Mayor of gorgeous Oregon city that's home to Nike HQ explains simple reasons why it is thriving while neighboring Portland circles the drain
The mayor of a gorgeous Oregon town explains how 'hard work and planning' has kept Beaverton thriving while neighboring Portland has been circling the drain.
Lacey Beaty, Beaverton's youngest and first-ever female mayor, gave insight into the town's strategies allowing it to thrive after U-Haul recently ranked Oregon the number 11 growth state.
'When people ask me that, they think it's like a secret,' Beaty began in an interview with KOIN 6. 'And what I would tell you is it's hard work and planning.'
'We wanted more restaurants. We wrote a restaurant strategy. We wanted a performing arts center and we worked on it for a decade.'
The mayor said that Beaverton's success, boosting the state's growth ranking along with cities such as Tigard, Happy Valley and Bend, is down to the city's safety and business cooperation.
'Beaverton is responsive to the community. It's clean. It's safe. We're addressing issues head-on,' she said.
Beaty nodded to their 'greatest partners,' including Nike, Columbia Sportswear and Reser's Fine Foods.
She cited projects such as the Patricia Reer Center for the Arts, named after Pat Reer because 'it really was her vision and she gave the city an incredible gift to get our fundraising rolling.'
Lacey Beaty, Beaverton's youngest and first-ever female mayor, gave insight into the town's strategies allowing it to thrive after U-Haul recently ranked Oregon the number 11 growth state
The mayor said that Beaverton's success, boosting the state's growth ranking along with cities such as Tigard, Happy Valley and Bend, is down to the city's safety and business cooperation
Beaverton neighbors Portland, which has experienced increasing troubles with homelessness and has fallen into disarray as anti-ICE protests continue to plague the city
The center was described as 'the cultural hub of Washington county,' as Beaty said that, prior to the center, residents had to travel to Portland to see a show.
'We're attracting really great artists into our space and it's a place where you can take your young kids. It's close to city hall and it's really given a boost to the restaurants around it,' she added.
Nike, headquartered in Beaverton, also partnered with the city during the Covid-19 pandemic to facilitate one of the largest private vaccine sites in Oregon and the entire country, according to Beaty.
Beaty added that a lot of the businesses in the city have employees living locally, and therefore the city pays 'a lot of attention' to the business climate.
'Not just our big businesses, but our mom and pop businesses too because that's the lifeblood or our community,' she said. 'The better our ecosystem does, the better everyone does.'
With neighboring cities like Portland experiencing a difficult issue with homelessness, Beaty said Beaverton is equally struggling 'just like everyone else.'
The state added 3,094 year-round shelter beds from 2023 to 2025, an increase in total capacity of 39 percent, according to Portland State University.
The 2025 Point-in-Time census count recorded 27, 119 people experiencing homelessness across Oregon, with around 60.9 percent without shelter.
Beaty said that the city is focused on speed and efficiency when it comes to developing housing, and that they 'move pretty quickly on projects that are really important'
Beaty nodded to their 'greatest partners,' including Nike, Columbia Sportswear and Reser's Fine Foods who have helped fund local initiatives
2025 Point-in-Time census count recorded 27, 119 people experiencing homelessness across Oregon, with around 60.9 percent without shelter. Pictured: Scenes of Downtown Portland
Multnomah County, which includes the city of Portland, had an unhoused population of 10,526 as of January 2025.
Washington County recorded 940 homeless people and Clackamas County saw around 568 unhoused around the same time.
'But I would say that the way that we've addressed it...we've led with dignity. We have a year-round shelter. We're the first in Washington County to open it,' Beaty said.
The Beaverton shelter hosts around 60 beds, according to Beaty, and has an 'incredible track record' moving people into permanent housing. The city utilizes a bike team, consisting of four officers dedicated to the downtown area that 'address people with humanity.'
Beaverton also boasts a low office vacancy rate of eight percent, compared to the national average of 15 percent.
'We're way below the national average when it comes to office vacancy because know that they're safe,' Beaty said. 'That's why businesses are locating in Beaverton. Not just the economic climate, but the safety, the feeling, the concierge level service that the city does to help people get where they are.'
'We are focused and dedicated on the experience of people locating in Beaverton.'
Beaty said that the city is focused on speed and efficiency when it comes to developing housing, and that they 'move pretty quickly on projects that are really important.'
Nike, headquartered in Beaverton, also partnered with the city during the Covid-19 Pandemic to facilitate one of the largest private vaccine sites in Oregon and the entire country
Beaty said Beaverton, seen above hosting its' night market event, is incredibly diverse
Beaverton also boasts a low office vacancy rate of eight percent, compared to the national average of 15 percent
'We want housing. The governor wants housing. We want business open. It's in our best interest to move as fast as possible, we also have a responsibility to the community to make sure that it's safe, it meets our codes and it meets our standards,' she said, adding that she believes the city has found a 'happy medium.'
Beaty, however, also condemned arrests occurring by Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Beaverton, the first sanctuary city in the state during President Trump's first term, has seen a number of protests and, according to Beaty, has been the 'epicenter' of arrests.
'We've had more arrests happening in our county than Multnomah County or Clackamas County. It is deplorable what is happening on the streets,' Beaty said.
'Beaverton is an incredibly diverse city. [ICE] are making our streets unsafe. They are not bringing calm. They're bringing chaos into how they operate. Just like we didn't want National Guard on the streets of Portland and Beaverton. We want to make sure that public safety is addressed at the local level.
'We have done a lot of work to build trust between our community and the police department since the murder of George Floyd. This erodes the trust that we're building together.'
Beaty told the outlet that she has worked with many other cities, including Portland, to have bystander training and anti-authoritarianism training.
'The one thing that we're talking about right now is our ability to collectively sue together. Cities are not in a space where we are able or have the skill in house to sue the federal government,' she added.
Beaverton, the first sanctuary city in the state during President Trump's first term, has seen a number of protests and, according to Beaty, has been the 'epicenter' of arrests
Beaty, who said she is raising her daughters in Beaverton, added that she works hard 'every day' to improve her family's hometown
'We're going to fight for our residents, for our members of our community, and we're not going to allow a federal government to come in and just take money back because they disagree with the local leadership because after all, local control is a Republican value.'
Beaty, who said she is raising her daughters in Beaverton, added that she works hard 'every day' to improve her family's hometown.
'I want them to be proud of it,' she told the outlet.
