Sherwood, Oregon
Encyclopedia
Sherwood is a city in Washington County
, Oregon
, United States
. Located in the southeast corner of the county, it is a residential community in the Tualatin Valley
southwest of Portland
. The population was 11,791 at the 2000 census. The 2006 estimate is 16,115 residents. Indirectly named for the Sherwood Forest
in England, it was first incorporated in 1893 as a town.
band of the Kalapuya nation. The first significant wave of United States
emigrants arrived in 1842. Native Americans were relocated to reservations after the Donation Land Claim Act
of 1850-5 gave American citizens exclusive ownership of these lands. The relocation process took place under the guidance of a series of federal employees, most notably Superintendent of Indian Affairs Joel Palmer
, who was severely criticized for his humane treatment of the tribes.
The California Gold Rush
of 1849 caused a dramatic shift in the area's economy. Oregon City, Oregon
is located on a stretch of the Willamette River
that had always been attractive to trade since prehistoric times, when trading activity was dominated by the Chinookan
tribe. When settlers of European extraction began arriving in large numbers, Oregon City became (arguably) the "End of the Oregon Trail". After the Gold Rush, however, Portland, Oregon
replaced Oregon City as the area's most important center of trade and commerce. Sherwood is located within twenty miles (32 km) of both cities.
The name "Sherwood" arose from a declination of naming the town "Smock Ville" after its co-founders James Christopher and Mary Ellen Smock. In 1885, the Smocks gave a right-of-way on their property to the Portland and Willamette Valley Railway. The Smocks platted the town in 1889, the same year rail service began. Tradition has it that no one, not even the town's founders, liked the name "Smock Ville," and so a public meeting was held to rename the town. A prominent businessman, Robert Alexander, suggested the name "Sherwood." According to post office records, Alexander was from Sherwood, Michigan
, and this was the town that was named after Sherwood Forest
England. The U.S. Postal Department began sending mail to the Town of Sherwood, Oregon on July 5, 1891. Smock was the first postmaster. The Town of Sherwood was incorporated under Oregon Senate Bill 36 in 1893.
The main industry in the 1890s was a pressed brick yard which closed in 1896, a victim of the deep recession of 1893
. The Klondike Gold Rush
of 1897 revived Sherwood's economy. In 2007, Money
placed Sherwood among the twenty most livable towns in America. In August 2009, Family Circle
named the city one of America's most "family friendly" small towns.
The population of the city in 1911 was 350 within a 1 square miles (2.6 km²) city limit. In 2004, the population had grown to 14,050 people and 4.5 square miles (11.7 km²).
, the city has a total area of 4.1 square miles (10.6 km²), all of it land.
, there were 11,791 people, 4,253 households, and 3,300 families residing in the city. The population density
was 2,895.5 people per square mile (1,118.6/km²). There were 4,412 housing units at an average density of 1,083.4 per square mile (418.5/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 92.36% White, 0.43% African American, 0.51% Native American, 2.22% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 1.76% from other races
, and 2.67% from two or more ethnicity. Hispanic or Latino of any ethnicity were 4.72% of the population.
There were 4,253 households out of which 46.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 65.7% were married couples
living together, 8.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 22.4% were non-families. 17.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 5.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.77 and the average family size was 3.14.
In the city the population was spread out with 31.7% under the age of 18, 5.5% from 18 to 24, 41.2% from 25 to 44, 16.4% from 45 to 64, and 5.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 31 years. For every 100 females there were 95.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.9 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $62,518, and the median income for a family was $67,277. Males had a median income of $47,920 versus $33,657 for females. The per capita income
for the city was $25,793. About 1.5% of families and 2.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 2.0% of those under age 18 and 11.7% of those age 65 or over.
, in the Sherwood School District
. Each elementary school holds around 600 students, Sherwood Middle School has about 1000 students, and the high school has an enrollment of approximately 1300 students.
Washington County, Oregon
- Major highways :* Interstate 5* Interstate 205* U.S. Route 26* Oregon Route 6* Oregon Route 8* Oregon Route 10* Oregon Route 47* Oregon Route 99W* Oregon Route 210* Oregon Route 217* Oregon Route 219-Demographics:...
, Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Located in the southeast corner of the county, it is a residential community in the Tualatin Valley
Tualatin Valley
The Tualatin Valley is a farming and suburban region southwest of Portland, Oregon in the United States. The valley is formed by the meandering Tualatin River, a tributary of the Willamette River at the northwest corner of the Willamette Valley, east of the Northern Oregon Coast Range...
southwest of Portland
Portland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
. The population was 11,791 at the 2000 census. The 2006 estimate is 16,115 residents. Indirectly named for the Sherwood Forest
Sherwood Forest
Sherwood Forest is a Royal Forest in Nottinghamshire, England, that is famous through its historical association with the legend of Robin Hood. Continuously forested since the end of the Ice Age, Sherwood Forest National Nature Reserve today encompasses 423 hectares surrounding the village of...
in England, it was first incorporated in 1893 as a town.
History
What is now the Sherwood area was originally inhabited by the AtfalatiAtfalati
The Atfalati, also known as the Tualatin were a tribe or band of the Kalapuya Native Americans who originally inhabited the Tualatin Valley in the northwest part of the U.S. state of Oregon...
band of the Kalapuya nation. The first significant wave of United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
emigrants arrived in 1842. Native Americans were relocated to reservations after the Donation Land Claim Act
Donation Land Claim Act
The Donation Land Claim Act of 1850 was a statute enacted by the United States Congress intended to promote homestead settlement in the Oregon Territory in the Pacific Northwest...
of 1850-5 gave American citizens exclusive ownership of these lands. The relocation process took place under the guidance of a series of federal employees, most notably Superintendent of Indian Affairs Joel Palmer
Joel Palmer
General Joel Palmer was an American pioneer of the Oregon Territory in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. He was born in Canada, and spent his early years in New York and Pennsylvania before serving as a member of the Indiana House of Representatives.Palmer traveled to the Oregon...
, who was severely criticized for his humane treatment of the tribes.
The California Gold Rush
California Gold Rush
The California Gold Rush began on January 24, 1848, when gold was found by James W. Marshall at Sutter's Mill in Coloma, California. The first to hear confirmed information of the gold rush were the people in Oregon, the Sandwich Islands , and Latin America, who were the first to start flocking to...
of 1849 caused a dramatic shift in the area's economy. Oregon City, Oregon
Oregon City, Oregon
Oregon City was the first city in the United States west of the Rocky Mountains to be incorporated. It is the county seat of Clackamas County, Oregon...
is located on a stretch of the Willamette River
Willamette River
The Willamette River is a major tributary of the Columbia River, accounting for 12 to 15 percent of the Columbia's flow. The Willamette's main stem is long, lying entirely in northwestern Oregon in the United States...
that had always been attractive to trade since prehistoric times, when trading activity was dominated by the Chinookan
Chinookan
Chinook refers to several native amercain groups of in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States, speaking the Chinookan languages. In the early 19th century, the Chinookan-speaking peoples lived along the lower and middle Columbia River in present-day Oregon and Washington...
tribe. When settlers of European extraction began arriving in large numbers, Oregon City became (arguably) the "End of the Oregon Trail". After the Gold Rush, however, Portland, Oregon
Portland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
replaced Oregon City as the area's most important center of trade and commerce. Sherwood is located within twenty miles (32 km) of both cities.
The name "Sherwood" arose from a declination of naming the town "Smock Ville" after its co-founders James Christopher and Mary Ellen Smock. In 1885, the Smocks gave a right-of-way on their property to the Portland and Willamette Valley Railway. The Smocks platted the town in 1889, the same year rail service began. Tradition has it that no one, not even the town's founders, liked the name "Smock Ville," and so a public meeting was held to rename the town. A prominent businessman, Robert Alexander, suggested the name "Sherwood." According to post office records, Alexander was from Sherwood, Michigan
Sherwood, Michigan
Sherwood is a village in Branch County of the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2000 census, the village population was 324.The village is located within Sherwood Township near the St. Joseph River.-Geography:...
, and this was the town that was named after Sherwood Forest
Sherwood Forest
Sherwood Forest is a Royal Forest in Nottinghamshire, England, that is famous through its historical association with the legend of Robin Hood. Continuously forested since the end of the Ice Age, Sherwood Forest National Nature Reserve today encompasses 423 hectares surrounding the village of...
England. The U.S. Postal Department began sending mail to the Town of Sherwood, Oregon on July 5, 1891. Smock was the first postmaster. The Town of Sherwood was incorporated under Oregon Senate Bill 36 in 1893.
The main industry in the 1890s was a pressed brick yard which closed in 1896, a victim of the deep recession of 1893
Panic of 1893
The Panic of 1893 was a serious economic depression in the United States that began in 1893. Similar to the Panic of 1873, this panic was marked by the collapse of railroad overbuilding and shaky railroad financing which set off a series of bank failures...
. The Klondike Gold Rush
Klondike Gold Rush
The Klondike Gold Rush, also called the Yukon Gold Rush, the Alaska Gold Rush and the Last Great Gold Rush, was an attempt by an estimated 100,000 people to travel to the Klondike region the Yukon in north-western Canada between 1897 and 1899 in the hope of successfully prospecting for gold...
of 1897 revived Sherwood's economy. In 2007, Money
Money (magazine)
Money is published by Time Inc. Its first issue was published in October 1972. Its articles cover the gamut of personal finance topics ranging from investing, saving, retirement and taxes to family finance issues like paying for college, credit, career and home improvement...
placed Sherwood among the twenty most livable towns in America. In August 2009, Family Circle
Family Circle
Family Circle is an American women's magazine published 15 times a year by Meredith Corporation. It began publication in 1932 as a magazine distributed at supermarkets such as Piggly Wiggly and Safeway. Cowles Magazines and Broadcasting bought the magazine in 1962. The New York Times Company bought...
named the city one of America's most "family friendly" small towns.
The population of the city in 1911 was 350 within a 1 square miles (2.6 km²) city limit. In 2004, the population had grown to 14,050 people and 4.5 square miles (11.7 km²).
Geography
According to the United States Census BureauUnited States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the city has a total area of 4.1 square miles (10.6 km²), all of it land.
Demographics
As of the 2000 censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
, there were 11,791 people, 4,253 households, and 3,300 families residing in the city. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 2,895.5 people per square mile (1,118.6/km²). There were 4,412 housing units at an average density of 1,083.4 per square mile (418.5/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 92.36% White, 0.43% African American, 0.51% Native American, 2.22% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 1.76% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 2.67% from two or more ethnicity. Hispanic or Latino of any ethnicity were 4.72% of the population.
There were 4,253 households out of which 46.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 65.7% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 8.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 22.4% were non-families. 17.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 5.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.77 and the average family size was 3.14.
In the city the population was spread out with 31.7% under the age of 18, 5.5% from 18 to 24, 41.2% from 25 to 44, 16.4% from 45 to 64, and 5.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 31 years. For every 100 females there were 95.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.9 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $62,518, and the median income for a family was $67,277. Males had a median income of $47,920 versus $33,657 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the city was $25,793. About 1.5% of families and 2.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 2.0% of those under age 18 and 11.7% of those age 65 or over.
Schools
Sherwood has four elementary schools (J. Clyde Hopkins, Middleton, Archer Glen, Edy Ridge), two middle schools (Sherwood Middle School, Laurel Ridge), and one high school, Sherwood High SchoolSherwood High School (Oregon)
Sherwood High School is a public high school in Sherwood, Oregon, United States. As of 2011, the school served 1397 students in grades 9 through 12. The school competes in the 5A Northwest Oregon Conference.-Academics:...
, in the Sherwood School District
Sherwood School District
Sherwood School District is a small school district that serves Sherwood, Oregon, United States. The district currently has four elementary schools, two middle schools, and one high school...
. Each elementary school holds around 600 students, Sherwood Middle School has about 1000 students, and the high school has an enrollment of approximately 1300 students.
External links
- Listing for Sherwood in the Oregon Blue BookOregon Blue BookThe Oregon Blue Book is the official directory and fact book for the U.S. state of Oregon copyrighted by the Oregon Secretary of State and published by the Office of the Secretary's Archives Division. As Governor Ted Kulongoski notes in his introduction for the 2005–2006 edition, it "provides...