Forest Grove, Oregon

History

Prior to the 1840s when Euro-Americans settled the area, the Atfalati band of the Kalapuya Native American tribe lived on the Tualatin Plains in what is now Forest Grove. In 1841, Alvin T. and Abigail Smith were among the earliest to use the Oregon Trail and settled on what was first known as West Tualatin Plain. They overwintered with Henry Harmon Spalding, arriving in what is now Forest Grove in the fall. Intending to be missionaries, they found little potential as most of the natives had succumbed to European diseases. Smith served as the community's first postmaster beginning on February 1, 1850, and his log cabin served as the post office.

According to Oregon Geographic Names, the name Forest Grove was selected on January 10, 1851, at a meeting of the trustees of Tualatin Academy (later known as Pacific University). Resident and school trustee J. Quinn Thornton suggested the name, which he also had used for the name of his homestead. The name referred to a grove of oak trees that still stand on what is now the campus of the university. Previous post offices in the area were called Tuality Plains and Tualatin, with Forest Grove adopted on December 31, 1858. The city was platted in 1850.

In 1860, the population reached 430, but declined to 396 in 1870. In 1880, the now Chemawa Indian School opened in the city to forcibly assimilate Native American children, but moved to Salem in 1884. The city started the Fire Department in 1894. The population reached nearly 1,300 in 1900.

In November 1908, the Oregon Electric Railway (OE) began serving the city, and in January 1914, competitor Southern Pacific (SP) followed suit, opening its own line, separate from OE's. Both railroads provided freight and passenger service, SP's passenger service being known as the Red Electric. A company called the Forest Grove Transportation Company operated local streetcar service that linked downtown to Carnation, Oregon, where the Oregon & California Railroad built its depot, but the service lasted only from 1906 to 1911. The Red Electric passenger service to Forest Grove ended in 1929 and Oregon Electric's ceased in 1932.

In February 2016, a high-pitched, hissing noise called the Forest Grove Sound was heard by several residents of the town.

The Oregon Army National Guard's 2nd Battalion-218th Field Artillery Regiment is headquartered in Forest Grove.

Geography

Forest Grove is located on the western edge of the Portland metropolitan area and the Willamette Valley.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 5.88 sqmi, of which 5.74 sqmi is land and 0.14 sqmi is water.

One of the largest Giant Sequoia trees of the state of Oregon can be found in Forest Grove.

Climate

This region experiences warm (but not hot) and dry summers, with no average monthly temperatures above 71.6 F. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Forest Grove has a warm-summer Mediterranean climate, abbreviated "Csb" on climate maps.

| Jan record high F = 67 | Feb record high F = 77 | Mar record high F = 82 | Apr record high F = 93 | May record high F = 101 | Jun record high F = 113 | Jul record high F = 109 | Aug record high F = 108 | Sep record high F = 104 | Oct record high F = 93 | Nov record high F = 72 | Dec record high F = 64 | year record high F = 113 | Jan avg record high F = 57.4 | Feb avg record high F = 61.1 | Mar avg record high F = 70.3 | Apr avg record high F = 79.6 | May avg record high F = 88.9 | Jun avg record high F = 92.5 | Jul avg record high F = 98.6 | Aug avg record high F = 98.7 | Sep avg record high F = 93.8 | Oct avg record high F = 80.0 | Nov avg record high F = 64.3 | Dec avg record high F = 56.8 | year avg record high F = 101.8 | Jan avg record low F = 21.1 | Feb avg record low F = 22.8 | Mar avg record low F = 27.5 | Apr avg record low F = 30.4 | May avg record low F = 35.6 | Jun avg record low F = 41.4 | Jul avg record low F = 45.7 | Aug avg record low F = 45.6 | Sep avg record low F = 39.6 | Oct avg record low F = 31.0 | Nov avg record low F = 24.7 | Dec avg record low F = 20.7 | year avg record low F = 15.7 | Jan record low F = -11 | Feb record low F = -12 | Mar record low F = 13 | Apr record low F = 23 | May record low F = 28 | Jun record low F = 32 | Jul record low F = 34 | Aug record low F = 33 | Sep record low F = 27 | Oct record low F = 20 | Nov record low F = 6 | Dec record low F = -4 | year record low F = -12 |access-date = December 30, 2022

Demographics

2018 Estimate | align-fn = center

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, Forest Grove had a population of 26,225 and 9,103 families residing in the city. The median age was 35.3 years, with 23.5% of residents under the age of 18 and 15.1% aged 65 or older. For every 100 females there were 93.6 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 90.8 males age 18 and over.

As of the 2020 census, 99.7% of residents lived in urban areas, while 0.3% lived in rural areas.

There were 9,010 households in Forest Grove, of which 34.8% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 49.3% were married-couple households, 16.9% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 25.8% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 24.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

There were 9,356 housing units, of which 3.7% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 59.5% were owner-occupied and 40.5% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 0.7% and the rental vacancy rate was 4.5%.

As of the 2020 census, 14.3% of residents identified as someone with a disability.

2010 census

As of the census of 2010, there were 21,083 people, 7,385 households, and 4,871 families residing in the city. The population density was 3673.0 PD/sqmi. There were 7,845 housing units at an average density of 1366.7 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the city was 78.8% White, 0.8% African American, 1.1% Native American, 2.6% Asian, 0.3% Pacific Islander, 12.5% from other races, and 3.9% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 23.1% of the population.

There were 7,385 households, of which 37.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.1% were married couples living together, 11.0% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.9% had a male householder with no wife present, and 34.0% were non-families. 27.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.71 and the average family size was 3.31.

The median age in the city was 32.7 years. 26.6% of residents were under the age of 18; 13.3% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 25.6% were from 25 to 44; 22.2% were from 45 to 64; and 12.3% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 48.0% male and 52.0% female.

2000 census

As of the census of 2000, there were 17,708 people, 6,336 households, and 4,131 families residing in the city. The population density was 3,850.5 PD/sqmi. There were 6,702 housing units at an average density of 1,457.3 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the city was 81.46% White, 0.43% African American, 0.89% Native American, 2.11% Asian, 0.24% Pacific Islander, 11.39% from other races, and 3.47% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 17.31% of the population.

There are 6,336 households, out of which 35.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.3% were married couples living together, 10.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.8% were non-families. 27.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.64 and the average family size was 3.24.

In the city the population was spread out, with 27.4% under the age of 18, 13.4% from 18 to 24, 28.7% from 25 to 44, 16.8% from 45 to 64, and 13.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 31 years. For every 100 females, there were 90.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.6 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $40,135, and the median income for a family was $47,733. Males had a median income of $36,139 versus $25,703 for females. The per capita income for the city was $16,992. About 10.4% of families and 14.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 16.2% of those under age 18 and 11.4% of those age 65 or over.

Arts and culture

There are 12 properties individually listed on the National Register of Historic Places and two historic districts: the 18-block Clark Historic District with homes dating as far back as 1854 (and several dozen pre-1900) and the Painter's Woods Historic District. These include the Alvin T. Smith House, First Church of Christ, Scientist, and Old College Hall.

Annual events include a sidewalk chalk art festival, and a holiday light parade.

Valley Arts Association, established in 1966, is one of the oldest nonprofit, volunteer associations in the Pacific Northwest. Its gallery sells member art, and offers art classes.

The Star Theatre, built in 1912, featured films and live productions. A community theater company performs there.

Education

Pacific University is a private university in Forest Grove. Notable buildings include Old College Hall and Marsh Hall.

Forest Grove, as well as Gales Creek, Dilley, and portions of Cornelius, are all part of the Forest Grove School District.

Media

Newspapers

• Forest Grove Leader
• News-Times

Film location

In the 1990s, filming for the television show, Nowhere Man, took place in Forest Grove numerous times. In 2015, an episode of The Librarians was filmed at Pacific University and two other sites in Forest Grove. The city's Forest Theater hosted a free public screening of the episode at the same time it aired on TV . The 2019 series Pretty Little Liars: The Perfectionists was filmed in Forest Grove, mostly at Pacific University.

Infrastructure

Highways

Highways include Oregon Route 8 (Tualatin Valley Highway) and Oregon Route 47.

Public transportation

Bus service is provided by TriMet and Yamhill County Transit Area. Ride Connection provides free, non-profit bus service called "GroveLink" in suburban areas.

Healthcare

Tuality Forest Grove Hospital is located in Forest Grove.

Notable people

· Only people who already have a Wikipedia article may appear here. This establishes notability. · The biographical article must mention how they are associated with Forest Grove, whether born, raised, or residing. · The fact of their association should have a reliable source cited, unless it is well-known. · Alphabetical by last name please · All others will be deleted without further explanation

• Tabitha Moffatt Brown
• Joseph Conrad Chamberlin
• Bobby Chouinard
• Harvey L. Clark
• Aubrey Gordon
• Haley Heynderickx
• Genevieve Springston Lynch
• Nellie Owens
• Zac Rosscup
• Alvin T. Smith
• Richard VanGrunsven

Sister cities

Forest Grove's sister city is Nyūzen, Japan.

References

• Smith, Alvin T. Original diaries at Pacific University Archives
• Drury, Clifford Merrill. 'Henry Harmon Spalding: Pioneer of Old Oregon." Caxton Printers, Caldwell, ID, 1936.

References

1. "City Council Contact Information".
2. "ArcGIS REST Services Directory". United States Census Bureau.
3. {{GNIS. 2410518
4. "State & County QuickFact: Forest Grove (city), Oregon". US Census Bureau.
5. [http://www.forestgrove-or.gov/city-hall/historic-landmarks-board-history.html Historic Landmarks Board: History.] {{webarchive. link. (2011-10-02 City of Forest Grove. Retrieved on December 5, 2008.)
6. Conway, Anne Kopel. (July 20, 2000). "Then & Now Forest Grove". The Oregonian.
7. (October 19, 1976). "Incorporation dates". The Hillsboro Argus.
8. "Fire Department". City of Forest Grove.
9. Thompson, Richard. (2008). "Willamette Valley Railways". [[Arcadia Publishing]].
10. Thompson, Richard. "Forest Grove streetcar system".
11. (29 May 2016). "Will We Ever Know What Was Causing Mystery Noise in This Oregon Town?".
12. Holley, Peter. "Listen to the mysterious nocturnal noise baffling experts and terrifying an Oregon community". Washington Post.
13. "US Gazetteer files 2010". [[United States Census Bureau]].
14. "Giant sequoias trees in Oregon".
15. "Climate Summary for Forest Grove, Oregon". Weatherbase.
16. United States Census Bureau. "Census of Population and Housing".
17. "Population Estimates". [[United States Census Bureau]].
18. "Census Population API". United States Census Bureau.
19. (2021). "2020 Decennial Census Demographic Profile (DP1)".
20. (2023). "2020 Decennial Census Demographic and Housing Characteristics (DHC)".
21. (2021). "2020 Decennial Census Redistricting Data (Public Law 94-171)".
22. "U.S. Census website". [[United States Census Bureau]].
23. Gilman, Elias. "Forest Grove".
24. (6 December 2023). "Sidewalk Chalk Art Festival". Valley Art Association.
25. (23 March 2023). "Holiday Light Festival". DiscoverForestGrove.
26. (25 May 2023). "About". Valley Arts Association.
27. (23 March 2023). "Star Theater Forest Grove". Washington County Heritage Online.
28. (24 February 2024). "About Us". Theatre in the Grove.
29. (14 December 2015). "Free screening of 'The Librarians' episode filmed in Forest Grove at Forest Theater". The Oregonian.
30. (27 September 2019). "Portland-filmed 'Pretty Little Liars' TV spinoff canceled after one season". The Oregonian.
31. "TriMet line 57 map and schedule".
32. "Yamhill County Transit: Routes and Schedules".
33. Rios, Edwin. (September 15, 2014). "Forest Grove City Council race: Ron Thompson calls for Grovelink funding, downtown development". The Oregonian.
34. [https://web.archive.org/web/20170210083642/http://portlandtribune.com/fgnt/36-news/236193-100930-forest-grove-grave-draws-little-house-lovers- Forest Grove grave draws 'Little House' lovers ] in [[Portland Tribune]]
35. "Forest Grove Sister City Nyuzen, Japan". City of Forest Grove.