Wilsonville, Oregon
Encyclopedia
Wilsonville is a city primarily in Clackamas County
, Oregon
, United States
. A portion of the northern section of the city is in Washington County
. Originally founded as Boones Landing due to the Boones Ferry
which crossed the Willamette River
at the location, the community became Wilsonville in 1880. The city was incorporated in 1969 with a population of around 1,000. The population was 13,991 at the 2000 census
, and grew to 19,509 at the 2010 census. Slightly more than 90% of residents at the 2000 census were White, with Hispanics as the largest minority group.
Located within the Portland metropolitan area
, the city also includes the planned community of Charbonneau
on the south side of the river. The city is bisected by Interstate 5
and includes I-5's Boone Bridge over the Willamette. Public transportation is provided by the city's South Metro Area Regional Transit, which includes Wilsonville Station
on the Westside Express Service operated by TriMet
. Students in public schools attend schools in the West Linn-Wilsonville
and Canby
school districts, including the only traditional high school, Wilsonville High School
. Clackamas Community College
and Pioneer Pacific College
both have campuses in the city.
Wilsonville has a council-manager form of government and operates its own library, public works, and parks department. Fire and police protection are contracted out to other regional government agencies. The city is home to several technology companies including Mentor Graphics
, along with a campus of Xerox
, the largest employer in the city. Wilsonville contains many distribution and manufacturing buildings adjacent to Interstate 5 such as regional distribution facilities for Coca Cola and Rite Aid
. Retail centers include Argyle Square on the north and the Town Center Shopping Center to the south. Media in Wilsonville consists of the Portland area broadcast stations, regional newspapers, and the local Wilsonville Spokesman
newspaper.
, the grandson of Daniel Boone
, settled in what would later become Wilsonville in 1846 and established the Boones Ferry
across the Willamette River
in 1847. The ferry gave rise to the community of Boones Landing, which eventually grew into Wilsonville. Originally, the area was part of what became Yamhill County
, but was transferred to the current Clackamas County in 1855. The first post office was established in 1876 with the name, Boones Ferry.
Wilsonville became the name of the community on June 3, 1880, named after the first postmaster, Charles Wilson. That same year the first school, Wilsonville Grade School, was opened as a single-room building. By 1890, the railroad had reached town and the community contained depot, several hotels, a saloon, a tavern, a bank, and several other commercial establishments. In 1897, the twelve school districts in the vicinity of Wilsonville up to Lake Oswego
merged to create a single district. A railroad bridge was built across the river for the Oregon Electric Railway
beginning in 1906. The bridge was completed the next year and service from Wilsonville south to Salem began in 1908.
A new Methodist church was built in the community in 1910, which was used until 1988 and is still standing. Two years later, a new two-room school replaced the old one-room school
, which in turn was replaced by a modern school in the mid 1900s, all on the same property. In 1939, the wooden trestle part of the railroad bridge across the Willamette caught fire and burned. Boones Ferry was decommissioned after the Boone Bridge opened in 1954 carrying what was then the Baldock Freeway, and is today Interstate 5.
In 1961, the Dammasch State Hospital
mental hospital opened on the west side of the community. Gordon House
, the only house in Oregon
to be designed by architect Frank Lloyd Wright
, was built in 1963 near what became Charbonneau and moved to the Oregon Garden
in 2001. Wilsonville was flooded in 1964 and the first fire station was built in 1966. Wilsonville was incorporated as a city in 1969 with a population of about 1,000. In 1971, the planned community of Charbonneau
on the south side of the river was annexed into the city the year after development began.
Tektronix
built a campus in the city beginning in 1973, which was later sold to Xerox
. The following year Wilsonville's city hall relocated from Tauchman House at what is now Boones Ferry Park to a trailer and the next year the first city manager was hired. A standalone post office was built in 1976 at Boones Ferry and Wilsonville roads, with city police protection added in 1979. In 1980, the city reached a population of 2,920, and in 1982 the library was opened. The next year, a new city hall was opened, replacing a trailer that had served as city hall since 1975.
In 1988, the city opened their first library building, which replaced the one-room library located in space leased from the school district. The population grew to 7,106 at the 1990 census, and in 1991 the Town Center Shopping Center along Wilsonville Road opened. Due to growth in the West Linn-Wilsonville School District, the school board approved building a new high school to be located in Wilsonville in 1992.
Author Walt Morey
owned an estate in Wilsonville and after his death in 1992, his widow sold the property to a developer. The housing development built on that property, Morey's Landing, bears his name as does the children's section of the Wilsonville Public Library. Living Enrichment Center
, a New Thought Church founded by Mary Manin Morrissey
with as many as 3,000 members, was headquartered in Wilsonville from 1992 until 2004. The church closed that year after problems that including money laundering by Morrissey's husband led to the bankrupting of the church.
In 1995, Dammasch State Hospital was closed by the state of Oregon, and the site was then proposed as a location for what became the Coffee Creek Correctional Facility
, which opened in 2001 at a different site to the north of the old hospital grounds. In protest of the construction of the prison, specifically the effect on property values, Larry Eaton began erecting school bus
es on his property. The former grounds of the state hospital are, as of 2009, under development as Villebois, a primarily residential complex. Also in 1995, Wilsonville High School
opened as part of the West Linn-Wilsonville School District
, the first high school in the city's history. In 1998, lack of an adequate long-term water supply forced the city to suspend adding any new developments to the city. A new water treatment plant on the Willamette River opened in 2002 to address this need.
The Wilsonville Public Library was expanded to nearly four times the size of the 7500 ft2 1988 building with an expansion finished in 2002. Wilsonville Primary School was closed in June 2001, and later sold with the property and turned into a shopping center, anchored by an Albertsons supermarket. In September 2006, Wilsonville opened a new $9.9 million, two-story brick and steel city hall
after a controversy concerning its location led to unsuccessful attempts to recall several elected officials in the city, including the mayor.
Wilsonville is located on the southern edge of the Portland metropolitan area
sitting at an elevation of 154 feet (46.9 m) above sea level. Primarily in the southwestern part of Clackamas County, the northern section is in Washington County. It is located on the north side of the Willamette River
around where Alphonse Boone established the Boones Ferry. Neighboring cities are Tualatin
on the north, Sherwood
to the northwest, and Canby
and Aurora
to the southeast. Newberg
in Yamhill County
is approximately 14 miles west along Wilsonville Road. The Willamette separates the majority of the city from Charbonneau, a planned community and neighborhood within the city limits, on the south.
According to the 2000 census, the city has a total area of 6.9 square miles (17.9 km²), a figure which the city says has grown to 7.4 square miles (19.2 km²) by July 2005. For the 2000 figure, 6.7 square miles (17.4 km²) is land and 0.2 square mile (0.5 km²) (2.75%) is water. Waterways in addition to the Willamette River include Arrowhead Creek, Meridian Creek, Basalt Creek, Seely Ditch, Boeckman Creek, and Coffee Lake Creek. The Boeckman and Coffee Lake creeks account for 85% of the runoff in Wilsonville. Coffee Lake Creek is on the west side of the city and includes Coffee Lake and the Coffee Lake Wetlands. The foothills of the Chehalem Mountains
lie to the west of Wilsonville, with most land within the city on level ground.
Wilsonville divides the city into 16 neighborhood groups, designated A through P. Within each of these planning areas are individual neighborhoods, and occasionally a neighborhood spans several of these groups. For instance the Villebois development covers areas D through G. Individual neighborhoods include Charbonneau, Wilsonville Meadows, Canyon Creek North, Town Center, RiverGreen, Frog Pond, and Old Town to name a few. Wilsonville’s Old Town neighborhood, the oldest of the neighborhoods, is located south of Wilsonville Road along Boones Ferry Road adjacent to the landing of the old Boones Ferry
and contains the original portions of the town.
, is within the Marine west coast climate zone. Summers in Wilsonville are generally warm, but temperatures year-round are moderated by a marine influence from the Pacific Ocean
. Wilsonville receives most of its precipitation
during the mild to cool winter months, with the wettest period from November through March. July and August are the warmest months with an average high temperature of 80 °F (27 °C), while December is the coolest month with an average low of 33 °F (0.555555555559977 °C). December is also on average the wettest month with 6.75 inches (171.5 mm). The highest recorded temperature, 105 °F (41 °C), has occurred on August 11, 1981; August 13, 1977; August 18, 1977; and September 3, 1988. Wilsonville's lowest ever recorded temperature was -15 °F on December 23, 1998.
that opened in the city in 2001.
As of the census
of 2000, there were 13,991 people, 5,937 households, and 3,775 families residing in the city. The population density
was 2,085.3 people per square mile (805.1/km²). There were 6,407 housing units at an average density of 954.9 per square mile (368.7/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 90.45% White, 2.22% Asian, 0.66% African American, 0.70% Native American, 0.16% Pacific Islander, 3.15% from other races
, and 2.65% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 6.94% of the population.
There were 5,937 households out of which 30.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.5% were married couples
living together, 8.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.4% were non-families. 28.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.34 and the average family size was 2.89. Median home cost was $200,972 in 2000 and had grown to $316,400 by 2006.
In the city the population was spread out with 24.6% under the age of 18, 9.4% from 18 to 24, 31.4% from 25 to 44, 20.2% from 45 to 64, and 14.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 94.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.7 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $52,515, and the median income for a family was $65,172. This income level is higher than the county, state, and national median income levels. Males had a median income of $43,480 versus $28,395 for females. The per capita income
for the city was $29,786. About 3.0% of families and 5.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 3.7% of those under age 18 and 8.2% of those age 65 or over.
maker Mentor Graphics
; imaging systems manufacturer FLIR Systems
; and shoe retailer Solestruck
. G.I. Joe's, a sporting goods and automotive
parts retailer was based in Wilsonville until bankruptcy in 2009, as was drugstore chain Thrifty PayLess
until it was bought by Rite Aid
in 1996, and video rental retailer Movie Gallery
and its subsidiary Hollywood Video
were as well until bankruptcy in 2010.
Copier and printer manufacturer Xerox
operates a large facility in Wilsonville, and is the city's largest employer. The company acquired the color printing and imaging division of Tektronix
corporation in 2000. Xerox, Mentor Graphics, and FLIR are all adjacent to each other north of Boeckman Road along Parkway Avenue. Projector maker InFocus
was headquartered in the city until December 2009 and was located next to FLIR. InFocus and Mentor were both founded by former employees of Tektronix.
Wilsonville is home to many other business located in industrial parks straddling Interstate 5 that are filled with manufacturing and distribution facilities. Xerox and Mentor Graphics are the city's two largest employers as of 2006, the only two to employ more than 1000 people. Other large employers in the city are Tyco Electronics
(Precision Interconnect), Sysco
Food Services, and Rite Aid
. Additionally, Coca-Cola
operates a bottling plant in the city. Nike
had one of its U.S. distribution centers for footwear in Wilsonville until closing it in 2009.
Retail in Wilsonville is concentrated mainly along Wilsonville Road near the Interstate 5 interchange. This includes the Town Center Shopping Center and related developments along Town Center Loop, which includes Fry's Electronics
, one of the largest employers in the city. Fred Meyer
plans to build a store and shopping complex adjacent to the freeway interchange around 2010. At the north end of town is the 42 acres (17 ha) Argyle Square shopping center that opened in 2003, which includes a Target
store, Office Depot
, and Costco
as anchor tenants. South of the Willamette River, Charbonneau has a small commercial center with about 10 shops.
, and the local paper, the Wilsonville Spokesman
. The Spokesman is published once a week on Wednesdays and has a circulation of 3,176. There is a single movie theater operated by Regal Cinemas
, which contains nine screens. The theater opened in 1996 and featured the first stadium style seating in the Northwest.
Wilsonville Public Library, founded in 1982, is a member of Library Information Network of Clackamas County
and had an annual circulation of 493,000 in 2006 to 2007. The library is located adjacent to Wilsonville Memorial Park
, the largest and oldest of the city's 12 parks. Memorial Park includes a water feature, athletic fields, and the Stein-Boozier Barn used as meeting space, among other amenities. Town Center Park
also has a water feature along with a visitor's center operated by the Clackamas County and the Oregon Korean War Memorial
. Other parks in the city are River Fox Park, Park at Merryfield, Montebello Park, Hathaway Park, Courtside Park, Tranquil Park, Willamette River Water Treatment Plant Park, Willow Creek/Landover Park, Canyon Creek Park, and Boones Ferry Park located on the Willamette River at the landing for the defunct Boones Ferry
.
The Wilsonville Community Center holds classes and community programs as well as community meeting space. Wilsonville holds an annual arts fair each May called the Wilsonville Festival of Arts. Another annual event, Wilsonville Celebration Days, started in 2000 and replaced Boones Ferry Days. A farmers' market
started in 2009 at the Villebois development, held on Sundays from May into October. Charbonneau Golf Club is the only golf course
in the city, with Langdon Farms and Sandelie just to the south and east respectively. Wilsonville also is along the Willamette Greenway series of open spaces and trails. Wilsonville is the setting for the 2008 film Wendy and Lucy
.
Wilsonville has a home rule charter and is a council-manager governed municipality where the unelected city manager
runs day-to-day operations. The current city manager is Arlene Loble. The mayor and four-person city council are elected to four-year terms, with Tim Knapp as mayor (term ends 2013) and council members of Alan Kirk (term ends 2011), Michelle Ripple (term ends 2011), Celia Núñez (term ends 2013), and Steven Hurst (term ends 2013).
Both fire protection and police protection are contracted to other area governmental agencies. Fire services are provided by Tualatin Valley Fire & Rescue, and that agency operates two fire station
s in the city. Police service is contracted out to the Clackamas County Sheriff's Office
, with a lieutenant serving as the chief of police and officers using vehicles marked as Wilsonville Police. The city’s Parks and Recreation Department runs 12 parks, with Memorial Park the largest at 126 acres (51 ha).
Wilsonville also provides both its own water supply and wastewater
treatment. The wastewater system was built in 1972, while the water system was upgraded with a new treatment plant in 2002. Water is drawn from the Willamette River from the Wilsonville Water Treatment Plant built at a cost of $46 million in conjunction with the Tualatin Valley
Water District. Previously, the city used wells to provide drinking water, but those began to run dry in the late 1990s. The plant’s initial capacity was 15 million gallons per day, but can be expanded to 120 million gallons per day. Neighboring Sherwood
will begin receiving water from the plant in 2012.
The city has a single library branch, a 28677 ft2 building on Wilsonville Road. The majority of the city is within the West Linn-Wilsonville School District
, but the Charbonneau area is part of the Canby School District
. Public transit is provided by the city through SMART, though TriMet
has connections via buses at the northern limits of the city and with the Westside Express Service commuter rail.
At the federal level, Wilsonville is primarily within Oregon's 5th congressional district
, represented by Kurt Schrader
, but the portions lying within Washington County are in the 1st district
, represented by David Wu
. In the State Senate
, the city is in District 13, represented by Larry George
. In the House
, the city is represented by Matt Wingard
in House District 26. In addition, Wilsonville lies within District 3 (Carl Hosticka) of the Metro
regional government.
Most of Wilsonville is in the West Linn-Wilsonville School District
(WLWSD), however those portions south of the Willamette River
are within the Canby School District
. Areas just to the west lie within the Sherwood School District
. Boeckman Creek and Boones Ferry primary schools serve K-5 students from Wilsonville in WLWSD. Students in grades 6-8 attend Inza R. Wood Middle School, and high school students attend Wilsonville High School
or the Arts and Technology High School
(ArtTech). Neither the Canby or Sherwood districts operate schools within Wilsonville.
The city is also in the Clackamas Community College
District and has a satellite campus on Town Center Loop. Opened in 1992, the campus was originally known as the Oregon Advanced Technology Center. The private, for profit Pioneer Pacific College
operates a campus, their main campus, in the city along Interstate 5 near the Boeckman Road overpass.
Boeckman Creek Primary School opened in 1990 and has 649 students, with a mascot of the Bobcats. Boones Ferry replaced the old Wilsonville Primary School in 2001; its 809 students make it the largest primary school in the district, and are known as the Dragonflies. Wood Middle School opened in 1980 and has 699 students, known as the Wolverines. Wilsonville High has been the home of the Wildcats since the 1,002-student school opened in 1995. The ArtTech charter high school has 85 students, and opened in 2005.
Interstate 5
runs north-south through the middle of the city and crosses the Willamette River on the Boone Bridge. Wilsonville has two interchanges with the freeway north of the river, at Wilsonville Road on the south and where Boones Ferry Road meets Elligsen Road on the north end of town. To the south of the river, the Charbonneau interchange crosses I-5 at the southern limit of the city. Boeckman Road is the only other street that crosses I-5 and links the western and eastern parts of Wilsonville. Wilsonville Road, 95th Avenue, Boones Ferry Road (northern portion is Oregon Route 141), Boeckman Road, Town Center Loop, French Prairie Drive, Elligsen Road, Parkway Avenue, and Stafford Road are the main roads in the city.
Transit service was formerly provided by TriMet
, but the city decided to "opt-out" and now operates South Metro Area Regional Transit (SMART). SMART has connections with Salem's transit service, Canby's transit service, and TriMet. The Westside Express Service (WES), a commuter rail line to Beaverton
, began operations in February 2009. Wilsonville Station
is the southern terminus of the nearly 15 miles (24.1 km) line operated by TriMet, and the station is the hub for SMART services.
Freight rail service is provided by the Portland and Western Railroad
over the same tracks as WES, with connections to BNSF Railway
. These tracks run north-south and cross the Willamette over the Portland and Western Railroad Bridge. The city does not have an airport, with Aurora State Airport
to the south as the closest public field and Portland International Airport
17 miles north as the closest commercial airport. Although located along the river, there are not any port facilities, though there is a marina located on the eastbank (south side) of the Willamette.
The city has been home to a variety of notable people ranging from politicians to athletes and authors. Famous politicians to call Wilsonville home include former governor George Law Curry
, Congresswoman Edith Green
, and former mayor and state representative Jerry Krummel
. Athletes of note have included football player Derek Devine
, professional golfer Brian Henninger
, and baseball player and manager Del Baker
. Those prominent in the legal field are James M. Burns
, Gordon Sloan
, and R. William Riggs
. Others include children's author Walt Morey
, ferryman Alphonso Boone
, businessman Tom Bruggere
, and baseball coach Mel Krause
, and actor Frank Cady
.
relationship. The city established a relationship with Kitakata
, in the Fukushima
province in Japan
in 1988. Kitakata in the northern part of Honshū
has an estimated population of around 55,000. Then Wilsonville Mayor Jerry Krummel
visited Japan in 1994 to attend a ceremony honoring Kitakata's 40th birthday. The mayor of Kitakata visited Wilsonville in 2008 to celebrate the twentieth anniversary of the relationship.
Clackamas County, Oregon
Clackamas County is a county located in the U.S. state of Oregon. The county was named after the Native Americans living in the area, the Clackamas Indians, who were part of the Chinookan people. As of 2010, the population was 375,992...
, Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. A portion of the northern section of the city is in Washington County
Washington County, Oregon
- Major highways :* Interstate 5* Interstate 205* U.S. Route 26* Oregon Route 6* Oregon Route 8* Oregon Route 10* Oregon Route 47* Oregon Route 99W* Oregon Route 210* Oregon Route 217* Oregon Route 219-Demographics:...
. Originally founded as Boones Landing due to the Boones Ferry
Boones Ferry
Boones Ferry was a cable ferry which crossed the Willamette River near present day Wilsonville, Oregon, USA, from 1847 to 1954. It was part of a major land-based thoroughfare in pioneer times linking fledging Portland with the pre-territorial government at Champoeg, and later Salem...
which crossed the Willamette River
Willamette River
The Willamette River is a major tributary of the Columbia River, accounting for 12 to 15 percent of the Columbia's flow. The Willamette's main stem is long, lying entirely in northwestern Oregon in the United States...
at the location, the community became Wilsonville in 1880. The city was incorporated in 1969 with a population of around 1,000. The population was 13,991 at the 2000 census
United States Census, 2000
The Twenty-second United States Census, known as Census 2000 and conducted by the Census Bureau, determined the resident population of the United States on April 1, 2000, to be 281,421,906, an increase of 13.2% over the 248,709,873 persons enumerated during the 1990 Census...
, and grew to 19,509 at the 2010 census. Slightly more than 90% of residents at the 2000 census were White, with Hispanics as the largest minority group.
Located within the Portland metropolitan area
Portland metropolitan area
The Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA Metropolitan Statistical Area , also known as the Portland metropolitan area or Greater Portland, is an urban area in the U.S. states of Oregon and Washington centered around the city of Portland, Oregon. The U.S...
, the city also includes the planned community of Charbonneau
Charbonneau, Oregon
Charbonneau is a private planned community within the city limits of Wilsonville in Clackamas County, Oregon, United States...
on the south side of the river. The city is bisected by Interstate 5
Interstate 5 in Oregon
In the U.S. state of Oregon, Interstate 5 traverses the state from north to south, passing through the major cities of Portland, Salem, Eugene, and Medford.-Route description:...
and includes I-5's Boone Bridge over the Willamette. Public transportation is provided by the city's South Metro Area Regional Transit, which includes Wilsonville Station
Wilsonville Station
Wilsonville Station is a train station and transit center on the Westside Express Service commuter rail line in Wilsonville, Oregon, United States. The station is the southern terminus of the line that connects to the city of Beaverton at the Beaverton Transit Center, where passengers can connect...
on the Westside Express Service operated by TriMet
TriMet
TriMet, more formally known as the Tri-County Metropolitan Transportation District of Oregon, is a public agency that operates mass transit in a region that spans most of the Portland metropolitan area in the U.S. state of Oregon...
. Students in public schools attend schools in the West Linn-Wilsonville
West Linn-Wilsonville School District
The West Linn-Wilsonville School District is a school district that serves part of the southern metropolitan area of Portland, Oregon. In addition to the cities of West Linn and Wilsonville, the district's boundaries encompass unincorporated areas of southwestern Clackamas County, including the...
and Canby
Canby School District
Canby School District is an public school district based in Canby, Oregon, United States, and serving students in Canby and the surrounding rural area of Clackamas County, including the community of Carus, parts of the city of Wilsonville, and as far south as the Ninety-one School near Hubbard...
school districts, including the only traditional high school, Wilsonville High School
Wilsonville High School
Wilsonville High School is a public high school in Wilsonville, Oregon. Wilsonville opened in 1995 and doubled in capacity in 2005. In 2007, the school was ranked as the 526th best high school in the United States by Newsweek.-Academics:...
. Clackamas Community College
Clackamas Community College
Clackamas Community College is a community college located in Oregon City, Oregon, United States. It is located at the junction of Oregon Route 213 and Molalla Avenue, nearly at the southern edge of the Portland, Oregon metropolitan area...
and Pioneer Pacific College
Pioneer Pacific College
Pioneer Pacific College is an American private, post-secondary school in Oregon. Primarily offering Associate's degrees and certificate programs, the for profit school operates four campuses with the main branch in Wilsonville. Founded in 1981, academic programs include health care, business,...
both have campuses in the city.
Wilsonville has a council-manager form of government and operates its own library, public works, and parks department. Fire and police protection are contracted out to other regional government agencies. The city is home to several technology companies including Mentor Graphics
Mentor Graphics
Mentor Graphics, Inc is a US-based multinational corporation dealing in electronic design automation for electrical engineering and electronics, as of 2004, ranked third in the EDA industry it helped create...
, along with a campus of Xerox
Xerox
Xerox Corporation is an American multinational document management corporation that produced and sells a range of color and black-and-white printers, multifunction systems, photo copiers, digital production printing presses, and related consulting services and supplies...
, the largest employer in the city. Wilsonville contains many distribution and manufacturing buildings adjacent to Interstate 5 such as regional distribution facilities for Coca Cola and Rite Aid
Rite Aid
Rite Aid is a drugstore chain in the United States and a Fortune 500 company headquartered in East Pennsboro Township, Pennsylvania, near Camp Hill. Rite Aid is the largest drugstore chain on the East Coast and the third largest drugstore chain in the U.S....
. Retail centers include Argyle Square on the north and the Town Center Shopping Center to the south. Media in Wilsonville consists of the Portland area broadcast stations, regional newspapers, and the local Wilsonville Spokesman
Wilsonville Spokesman
Wilsonville Spokesman is the local weekly newspaper in Wilsonville, Oregon, United States. Started in 1983 in the southern suburb of Portland, Oregon, the publication has a circulation of approximately 3,500. Published on Wednesdays, the paper is owned by Eagle Newspapers, Inc...
newspaper.
History
Alphonso BooneAlphonso Boone
Alphonso Boone was an American pioneer in what became the state of Oregon. A native of Kentucky, he was the grandson of Daniel Boone, and lived much of his life in Missouri...
, the grandson of Daniel Boone
Daniel Boone
Daniel Boone was an American pioneer, explorer, and frontiersman whose frontier exploits mad']'e him one of the first folk heroes of the United States. Boone is most famous for his exploration and settlement of what is now the Commonwealth of Kentucky, which was then beyond the western borders of...
, settled in what would later become Wilsonville in 1846 and established the Boones Ferry
Boones Ferry
Boones Ferry was a cable ferry which crossed the Willamette River near present day Wilsonville, Oregon, USA, from 1847 to 1954. It was part of a major land-based thoroughfare in pioneer times linking fledging Portland with the pre-territorial government at Champoeg, and later Salem...
across the Willamette River
Willamette River
The Willamette River is a major tributary of the Columbia River, accounting for 12 to 15 percent of the Columbia's flow. The Willamette's main stem is long, lying entirely in northwestern Oregon in the United States...
in 1847. The ferry gave rise to the community of Boones Landing, which eventually grew into Wilsonville. Originally, the area was part of what became Yamhill County
Yamhill County, Oregon
-National protected areas:*Siuslaw National Forest *Tualatin River National Wildlife Refuge -Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 84,992 people, 28,732 households, and 21,376 families residing in the county. The population density was 119 people per square mile . There were 30,270...
, but was transferred to the current Clackamas County in 1855. The first post office was established in 1876 with the name, Boones Ferry.
Wilsonville became the name of the community on June 3, 1880, named after the first postmaster, Charles Wilson. That same year the first school, Wilsonville Grade School, was opened as a single-room building. By 1890, the railroad had reached town and the community contained depot, several hotels, a saloon, a tavern, a bank, and several other commercial establishments. In 1897, the twelve school districts in the vicinity of Wilsonville up to Lake Oswego
Lake Oswego, Oregon
Lake Oswego is a city located primarily in Clackamas County in the U.S. state of Oregon. Small portions of the city are also located in neighboring Multnomah and Washington counties. Located south of Portland surrounding the Oswego Lake, the town was founded in 1847 and incorporated as Oswego in...
merged to create a single district. A railroad bridge was built across the river for the Oregon Electric Railway
Oregon Electric Railway
The Oregon Electric Railway was an interurban railroad line in the U.S. state of Oregon that linked Portland to Eugene. Service from Portland to Salem, Oregon, began in 1907. The Spokane, Portland and Seattle Railway purchased the system in 1910, and extended service to Eugene in 1912...
beginning in 1906. The bridge was completed the next year and service from Wilsonville south to Salem began in 1908.
A new Methodist church was built in the community in 1910, which was used until 1988 and is still standing. Two years later, a new two-room school replaced the old one-room school
One-room school
One-room schools were commonplace throughout rural portions of various countries including the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, United Kingdom, Ireland and Spain in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. In most rural and small town schools, all of the students met in a single room...
, which in turn was replaced by a modern school in the mid 1900s, all on the same property. In 1939, the wooden trestle part of the railroad bridge across the Willamette caught fire and burned. Boones Ferry was decommissioned after the Boone Bridge opened in 1954 carrying what was then the Baldock Freeway, and is today Interstate 5.
In 1961, the Dammasch State Hospital
Dammasch State Hospital
Dammasch State Hospital was a mental hospital, asylum, and educational center located in Wilsonville, Oregon, United States. It opened in 1961 and closed in 1995. After its closure, the former site was embroiled in local controversy as it was a proposed location for a women's prison, which angered...
mental hospital opened on the west side of the community. Gordon House
Gordon House (Oregon)
Gordon House is a residential house designed by influential architect Frank Lloyd Wright as part of his Usonian vision for America.It is one of the last of the series designed for working-class U.S. consumers, which—in 1939—was considered $5,000–6,000 per year...
, the only house in Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
to be designed by architect Frank Lloyd Wright
Frank Lloyd Wright
Frank Lloyd Wright was an American architect, interior designer, writer and educator, who designed more than 1,000 structures and completed 500 works. Wright believed in designing structures which were in harmony with humanity and its environment, a philosophy he called organic architecture...
, was built in 1963 near what became Charbonneau and moved to the Oregon Garden
Oregon Garden
Oregon Garden is an botanical garden and tourist attraction in Silverton, Oregon, United States. Opened in 1999, the garden includes a variety of plant species and habitats and the only Frank Lloyd Wright home in Oregon. The garden is owned by the non-profit Oregon Garden Foundation, with the...
in 2001. Wilsonville was flooded in 1964 and the first fire station was built in 1966. Wilsonville was incorporated as a city in 1969 with a population of about 1,000. In 1971, the planned community of Charbonneau
Charbonneau, Oregon
Charbonneau is a private planned community within the city limits of Wilsonville in Clackamas County, Oregon, United States...
on the south side of the river was annexed into the city the year after development began.
Tektronix
Tektronix, Inc. is an American company best known for its test and measurement equipment such as oscilloscopes, logic analyzers, and video and mobile test protocol equipment. In November 2007, Tektronix became a subsidiary of Danaher Corporation....
built a campus in the city beginning in 1973, which was later sold to Xerox
Xerox
Xerox Corporation is an American multinational document management corporation that produced and sells a range of color and black-and-white printers, multifunction systems, photo copiers, digital production printing presses, and related consulting services and supplies...
. The following year Wilsonville's city hall relocated from Tauchman House at what is now Boones Ferry Park to a trailer and the next year the first city manager was hired. A standalone post office was built in 1976 at Boones Ferry and Wilsonville roads, with city police protection added in 1979. In 1980, the city reached a population of 2,920, and in 1982 the library was opened. The next year, a new city hall was opened, replacing a trailer that had served as city hall since 1975.
In 1988, the city opened their first library building, which replaced the one-room library located in space leased from the school district. The population grew to 7,106 at the 1990 census, and in 1991 the Town Center Shopping Center along Wilsonville Road opened. Due to growth in the West Linn-Wilsonville School District, the school board approved building a new high school to be located in Wilsonville in 1992.
Author Walt Morey
Walt Morey
Walter "Walt" Morey , was an award-winning author of numerous works of children's fiction, set in the U.S. Pacific Northwest and Alaska, the places where Morey lived for all of his life...
owned an estate in Wilsonville and after his death in 1992, his widow sold the property to a developer. The housing development built on that property, Morey's Landing, bears his name as does the children's section of the Wilsonville Public Library. Living Enrichment Center
Living Enrichment Center
Living Enrichment Center, often referred to as LEC, was a New Thought megachurch and retreat center in the U.S. state of Oregon. Originally founded in the Scholls, Oregon farmhouse of senior minister Mary Manin Morrissey in the mid-1970s, the church grew so exponentially that it moved to a 94,500...
, a New Thought Church founded by Mary Manin Morrissey
Mary Manin Morrissey
Mary Manin Morrissey is a New Thought minister from Oregon, U.S.A. She was a founding minister of Living Enrichment Center in the 1970s. By the mid-1990s, the church's congregation was variously estimated at numbering between 2,000 and 5,000, making it the biggest New Thought church in the state...
with as many as 3,000 members, was headquartered in Wilsonville from 1992 until 2004. The church closed that year after problems that including money laundering by Morrissey's husband led to the bankrupting of the church.
In 1995, Dammasch State Hospital was closed by the state of Oregon, and the site was then proposed as a location for what became the Coffee Creek Correctional Facility
Coffee Creek Correctional Facility
Coffee Creek Correctional Facility is a women's prison and prisoner intake center in Wilsonville, Oregon, United States. Operated by the Oregon Department of Corrections, the 1,684 bed facility opened in 2001 at a campus. The selection of the location for the prison was controversial and included...
, which opened in 2001 at a different site to the north of the old hospital grounds. In protest of the construction of the prison, specifically the effect on property values, Larry Eaton began erecting school bus
School bus
A school bus is a type of bus designed and manufactured for student transport: carrying children and teenagers to and from school and school events...
es on his property. The former grounds of the state hospital are, as of 2009, under development as Villebois, a primarily residential complex. Also in 1995, Wilsonville High School
Wilsonville High School
Wilsonville High School is a public high school in Wilsonville, Oregon. Wilsonville opened in 1995 and doubled in capacity in 2005. In 2007, the school was ranked as the 526th best high school in the United States by Newsweek.-Academics:...
opened as part of the West Linn-Wilsonville School District
West Linn-Wilsonville School District
The West Linn-Wilsonville School District is a school district that serves part of the southern metropolitan area of Portland, Oregon. In addition to the cities of West Linn and Wilsonville, the district's boundaries encompass unincorporated areas of southwestern Clackamas County, including the...
, the first high school in the city's history. In 1998, lack of an adequate long-term water supply forced the city to suspend adding any new developments to the city. A new water treatment plant on the Willamette River opened in 2002 to address this need.
The Wilsonville Public Library was expanded to nearly four times the size of the 7500 ft2 1988 building with an expansion finished in 2002. Wilsonville Primary School was closed in June 2001, and later sold with the property and turned into a shopping center, anchored by an Albertsons supermarket. In September 2006, Wilsonville opened a new $9.9 million, two-story brick and steel city hall
City hall
In local government, a city hall, town hall or a municipal building or civic centre, is the chief administrative building of a city...
after a controversy concerning its location led to unsuccessful attempts to recall several elected officials in the city, including the mayor.
Geography
Portland metropolitan area
The Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA Metropolitan Statistical Area , also known as the Portland metropolitan area or Greater Portland, is an urban area in the U.S. states of Oregon and Washington centered around the city of Portland, Oregon. The U.S...
sitting at an elevation of 154 feet (46.9 m) above sea level. Primarily in the southwestern part of Clackamas County, the northern section is in Washington County. It is located on the north side of the Willamette River
Willamette River
The Willamette River is a major tributary of the Columbia River, accounting for 12 to 15 percent of the Columbia's flow. The Willamette's main stem is long, lying entirely in northwestern Oregon in the United States...
around where Alphonse Boone established the Boones Ferry. Neighboring cities are Tualatin
Tualatin, Oregon
Tualatin is a city located primarily in Washington County in the U.S. state of Oregon. A small portion of the city is also located in neighboring Clackamas County. It is a southwestern suburb in the Portland Metropolitan Area that is located south of Tigard...
on the north, Sherwood
Sherwood, Oregon
Sherwood is a city in Washington County, Oregon, United States. Located in the southeast corner of the county, it is a residential community in the Tualatin Valley southwest of Portland. The population was 11,791 at the 2000 census. The 2006 estimate is 16,115 residents...
to the northwest, and Canby
Canby, Oregon
Canby is a city in Clackamas County, Oregon, United States. The population was 15,829 at the 2010 census. It is located on Oregon Route 99E, two miles northeast of Barlow.-History:...
and Aurora
Aurora, Oregon
Aurora is a city in Marion County, Oregon, United States. It was founded as a religious commune in 1856 by Dr. William Keil who named the settlement after his daughter. The population was 918 at the 2010 census...
to the southeast. Newberg
Newberg, Oregon
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 18,064 people, 6,099 households, and 4,348 families residing in the city. The population density was 3,599.4 people per square mile . There were 6,435 housing units at an average density of 1,282.2 per square mile...
in Yamhill County
Yamhill County, Oregon
-National protected areas:*Siuslaw National Forest *Tualatin River National Wildlife Refuge -Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 84,992 people, 28,732 households, and 21,376 families residing in the county. The population density was 119 people per square mile . There were 30,270...
is approximately 14 miles west along Wilsonville Road. The Willamette separates the majority of the city from Charbonneau, a planned community and neighborhood within the city limits, on the south.
According to the 2000 census, the city has a total area of 6.9 square miles (17.9 km²), a figure which the city says has grown to 7.4 square miles (19.2 km²) by July 2005. For the 2000 figure, 6.7 square miles (17.4 km²) is land and 0.2 square mile (0.5 km²) (2.75%) is water. Waterways in addition to the Willamette River include Arrowhead Creek, Meridian Creek, Basalt Creek, Seely Ditch, Boeckman Creek, and Coffee Lake Creek. The Boeckman and Coffee Lake creeks account for 85% of the runoff in Wilsonville. Coffee Lake Creek is on the west side of the city and includes Coffee Lake and the Coffee Lake Wetlands. The foothills of the Chehalem Mountains
Chehalem Mountains
The Chehalem Mountains are a mountain range located in the Willamette Valley in the U.S. state of Oregon. Forming the southern boundary of the Tualatin Valley, the Chehalems are the highest mountains in the Willamette Valley...
lie to the west of Wilsonville, with most land within the city on level ground.
Wilsonville divides the city into 16 neighborhood groups, designated A through P. Within each of these planning areas are individual neighborhoods, and occasionally a neighborhood spans several of these groups. For instance the Villebois development covers areas D through G. Individual neighborhoods include Charbonneau, Wilsonville Meadows, Canyon Creek North, Town Center, RiverGreen, Frog Pond, and Old Town to name a few. Wilsonville’s Old Town neighborhood, the oldest of the neighborhoods, is located south of Wilsonville Road along Boones Ferry Road adjacent to the landing of the old Boones Ferry
Boones Ferry
Boones Ferry was a cable ferry which crossed the Willamette River near present day Wilsonville, Oregon, USA, from 1847 to 1954. It was part of a major land-based thoroughfare in pioneer times linking fledging Portland with the pre-territorial government at Champoeg, and later Salem...
and contains the original portions of the town.
Climate
Wilsonville, as part of the Willamette ValleyWillamette Valley
The Willamette Valley is the most populated region in the state of Oregon of the United States. Located in the state's northwest, the region is surrounded by tall mountain ranges to the east, west and south and the valley's floor is broad, flat and fertile because of Ice Age conditions...
, is within the Marine west coast climate zone. Summers in Wilsonville are generally warm, but temperatures year-round are moderated by a marine influence from the Pacific Ocean
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.At 165.2 million square kilometres in area, this largest division of the World...
. Wilsonville receives most of its precipitation
Precipitation (meteorology)
In meteorology, precipitation In meteorology, precipitation In meteorology, precipitation (also known as one of the classes of hydrometeors, which are atmospheric water phenomena is any product of the condensation of atmospheric water vapor that falls under gravity. The main forms of precipitation...
during the mild to cool winter months, with the wettest period from November through March. July and August are the warmest months with an average high temperature of 80 °F (27 °C), while December is the coolest month with an average low of 33 °F (0.555555555559977 °C). December is also on average the wettest month with 6.75 inches (171.5 mm). The highest recorded temperature, 105 °F (41 °C), has occurred on August 11, 1981; August 13, 1977; August 18, 1977; and September 3, 1988. Wilsonville's lowest ever recorded temperature was -15 °F on December 23, 1998.
Demographics
The city has a significant population of families that use Wilsonville as a halfway point between jobs in different cities, mainly Salem and Portland. Wilsonville incorporated with an estimated 1,000 residents in 1969 and grew to 2,920 people at the 1980 Census, and to 7,106 in 1990. In 2000, the census placed the population at 13,991, which rose to 19,509 in 2010. Of those counted, approximately 1,500 are inmates at the Coffee Creek Correctional FacilityCoffee Creek Correctional Facility
Coffee Creek Correctional Facility is a women's prison and prisoner intake center in Wilsonville, Oregon, United States. Operated by the Oregon Department of Corrections, the 1,684 bed facility opened in 2001 at a campus. The selection of the location for the prison was controversial and included...
that opened in the city in 2001.
As of the census
Census
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 13,991 people, 5,937 households, and 3,775 families residing in the city. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 2,085.3 people per square mile (805.1/km²). There were 6,407 housing units at an average density of 954.9 per square mile (368.7/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 90.45% White, 2.22% Asian, 0.66% African American, 0.70% Native American, 0.16% Pacific Islander, 3.15% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 2.65% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 6.94% of the population.
There were 5,937 households out of which 30.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.5% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 8.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.4% were non-families. 28.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.34 and the average family size was 2.89. Median home cost was $200,972 in 2000 and had grown to $316,400 by 2006.
In the city the population was spread out with 24.6% under the age of 18, 9.4% from 18 to 24, 31.4% from 25 to 44, 20.2% from 45 to 64, and 14.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 94.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.7 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $52,515, and the median income for a family was $65,172. This income level is higher than the county, state, and national median income levels. Males had a median income of $43,480 versus $28,395 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the city was $29,786. About 3.0% of families and 5.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 3.7% of those under age 18 and 8.2% of those age 65 or over.
Economy
Wilsonville has often had more jobs in the city than residents due to its location along Interstate 5. This location has led to the city becoming headquarters for several major local and national companies, as well as home to facilities of several national companies. Companies with their headquarters in the city include design softwareElectronic design automation
Electronic design automation is a category of software tools for designing electronic systems such as printed circuit boards and integrated circuits...
maker Mentor Graphics
Mentor Graphics
Mentor Graphics, Inc is a US-based multinational corporation dealing in electronic design automation for electrical engineering and electronics, as of 2004, ranked third in the EDA industry it helped create...
; imaging systems manufacturer FLIR Systems
FLIR Systems
FLIR Systems is a thermal imaging systems manufacturer based in Wilsonville, Oregon, United States. Founded in 1978, the company makes thermal imagers, thermal imager components, as well as larger systems containing thermal imagers along with other sensors, for both commercial and military...
; and shoe retailer Solestruck
Solestruck
Solestruck is an American e-commerce company based in Tigard, Oregon. Founded in 2004, the company sells shoes from over 70 brands, including Jeffrey Campbell, ALL CAPS, Matiko, United Nude, Senso, and other designer brands...
. G.I. Joe's, a sporting goods and automotive
Automobile
An automobile, autocar, motor car or car is a wheeled motor vehicle used for transporting passengers, which also carries its own engine or motor...
parts retailer was based in Wilsonville until bankruptcy in 2009, as was drugstore chain Thrifty PayLess
Thrifty PayLess
Thrifty PayLess Holdings, Inc. was a pharmacy holding company that owned the Thrifty Drugs and PayLess Drug Stores chains in the western United States....
until it was bought by Rite Aid
Rite Aid
Rite Aid is a drugstore chain in the United States and a Fortune 500 company headquartered in East Pennsboro Township, Pennsylvania, near Camp Hill. Rite Aid is the largest drugstore chain on the East Coast and the third largest drugstore chain in the U.S....
in 1996, and video rental retailer Movie Gallery
Movie Gallery
Movie Gallery, Inc. was the second largest movie and game rental company in the United States, behind Blockbuster Video. The company rented and sold Blu-ray Discs, DVDs, VHS tapes, and video games...
and its subsidiary Hollywood Video
Hollywood Video
Hollywood Entertainment Corporation , known as Hollywood Video, was a VHS, DVD, and video game rental shop company started in 1988...
were as well until bankruptcy in 2010.
Xerox
Xerox Corporation is an American multinational document management corporation that produced and sells a range of color and black-and-white printers, multifunction systems, photo copiers, digital production printing presses, and related consulting services and supplies...
operates a large facility in Wilsonville, and is the city's largest employer. The company acquired the color printing and imaging division of Tektronix
Tektronix
Tektronix, Inc. is an American company best known for its test and measurement equipment such as oscilloscopes, logic analyzers, and video and mobile test protocol equipment. In November 2007, Tektronix became a subsidiary of Danaher Corporation....
corporation in 2000. Xerox, Mentor Graphics, and FLIR are all adjacent to each other north of Boeckman Road along Parkway Avenue. Projector maker InFocus
InFocus
InFocus Corporation is a privately owned American company based in the state of Oregon. Founded in 1986, the company develops, manufactures, and distributes DLP and LCD projectors and accessories as well as LCD flat panel displays. Formerly a NASDAQ listed public company, InFocus was purchased by ...
was headquartered in the city until December 2009 and was located next to FLIR. InFocus and Mentor were both founded by former employees of Tektronix.
Wilsonville is home to many other business located in industrial parks straddling Interstate 5 that are filled with manufacturing and distribution facilities. Xerox and Mentor Graphics are the city's two largest employers as of 2006, the only two to employ more than 1000 people. Other large employers in the city are Tyco Electronics
Tyco Electronics
TE Connectivity, Ltd., previously known as Tyco Electronics, Ltd., and formerly a segment of Tyco International, is a leading global provider of engineered electronic components, network solutions, undersea telecommunication systems, and specialty products for customers in more than 150 countries...
(Precision Interconnect), Sysco
SYSCO
Sysco Corporation is the global leader in marketing and distributing food products to restaurants, healthcare and educational facilities, hotels and inns, and other foodservice and hospitality businesses...
Food Services, and Rite Aid
Rite Aid
Rite Aid is a drugstore chain in the United States and a Fortune 500 company headquartered in East Pennsboro Township, Pennsylvania, near Camp Hill. Rite Aid is the largest drugstore chain on the East Coast and the third largest drugstore chain in the U.S....
. Additionally, Coca-Cola
Coca-Cola
Coca-Cola is a carbonated soft drink sold in stores, restaurants, and vending machines in more than 200 countries. It is produced by The Coca-Cola Company of Atlanta, Georgia, and is often referred to simply as Coke...
operates a bottling plant in the city. Nike
Nike, Inc.
Nike, Inc. is a major publicly traded sportswear and equipment supplier based in the United States. The company is headquartered near Beaverton, Oregon, which is part of the Portland metropolitan area...
had one of its U.S. distribution centers for footwear in Wilsonville until closing it in 2009.
Retail in Wilsonville is concentrated mainly along Wilsonville Road near the Interstate 5 interchange. This includes the Town Center Shopping Center and related developments along Town Center Loop, which includes Fry's Electronics
Fry's Electronics
Fry's Electronics is a big-box store and retailer of software, consumer electronics, computer hardware, with in store computer repair and custom computer building services and household appliances with a chain of superstores headquartered in Silicon Valley...
, one of the largest employers in the city. Fred Meyer
Fred Meyer
Fred Meyer, Inc., is a chain of hypermarkets founded in 1922 in Portland, Oregon, by Fred G. Meyer. The company was one of the pioneers of one-stop shopping, eventually combining a complete grocery supermarket with a drugstore, clothing store, shoe store, fine jewelers, home decor store, home...
plans to build a store and shopping complex adjacent to the freeway interchange around 2010. At the north end of town is the 42 acres (17 ha) Argyle Square shopping center that opened in 2003, which includes a Target
Target Corporation
Target Corporation, doing business as Target, is an American retailing company headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota. It is the second-largest discount retailer in the United States, behind Walmart. The company is ranked at number 33 on the Fortune 500 and is a component of the Standard & Poor's...
store, Office Depot
Office Depot
Office Depot is a supplier of office products and provides many services. The company's selection of brand name office supplies includes business machines, computers, computer software and office furniture, while its business services encompass copying, printing, document reproduction, shipping,...
, and Costco
Costco
Costco Wholesale Corporation is the largest membership warehouse club chain in the United States. it is the third largest retailer in the United States, where it originated, and the ninth largest in the world...
as anchor tenants. South of the Willamette River, Charbonneau has a small commercial center with about 10 shops.
Culture
Media in Wilsonville consists of the 28 radio stations and 7 television stations broadcast in the Portland media market, regional newspapers such as The OregonianThe Oregonian
The Oregonian is the major daily newspaper in Portland, Oregon, owned by Advance Publications. It is the oldest continuously published newspaper on the U.S. west coast, founded as a weekly by Thomas J. Dryer on December 4, 1850...
, and the local paper, the Wilsonville Spokesman
Wilsonville Spokesman
Wilsonville Spokesman is the local weekly newspaper in Wilsonville, Oregon, United States. Started in 1983 in the southern suburb of Portland, Oregon, the publication has a circulation of approximately 3,500. Published on Wednesdays, the paper is owned by Eagle Newspapers, Inc...
. The Spokesman is published once a week on Wednesdays and has a circulation of 3,176. There is a single movie theater operated by Regal Cinemas
Regal Cinemas
Regal Cinemas is a UK-based cinema chain since the early days of the cinema. In 1928, Regal Cinemas became part of Associated British Cinemas but has retained the name 'Regal Cinemas'....
, which contains nine screens. The theater opened in 1996 and featured the first stadium style seating in the Northwest.
Library Information Network of Clackamas County
Libraries in Clackamas County is a consortium of the public libraries of Clackamas County, Oregon. It was established in 1977 when the first county-wide funding levy was approved by county voters...
and had an annual circulation of 493,000 in 2006 to 2007. The library is located adjacent to Wilsonville Memorial Park
Wilsonville Memorial Park
Wilsonville Memorial Park is a large municipal park in Wilsonville, Oregon, United States. Opened in 1969, the park is the largest and oldest in the city. Located off Wilsonville Road east of Interstate 5, the park includes a plaza with water features, athletic fields and courts, trails, a...
, the largest and oldest of the city's 12 parks. Memorial Park includes a water feature, athletic fields, and the Stein-Boozier Barn used as meeting space, among other amenities. Town Center Park
Town Center Park
Town Center Park is a small municipal park in Wilsonville, Oregon, United States. Located in the middle of Wilsonville’s town center, the park cost $4.5 million to complete. The park includes the Oregon Korean War Memorial, a visitor’s center, paths, a play area, picnic tables, and an amphitheater...
also has a water feature along with a visitor's center operated by the Clackamas County and the Oregon Korean War Memorial
Oregon Korean War Memorial
The Oregon Korean War Memorial is a war memorial located in Wilsonville, Oregon, United States. Completed in 2000, it honors the Oregon soldiers and the Korean people from the Korean War...
. Other parks in the city are River Fox Park, Park at Merryfield, Montebello Park, Hathaway Park, Courtside Park, Tranquil Park, Willamette River Water Treatment Plant Park, Willow Creek/Landover Park, Canyon Creek Park, and Boones Ferry Park located on the Willamette River at the landing for the defunct Boones Ferry
Boones Ferry
Boones Ferry was a cable ferry which crossed the Willamette River near present day Wilsonville, Oregon, USA, from 1847 to 1954. It was part of a major land-based thoroughfare in pioneer times linking fledging Portland with the pre-territorial government at Champoeg, and later Salem...
.
The Wilsonville Community Center holds classes and community programs as well as community meeting space. Wilsonville holds an annual arts fair each May called the Wilsonville Festival of Arts. Another annual event, Wilsonville Celebration Days, started in 2000 and replaced Boones Ferry Days. A farmers' market
Farmers' market
A farmers' market consists of individual vendors—mostly farmers—who set up booths, tables or stands, outdoors or indoors, to sell produce, meat products, fruits and sometimes prepared foods and beverages...
started in 2009 at the Villebois development, held on Sundays from May into October. Charbonneau Golf Club is the only golf course
Golf course
A golf course comprises a series of holes, each consisting of a teeing ground, fairway, rough and other hazards, and a green with a flagstick and cup, all designed for the game of golf. A standard round of golf consists of playing 18 holes, thus most golf courses have this number of holes...
in the city, with Langdon Farms and Sandelie just to the south and east respectively. Wilsonville also is along the Willamette Greenway series of open spaces and trails. Wilsonville is the setting for the 2008 film Wendy and Lucy
Wendy and Lucy
Wendy and Lucy is a 2008 American drama film directed by Kelly Reichardt. Reichardt and Jon Raymond adapted the screenplay from his short story "Train Choir". The film stars Michelle Williams and Will Patton...
.
Government
City manager
A city manager is an official appointed as the administrative manager of a city, in a council-manager form of city government. Local officials serving in this position are sometimes referred to as the chief executive officer or chief administrative officer in some municipalities...
runs day-to-day operations. The current city manager is Arlene Loble. The mayor and four-person city council are elected to four-year terms, with Tim Knapp as mayor (term ends 2013) and council members of Alan Kirk (term ends 2011), Michelle Ripple (term ends 2011), Celia Núñez (term ends 2013), and Steven Hurst (term ends 2013).
Both fire protection and police protection are contracted to other area governmental agencies. Fire services are provided by Tualatin Valley Fire & Rescue, and that agency operates two fire station
Fire station
A fire station is a structure or other area set aside for storage of firefighting apparatus , personal protective equipment, fire hose, fire extinguishers, and other fire extinguishing equipment...
s in the city. Police service is contracted out to the Clackamas County Sheriff's Office
Clackamas County Sheriff's Office
The Clackamas County Sheriff's Office is the law enforcement agency led by the elected sheriff of Clackamas County, Oregon. It provides police services to unincorporated portions of Clackamas County and contracts police services to the incorporated cities of Wilsonville, Estacada, Happy Valley,...
, with a lieutenant serving as the chief of police and officers using vehicles marked as Wilsonville Police. The city’s Parks and Recreation Department runs 12 parks, with Memorial Park the largest at 126 acres (51 ha).
Wilsonville also provides both its own water supply and wastewater
Wastewater
Wastewater is any water that has been adversely affected in quality by anthropogenic influence. It comprises liquid waste discharged by domestic residences, commercial properties, industry, and/or agriculture and can encompass a wide range of potential contaminants and concentrations...
treatment. The wastewater system was built in 1972, while the water system was upgraded with a new treatment plant in 2002. Water is drawn from the Willamette River from the Wilsonville Water Treatment Plant built at a cost of $46 million in conjunction with the Tualatin Valley
Tualatin Valley
The Tualatin Valley is a farming and suburban region southwest of Portland, Oregon in the United States. The valley is formed by the meandering Tualatin River, a tributary of the Willamette River at the northwest corner of the Willamette Valley, east of the Northern Oregon Coast Range...
Water District. Previously, the city used wells to provide drinking water, but those began to run dry in the late 1990s. The plant’s initial capacity was 15 million gallons per day, but can be expanded to 120 million gallons per day. Neighboring Sherwood
Sherwood, Oregon
Sherwood is a city in Washington County, Oregon, United States. Located in the southeast corner of the county, it is a residential community in the Tualatin Valley southwest of Portland. The population was 11,791 at the 2000 census. The 2006 estimate is 16,115 residents...
will begin receiving water from the plant in 2012.
The city has a single library branch, a 28677 ft2 building on Wilsonville Road. The majority of the city is within the West Linn-Wilsonville School District
West Linn-Wilsonville School District
The West Linn-Wilsonville School District is a school district that serves part of the southern metropolitan area of Portland, Oregon. In addition to the cities of West Linn and Wilsonville, the district's boundaries encompass unincorporated areas of southwestern Clackamas County, including the...
, but the Charbonneau area is part of the Canby School District
Canby School District
Canby School District is an public school district based in Canby, Oregon, United States, and serving students in Canby and the surrounding rural area of Clackamas County, including the community of Carus, parts of the city of Wilsonville, and as far south as the Ninety-one School near Hubbard...
. Public transit is provided by the city through SMART, though TriMet
TriMet
TriMet, more formally known as the Tri-County Metropolitan Transportation District of Oregon, is a public agency that operates mass transit in a region that spans most of the Portland metropolitan area in the U.S. state of Oregon...
has connections via buses at the northern limits of the city and with the Westside Express Service commuter rail.
At the federal level, Wilsonville is primarily within Oregon's 5th congressional district
Oregon's 5th congressional district
Oregon's 5th congressional district represents Oregon's central coast through Salem, north to the southern Portland suburbs, and east to the summit of Mount Hood. It includes Lincoln, Marion, Polk, and Tillamook counties, most of Clackamas County, and part of Benton and Multnomah counties...
, represented by Kurt Schrader
Kurt Schrader
Kurt Schrader is the U.S. Representative for . He is a member of the Democratic Party. He previously served in both houses of the Oregon Legislative Assembly.-Early life, education, and early career:...
, but the portions lying within Washington County are in the 1st district
Oregon's 1st congressional district
Oregon's 1st congressional district consists of the northwest corner of Oregon. It includes Clatsop, Columbia, Washington, and Yamhill counties, and southwest Portland, part of Multnomah County, which belonged to the 3rd district before the 2002 redistricting....
, represented by David Wu
David Wu
David Wu is an American politician who served as the U.S. representative for from 1999 to 2011. He is a member of the Democratic Party.The district includes most of Portland west of the Willamette River, as well as all of Yamhill, Columbia, Clatsop, and Washington Counties...
. In the State Senate
Oregon State Senate
The Oregon State Senate is the upper house of the state-wide legislature for the U.S. state of Oregon. Along with the lower chamber Oregon House of Representatives it makes up the Oregon Legislative Assembly. There are 30 members of the State Senate, representing 30 districts across the state,...
, the city is in District 13, represented by Larry George
Larry George
Larry George is an American politician and businessman in Oregon. A Republican, he is a member of the Oregon State Senate representing District 13 since election in 2006. He previously was the leader of the political group Oregonians In Action...
. In the House
Oregon House of Representatives
The Oregon House of Representatives is the lower house of the Oregon Legislative Assembly. There are 60 members of the House, representing 60 districts across the state, each with a population of 57,000. The House meets at the Oregon State Capitol in Salem....
, the city is represented by Matt Wingard
Matt Wingard
Matt Wingard is an American politician in the state of Oregon. He won the Republican nomination to represent District 26 in the Oregon House of Representatives in May 2008.- Early life :...
in House District 26. In addition, Wilsonville lies within District 3 (Carl Hosticka) of the Metro
Metro (Oregon regional government)
Metro, formerly known as Metropolitan Service District, is the regional governmental agency for the Oregon portion of the Portland metropolitan area...
regional government.
Education
West Linn-Wilsonville School District
The West Linn-Wilsonville School District is a school district that serves part of the southern metropolitan area of Portland, Oregon. In addition to the cities of West Linn and Wilsonville, the district's boundaries encompass unincorporated areas of southwestern Clackamas County, including the...
(WLWSD), however those portions south of the Willamette River
Willamette River
The Willamette River is a major tributary of the Columbia River, accounting for 12 to 15 percent of the Columbia's flow. The Willamette's main stem is long, lying entirely in northwestern Oregon in the United States...
are within the Canby School District
Canby School District
Canby School District is an public school district based in Canby, Oregon, United States, and serving students in Canby and the surrounding rural area of Clackamas County, including the community of Carus, parts of the city of Wilsonville, and as far south as the Ninety-one School near Hubbard...
. Areas just to the west lie within the Sherwood School District
Sherwood School District
Sherwood School District is a small school district that serves Sherwood, Oregon, United States. The district currently has four elementary schools, two middle schools, and one high school...
. Boeckman Creek and Boones Ferry primary schools serve K-5 students from Wilsonville in WLWSD. Students in grades 6-8 attend Inza R. Wood Middle School, and high school students attend Wilsonville High School
Wilsonville High School
Wilsonville High School is a public high school in Wilsonville, Oregon. Wilsonville opened in 1995 and doubled in capacity in 2005. In 2007, the school was ranked as the 526th best high school in the United States by Newsweek.-Academics:...
or the Arts and Technology High School
Arts and Technology High School
Arts and Technology High School, known as ATHS or ArtTech, is a public charter high school in Wilsonville, Oregon, United States. Part of the West Linn-Wilsonville School District, the school opened in 2005.-Academics:...
(ArtTech). Neither the Canby or Sherwood districts operate schools within Wilsonville.
The city is also in the Clackamas Community College
Clackamas Community College
Clackamas Community College is a community college located in Oregon City, Oregon, United States. It is located at the junction of Oregon Route 213 and Molalla Avenue, nearly at the southern edge of the Portland, Oregon metropolitan area...
District and has a satellite campus on Town Center Loop. Opened in 1992, the campus was originally known as the Oregon Advanced Technology Center. The private, for profit Pioneer Pacific College
Pioneer Pacific College
Pioneer Pacific College is an American private, post-secondary school in Oregon. Primarily offering Associate's degrees and certificate programs, the for profit school operates four campuses with the main branch in Wilsonville. Founded in 1981, academic programs include health care, business,...
operates a campus, their main campus, in the city along Interstate 5 near the Boeckman Road overpass.
Boeckman Creek Primary School opened in 1990 and has 649 students, with a mascot of the Bobcats. Boones Ferry replaced the old Wilsonville Primary School in 2001; its 809 students make it the largest primary school in the district, and are known as the Dragonflies. Wood Middle School opened in 1980 and has 699 students, known as the Wolverines. Wilsonville High has been the home of the Wildcats since the 1,002-student school opened in 1995. The ArtTech charter high school has 85 students, and opened in 2005.
Transportation
Interstate 5
Interstate 5 is the main Interstate Highway on the West Coast of the United States, running largely parallel to the Pacific Ocean coastline from Canada to Mexico . It serves some of the largest cities on the U.S...
runs north-south through the middle of the city and crosses the Willamette River on the Boone Bridge. Wilsonville has two interchanges with the freeway north of the river, at Wilsonville Road on the south and where Boones Ferry Road meets Elligsen Road on the north end of town. To the south of the river, the Charbonneau interchange crosses I-5 at the southern limit of the city. Boeckman Road is the only other street that crosses I-5 and links the western and eastern parts of Wilsonville. Wilsonville Road, 95th Avenue, Boones Ferry Road (northern portion is Oregon Route 141), Boeckman Road, Town Center Loop, French Prairie Drive, Elligsen Road, Parkway Avenue, and Stafford Road are the main roads in the city.
Transit service was formerly provided by TriMet
TriMet
TriMet, more formally known as the Tri-County Metropolitan Transportation District of Oregon, is a public agency that operates mass transit in a region that spans most of the Portland metropolitan area in the U.S. state of Oregon...
, but the city decided to "opt-out" and now operates South Metro Area Regional Transit (SMART). SMART has connections with Salem's transit service, Canby's transit service, and TriMet. The Westside Express Service (WES), a commuter rail line to Beaverton
Beaverton, Oregon
Beaverton is a city in Washington County, Oregon, United States, seven miles west of Portland in the Tualatin River Valley.As of the 2010 census, the population is 90,267. This makes it the second-largest city in the county and Oregon's sixth-largest city...
, began operations in February 2009. Wilsonville Station
Wilsonville Station
Wilsonville Station is a train station and transit center on the Westside Express Service commuter rail line in Wilsonville, Oregon, United States. The station is the southern terminus of the line that connects to the city of Beaverton at the Beaverton Transit Center, where passengers can connect...
is the southern terminus of the nearly 15 miles (24.1 km) line operated by TriMet, and the station is the hub for SMART services.
Freight rail service is provided by the Portland and Western Railroad
Portland and Western Railroad
The Portland and Western Railroad is a Class II railroad serving the U.S. state of Oregon, and is a wholly owned subsidiary of shortline and regional railroad holding company Genesee & Wyoming Inc...
over the same tracks as WES, with connections to BNSF Railway
BNSF Railway
The BNSF Railway is a wholly owned subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway Inc., and is headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas. It is one of seven North American Class I railroads and the second largest freight railroad network in North America, second only to the Union Pacific Railroad, its primary...
. These tracks run north-south and cross the Willamette over the Portland and Western Railroad Bridge. The city does not have an airport, with Aurora State Airport
Aurora State Airport
Aurora State Airport is a public airport located one mile northwest of the central business district of Aurora, a city in Marion County, Oregon, United States. It is owned by the Oregon Department of Aviation.Although most U.S...
to the south as the closest public field and Portland International Airport
Portland International Airport
Portland International Airport is a joint civil-military airport and the largest airport in the U.S. state of Oregon, accounting for 90% of passenger travel and more than 95% of air cargo of the state. It is located within Portland's city limits just south of the Columbia River in Multnomah...
17 miles north as the closest commercial airport. Although located along the river, there are not any port facilities, though there is a marina located on the eastbank (south side) of the Willamette.
Notable people
The city has been home to a variety of notable people ranging from politicians to athletes and authors. Famous politicians to call Wilsonville home include former governor George Law Curry
George Law Curry
George Law Curry was a United States political figure and newspaper publisher predominately in what became the state of Oregon. A native of Pennsylvania, he published a newspaper in St. Louis, Missouri, before traveling the Oregon Trail to the unorganized Oregon Country...
, Congresswoman Edith Green
Edith Green
Edith Louise Starrett Green was an American politician and educator in the state of Oregon. A native of South Dakota, she was raised in Oregon and completed her education at the University of Oregon and Stanford University...
, and former mayor and state representative Jerry Krummel
Jerry Krummel
Gerald A. Krummel is a Republican politician from the U.S. state of Oregon. A native of Washington, he served as mayor of Wilsonville, Oregon in the 1990s. An educator and athletic trainer, he is a former member of the Oregon House of Representatives, representing Wilsonville and parts of...
. Athletes of note have included football player Derek Devine
Derek Devine
Derek Devine is an American football quarterback for the Virginia Destroyers of the United Football League. He was signed by the Seattle Seahawks as an undrafted free agent in 2007...
, professional golfer Brian Henninger
Brian Henninger
Brian Hatfield Henninger is an American professional golfer who played on the PGA Tour and the Nationwide Tour. He has won two tournaments on the PGA Tour and three on the Nationwide Tour....
, and baseball player and manager Del Baker
Del Baker
Delmer David Baker was an American catcher, coach and manager in Major League Baseball. As a manager, he led the 1940 Detroit Tigers to the American League pennant...
. Those prominent in the legal field are James M. Burns
James M. Burns
James Milton Burns was a United States federal judge.Born in Portland, Oregon, Burns was in the United States Army during World War II from 1943 to 1945, and thereafter received a B.A. from the University of Portland in 1947 and a J.D. from Loyola University Chicago School of Law in 1950...
, Gordon Sloan
Gordon Sloan
Gordon Wright Sloan was an American attorney and judge. He was the 70th Associate Justice of the Oregon Supreme Court in the United States. He previously served on the International Tuna Commission, and later the Kansas native was Oregon’s first senior judge.-Early life:Gordon Sloan was born to...
, and R. William Riggs
R. William Riggs
Richard William Riggs is an American attorney and former judge in the state of Oregon. He is currently a senior judge for Oregon, and previously was the 94th justice of the Oregon Supreme Court serving from 1998 to 2006.-Early life:...
. Others include children's author Walt Morey
Walt Morey
Walter "Walt" Morey , was an award-winning author of numerous works of children's fiction, set in the U.S. Pacific Northwest and Alaska, the places where Morey lived for all of his life...
, ferryman Alphonso Boone
Alphonso Boone
Alphonso Boone was an American pioneer in what became the state of Oregon. A native of Kentucky, he was the grandson of Daniel Boone, and lived much of his life in Missouri...
, businessman Tom Bruggere
Tom Bruggere
Tom Bruggere is an entrepreneur and onetime candidate for the U.S. Senate in the U.S. state of Oregon. He founded the company Mentor Graphics and has been involved with several other startup companies....
, and baseball coach Mel Krause
Mel Krause
Mel Krause was an American college baseball coach and player at the University of Oregon. He also played professional baseball in the Northwest League. Krause also played college basketball for Oregon and coached two different high school basketball teams to Oregon state basketball championships...
, and actor Frank Cady
Frank Cady
Frank Cady is an American actor best known for his recurring and popular role as storekeeper Sam Drucker in three US television series during the 1960s: Petticoat Junction, Green Acres and The Beverly Hillbillies.-Career:...
.
Sister city
Wilsonville has one sister cityTown twinning
Twin towns and sister cities are two of many terms used to describe the cooperative agreements between towns, cities, and even counties in geographically and politically distinct areas to promote cultural and commercial ties.- Terminology :...
relationship. The city established a relationship with Kitakata
Kitakata, Fukushima
is a city located in Fukushima, in northern Honshū, Japan. Kitakata was once written '北方', which meant 'northern place'.As of May 2011, the city had an estimated population of 51,955. The total area is 554.67km².The city was founded on March 31, 1954....
, in the Fukushima
Fukushima Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located in the Tōhoku region on the island of Honshu. The capital is the city of Fukushima.-History:Until the Meiji Restoration, the area of Fukushima prefecture was known as Mutsu Province....
province in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
in 1988. Kitakata in the northern part of Honshū
Honshu
is the largest island of Japan. The nation's main island, it is south of Hokkaido across the Tsugaru Strait, north of Shikoku across the Inland Sea, and northeast of Kyushu across the Kanmon Strait...
has an estimated population of around 55,000. Then Wilsonville Mayor Jerry Krummel
Jerry Krummel
Gerald A. Krummel is a Republican politician from the U.S. state of Oregon. A native of Washington, he served as mayor of Wilsonville, Oregon in the 1990s. An educator and athletic trainer, he is a former member of the Oregon House of Representatives, representing Wilsonville and parts of...
visited Japan in 1994 to attend a ceremony honoring Kitakata's 40th birthday. The mayor of Kitakata visited Wilsonville in 2008 to celebrate the twentieth anniversary of the relationship.
See also
- List of ghost towns in Oregon - Boones Ferry was a ghost town subsumed by Wilsonville
External links
- Wilsonville Chamber of Commerce
- Historic images of Wilsonville from Salem Public Library