LOCATION: The City of Durham is less than a half square mile in size (265 acres) and is conveniently located only ½ mile west of Interstate 5.  The City is completely surrounded by the larger Cities of Tigard and Tualatin and is also part of Washington County and the Portland Metro Region.

City Hall is located at 17160 SW Upper Boones Ferry Rd., Durham, Oregon 97224 Phone No:  503-639-6851         Fax:  503-598-8595

Office hours: 9-5, Monday - Friday

email: cityofdurham@comcast.net

 COMMUNITY PRIORITIES: Many of the 1400 people who live in Durham have chosen to live here because of the presence of the many tall trees that have been preserved. The City encompasses about 265 acres; slightly over 50 acres are designated as parks or greenspaces. Most of this greenspace area is in the Fanno Creek and Tualatin flood planes. The bond-funded property acquisition is a densely wooded 3.5-acre parcel zoned Office Park located on the Upper Boones Ferry Road, the main thoroughfare through the City. In 1999, the voters chose to purchase this property rather than have it developed into an office park. The City has a strong Tree Ordinance, which requires permits for the removals of all trees greater than 5 inches in diameter as measured 2' above ground.

Latitude - W 122.7            Longitude - N 45.3                 Altitude 197' 

 HISTORY: The City is named for Alonzo Durham who operated saw and flour mills on Fanno Creek from 1866-98. Many of the big trees in the area were planted in the early 1900’s by the Pilkington Nursery. The City was incorporated in 1966 by residents who were concerned that their residential areas would become industrialized. The original intent was to maintain only the residential zoning. However, state land use requirements necessitated the addition of other zoning. Currently, the City has no retail zoning and consists primarily of residential and office park zones with smaller zones for multi-family housing and industrial use. Durham's population in 1970 was 410; in 2004, the official population is 1400. 

 ABOUT THE CITY GOVERNMENT: With an annual budget of $2.4 million, the City of Durham operates on a low fixed property tax rate of $.49/$1000 for general services. Bonds issued for a property acquisition in 1999 added an average $1.50/$1000 to property tax bills until the year 2018. City operating overhead is kept low by having only two full-time employees (including the City Administrator) and contracting with neighboring municipalities for police, building, health and public works services. The City also has a contract City Planner, a contract City Engineer and a part-time City Attorney. Both private and public agencies are used for the maintenance of City parks and streets.