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The history of Hillsboro
From the Atfalati-Kalapuya homeland to an incorporated city, a technology center and a MAX-connected downtown, these are selected chapters in Hillsboro’s history.
People who shaped Hillsboro
These milestones follow the City of Hillsboro’s own history and 150th-anniversary account. They introduce the story rather than replace tribal histories, archives or detailed local research.Read the local historical account.
Watch the city’s history
FROM THE ARCHIVES
1930's Footage - Hillsboro, OR
Archival footage labeled by its uploader as 1930s Hillsboro, including Grant Street and B. W. Barnes School.
Watch on YouTube ↗- Before incorporation
Atfalati-Kalapuya homeland
The City of Hillsboro’s land acknowledgment recognizes the Atfalati-Kalapuya people as the ancestral people of the Tualatin Valley. This acknowledgment places the municipal timeline within a much longer history.
City of Hillsboro ↗ - 1876
The original city charter
Hillsboro received its original city charter in October 1876. The city recorder’s roster names A. Luelling as its first mayor, serving in 1876–1877.
City of Hillsboro ↗ - 1979
Intel’s first Hillsboro campus
Intel opened its Hawthorne Farm campus in 1979, the company’s first campus in Hillsboro. The city’s anniversary timeline records this milestone in its technology economy.
City of Hillsboro ↗ - 1998
MAX reaches downtown
TriMet’s MAX Blue Line reached downtown Hillsboro in 1998. The city’s anniversary account recognizes former mayor Shirley Huffman’s advocacy for the connection.
City of Hillsboro ↗ - 2005
A new Civic Center
Hillsboro opened its Civic Center in 2005. The downtown municipal building and public plaza became a recognizable part of the city center.
City of Hillsboro ↗ - 2026
150 years as an incorporated city
Hillsboro marks 150 years since its original charter in 2026. The city’s anniversary program connects its early municipal history with more recent neighborhoods, transit and civic life.
City of Hillsboro ↗
See the history for yourself.
Check current opening hours and visitor information before you go: local cultural and visitor information.
For local services and public information, the local government website is a starting point. For historical research, consult local libraries, archives and museums and check collection-specific image permissions.
Selected milestones from current City of Hillsboro sources, reviewed October 18, 2026. Archival video dates are the uploader’s labels, not independent dating.