In celebration of the City's 60th Anniversary, former Tigard mayors and city councilors are telling the story of our community.

Former Mayor Jason Snider

Former Mayor Jason Snider moved to Tigard in 1999. He quickly became involved in the community by serving as a reserve officer with the Tigard Police, chairman of the Budget Committee, and council president for the City Council. The community elected him as mayor in 2018. Downtown, economic development, public safety, and recreation -- Jason Snider reflects on how the City Council has worked together to address each of these areas. He also shares the most asked questions from the community.

Former Mayor Craig Dirksen

Former Mayor Dirksen reflects on how a desire to increase the number of parks in Tigard led him to running for office. While serving as mayor, the city increased parks and open space from 288 acres in 2000 to 550 acres by 2014. He also shares what he enjoyed most from serving as mayor and advice for future Tigard mayors and councilors.

Former Mayor John Cook

Former Mayor Cook talks about the growth of the Tigard community. He also shares stories about Dan Larsen, Floyd Bergmann, Tammie's Toy Town, Tigard Town and Country Days, Texas Cafe, and Frostop.

Councilor Liz Newton

Liz Newton grew up in East Washington County and has been an active member of the Tigard community for more than 38 years. For the last 12 years before her 2017 retirement, she served as assistant city manager. She was elected to the city council in 2018. In this interview, she shares memories of Nick Wilson, Girod's Super Market, First Bank of Tigard, and Tigard Plaza. Also, she shares the recent accomplishments of the City Council.

Former Councilor Tom Anderson

Tom Anderson's service with the city began in 2007 with an appointment to the Planning Commission. He continued his service when he was elected to the City Council in 2016. Affordable housing, police services levy, refreshed tree code, and long-term water source were a few issues facing the city during this time.

Women of Tigard

Below we've highlighted a few of Tigard’s fearless female advocates and their contributions to the people and places of Tigard and Metzger. 

• Mary Woodward was known throughout the Tigard community as a champion educator, journalist and conservationist. The Mary Woodward Elementary School in Tigard is named in her honor for her many contributions to the community.
• On Arbor Day in 1976, the citizens of Tigard honored Mary by planting and dedicating nine maple trees in Cook Park as the Mary Woodward Maple Grove. 
• Mary Woodward died in 1979. Just prior to her passing, the Tigard-Tualatin School District dedicated the Mary Woodward Elementary School in her honor.

Grace Tigard Houghton  (1901 – 1998)

• Grace Tigard Houghton believed that public libraries were fundamental for an educated society. As the granddaughter of Tigard founder Wilson Tigard, Houghton graduated from Lincoln High School in Portland before attending the University of Oregon. She received a degree in physical education from the University of Oregon and Wellesley College in Massachusetts, and became an advocate for health, physical education, and local libraries.
• Grace Tigard Houghton died on November 1, 1998 at the age of 97. In her will she donated one-third of her estate to help fund the construction of a reading room for the new Tigard Public Library. The Grace T. Houghton Reading Room, located on the second floor of the library, opened in 2004.

• La Verne Sharp helped form the Tigard Historical Association and was its first president. The group saved the John Tigard House from demolition and was successful in listing the house on the National Register of Historic Places.
• The Friends of the Museum also envisioned a permanent museum for the group somewhere in Tigard area.  In April 1978, the group had identified the John Tigard House (c. 1880) as a potential property and by August 1979 had successfully relocated the home from its original site at Pacific Highway and Gaarde Street to SW Canterbury Lane at 103rd Avenue.   
• The Friends of the Museum were also successful in having the property listed in the National Register of Historic Places, the City of Tigard’s first property to have that distinction.  About this time the group also changed their name to the Tigard Area Historical and Preservation Association (TAHPA, often known as The Tigard Historical Society).    

Elizabeth "Betty" Jack (1923 – 1994)

• Elizabeth “Betty” Jack was a lifelong Oregonian. Born in 1923, she grew up in the Capitol Highway area of southwest Portland and worked for several grocers in the Tigard area. Betty was known for her kind heartedness and her love of local parks. Betty served on the Tigard Park Board for ten years and Jack Park was named after her.  
• Betty worked at Girod’s Supermarket on Main Street in Tigard where she became known for her kind heartedness. Pauline Girod said that Betty “genuinely loves people… she used to personally loan people money if they were down and out, and sometimes she would buy groceries for people and take them to them.”
• For her dedicated service on the Park Board and unflinching love for her community, the City of Tigard named Jack Park after Betty Jack.

Neva Root [1901 – 1999)

• Neva Root was an elementary school teacher in the Tigard, Oregon School District for twenty-two years. Following her retirement from teaching in 1966, Ms. Root, a Tigard resident since 1922, became active in several local civic affairs.
• Neva volunteered at the Tigard Public Library for twenty years and was instrumental in researching and documenting the Tigard area’s early history.
• In September 1987 the Friends of the Tigard Library dedicated a puppet stage in her name to the library in appreciation of her many years of service to the children of Tigard.

Patricia D. Whiting (1940 – 2010)

Historic Overlay District

The City of Tigard has a Historic Overlay District which aims to:

• Protect, enhance and perpetuate sites which represent or reflect the City's cultural, social, economic, political and architectural history.
• Promote the use of these historic sites for various reasons including, but not limited to, education, pleasure, and public welfare.

Currently, there are ten existing historic and cultural sites throughout the City. Check out the story map tool to view Tigard's historic properties.

Property owners may apply to have their property included in the Historic Overlay District. For more information please contact our planning staff at 503-718-2421.

Travels to the Past

Travels to the Past is a rich interactive map of historic locations, places of interest and significant events that have helped to shape and define the community of Tigard from the 1850s to the near present.

The historic images and location descriptions for Travels to the Past were selected and researched from materials contained in the Tigard Public Library's Local History Room.

Check out the story map tool to view Tigard's historic locations, places of interest and significant events.

The majority of the places that comprise Travels to the Past are locations identified as either a City of Tigard Designated Historic Site (see above) or are contained in the Washington County Cultural Resources Inventory.

John Tigard House

John Tigard constructed the three room 1880 Carpenter Gothic Victorian house in 1880 at the corner of what is now Pacific Highway and Gaarde Street. The house was threatened with demolition in the late 1970's, but due to the efforts of the Tigard Historical Association, the house was restored. In 1979, the house was entered in the National Register of Historic Places and now resides at the corner of SW Canterbury Lane and SW 103rd in Tigard. The Tigard Historical Association operates the house.