Washington County, Oregon
Hillsboro
Washington County’s employment engine, where semiconductor fabs, biotech manufacturing, and light rail sit within a few miles of working farmland.
The Overview
Hillsboro was Oregon’s fifth most populous city at the 2020 Census, with 106,447 residents. Most buyers land here for one of two reasons: a job, or the combination of newer housing stock and a direct MAX line into Portland. Intel remains Oregon’s largest private employer and is centered in Hillsboro at the Ronler Acres campus. Genentech has operated a Hillsboro manufacturing campus since 2006 and announced a roughly $750 million expansion in August 2026, projected to add about 250 permanent manufacturing jobs.
That employment base shapes the buyer pool. I see a lot of engineers and technicians relocating from California, Texas, and Arizona, often on short timelines, plus a steady flow of local move-up buyers coming out of Beaverton and Aloha. Hillsboro also has a large, long-established Latino community and a significant share of foreign-national buyers tied to the tech campuses.
Worth being clear-eyed: Intel has been contracting. Reporting in late 2025 put Intel’s Oregon employment around 18,000, down from a peak near 23,000, after more than 3,100 Oregon positions were cut in 2025. Hillsboro’s economy is broader than it was a decade ago, but Intel news still moves sentiment here faster than in any other Washington County town.
The Housing Stock
Hillsboro has unusually clear housing eras, which makes pricing and inspection expectations more predictable than in most suburbs. The historic downtown core holds early-1900s bungalows and Craftsman-era homes on small, walkable lots, many with knob-and-tube remnants and post-and-pier crawlspaces. Ranch and split-level neighborhoods from the 1950s through 1970s surround Shute Park and run east and southeast toward Reedville, typically on generous lots with mature trees. The 1990s and 2000s brought the Tanasbourne area on the east side: conventional tract subdivisions, two-story plans, smaller yards.
Orenco Station is its own category. Developed starting in 1997 on roughly 209 acres around the Orenco MAX station, it was built to New Urbanist standards: narrow streets, alley-loaded rear garages, homes set close to the sidewalk, small lots offset by shared parks, and a mix of single-family, townhomes, condos and live-work units. It carries HOA structures and design guidelines that buyers coming from conventional subdivisions should read closely.
The newest inventory is South Hillsboro, a 1,400-acre master plan the City projects will hold about 8,000 homes and nearly 20,000 residents at buildout, with roughly 285 acres of parks and about 15 miles of trails. Reed’s Crossing and Butternut Creek are the active communities there. Expect current-code construction, builder warranties, HOA and often supplemental assessments, and phased infrastructure.
Who It Suits
- Tech, semiconductor and biotech employees who want a short commute to Ronler Acres, Jones Farm, or the Genentech campus
- Buyers who want new construction with a builder warranty rather than a 1970s mechanical package
- Car-light households who will actually use MAX Blue Line service to downtown Portland
- Families prioritizing newer schools and park access, since South Hillsboro was planned around both
- Buyers relocating from higher-cost metros who want square footage and a garage without going fully rural
- Anyone who wants a real downtown with a Saturday farmers market
Local Knowledge
- Schools are Hillsboro School District 1J, Oregon’s fourth-largest. High schools include Hillsboro, Glencoe, Century and Liberty. South Hillsboro’s plan identifies future school sites, but construction timing follows enrollment triggers. Confirm current boundaries and capacity, not the plan map.
- MAX Blue Line stations in the city, west to east: Hatfield Government Center, Hillsboro Central, Hillsboro Health District, Washington/SE 12th, Hillsboro Airport/Fairgrounds, Hawthorn Farm, Orenco, and Quatama. Proximity to a station, especially Orenco, consistently commands a premium.
- Parks: Jackson Bottom Wetlands Preserve has about four miles of trails just south of downtown. Orenco Woods Nature Park, Noble Woods, Rood Bridge Park and Shute Park round out a system of more than 30 parks across roughly 1,600 acres.
- The Hillsboro Hops opened a new ballpark on NE Century Blvd in April 2026, about 6,000 seats, expandable to roughly 7,000 for concerts.
- The Oregon International Air Show runs at Hillsboro Airport. If you are buying near the flight path, visit during an event weekend.
- Commute reality: Highway 26 east to Portland backs up hard in both peak directions. TV Highway west to Forest Grove is slow and signal-heavy. Cornelius Pass Road and Brookwood Parkway are the main north-south connectors.
- The TV Highway Transit & Safety Project will bring TriMet FX frequent-express service from Beaverton through Aloha, Hillsboro and Cornelius to Forest Grove, with construction planned 2028 to 2030 and service launch in fall 2030.
Before You Write an Offer
- Airport noise and overflight. Hillsboro Airport is an active general-aviation and training field. Sound levels vary sharply block to block. Go stand in the yard on a clear weekday afternoon.
- Orenco Station HOA documents. Narrow lots, alley garages, shared parking and design review are all normal there, but read the CC&Rs, reserve study, and any special assessments before you waive the resale certificate review period.
- New construction in South Hillsboro. Verify which phase you are in, what infrastructure is still pending, whether the school your child is assigned to is actually built, and what the total HOA plus any supplemental district charge runs annually.
- Pre-1980 homes near downtown and Shute Park. Budget for sewer scoping, electrical panel evaluation, an oil tank search, and radon testing. Decommissioned underground heating oil tanks are common in older Washington County housing.
- Employment concentration risk. If your household income depends on a single Hillsboro campus, factor that into how much payment you want to carry. The 2025 Intel reductions were real.
Related reading: Intel’s Hillsboro Expansion & Forest Grove Real Estate
Relocating for a Hillsboro job?
I have handled a lot of short-timeline tech relocations. If you are weighing Hillsboro against Forest Grove or Beaverton, I can show you honestly what the same money buys in each and what the commute actually costs you.