Expansive trail system and reenergized downtown define Tigard
Tigard, a city southwest of Portland, is home to an expansive parks and trails system, a popular hot air balloon festival and about 55,000 people, some of whom are leading the charge to revitalize the city’s downtown. “We are trying to make the downtown area more vibrant with food, drinks and specialty retail, as well as with the addition of Universal Plaza, which just opened up,” says Kyle Knepper, the executive director of the Tigard Downtown Alliance—a nonprofit focused on increasing foot traffic and business in the area—who has lived in the city for almost two decades and grew up nearby. “Right now, it’s a little more transactional. Many people are going down there to get a car wash, to go to the dry cleaners or just to get one meal. The idea is that community members can come and spend a full day downtown by shopping, eating, accessing the Fanno Creek Trail, looking at public art, going to the park and all that stuff.”
Shopping & dining in Downtown Tigard is hop, skip and a jump down Hwy. 99 from Derry Dell.
The Great Blue Heron centers the Fanno Creek Trail mural by Jeremy Nichols.
Huaraches is a popular dish at Sanchez Taqueria Y Panaderia in Downtown Tigard.
Fanno Creek snakes throughout the Downtown Tigard neighborhood.
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Vintage store and local bars on Main Street
Main Street is the heart of Downtown Tigard , anchored by veteran business Curiosities Vintage & Oddities—opened in 2013—and buzzy hangout spots like Cooper Mountain Ale Works and Tigard Taphouse. Though local businesses drive traffic, city officials and nonprofits, like the Tigard Downtown Alliance, are working to make downtown more of a regional destination. “The way we do that is we put on a handful of the city’s larger events, which happen to be downtown,” Knepper says. “A lot of times, people don’t realize that there is a turnover of businesses. Even though they might not go and shop or eat [at a new place they discover] during the event, hopefully, they come back the next weekend to check it out.”
Fanno Creek Trail connects homes to the Main Street shops in Downtown Tigard.
Shop for your mid-century home at Curiosities antique store near Derry Dell.
Test your pinball wizardry at Cooper Mountain Ale Works in Derry Dell.
Tigard residents dress up for the Tigard Festive Fleece Fun Run in Downtown Tigard.
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Forty years of the Tigard Festival of Balloons
The events the Tigard Downtown Alliance organizes include a wine walk, an autumn street fair, Trick or Treat Main Street, which draws a crowd of over 3,000, according to Knepper, and a holiday tree lighting. The city’s most prominent event is the Tigard Festival of Balloons. For over 40 years, nearly two dozen hot air balloons have graced the skies during sunrise and sunset, while tethered rides are available after the early morning launch.
One of downtown's revitalization efforts centers around artwork—vibrant murals, outdoor installations and playful glass baskets that hang on light poles add character to downtown Tigard. The city is also rich in performance art, with the only professional musical theater company in the region. The Broadway Rose Theatre Company was founded in 1984, attracting an audience of over 40,000 per year and employing over 250 artists, technicians, educators and other staff members.
Watch the festive pumpkin race at The West Coast Giant Pumpkin Regatta.
The Tigard Holiday Night Market is an annual event in Downtown Tigard.
Shop for gifts crafted by local vendors just in time for the Holidays.
Pick out some fresh strawberries at the Westgate Baptist Church youth strawberry stand.
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Downtown's new green space: Urban Plaza
Universal Plaza, the newest addition to Tigard’s 550 acres of parks and open spaces, opened in April 2023, southeast of Main Street. The gathering space is the new home of the Tigard Farmers Market, food carts, a fountain and a splash pad. It also connects to the paved Fanno Creek Trail, which runs through several Tigard parks on its way from Tualatin to Beaverton. The largest green space in the city is Cook Park 's namesake green space, which rests on the northern edge of the Tualatin River. The park allows for fishing and has access to a boat ramp for the Tualatin River, a butterfly garden and a new, accessible playground designed to accommodate children with wheelchairs, cochlear implants and autism.
The climate in Tigard is moderate, though November through January can be rainy. Temperatures stay above freezing during the coldest months and in the low 80s during the summer.
Universal Plaza is a new park in Downtown Tigard that features a splash pad and food trucks.
Fanno Creek Trail is a popular trail for cyclists in the Downtown Tigard neighborhood.
The vibrant playgrounds at Cook Park in Tigard.
Row out from the Cook Park boat ramp on the Tualatin River.
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Tigard home values grow faster than national average
Ranch-style homes from the 1960s and 1970s, smaller bungalows from the 1980s, as well as new traditional homes from the 1990s and 2000s, line residential streets that wind throughout Tigard, including the occasional new construction. Established communities include Derry Dell and Metzger . The Durham Road community has a mix of midcentury homes and newer developments.
The median home sales price in Tigard is above both that of Portland and the country at large, at about $650,000, while Portland’s median hovers around $535,000. In contrast, the country-wide average—as reported by the National Association of Realtors in October 2024—is $407,200 and increasing at a rate of 4%. The median home sales price in Tigard is growing by 6% yearly.
Row of Mid-Century Rancher homes in the Downtown Tigard neighborhood.
Large Northwest style home in the Downtown Tigard neighborhood.
Earth-toned traditional homes blend into the Douglas Firs of the Derry Dell community.
Newly built contemporary home in the Downtown Tigard neighborhood.
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Advanced engineering and design courses at Tigard High
Public school students in the city attend institutions within the Tigard-Tualatin School District, which also serves the nearby city of Tualatin, and earns a B-plus grade from Niche. Tigard High School also receives a B-plus and outperforms state averages in several metrics. Among the school’s ninth graders, 92% are on track to graduate, compared to an 85% rate statewide, and it offers a more advanced International Baccalaureate Diploma. Its engineering and design program allows students to use 3D printers, laser cutters and other metrology tools, as well as earn a SolidWorks certificate.
Tigard High School outperforms state averages in several metrics.
Tigard High School has around 1800 students with a B+ rating on Niche.
Tigard High School offers a more advanced International Baccalaureate Diploma.
Tigard High School's engineering and design programs award a SolidWorks certificate.
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Connected to downtown Portland by bus and highway
Interstate 5 and Pacific Highway are the city’s major thoroughfares. The center of the city, defined by Main Street, is built around Pacific Highway, also known as Oregon state Route 99. Northeast of Tigard, the highway merges into Interstate 5, which continues to downtown Portland, about 12 miles away. A few TriMet buses service the city, connecting it to downtown Portland, Lake Oswego, Oregon City and other nearby communities. The TriMet public transit system also runs its Westside Express Service (WES) commuter rail through the Tigard Transit Center, and passengers can take the line south to Tualatin or Wilsonville, as well as north to Beaverton.
Employment and crime in Tigard
Out of the 51% of Tigard residents who work in the Portland metro area, Vancouver or Salem, 8% work in Tigard itself. Another 18% commute into the city of Portland, while almost another half of the population works for companies based in other locales. Most jobs in Tigard fall in the category of technical and professional services—52% of employment is in healthcare, educational services, financial services or information technology.
Property crime and violent crime rates are falling in Tigard and Oregon as a whole. As of September 2024, the city reported 312 cases of violent crime. That marked roughly a 4.6% decrease—15 fewer cases—when compared with the same period in 2023. The property crime rate in Tigard decreased by about 3% between the same time frames—from 2,060 reported cases between January 2023 and September 2023 to 1,997. Violent crime and property crime rates across the state saw a more dramatic decrease: 11% for violent crime and 22% for property crime.
My name is Keith McCue, and I've proudly served as your Principal Broker in Oregon for the past 15 years. Before establishing Keith McCue Realty, I was part of the pioneering team that introduced Redfin to the Oregon market in 2009. My real estate journey began in California, where I worked as a broker since 1995, primarily in Southern California, and I still hold a California DRE license. My customer service skills were refined during my years with Delta Airlines, where I progressed from various roles to becoming a licensed pilot. I invite you to reach out anytime via call, text, or email. Let me show you how our dedicated team can achieve outstanding results for all your real estate needs.
Disclaimer: Certain information contained herein is derived from information provided by parties other than Homes.com. Our sources include: Accuweather, Public Records and Neustar. All information provided is deemed reliable, but is not guaranteed to be accurate and should be independently verified.
