, looks pretty far out. Well, it sits on the outer limits of Washington County. If you kept going west, it would go all the way towards Newberg or the coast. But Sherwood kind of is its own little town. You could pretty much have everything you need in Sherwood. So it feels like a true community. You're still relatively close to a lot of the freeway systems if you had to get to them. Also something to note is it sits out near the country. The one thing that's really attractive for a lot of people who are looking for acreage properties like hobby farms, or I like to call them martini farmers who just want big land and a beautiful view, Sherwood has that.

There's horse farms, there's wineries right out your back door. Literally, if you live in Sherwood and want to get to a winery, we got Ponzi Vineyards out there. You've got the vast beauty of the acreage and seasonality and coastal range. You've got Alloro Vineyards , which is another beautiful Italian-feeling winery. There's a handful of wineries out there. Sherwood has great acreage options for people. These are not cheap in Sherwood. You're going to pay well over a million dollars for acreage properties easily. But if you want killer Mount Hood views from acreage areas, Sherwood delivers.

You can get everything you need in Sherwood. They have all the big box retail stores. They've got Walmart, Target, tons of restaurants you could imagine. They even have a downtown area. You don't actually see the downtown area as easily because it's kind of buried in Sherwood, and they've been building it out. One of the biggest neighborhoods we'll talk about is Woodhaven . It sits right off Highway 99, right next to the YMCA. And it's charming as heck. It's got tree-lined streets. They do holiday events in there. I would say the housing stock in Sherwood is mostly within the last 25 years. Prior to that, it was a lot of older homes, which they do have. But for the most part, they're pretty budget-friendly for a lot of people. But I will say that they've been creeping up.

School systems are really good. Sherwood also has one of the largest high schools in the state of Oregon, Sherwood High School . They've got a big retail area. You got Langer's Farm , which is a family fun center that has bowling and climbing and jungle gyms and all that. They got the Walmarts. They've got a ton of shopping. Budget-wise, you're going to see a lot of the housing in here be in the $600,000 and $700,000 range. You can absolutely get stuff that's more money than that, but $600,000 and $700,000 is the sweet spot for Sherwood, and it does definitely go up from there.

Beaverton is one of the largest cities in all of Washington County. It's where a lot of relocating buyers first look because they hear about some of the proximity to employers. You can get to downtown Portland fast. But one thing that you need to be aware of is Beaverton is massive. The average sales price as we do this video is sitting right around $543,000 in Beaverton. It goes up way up from there. It also goes down from there. It's so big, it literally has it all for everyone. Beaverton runs from Highway 26 south down towards Tigard, goes even a little bit over 217 on the map to the other side, which a lot of people think is like Southwest Portland, but it's still a little bit Beaverton.

Beaverton is one of those areas where when we try to explain it to people, it is huge and it has a ton of options for people. Let's start up close to Highway 26. There are some neighborhoods that have a Beaverton address that are just above Highway 26. There's two main roads that are kind of confusing for people in Beaverton, and that's Highway 8 and Highway 10. But the point is, if you get in here, you can kind of see that we've got a lot going on. There is, this is called Cedar Hills , by the way. That's really confusing for people too because right across the freeway is Cedar Mill, not to be confused with Cedar Hills.

Cedar Hills is an older neighborhood that was built back in the '50s, and it's absolutely charming. I've always thought it's so adorable, and I'm actually shocked more people don't inquire about Cedar Hills, because it's got these charming ranches on big lots, but so cute on big lots. It's really close to the Cedar Hills Crossing shopping area that is underestimated. It's got everything, retailers big and small throughout there, and it's massive. I mean, it's got locally owned coffee and matcha as well as your typical staples stores like Starbucks. You got New Seasons . There's a ton of restaurants that you've probably heard of and some that you haven't heard of.

Now just a little bit west of this is Tektronix . Again, we're talking about the tech area as well because Tektronix is a big employer. They're out here. We've got the Nike employee store. Nike World Headquarters is right in this area. It's stunning. It's huge. Murray Boulevard is one of the main roads that goes up north and south on Highway 26 and connects you to Jenkins Road. I mean, it's almost hard to explain how many parks there are in and around Beaverton. There are a lot of parks throughout.

Let's talk about South Beaverton. So South Beaverton is right up against Tigard. You've got the Progress Ridge shopping area. You've got Sexton Mountain , Cooper Mountain . I know a lot of you have heard of Murray Hill . There are a lot of neighborhoods too where you can get big lots. If you're looking for a quarter to a half acre, we got them. So when you cross over 217 and you're looking for housing, just be aware that you are still in Beaverton. Check that box. But do you have a Beaverton address? We don't know. You might have a Portland address. So the red dotted line on the map is a Beaverton address, but outside of that it is Washington County, but it might be a Portland address.

Southwest Portland gets a lot of buyers tripped up, understandably so. It's a big area and there's pockets of areas, there's pockets of SW Portland that carry a Portland mailing address but are unincorporated Washington County. That means different tax rates, different city services, different everything. Now we just did a video about SW Portland and only 4 neighborhoods in SW Portland. Some of it is in Washington County, which we're covering, and most of it is in Multnomah County. But for people who want to be close into downtown, they want Southwest Portland vibes, Southwest Portland address, but they don't want Multnomah County taxes, this is the spot.

This is one of those confusing things for a lot of people who are coming in from out of state. They assume that if you have a Portland address, you're in Multnomah County. It's not always the case, and so Washington County does have some Portland address areas we're going to talk about. The boundaries for Washington County are between Highway 26, 217, and Highway 99. The red dots on the map show where Washington County is. Raleigh Hills , if you've heard of this name of this particular area, it's Southwest Portland but it's Washington County.

This area is really popular because you're really close to downtown Portland. You can get to downtown Portland without ever getting on a freeway. There are some main artery roads like Highway 10 that'll take you right into downtown. There's a lot of back roads too, so you got your options. Oregon Episcopal School is right in this area. This is one of the most reputable private schools in Southwest Portland. A lot of people like to be close to it because they can just drive their kids there before they head into work.

This area of Raleigh Hills, if you cruise through the neighborhoods, which we've done, you're going to see some beautiful 1950s, '60s ranches on big lots with beautiful landscaping, and a lot of those houses have been redone. Again, you're going to pay a lot for those houses. Many of them go for $1 million, some more, some less, depending. These are legacy neighborhoods. A lot of these homes have been passed down generationally to Portlanders. They were built a long time ago. But locationally, you kind of get the best of both worlds, right? You're in Washington County, so you're not paying those crazy absorbent property taxes that you are in Multnomah County. You're also really close to Washington Square , which is our main mall on the west side. Across the way is Nordstrom Rack.

Garden Home is also in Washington County, and this whole area kind of butts up against Raleigh Hills. So these areas have to get an honorable mention because it's Southwest Portland. Again, older inventory, right? What you're going to find in Portland is that it can be really, really eclectic, especially in Southwest Portland, all throughout Southwest Portland really. There's a lot of variety. You can get a million-dollar home next to a 1940s bungalow and everything in between. You're close to a lot of things. You can get on the major freeways, you can get to downtown Portland without having to get on a freeway.

So while it's not a very big area, I wanted to note it because it is Washington County. And so for those of you guys that are looking at Southwest Portland area, it feels easier on the pocketbook for taxes. Really close to downtown Portland. Can get downtown without freeway. Best of both worlds. Washington County tax benefits. Portland mailing address but unincorporated Washington County, not Multnomah County. Different tax rates, city services than Multnomah County. Not paying high Multnomah County property taxes. Legacy neighborhoods, some generationally passed down. Older inventory, very eclectic. Land already built out.

Tualatin sits south of Tigard on I-5, and it's the zone that surprises a lot of relocating buyers. I kind of feel like people miss Tualatin a lot, like the personality of it sort of doesn't come through on a map. You can get houses in the $500,000s in Tualatin. It's going to be built probably in the '70s or '80s, but hey, $500,000 on the west side, not bad. Houses are 3-4 bedrooms. But this is like kind of a tighter area because there is a lot of commercial. Don't underestimate that. And so for a lot of people who maybe are working in the tech corridor or need to get on the freeway system fast, this is a great alternative for many.

Now, Tualatin and Tigard, in my opinion, are almost sister cities. They share a similar location. They're right next to each other. They share the school district, and they have a very similar feel in a lot of ways. Now, distinctively, Tualatin is much more south. A lot of the neighborhoods are in and around I-5. Locationally, it's really a unique spot, and it has a ton of retail and industrial and commercial in it. But in fact, it does have a lot of really great neighborhoods. And it's really close to a lot of other cities, as you can kind of see on the map.

When we start over on the east side of I-5, you can see there's a hospital system. There's the Tualatin-Sherwood Road interchange. When we start in this area, there's Borland Road, and that runs into West Linn. You've got the Tualatin River which runs along it. This is kind of the little area that's Tualatin. Not a very big area, but again, you do have some neighborhoods right here. And then you immediately jump over the freeway. And then you're in this kind of older neighborhood built in the '80s.

Now, Tualatin-Sherwood is our main road that goes all the way through Tualatin. Most of this inventory in here has been built in the '80s, a few in the '90s here and there. Then you have this area that's off 124th and Herman Road that's really important to talk about. Why? Lam Research . Lam Semiconductor, this is one of the biggest employers in all of Tualatin. In fact, it just was announced in the news about a week and a half ago that Lam Research is expanding. Lam Research is a semiconductor company that has a lot of companies involved with it, like Intel and whatnot. A lot of industrial going on back here, so a lot of companies back here. If you drive back in there, you can kind of see as you go down the Tualatin-Sherwood Road that there's just companies. Those are not houses, clearly. Those are companies.

Yes, there is a park called Ibach Park . And then there's a bunch of beautiful homes in this neighborhood. These are big footprint houses, so 2,500 square feet to 4,000 square feet homes built by legacy builders of their time. And so when you say Ibach Park or off Graham's Ferry, a lot of people are like, oh yeah, I know the area. Just south of Bridgeport, which is right there, is the next exit, which is the Tualatin exit. And you've got this whole area in here where it's retail retail. You got Michaels, you've got Dave's Hot Chicken. You come over here a little bit more, you do also have more retail.

There's a lake on the map. It looks like a lake, but it's a man-made lake and it's very, very, very shallow, so don't get excited. And then you got the Fred Meyer . Fred Meyer is one of our bigger retailers. They're kind of like, they've got groceries, they got HomeGoods, they got clothes, they got it all. If you go a little bit further down, you got another shopping area down here which has other food. And then some food places like Outback and Buffalo Wild Wings. And then outside of that, you've got industrial. You keep going down the Sherwood Road and you just hit business park after business park after business park. So it's very dense with business, commerce if you will.

But we do have neighborhoods, so you can see this whole white area that goes down off Avery. This is all neighborhoods. So I would say Tualatin is a great option for a lot of people, especially for a certain price point. A lot of people really like the vibe of being in Tualatin. But again, it's very dense with retail, commercial, business, etc. Solid school system. Solid communities and neighborhoods. Great alternative for tech corridor workers. Fast freeway access. Surprises relocating buyers, often missed. Almost sister city to Tigard. Shares school district with Tigard. Similar feel to Tigard. Much more south than Tigard. Really close to freeway. A lot of commercial area. Tighter area.

Choose Tigard / King City if you want the best bang for your buck, massive new construction, and you don't want to break the budget. You're close to Lake Oswego, you've got the WES commuter rail if you need to get to Portland, and you've got a ton of parks and shopping. Bull Mountain has views. Summerlake Park is underrated. King City 55+ housing is in the $300,000 to $400,000 range. Summerfield 55+ is around $600,000. Highway 217 backs up during rush hour, so plan your commute accordingly.

Choose Sherwood if you want a residential community that feels like its own town, you want a strong school system, and you're okay with the $600,000 to $700,000 sweet spot. Sherwood has all the big box retail, a downtown area, parks, and it's close to wineries and rural areas. If you want acreage or hobby farms, Sherwood has that, but you're going to pay well over a million dollars. Killer Mount Hood views from acreage areas. Not as affordable as the reputation suggests, but a soft landing for numbers. Newer construction is limited because there's not a lot of land to build on.

Choose Beaverton if you want massive options and you're okay with doing your homework on which part of Beaverton you're actually in. Average sales price is around $543,000, but it goes way up and way down from there. You can get an urban or semi-urban feel. You're close to Nike World Headquarters, Tektronix, and you can get to downtown Portland fast. Cedar Hills has charming '50s ranches on big lots. Downtown Beaverton has an impressive food scene and my favorite farmers market. South Beaverton includes Progress Ridge, Sexton Mountain, Cooper Mountain, Murray Hill. Big lots available (quarter to half acre) in some neighborhoods. Check county boundaries carefully because some Beaverton addresses are in Washington County but may have a Portland address.

Choose Southwest Portland (Raleigh Hills / Garden Home) if you want to be really close to downtown Portland, you want Washington County tax benefits, and you're okay with older inventory. Many homes are $1 million+, some less depending. You can get downtown without a freeway. Highway 10 takes you right into downtown. Raleigh Hills has beautiful 1950s-'60s ranches on big lots, many redone. Garden Home butts up against Raleigh Hills. Legacy neighborhoods, some generationally passed down. You're close to Washington Square mall. Easier on the pocketbook for taxes because you're not paying high Multnomah County property taxes.

Choose Tualatin if you want a solid school system, solid communities, and you're okay with a tighter area that's very dense with retail, commercial, and business. Houses in the $500,000 range (built '70s-'80s), 3-4 bedrooms. Great alternative for tech corridor workers. Fast freeway access. Almost sister city to Tigard. Shares school district with Tigard. Similar feel to Tigard. Much more south than Tigard. Really close to freeway. Lam Research is a major employer. Surprises relocating buyers, often missed.

Zone	Price Range	Vibe	Commute	Trade-Offs
Tigard / King City	$300k, $600k+	Best bang for buck, massive new construction	WES rail to Beaverton, I-5 access, Highway 217 backs up	Growing fast, some areas still building out
Sherwood	$600k, $700k sweet spot, acreage $1M+	residential, slower pace, feels like own town	Relatively close to freeway systems	Not as affordable as reputation, limited new construction
Beaverton	$543k average, wide range	Massive with options for everyone, urban or semi-urban	Close to Highway 217, Highway 26, fast to downtown Portland	Huge city, check county boundaries carefully
SW Portland (Raleigh Hills / Garden Home)	$1M+, some less	Close to downtown, Washington County tax benefits	Highway 10 to downtown, no freeway needed	Older inventory, eclectic, land already built out
Tualatin	$500k range (built '70s-'80s)	Solid schools, tighter area, dense with commercial	Fast freeway access, close to I-5	A lot of commercial area, often missed by relocating buyers

Washington County has grown from 531,000 to over 615,000 in the last 15 years. That's over a 15% increase. But it's not just about population. Washington County is one of the biggest economic powerhouses in the entire Portland area. The Silicon Forest is right here. Nike World Headquarters is in Beaverton. Intel has massive campuses in Hillsboro and Aloha. This is where the jobs are, where the housing stock is growing, and where a lot of relocating buyers end up once they understand the lay of the land.

At the beginning of this guide, I told you that people tend to get it wrong. They think Portland, Multnomah County, is the only big metro in the area. And in fact, not true. Washington County, as you read today, offers a ton and is a juggernaut in our Portland metro area. Choosing where to live isn't just about finding a house you like. The difference between choosing the right part of Washington County and the wrong one can actually cost you time, money, and peace of mind. It can feel very confusing, overwhelming. You might not choose the areas you want to live in, or you might think you got it figured out and then realize you didn't.

Getting a real licensed, experienced agent on a Zoom call like us matters. We've got over 36 years of experience combined between me and my team member. We'd love to do that for you. So if that is you, take us up on this. We talk to a lot of local buyers on Zoom. We talk to relocation buyers reading this from out of area or anywhere in between who need to figure out their local strategy. Zoom link, same real conversation, zero pressure. That's how we operate. Grab a time that works for you and we'll see you on there!

FAQ: Washington County Oregon Real Estate

What is the average home price in Washington County Oregon?

The average sales price varies by city. Beaverton sits around $543,000. Sherwood's sweet spot is $600,000 to $700,000. Tualatin has houses in the $500,000 range (built '70s-'80s). Tigard and King City offer the best bang for your buck, with King City 55+ housing in the $300,000 to $400,000 range and Summerfield 55+ around $600,000. Southwest Portland (Raleigh Hills / Garden Home) has many homes $1 million+, some less depending.

Is Washington County cheaper than Multnomah County for property taxes?

Yes. If you have a Portland mailing address but you're in unincorporated Washington County (like Raleigh Hills or Garden Home), you're not paying high Multnomah County property taxes. You get different tax rates and city services. That's one reason Southwest Portland areas in Washington County are popular, you're close to downtown Portland but easier on the pocketbook for taxes.

Which Washington County city has local schools?

Sherwood has a strong school system and one of the largest high schools in the state of Oregon (Sherwood High School). Tualatin shares a school district with Tigard and has solid schools. Beaverton has many neighborhoods where clients have done their homework and know the schools are good. Always verify current information with the school district, as ratings and boundaries can change.

Where is the most new construction in Washington County?

Tigard and King City have massive new construction going in right now. Kingston Terrace at the intersection of Beef Bend and Roy Rogers is a whole subdivision going in as we speak. They're clearing acres and acres of land for housing. Over the next 5 to 8 years, you're going to see a lot of new construction in this area. Sherwood has some newer construction, but it's not robust because there's not a lot of land to build on. Beaverton has peppering of new construction throughout.

What are the major employers in Washington County?

Nike World Headquarters is in Beaverton. Intel has massive campuses in Hillsboro and Aloha. Tektronix is a big employer in the Beaverton area. Lam Research (semiconductor company) is one of the biggest employers in Tualatin and just announced an expansion. The Silicon Forest (tech industry) is concentrated in Washington County. This is where the jobs are.

How is the commute from Washington County to downtown Portland?

It depends on where you are. Southwest Portland (Raleigh Hills / Garden Home) is really close to downtown Portland. You can get downtown without a freeway. Highway 10 takes you right into downtown. Beaverton can get to downtown Portland fast. Highway 26 (Sunset Highway) is the main artery from downtown Portland through Cedar Mill to Bethany and west into Hillsboro. Highway 217 handles north-south traffic between Beaverton and Tigard and backs up badly during rush hour. The WES commuter rail runs 14.7 miles from Wilsonville to Beaverton and is a selling point for Portland commuters. I-5 handles Tualatin and Sherwood at the south end.

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