Tualatin (ⁱ/tuˈɔːlətɪn/ TOO-aw-LƏ-tin) is a city in the U.S. state of Oregon. Most of Tualatin is in Washington County, but a small part is in Clackamas County. It is a suburb (a town near a larger city) located southwest of Portland. Tualatin is south of Tigard and is part of the Portland metropolitan area. In 2020, about 27,942 people lived there.

History of Tualatin

The city's name comes from the Tualatin River, which flows along its northern edge. The word "Tualatin" likely comes from a Native American language. It might mean "lazy" or "sluggish," possibly describing the river. Other ideas suggest it means "treeless plain" for the land near the river, or "forked" because of its many smaller streams.

How Tualatin Got Its Name

A post office called "Tualitin" opened on November 5, 1869. The spelling was later changed to "Tualatin" in 1915.

In the 1850s, the area was first known as Galbreath. This name came from its founder, Samuel Galbreath. In 1853, Galbreath built the first bridge over the Tualatin River. After that, the town became known as Bridgeport.

In the 1880s, John Sweek planned a new town around a train station. He named this new town Tualatin. The city officially became incorporated (a legal city) in 1913.

Ancient Discoveries in Tualatin

In 1962, scientists found the fossilized bones of a Mastodon (an ancient elephant-like animal) in Tualatin. This discovery happened in what is now a Fred Meyer parking lot. You can see these mastodon fossils in the lobby of the Tualatin Public Library.

More fossils were found in 1972 near Fanno Creek. These were parts of a skeleton from a Harlan's Ground Sloth. This was another large, ancient animal.

Population and People in Tualatin

Historical population
Census	Pop.	%±
1920	234	—
1930	198	−15.4%
1940	180	−9.1%
1950	248	37.8%
1960	359	44.8%
1970	750	108.9%
1980	7,348	879.7%
1990	15,013	104.3%
2000	22,791	51.8%
2010	26,054	14.3%
2020	27,942	7.2%
2022 (est.)	27,797	6.7%
U.S. Decennial Census 2020 Census

Tualatin has grown a lot over the years. In 1920, only 234 people lived here. By 2020, the population had grown to 27,942.

Tualatin's Population in 2020

Tualatin racial composition as of 2020
Race	Number	Percentage
White (non-Hispanic)	18,957	70.6%
Black or African American (non-Hispanic)	320	1.5%
Native American	85	1.3%
Asian	1,171	3.5%
Pacific Islander	311	2.0%
Other/Mixed	1,919	13.4%
Hispanic or Latino	5,179	21.0%

According to the 2020 census, there were 27,942 people living in Tualatin. There were also 10,909 households (groups of people living together).

Tualatin's Population in 2010

In 2010, Tualatin had 26,054 people and 10,000 households. About 6,762 of these were families. The city had about 3,170 people per square mile.

Many different groups of people live in Tualatin. In 2010, about 80.4% of residents were White. About 17.3% of the population was Hispanic or Latino.

About 37.5% of households had children under 18 living with them. The average household had 2.60 people. The average family had 3.12 people. The median age in the city was 34.6 years old.

Geography of Tualatin

Tualatin covers a total area of about 8.23 square miles (21.32 square kilometers). Almost all of this area is land. Only a very small part, about 0.01 square miles (0.03 square kilometers), is water.

Economy and Businesses in Tualatin

Bridgeport Village, a popular shopping area

Tualatin Commons at night

Tualatin is home to most of Bridgeport Village. This is a large, fancy shopping area that opened in 2005. It was built where an old quarry (a place where stone is dug) used to be. Bridgeport Village looks like an outdoor European-style shopping center. It has a big movie theater with 18 screens, many restaurants, and lots of different stores. A small part of Bridgeport Village is actually in Tigard.

Tualatin also has other shopping areas like Nyberg Woods and Nyberg Rivers. Nyberg Rivers opened in 2014. It has about 300,000 square feet of shops, restaurants, gyms, and entertainment.

Factories and Companies in Tualatin

Many factories are located on the south side of Tualatin. One big factory is a Lam Research plant. This plant makes special tools used to create computer chips.

Several companies that make knives are also in Tualatin. These include CRKT, KAI USA (which owns Kershaw and Zero Tolerance Knives), and Shun Cutlery. Al Mar Knives also has its main office in Tualatin.

Oregon Scientific, a company that makes consumer electronics (like weather stations and fitness trackers), has its main office in Tualatin. From the 1960s to the 1980s, Tualatin was also home to Sunn Musical Equipment Company. This company made musical instruments and sound equipment.

Tualatin in Movies

Tualatin has even been used as a place to film Hollywood movies. For example, the movie Thumbsucker was filmed at Tualatin High School.

An aerial view of Tualatin

Transportation and Services in Tualatin

Tualatin City Hall

Tualatin is part of the Tri-County Metropolitan Transportation District of Oregon (TriMet). This is the main public transportation agency for the Portland metropolitan area. TriMet offers several ways to get around Tualatin.

Public Transportation Options

You can use the WES Commuter Rail at Tualatin Station. This train connects Tualatin to other cities. There are also several TriMet bus lines that serve Tualatin, including lines 36, 37, 38, 76, 96, and 97.

Another bus service, South Metro Area Regional Transit (SMART), also has a stop in Tualatin. This stop is at TriMet's Tualatin Park & Ride lot.

Emergency and Health Services

Fire protection and emergency medical services in Tualatin are provided by Tualatin Valley Fire and Rescue. For medical care, Legacy Meridian Park Hospital is located right in Tualatin.

Education in Tualatin

Most of Tualatin is served by the Tigard-Tualatin School District. This district has 10 elementary schools, three middle schools, and two high schools.

Schools within Tualatin City Limits

Five of these schools are actually located inside Tualatin:

Bridgeport Elementary School
Byrom Elementary School
Tualatin Elementary School
Hazelbrook Middle School
Tualatin High School

Kayakers enjoying the Tualatin River

Other School Districts and Feeder Schools

A small part of Tualatin is in the West Linn-Wilsonville School District. Students from this area usually go to Stafford Primary, Athey Creek Middle School, and Wilsonville High School.

Some elementary schools outside Tualatin also send students to Tualatin's middle and high schools. For example, Alberta Rider Elementary School sends students to Twality Middle School. From Twality, students might go to Tualatin High School or Tigard High School, depending on where they live. Deer Creek Elementary School also sends students to Hazelbrook or Twality Middle School.

Private Schools in Tualatin

Tualatin also has private schools. The Portland Japanese School holds its classes at Hazelbrook Middle School on weekends. This program helps Japanese citizens and Japanese Americans learn about Japanese culture and language.

Other private schools in the city include Arbor School of Arts and Sciences, which is a K-8 school, and Horizon High School.

Fun Places to Visit in Tualatin

Browns Ferry Park - A great place to enjoy nature.
Bridgeport Village - A large shopping and entertainment center.

Local News in Tualatin

The Times - A weekly newspaper that covers local news.
Tualatin Life - A monthly newspaper focused on local news, history, and interesting stories about people in Tualatin.

Famous People from Tualatin

Many talented people have come from Tualatin, including:

Mike Barrett (born 1968) – A sportscaster.
Jordan Chiles (born 2001) – An amazing artistic gymnast and Olympian.
Bret Harrison (born 1982) – An actor and musician.
Taylor Hart (born 1991) – A player in the National Football League (NFL).
Payton Pritchard (born 1998) – A player in the National Basketball Association (NBA).
Katy Steding (born 1967) – A player in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) and a college basketball coach.

Tualatin, Oregon facts for kids

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