5482 SW ALGER, 17 Beaverton, OR 97005

Beaverton is technically the second biggest city in Washington County, but is, in all intents and purposes, its largest. (Portland, which holds the top spot, is mostly located in Multnomah County.) In many ways, Beaverton serves as an extension of western Portland, whose boundaries it shares, but Beaverton’s distance from the urban core of Central City give it a more suburban vibe. Unlike other suburbs that exist only as commuter towns, Beaverton has a strong economy of its own, with Nike’s headquarters located nearby in unincorporated Washington County, while the corridor between Beaverton and Hillsboro is known as Silicon Forest and serves as home to Intel, Tektronix, and other tech companies. There are branches of many Portland favorites here, including an outpost of Powell’s Books, as well as a popular food cart pod. Beaverton's residential architecture ranges from mid-century beauties to thoughtfully designed new-development single-family houses.