Advantages

Since its founding, innovation, creativity, and entrepreneurialism has inspired amazing achievements in Forest Grove. We founded the first university west of the Mississippi, planted the first of Oregon’s famous pinot noir grapes, and today we continue to attract creative artists, entrepreneurs, academics and winemakers. We’ve still got plenty of room for you and your dreams and ambitions.

This is the ideal city for small family businesses. In Forest Grove you can make your mark much easier than in a big, impersonal city. Here you can more easily know your neighbors, play an active role in the community and open doors that might be shut in a big city. Here are some of the reasons why we are so successful at helping people reach their dreams.

Accessibility. Downtown Portland is little more than a half hour away and you only hit one traffic light. State highways easily connect Forest Grove to the surrounding region, including the Portland metropolitan area – population 2 million and growing. Portland International Airport is 37 miles away and Hillsboro, Oregon’s the second largest airport, is eight miles away.

Expanding population & work force. Our growth rate exceeds that of the state and surrounding region, and our businesses have access to a growing, well-educated and highly skilled local and regional work force.

Available land. We have vacant acreage and buildings suitable for a variety of businesses, from large manufacturing firms to small service businesses. Some of these properties are eligible for property tax exemptions through an Enterprise Zone.

Low costs of doing business. From taxes and land prices to labor and utility costs – we can beat most jurisdictions.

Pro-business environment. We offer the services and incentives you need to establish a successful business, including smooth City approval processes. Forest Grove government officials are helpful and supportive, and want to see your business thrive.

A growing market. The Portland Metro area has a population of 2 million. Forest Grove is adjacent to Beaverton and Hillsboro, home to Oregon’s Silicon Valley, Intel, Nike and Columbia Sportswear.

Community support. Residents are supportive of the City’s balanced growth strategy and the city is renowned for the strong sense of collaboration between businesses and the support that they lend each other . Our strong sense of community pride is on show throughout the year when Historic Downtown comes alive with colorful and entertaining events that celebrate our heritage, passions and fun loving nature.

Enviable lifestyle. The Pacific Northwest lifestyle is legendary and we are fortunate to have some of the best of it. Beside the village feel of our historic downtown, you’ll find affordable housing, excellent schools, low crime and a variety of wineries, concerts, events, sports fields, forests, lakes and scenic golf courses providing the backdrop for an idyllic lifestyle. And then there is Downtown Portland, about thirty minutes away.

Low cost energy. We offer some of the lowest costs for electricity in the Portland metro area without sacrificing reliability. Power is sourced from 100% renewables.

If there is information you need that you can't find online, please call City Hall at ( 503) 992-3293 or email us at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .