Neighborhood guide · Washington County
Living in Oak Hills
Oak Hills is a 1960s planned community of mid-century homes on tree-lined, rolling streets, governed by its own HOA and built around a pool, tennis courts and a real sense of neighborhood. Here is the honest, local story.
History
How did Oak Hills get its start?
Oak Hills was laid out in the early 1960s as a deliberately planned community: a village concept mixing single-family homes and townhomes with open space, walking paths and a recreation center built around a pool. The first homes rose around 1963 to 1965, and the neighborhood filled in through the rest of the decade. It is widely described as one of Oregon's early master-planned communities.
The result was a community with real memory: families who arrived in the 60s, kids who grew up at the pool, and a steady stream of new neighbors drawn by mature trees, mid-century architecture and a quiet, self-governing way of life. It is not a museum, it is a neighborhood where people have been living well for six decades.
Built Early to late 1960s, one of Oregon’s pioneering planned communities
Stock Mid-century ranches and townhomes, resale only
Setting Rolling hills, tree-lined streets, west of Bethany off Cornell Road
Historic Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in July 2013
Architecture
What makes Oak Hills' mid-century homes special?
Oak Hills is the rare neighborhood where the architecture is a genuine draw. Low rooflines, exposed beams, vaulted ceilings and walls of glass give the mid-century homes an indoor-outdoor feel that never went out of style. A small group of houses here were built by Robert Rummer, the celebrated mid-century builder, making Oak Hills home to one of the largest Rummer concentrations in the region.
In July 2013 the neighborhood was listed on the National Register of Historic Places as the Oak Hills Historic District, one of the youngest districts in Oregon at the time. The designation honors the community's intact mid-century planning, not a frozen display: these are family homes with dogs, bikes and pool towels on the line.
Walls of glass
Post-and-beam and ranch designs open the homes to the trees and hills.
Rummer houses
A prized handful of the neighborhood’s homes carry Robert Rummer’s signature.
Real 1960s bones
Some homes are updated, others keep original details. Inspections matter.
Community & HOA
How does the Oak Hills HOA work?
Oak Hills is governed by its own homeowners association, a structure the community helped pioneer back in the 1960s. The HOA maintains the common grounds, shapes the rules, and funds the neighborhood's recreation life. It is an involved, self-governing community, and it is better for it.
Dues figures change over time, so we always quote them live for the specific property you are considering rather than guessing on a website. Ask us for the current numbers and what they cover.
Oak Hills HOAThe studio pool and the big pool
The Oak Hills Recreation Center anchors the community with both a full-size swimming pool and a smaller studio pool, plus a gymnasium, tennis courts, play fields, parks and walking trails. Summer here is pool season, full stop.
Tennis courts and courtside life
Tennis is woven into the neighborhood's history, and the courts still see steady play. Add community gardens, common green space and the rolling hills, and you have a community built around being outside and being together.
Planned around a school
Oak Hills was built around its own elementary school, and families still count the walkable school route among the neighborhood's best features. The Beaverton School District serves the area, with boundaries worth verifying by address.
Location
Where is Oak Hills and how is the commute?
Oak Hills sits west of Bethany, in the unincorporated part of Washington County, on the gentle hills between Bethany Boulevard and Cornell Road. The streets are the whole point: mature canopies, winding lanes, and elevation that gives quiet views you never expect from a suburban address.
A few miles in any direction get you the essentials: Bethany Village Centre for errands, the Cornell Road corridor for coffee and dinner (including the McMenamins brewpub right on the neighborhood's corner), and Highway 26 for the commute to Portland, Nike and Intel.
The mid-century life
Come see Oak Hills for yourself
Walk the tree-lined hills, peek at the Rummer rooflines, and end the day at the corner brewpub. Ask us anything and we will plan a proper tour.