Area Guide No. 5
Washington County · 97116 · About 25 miles west of downtown Portland
Forest Grove is a genuine college town of roughly 26,000 people at the western edge of Washington County, about 25 miles west of Portland and just 6 miles west of Hillsboro. It is the western anchor of the Tualatin Valley, home to Pacific University, and one of the most affordable towns on the Portland westside, with a historic downtown, four historic districts, the only American-owned sake brewery in the country, and the Coast Range rising at its back.
Forest Grove · Washington County · 97116 · Oregon
Forest Grove, Oregon · Washington County · 97116
The latest verified news about the major employers and companies that anchor this area, with sources cited. Each item links to the reporting outlet that published it.
01
Pacific and Willamette universities cleared a major hurdle toward a merger that would create Oregon's largest private university.
In July 2026 both governing boards signed off on the terms, moving the combined institution, expected to begin operating as a single legal entity by the start of 2027, sharply closer to reality. Pacific president Jenny Coyle is set to lead the new university, and its Forest Grove campus anchors the area's largest employer.
Source: OregonLive, July 2026
02
The Forest Grove City Council approved a 120-day moratorium on new data center development and expansions.
The measure, adopted unanimously on October 12, 2026, cites concerns about economic development, housing capacity, electricity consumption, and environmental and public-health effects, following a similar move in Hillsboro. The already-underway Crane Data Centers site is exempt. The city posted the official notice on October 14, 2026.
03
Pacific University celebrated its 175th anniversary with its first alumna president, Jenny Coyle, at the helm.
KOIN profiled Coyle in February 2025 as Pacific marked 175 years in Forest Grove, a milestone for the university that is the city's and region's anchor employer and a center of its higher-education identity.
Source: KOIN, February 2025
Monthly Market Snapshot
Forest Grove's September median came in meaningfully below last year's level, and the market has been one of the slower paced in Washington County. Figures are the latest published by the public sources cited below and were retrieved on November 3, 2026.
Median Sale Price
$501,261
Down 5.5% year over year
All home types, Redfin, September 2026. A month-over-month change was not published by the cited sources.
Days on Market
Not published
Latest figure: about 107 days (December 2025)
Redfin's city summary has not published a September 2026 days-on-market figure; the most recent was about 107 days for December 2025.
Homes for Sale
~127
Zillow Research estimate
Zillow Research for-sale inventory estimate for Forest Grove, 2026 snapshot.
New Listings
2,487
Up 1.9% from August 2026
Portland Metro, RMLS Market Action, September 2026. City-level new-listing counts are not published by the cited independent public sources.
Total Market Time
68 days
Up from 57 days in August 2026
Average days from listing to accepted offer, Portland Metro, RMLS Market Action, September 2026.
Pending Sales
1,760
Down 12.6% from August 2026
Portland Metro, RMLS Market Action, September 2026.
With the median down sharply from a year ago, Forest Grove offers some of the most negotiable conditions in Washington County. Buyers should expect a slower pace and more room for contingencies and closing-cost negotiations.
The market has cooled, and the September median reflects it. Pricing against current closed sales rather than last year's values, plus strong presentation, is the most reliable way to protect your timeline and your bottom line.
Sources & data date
Fair Housing note: These figures describe the area as a whole and vary by neighborhood, home type, and price range. Penner Group Properties is committed to the Fair Housing Act and to equal opportunity in housing, and we do not steer buyers toward or away from any community.
Tree-lined streets and family homes, minutes from the highway
01 · Area Highlights
Forest Grove began as a farming settlement in the 1840s, and the city that grew up around it, chartered in 1872, is the oldest in Washington County. It is named for the dense groves of the Tualatin Valley, and it is the rare Oregon town that grew around a university rather than an industry: Pacific University, founded in 1849, has been the heart of the community for more than 175 years.
The draw today is the combination of price and place. Forest Grove is the most affordable town on the Portland westside corridor, with a housing market that routinely runs $100,000 or more below Beaverton and Hillsboro for comparable homes. It pairs that with a genuinely walkable historic downtown along Pacific Avenue and Main Street, four historic districts, a famous sake brewery and brewpub scene, and the Coast Range and the Tillamook State Forest right at its back. And for work, Hillsboro's Silicon Forest is a ten-to-fifteen-minute drive east.
01b · Navigable Map
Pan, zoom, and drag around this live map to get your bearings before you even call us: pin the historic downtown, Pacific University, the parks, SakeOne, and the Grand Lodge, with Hillsboro and Cornelius at the edges of the frame.
Forest Grove, Oregon · Washington County · 97116
02 · Community Detail
Forest Grove's population was 26,225 at the 2020 census, with recent Census Bureau estimates putting it around 27,000. It is a friendly, mid-sized small town with a young energy from the university, a steady stream of families drawn by the prices, and the easygoing feel of a community where people know their neighbors.
The neighborhoods are the reason buyers end up staying. The historic downtown around Pacific Avenue and Main Street, listed on the National Register, is the walkable core with a genuinely walkable Walk Score near 73: shops, cafés, restaurants, and the farmers market all within a short stroll. The Pacific University area blends student life with older, tree-lined Victorian blocks and faculty homes, and the Walker-Naylor Historic District preserves more of the city's 19th-century character. Newer west-side subdivisions hold the recent construction, and on the foothill edge toward the Coast Range, homes step up to acreage, views, and a more rural feel.
Forest Grove sits in Forest Grove School District 15, a public PK-12 district serving roughly 5,600 students across Forest Grove, Cornelius, Dilley, and Gales Creek. Elementary schools in the area include Dilley, Echo Shaw, Fern Hill, Harvey Clarke, and Joseph Gale, with Tom McCall Upper Elementary, Neil Armstrong Middle School, and Forest Grove High School at the upper levels. As with every district we cover, the feeder boundary for a specific address matters more than the district name, so we always look up the exact school a home feeds before recommending it.
Pacific University anchors the town's character
Manufacturing and food processing anchor the local base
03 · Major Employers
Forest Grove's economy is more balanced than most small towns, with a university, a school district, and a real manufacturing sector, all within reach of the Silicon Forest. Here are the anchors:
Forest Grove's largest private employer and the anchor of the west end of the corridor. The university was founded in 1849 and is Oregon's oldest chartered institution of higher learning; it brings students, faculty, and events to the city year-round and keeps the local economy independent of any single company.
The dominant public employer, serving roughly 5,600 students across Forest Grove, Cornelius, Dilley, and Gales Creek. The district runs more than a dozen schools, including Forest Grove High School and Neil Armstrong Middle School, and anchors a large share of the city’s professional jobs alongside City of Forest Grove government.
Manufacturing is the city’s largest industry sector, with about 2,000 workers. The base includes food and beverage processors such as New Season Foods, which freeze-dries food on site, and Lieb Foods, plus wood-products maker Woodfold Manufacturing and a cluster of metalworking and high-tech component firms.
Around 69 healthcare and social-assistance businesses employ roughly 1,260 people in Forest Grove, and retail and food service add a steady local base along Pacific Avenue. For bigger job markets, the Silicon Forest sits ten to fifteen minutes east, with Intel’s Hillsboro campuses employing roughly 22,000 people across the region.
04 · Restaurant Guide
Forest Grove's dining scene is small-town genuine: a mix of family-run taquerias and Asian kitchens, a couple of breweries, a famous drive-in, and the landmark Grand Lodge, all within a few blocks of Main Street. Some of our favorites, by area:
Taqueria Corona
VisitA well-loved family taqueria in the heart of downtown, known for big tacos, burritos, and house salsas, and a great first stop for Forest Grove's food scene.
2009 Main St
Kama'aina
A friendly Hawaiian plate-lunch spot serving kalua pork, teriyaki, and loco moco plates with rice and mac salad, a lunch favorite with a loyal following.
1910 Main St
Pac Thai
VisitA long-running local Thai restaurant with a broad menu of curries, noodle dishes, and stir-fries, among the most-reviewed restaurants in town.
1923 Pacific Ave
F G Sushi
A well-reviewed neighborhood sushi spot just off Main Street, one of the few dedicated sushi counters on the west end of the valley.
1905 Birch St
New Chinese Cuisine
VisitA dependable downtown Chinese restaurant serving a wide menu of Cantonese and American-Chinese favorites for dine-in and takeout.
1932 21st Ave
McMenamins Ironwork Grill
VisitThe main dining room inside the historic Grand Lodge, serving McMenamins' signature pub menu, a full bar with local brews, and one of the area's most memorable settings.
3505 Pacific Ave
Scottie's Drive In
VisitA classic drive-in burger stand that has served the west valley for decades, famous for hand-formed burgers, milkshakes, and the old-school car-hop feel.
1702 Pacific Ave
Mandarin China Restaurant
VisitA long-running sit-down Chinese restaurant on the east end of Pacific Avenue with a full menu and a comfortable dining room.
2338 Pacific Ave
Prime Time Restaurant & Sports Bar
VisitA family-friendly sports bar and grill with a big menu, game-day TVs, and a popular late-night crowd on the west end of town.
4450 Pacific Ave
Ridgewalker Brewing
VisitA well-reviewed craft brewery and taproom a block off Main Street, with a rotating list of beers, a cozy room, and food trucks outside.
1921 21st Ave
Waltz Brewing
VisitA small-batch brewery and tasting room on the edge of downtown, known for its welcoming space and seasonal pours.
1900 A St
Black Dog Bar & Grill
VisitA friendly neighborhood spot on 19th Avenue with a loyal local following, part of the laid-back dining scene that makes the town feel like home.
2835 19th Ave
Pizza Schmizza
VisitA dependable local pizzeria on Main Street with a big build-your-own menu and craft-beer taps, a family favorite for takeout and delivery.
2042 Main St
Bullets, Burgers and Brews
VisitA local burger and beer spot on 21st Avenue with generous plates and a friendly bar, good for a casual dinner or a game on the screen.
1931 21st Ave
For a bigger night out, the wineries of the Chehalem Mountains are a short drive south, and the dining rooms of Hillsboro's Orenco Station are about ten minutes east.
From taquerias to breweries, downtown is a food town
Fernhill Wetlands, right on the edge of town
05 · Activities
Forest Grove's real wealth is outdoors and cultural: a world-class wetland preserve, a lake that draws a million visitors a year, a historic lodge, the sake brewery, and a calendar of small-town events. Here is how locals spend their weekends:
A 243-acre restored wetland at the confluence of Gales Creek and the Tualatin River, an Audubon-designated Important Bird Area with a roughly one-mile gravel loop around Fernhill Lake, two covered viewing platforms, and great blue herons, bald eagles, and migrating waterfowl.
A Bureau of Reclamation reservoir run by Washington County Parks as Scoggins Valley Park, about five miles southwest of town. It draws more than a million visitors a year for boating, fishing, swimming, and lakeside picnicking, with two boat ramps and a state-record fishing history.
The iconic former Masonic lodge at 3505 Pacific Ave, now a hotel, theater, restaurant, and brewpub with an 18-hole disc golf course. It is a Forest Grove institution and a favorite stop for out-of-town guests.
The only American-owned sake brewery in the country, at 820 Elm St, with a tasting room and tours. A genuinely unique local draw you will not find anywhere else on the westside.
Saturdays on Main Street in the warmer months, with local farms, prepared food, and live music, a downtown ritual that anchors the small-college-town feel.
A community theatre at 2028 Pacific Ave that has been staging plays, musicals, and performances since 1946, a cultural anchor in the heart of downtown.
The 175-plus-year-old private university at 2043 College Way anchors the town, with a beautiful tree-lined campus and year-round events open to the community, from athletics to concerts and lectures.
At Rogers Park is the city’s biggest community park with sports fields and picnic areas; Joseph Gale Park, Lincoln Skatepark, the Forest Grove City Aquatic Center, and Thatcher Dog Park round out the local lineup, and the Verboort Sausage and Kraut Festival draws crowds every fall just north of town.
A well-rated winery on David Hill Road in the Coast Range foothills above town, with tastings and valley views, part of the wine country that presses in on Forest Grove from every side.
We know this town block by block. Tell us what you are looking for and we will show you the Forest Grove that fits, from the school boundary to the Saturday market.
Reader Comments
Tell us what you love most about living in or visiting this area. Your comments help make this guide even more useful for families considering a move here.
Reader Favorites
Comments are moderated and appear after approval. Thank you for sharing what you love about this area.
Approved comments will appear here soon.
