The Hillsboro Downtown Partnership (HDP) is a 501c3 nonprofit organization dedicated to making it easier, more enjoyable and more profitable to do business Downtown. We are a new organization that was formed in December 2014, and began operations on September 1, 2015. Our mission is to cultivate and promote our vibrant, historic Downtown.

To achieve its objectives, HDP is coordinated by a full time executive director, a board of directors, and volunteer committees made up of business owners, property owners, residents and community leaders.

Property Owners
You can count us to:

• Work with you to quickly find new tenants to co-create a full, prosperous and vibrant downtown district.
• Facilitate a positive relationship between you and future tenants.
• Help you access resources to beautify your space.

Businesses
You can count us to:

• Partner with you to make doing business in Downtown Hillsboro easier.
• Listen to your needs and concerns and connect you to the right people and resources to address them.
• Introduce you to other businesses for networking and support.
• Be your advocate and help you problem solve along the way. We want to ensure you have everything you need to be successful opening and operating your business here.
• Put our relationship with you first above all else. Without you there is no “us”.
• Work with you to develop shared marketing and promotional efforts to bring more people Downtown and into your stores.
• Uncover ways to coordinate efforts and initiatives to save time and resources to help make running your business more enjoyable and efficient.
• Bring relevant and insightful trainings, tips, and tools to help your business thrive.

Customers and Community
You can count on us to:

• Preserve what makes Downtown Hillsboro unique.
• Create a fun, interesting and vibrant Downtown scene for you.
• Curate Downtown experiences that wow and delight you, making you want to come back for more.

• Make Downtown more beautiful and easier to access.
• Welcome your feedback and be in constant conversation with our community.

HDP is the boots-on-the-ground, go-to economic and business development organization in Downtown Hillsboro. We are known for connecting businesses to the right people and resources, making it easier, more enjoyable and more profitable to do business Downtown - the heart of Hillsboro.

HDP improves the look, feel and accessibility of Downtown Hillsboro and gets businesses - new and old - to work together to attract more customers to the district. We are in the business of revitalizing our district and turning it into a destination for community members and visitors.

HDP: Making Downtown Hillsboro The Place To Be

We believe a vibrant Historic District is vital to our local economy and community. It enhances our quality of life and provides a sense of place, pride, and connection for us all.

Not too long ago, though, our district was not so vibrant. Business was slow and streets emptied once the sun went down.

But all of that is changing.

Downtown Hillsboro is at a tipping point. There’s a buzz about us—a palpable sense of excitement about the realization of a revitalized, busy and bustling Downtown.

Here’s a few things we know.

We know diversity of our businesses is key to building resiliency to thrive in any economy. We also know making it easy to do business in Hillsboro is key to attracting diversity. And, we’re off to a great start.

We’ve got professional services and one-of-a kind artisanal shops and retail stores. We’ve got friendly restaurants, live music, arts, and more starting to attract a later night crowd. Our district is going strong and new businesses are opening everyday.

With Hillsboro Downtown Partnership, our businesses now have a boots-on-the-ground, go-to ally to connect them to the right people and resources, making it easier, more enjoyable and more profitable to do business downtown.

Here’s what we believe.

We believe Downtown Hillsboro is soon to rival the best-known neighborhoods in the Portland metro area. We believe Downtown Hillsboro can become a destination. For our residents. For those who work in or near our district. For those who might be driving through and “just need to grab a cup of coffee”, but then find themselves wandering through our streets and into our stores. And, for the wanderers, explorers and curiosity seekers, who are looking for the next thing. We want to be that thing —and then keep them coming back for more.

Hillsboro Downtown Partnership is ready to be the driving force to make this, and more, happen for our businesses and their customers.

Once a tiny settlement extending a mere three blocks in each direction of the courthouse at East Main Street and First Avenue in what is now historic Downtown, Hillsboro today encompasses 24 square miles. Its population of over 90,000 ranks it first among Washington County cities.

When early pioneers first reached the Tualatin Valley in the 1840s, most residents lived on farms or were engaged in milling and timber work. Soon they founded building, trade and retail businesses. With the arrival of the railroad in 1870s, the Tualatin Valley became the breadbasket for the river port city of Portland, supplying dairy products, fruits and vegetables as well as timber products.

Originally called East Tualatin Plains, Hillsboro was named for David Hill, one of the adventurers who traveled the Oregon Trail by wagon train to find a new life in the Oregon Territory. This county seat in the early 1850s took the name Hillsborough when Hill donated a portion of his land claim for the courthouse, located in Downtown. The name gradually was shortened to Hillsboro.

During World War II, Hillsboro was the residence of many new Oregonians who had come north to work in the shipyards of Portland. After the war, city fathers began luring businesses to Hillsboro to create a new economic base. Business leaders formed an industrial development corporation, and the city annexed land to the north and east and laid out industrial areas. By the 1970s, the Hillsboro area had won Intel’s first plant site outside California and spinoff companies from Tektronix.

Hillsboro is the government seat of Washington County and a thriving center of agriculture and high-technology industry. Hillsboro has the distinct advantage of being geographically close to Oregon’s bounty. It is within 30 minutes by car of Portland, 60 minutes to the Oregon Coast and a short drive to golf courses, wineries, hiking, boating, fishing, hunting and sight-seeing. Although Hillsboro has experienced rapid growth, it has retained its small-town charm and tradition-which is especially prevalent in the historic Downtown core - the heart of Hillsboro.

Incorporated in 1876, Hillsboro has grown from a small farming community and government center into a modern city of over 95,000 residents. It is the largest city in fast-growing Washington County.