Oregon Nursery Company - Legacy

Legacy

Today, the Orenco town site along with the rest of the Oregon Nursery Company property is part of Hillsboro, a suburb west of Portland. The house Malcolm McDonald built is a local landmark. It is sometimes called the McDonald-Russell House after McDonald, its first owner, and Eugene Russell who lived in the house while operating the Orenco Woods Golf Course in the 1960s. The house is now the House of Ruth, a home for single mothers. Archibald McGill’s house, often called the McGill-Pitman House, still exists. It is also well known in the area.

Today, the Orenco place name is widely used in the Hillsboro area. A major development on the old nursery land is called Orenco Station. One of the Hillsboro stops on the MAX Blue Line light-rail is Orenco/Northwest 231st Avenue. According to the Hillsboro Chamber of Commerce and the Orenco Station Business Owners Association, many Hillsboro businesses still use the Orenco name including retail stores, apartments complexes, at least four restaurants, three banks, a number of professional offices, and a real estate company. In addition, the former Orenco Woods Golf Course is built on land once owned by the Oregon Nursery Company. There is also an Orenco Elementary School in the Hillsboro School District.