Walkable Orenco Station

March 28, 8:57 AMPortland Walking ExaminerWendy Bumgardner

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Walkers enjoy Orenco Station

Orenco Station was planned as a new walkable suburb in the midst of the Silicon Forest near Hillsboro, Oregon.  The Cedar Milers volkssport club held their March walk through the neighborhoods and parks.  Take a look at what makes it walkable.

Orenco was named after the Oregon Nursery Company, which operated a large nursery here since 1896. Unfortunately, the nursery was a casualty of the Great Depression.  But today its spirit lives on with a weekly Sunday farmers market from May through September.

The new Orenco Station was designed around pedestrian access and mass transit.  The housing was laid out to combine shops and living areas around a town center, with only a four-block walk to the MAX station. It is also a mile-plus walk to Noble Woods Park to enjoy tall timber, natural trails and picnic areas.

For those who work nearby at Intel, or in downtown Portland or other sites along the MAX line, it can allow a car-light lifestyle.  Orenco Station has a variety of restaurants, a great New Seasons grocery store, and access to medical centers via the MAX line.  The big box stores are an easy drive away at Tanasbourne and along Cornell Road.