Hillsboro Real Estate — Intel’s Home Town

Hillsboro is the fifth-largest city in Oregon and the epicenter of the state’s semiconductor industry. Intel employs roughly 23,000 people across its Ronler Acres, Jones Farm, Hawthorn Farm, and Aloha campuses, all inside or adjacent to Hillsboro city limits. Add Salesforce, Genentech, Lattice Semiconductor, and dozens of Intel-adjacent engineering firms and you have a housing market that runs on one of the strongest employment bases in the Pacific Northwest. Population: 107,000, and still growing.

What It’s Like to Live Here

Hillsboro feels newer than most of the metro. South Hillsboro is one of the largest master-planned communities in the region — thousands of new homes being built in a planned street grid with walkable commercial centers. North Hillsboro leans industrial and suburban. West Hillsboro keeps its farm-town roots with working vineyards, hazelnut orchards, and rural residential pockets that most people don’t know exist. Orenco Station is a transit-oriented urban village built around the MAX Blue Line — probably the most successful TOD in Oregon.

Neighborhoods Worth Knowing

• Orenco Station — Walkable main-street urbanism, townhomes and condos from the low $400Ks, easy MAX to Intel and downtown Portland.
• Tanasbourne — Retail-adjacent, good for renters-to-first-time-buyers, mix of apartments, townhomes, and detached homes.
• South Hillsboro (Reed’s Crossing, Butternut Creek) — The metro’s biggest new-construction corridor, homes $550K–$800K, strong for growing families.
• Witch Hazel / Brookwood — Established neighborhoods closer to downtown Hillsboro, more mature trees and character homes.
• Jackson Bottom / Rural West — Acreage properties, small farms, and working-land parcels for buyers who want space within 20 minutes of tech jobs.

Schools

Hillsboro is split across Hillsboro School District and Beaverton School District depending on neighborhood. South Hillsboro’s schools are newer and less crowded; North Hillsboro’s established schools (Century, Liberty) have deeper alumni networks and stronger arts/athletics programs. For relocating Intel families, the school-district question is the single biggest factor driving neighborhood choice — I’ll tell you which micro-markets are priced for the schools and which are undervalued.

Market Snapshot

Hillsboro median home prices typically range $525,000–$675,000, with South Hillsboro new construction often the price-setter. Rural-west acreage can list anywhere from $750K to well north of $1.5M depending on land and improvements. The market here moves in lockstep with Intel’s hiring cycles — when Intel announces a layoff or a new fab, the Hillsboro market reacts within a quarter. I track that signal and can tell you whether now is a buyer’s or seller’s window.

Commute & Location

Hillsboro sits 18 miles west of downtown Portland, connected by US-26 and the MAX Blue Line (45 minutes to downtown PDX by rail). For Intel commuters, Ronler Acres is in the center of the city; Jones Farm is on the east side; Hawthorn Farm is on the north. Most Hillsboro residents can be at their Intel parking lot in under 15 minutes regardless of where they live in the city.

Why Work with Heath in Hillsboro

Hillsboro is a new-construction-heavy market, which is my wheelhouse. I’ve spent 7+ years at LGI Homes learning what to look for in production builders, incentive structures, and community positioning. That experience translates directly to evaluating the Lennar, D.R. Horton, and Toll Brothers product that dominates South Hillsboro. Whether you’re buying your first home, relocating for Intel, or using your VA loan, I give you the honest read on builder, lot, and timing.

Hillsboro Buyer & Seller FAQs

I’m relocating to Intel — should I buy in Hillsboro, Beaverton, or further out?

Depends on commute tolerance and budget. Hillsboro gets you to the Intel parking lot fastest and has the newest housing stock, but the new-construction premium is real. Beaverton gives you more MAX access and more character homes. Further-out options like Happy Valley or Canby trade 30+ minutes of commute for 15% more house. I’ll run the actual numbers for your family.

Is South Hillsboro new construction a good buy in 2026?

For the right buyer, yes. Builder incentives in Reed’s Crossing and Butternut Creek have been substantial — $20K–$40K in rate buy-downs and closing credits have been common. But incentives don’t replace fundamentals. I inspect the lots, the HOA structure, the floor-plan ergonomics, and the neighborhood trajectory before I tell a client to sign. Sometimes the right move is a resale home two miles away — I’ll say so.

Are there rural properties near Hillsboro for buyers who want acreage?

Yes — west Hillsboro and the Helvetia / Scholls / Hillsboro-West corridor have working farms, hazelnut orchards, and residential acreage from 2 to 40+ acres. Prices vary wildly and the market is less transparent than the tract-home market. If you want a 5-acre lot within 25 minutes of Intel, I can get you the honest read on what’s actually worth the ask.