Happy Valley is a suburban city in the Portland, Oregon metropolitan area. Take a look below for 15 interesting and fun facts about Happy Valley, Oregon, United States.
1. Happy Valley is near the northwest edge of Clackamas County, Oregon, United States approximately 10 miles to the southeast of downtown Portland, Oregon.
2. The population was 13,903 at the 2010 census.
3. Happy Valley was originally settled by Christian and Matilda Deardorff after receiving 640 acres from The Donation Land Claim Act of 1850 in Clackamas County between a cinder cone volcano later name Mt. Scott and a knoll later named Scouters’ Mountain.
4. The settled region become known as Dearorff Valley, Deardorff Settlement and most popularly Christilla Valley (name formed by combining “Chris” from Christian and “Tilla” from Matilda).
5. The city was officially incorporated in 1965 and remained a small community until the late 1990s, when it became one of the fastest-growing cities in Oregon.
6. The City of Happy Valley is governed by the Happy Valley City Council which comprises a mayor (currently Tom Ellis), city council president (currently David Golobay), and three other city council members (currently Brett Sherman, and David Emami).
7. Mayor and Council members are elected to four year terms that are staggered to ensure at least two members are experienced at all times.
8. There is also a planning commission, as well as a Park Advisory/Urban Forestry Commission and Citizen Traffic and Public Safety Committee.
9. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 8.32 square miles (21.55 km2), of which, 8.28 square miles (21.45 km2) is land and 0.04 square miles (0.10 km2) is water.
10. It is a member of the Portland, Oregon metropolitan area, bordering Portland, Clackamas, Damascus, Pleasant Valley, and Sunnyside.
11. Happy Valley is one of the rainiest cities in the Portland metro area with a recorded annual rainfall average of 48 inches.
12. Today, Happy Valley is one of the most expensive cities in the Portland metro with a median house price of $518,100.
13. Happy Valley is part of the North Clackamas School District. Clackamas High School, Beatrice Morrow Cannady Elementary, Happy Valley Middle School, Mount Scott Elementary, Oregon Trail Elementary, Rock Creek Middle School, Scouters Mountain Elementary, Spring Mountain Elementary and Verne A. Duncan Elementary serve the student population.
14. There were 4,408 households, of which 48.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 74.4% were married couples living together, 6.3% had a female householder with no husband present, 3.7% had a male householder with no wife present, and 15.5% were non-families. 11.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.15 and the average family size was 3.40.
15. The median age in the city was 37 years. 30.2% of residents were under the age of 18; 6.8% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 27% were from 25 to 44; 27.9% were from 45 to 64; and 8.2% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 49.7% male and 50.3% female.
