Get to Know Hillsboro, Oregon

Hillsboro is one of Oregon’s most diverse and dynamic cities, with a steadily growing population of just over 110,000. During the workday, more than 50,000 employees commute to Hillsboro by car, bicycle, bus, or MAX Light Rail train to work at companies such as Intel, Nike, and Genentech.

Hillsboro is the largest city in Washington County and serves as the county seat.

• Sign up to receive email updates from the City of Hillsboro on community events, news & announcements

Ideally located in the Pacific Northwest — 10 miles west of Portland — Hillsboro is an hour’s drive from the beautiful Cascade Mountains and Columbia River Gorge to the east, and the sandy beaches of the Pacific Ocean to the west.

Known as the “high-tech hub of Oregon” or the “tallest tree in the Silicon Forest,” Hillsboro has some of the best land, power, and water resources in the country.

National Praise for Hillsboro

2023 marked the third consecutive year that Hillsboro has been ranked in Livability's list of the 100 Best Places to Live in the United States. Hillsboro is ranked #29 for reasons that include:

• a high priority on sustainability
• a resilient economy with large employers
• transportation options such as the MAX Blue Line
• a diverse and welcoming community feel
• Hillsboro Hops baseball
• the Rice Museum of Rocks and Minerals
• an emphasis on public arts
• the beauty and wildlife at Jackson Bottom Wetlands Preserve
• bike riding on the Rock Creek Trail
• Next Level Pinball Museum
  

Hillsboro appears on several other lists, including:

• Money.com ranked Hillsboro #23 on its 2022-23 list of the 50 Best Places to Live, after previously ranking Hillsboro #29.
• Hillsboro ranked #21 on the 2022 list of 25 safest U.S. cities for trick-or-treating by ChamberOfCommerce.org.
• Hillsboro was named the Best Place to Live in Oregon in 2022 by the online publication, That Oregon Life.

Recreation & Livability

With its thriving economy, Hillsboro is the home of:

• Oregon’s fourth-largest school district
• Two higher-education campuses
• Two public libraries
• More than 30 parks
• More than 1,500 acres of designated green spaces, including Jackson Bottom Wetlands Preserve and the Orenco Woods Nature Park

The Hillsboro community proudly supports creative expression and the arts, and Downtown Hillsboro is the home of the Walters Cultural Arts Center and the highly regarded Bag&Baggage professional theatre company.

Sign up to receive email updates from the City of Hillsboro on community events, news & announcements

Throughout summer, Hillsboro residents can shop for fresh berries, cherries, and produce at five different weekly farmers’ markets.

Annual community events include:

• the Oregon International Air Show
• the Latino Cultural Festival
• Pride Party
• Juneteenth Celebration
• the Hillsboro Rotary 4th of July Parade, one of the largest parades in the Pacific Northwest
• La Strada dei Pastelli
• El Grito festival
• OrenKoFest
• Hillsboro Holly Days

The Hillsboro Hops are the only professional baseball team in the Portland metro area, and they entertain fans during home games at the Hillsboro Ballpark owned by the City of Hillsboro.

City of Hillsboro Mission Statement & Core Values

The City of Hillsboro is dedicated to providing visionary leadership, delivering responsive municipal services, and fostering collaborative partnerships that enhance Hillsboro’s hometown livability.

Employees at the City of Hillsboro are expected to exemplify these Core Values:

• Excellence in Public Service
• Respect for Diverse Voices and Ideas
• Responsiveness in Customer Service
• Tradition of Reliability
• Stewardship of the Public Trust
• Leadership with Ethics and Integrity
• Culture of Teamwork and communication
• Emphasis on Innovation

Employees are also expected to promote a positive, respectful work environment and to be effective and collaborative team members while providing responsive municipal services to the Hillsboro community. One City Council guiding principle is "to exemplify and instill diversity, equity, and inclusion as essential parts of internal and external policy-making and the delivery of City services." Within the City, a group of employees representing every department comprise the Equity Leadership Council with the focus on "fostering and promoting a culture of diversity, equity, and inclusion within our organization."

Employees are proud to be part of the City of Hillsboro and want to foster positive relationships, deepen their connections, and enhance their skills.

Inside the City of Hillsboro

Known as a forward-thinking and visionary organization, the City of Hillsboro enjoys a reputation of excellence in its long-term strategic and fiscal planning. The City welcomes and values each resident, business, and visitor by providing exceptional and equitable public services.

The City of Hillsboro is served by approximately 1,200 full-time and part-time/temporary employees who work in 12 City departments:

• City Manager’s Office
• Community Development
• Economic Development
• Finance
• Fire & Rescue
• Human Resources
• Information Services
• Library
• Parks & Recreation
• Police
• Public Works
• Water

Like the community members they serve, City of Hillsboro employees are passionate about equity and fostering a culturally inclusive community. The City promotes mutual respect and appreciation, recognizing that the diversity of people’s backgrounds, perspectives, and lived experiences enriches the community and makes Hillsboro stronger — and more interesting.

Fostering a welcoming and thriving environment for all who live, work, and play in Hillsboro elevates the community’s cultural fabric, economic growth, global competitiveness, and overall prosperity.

While greatly respecting tradition, Hillsboro is unlike a traditional City government. It is a financially conservative, yet innovative and forward-thinking, full-service City. Hillsboro takes pride in being open, entrepreneurial, and cooperative in serving residents, community members, businesses, and community partners. Success to Hillsboro means working together to provide excellent municipal services and plan for a bright future for the community.

Hillsboro operates as a Council-Manager form of government. Voters elect the seven-member City Council, including the Mayor and six other City Councilors, to serve a four-year term, with a charter-imposed limit of serving no more than two consecutive terms. The City Council appoints a City Manager to conduct the business of the City. Policy decisions are the responsibility of the Council, while administrative functions are carried out by the City Manager and manager-selected staff.

Bold and optimistic, Hillsboro is growing rapidly and with a purpose — to be the best City government imaginable. The City strives to be the public employer of choice, and employees continually look for opportunities to create the best working environment. Hillsboro is more than a city government. It is a set of values and personality traits that reflect the spirit of the community.

The City provides many opportunities for employees’ personal and professional growth, and promotes a culture that embraces change for the better. Hillsboro purposefully creates experiences for employees to contribute in different ways that benefit not only the organization and coworkers, but also directly support City Council priorities.

Hillsboro 2035 Community Plan

The community-driven Hillsboro 2035 Community Plan builds on the success of the Hillsboro 2020 Vision and Action Plan, our original, award-winning plan that led to many community enhancements, including:

• the Tom Hughes Civic Center Plaza
• Hondo Dog Park
• the Walters Cultural Arts Center
• community gardens
• diverse housing options
• family-friendly community events
• Hillsboro Ballpark, home of the Hillsboro Hops professional baseball team (Go Hops!)

The Hillsboro 2035 Community Plan is based on input and ideas from more than 5,000 Hillsboro community members for the future of our community, and it includes a vision of what Hillsboro community members want Hillsboro to look like by the year 2035, as well as an action plan for getting us there. In 2024, the Hillsboro 2035 Community Plan is undergoing its scheduled five-year update.