Some Oregon cities had significant growth over the last five years. Some experts are saying that migration towards the suburbs and so-called “Zoom towns” may have contributed to slowing growth in the urban center recently.
Portland grew 5% between 2016 and 2021, slightly more than the state overall at 4.7%. Yet and still Oregon’s largest city’s population declined slightly at the end of that five-year span. It fell 0.9% in 2021 according to Portland State University’s Population Research Center.
Estacada, King City, Happy Valley, Redmond and Madras, are small Oregon cities (5,000 or more residents) that enjoyed the most growth. They grew by 23% or more since 2016. Estacada is in the woods along the Clackamas River. It grew by 58.9% from 3,155 in 2016 to 5,014 in 2021. the Tualatin Development Company established King City as a planned community for adults 50 years and older.
Oregon’s population is maturing age wise. This means that communities attracting retirees are about to see more growth. Interesting is King City did so by 46.9% between 2016 and 2021.
And then there is Happy Valley. The growth of this city is remarkable. Clackamas County has had consistent growth topping the Business Journal’s list of the fastest-growing Oregon cities since 2008. Happy Valley’s population nearly doubled from 14,330 in 2011 to 25,738 last year.
Zoom Towns like Central Oregon are great for their inexpensive properties. Redmond and Madras are affordable and in the vicinity of Bend. Yet, many still can’t afford cheaper properties.
A small number of towns of 5,000 or more residents lost population in the past five years. Talent, located in south Oregon, dropped by 9% due to wildfire in the fall of 2020. Coos Bay on the Southern Coast, La Grande in eastern Oregon and Corvallis in the mid-Willamette Valley all declined by 3.7%, 1.1% and 0.9%, respectively.
