Welcome to Oregon Author!
Join me as we travel to fascinating places in this beautiful state, enjoy Pacific Northwest foods and share recipes, visit Oregon sports teams, admire local flora and fauna, attend events, and talk about all things Oregon.
Hello, Word Lovers!
Let’s go on a journey. Characters in my upcoming novel, Thunderhead Rising, travel to three general locations. One car has a body in the back, but you’ll have to read the book to learn more about that. Let’s take this trip without it, if that’s all right with you. Our first stop is the city of Hillsboro, Oregon.
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Hillsboro
The Calder, Rios and Pace families and their friends in Thunderhead Rising live in this western suburb of Portland. With a population of close to 110,000 and an area of almost 26 square miles, Hillsboro is the fifth largest city in Oregon. It’s growing, too, since a new South Hillsboro community is under development. It’s also the seat of Washington County. Since I live in Hillsboro, in no particular order, I’d like to give you just a taste of my wonderful community.
10 Things to Love About Hillsboro
1. Medical Hub
Peter Calder, the co-protagonist of Thunderhead Rising, is an oncologist. Hillsboro boasts two hospitals and numerous medical facilities. The VA hospital in Portland has a clinic in Hillsboro, and the state’s major healthcare players all have a presence there. It’s a great place to get healthcare. And the highly-acclaimed Oregon Health and Sciences University in Portland, where Peter conducts research, has a hospital and clinics in Hillsboro.
2. Latinx Population
Carlos Rios and his family are part of the thriving Latinx population in Hillsboro, the largest in the Porland metropolitan area. In the summer, I never miss the Latino Cultural Festival. In years past, the festival was held downtown, with kiosks and events happening in the streets in and around the Hillsboro Civic Center. Last year, it moved to Ron Tonkin Field, where there is much more room. The event now features an ongoing Latino soccer tournament as well as music, dancing, parades, native costumes and lots of awesome food.
In September, the El Grito de Independencia celebration honors seven Latin American countries’ gaining of their independence from Spain. It takes place in Shute Park, and features music, dance, activities, food, a car show, and an El Grito ceremony.
3. County Seat
Hillsboro is the Washington County seat, so it’s the home of not only the county administration buildings and the courthouse, but also the Hillsboro Police Department and the Washington County Jail. Detective Evan Pace works out of the HPD West Precinct office, and readers will certainly meet a few characters who don’t want to be cooling their heels in the jail.
4. Silicon Forest
Peter Calder’s father moved the family to Hillsboro after he got a job at Intel in the late 1970s. Intel has three campuses in Hillsboro, including the huge Ronler Acres R&D and administrative center.
Washington County — and parts of Multnomah County where Portland is located — is home to so many major technology companies it’s become known as the Silicon Forest. The “forest” includes semiconductor, hardware, software, emerging technologies (ET), information technology (IT), artificial intelligence (AI) and all their supporting supply chains.
5. Hillsboro Hops and Ron Tonkin Field
Ron Tonkin Field is the home of the Hillsboro Hops, the High-A Minor League Baseball affiliate of the Arizona Diamondbacks. Hops games are a great way to spend an afternoon and enjoy some fine food, too. The park is also used for cultural events, soccer tournaments and concerts. A nearby larger new stadium for the Hops is in the planning stages.
6. Hillsboro Airport
Did you know Hillsboro has its own airport? It’s the second busiest airport in Oregon in terms of total aircraft operations, with aviation facilities for businesses and residents. And it’s one home of the Oregon International Air Show, an event plane lovers must see. The US Navy Blue Angels and/or other famous flight demonstration squadrons and trick flying teams participate in the show each year.
The Blue Line of MAX, the Portland metro light rail system, has five stations in Hillsboro, running from Gresham in the eastern suburbs to the western end of Hillsboro. I moved to Hillsboro partly because a MAX station within walking distance of my home enabled me to travel to work in Portland without having to worry about freeway traffic and parking.
Peter’s girlfriend Lucy lives in an apartment overlooking Amberglen Park. One of my favorite things about Hillsboro is the large number of beautiful parks, hiking trails, cultural centers and recreational facilities there. There are two city parks in my neighborhood alone.
The city is dedicated to continuously improving and expanding the former 53rd Avenue Community Park, just renamed Hidden Creek Park East, which boasts a new rec center, tennis and pickleball courts, soccer fields and playgrounds. And Hillsboro has cultural arts centers for music and the fine arts and events.
9. Suburban and Rural Communities
In addition to the above, there’s something for everyone in Hillsboro: large shopping malls, a charming downtown Main Street, new apartment buildings and townhomes, and farms and fields, particularly north of the Intel Ronler Acres campus. There are many excellent and sometimes wacky restaurants and small museums. We’ll visit some of these in future blogs.
10. Honors
In 2021 and 2022, Hillsboro was honored with several recognitions: it was ranked 23rd in Money.com’s list of the 50 Best Places to Live in the US. It was also named The Best Place to Live in Oregon by That Oregon Life, and #7 on Livability.com’s Best Places to Live list. ChamberOfCommerce.org declared it to be #21 on its list of national 25 Safest US Cities for Trick-or-Treating.
I’ve loved having you along on this whirlwind tour of my home community, the center of Thunderhead Rising. We’ll be back for a closer look in future blogs.
May the Words be with you.
