Aloha is a community of 54,000 people (2020) in Oregon, under 10 miles (16 km) to the west of Portland (Oregon). It is home to the prestigious The Reserve Vineyards and Golf Club, and to the unnervingly creepy Harvey the Rabbit.
Understand
[edit]Get in
[edit]Fly into Portland International Airport (PDX). Then hop on the lightrail, MAX, to either Willow Creek or Quatama / SW 206th Ave. stations. You will be required to change trains, from the Red Line to the Blue Line. This can be done at any station between the Gateway Transit Center, east of Portland through Beaverton.
By car
[edit]Aloha is 25-30 minutes from downtown Portland through Beaverton:
- Sunset Hwy goes NW towards the coast from Portland passing through Aloha/Bethany/Rock Creek. Aloha is accessed from NW 158th/Cornell/Bethany Rd (exit #65) and NW 185th (exit #64).
- SW Tualatin Valley Hwy continues from Beaverton to Hillsboro as Tualatin Valley Hwy, locally referred as "TV Hwy" It passes through Aloha between SW 170th & 219th/SE Cornelius Pass. Continues east of Beaverton as SW Canyon Rd.
- SW Farmington Rd Connects Beaverton & from SR-219 (in the west) through Aloha as Farmington Rd. Continues east of Beaverton towards SW Portland as Beaverton Hillsdale Hwy.
- 185th Ave Connects US Highway 26 into Aloha at OR-Hwy 8 (Tualatin Valley Hwy) and OR-Hwy 10 (Farmington) as major north-south corridor without a state or US highway designation.
- NW Walker Rd Passes through diagonally through the NW part of Aloha between Beaverton and Hillsboro. It is not designated as a state or US highway.
By bus
[edit]Get around
[edit]By car
[edit]By bus
[edit]The easiest way to get around Aloha is by car. However, Tri-Met also makes traveling within Aloha, and the rest of the Portland area, quite easy and affordable, although occasionally time-consuming. Buses run throughout Aloha and connect to MAX stops with the following:
- 52 Connects Beaverton to PCC-Rock Creek (NW Springville & 185th Ave), along Farmington & 185th, through Aloha. It goes by the major shopping centers listed in the 'Buy' section of the this article.
- 57 runs between Forest Grove, Cornelius, Hillsboro, Aloha and Beaverton along Tualatin Valley Hwy (OR-Hwy 8).
- 59 Aloha (Willow Creek Transit Center) to Sunset Transit Center along NW 185th/Walker/Park Way.
- 88 Hart/198th runs between Willow Creek Transit Center, Aloha and Beaverton)
See
[edit]- Harvey the Rabbit, (Harvey's Boat Shop) 21250 SW Tualatin Valley Hwy. Harvey is a large rabbit that graces the side of S.W. Tualatin Valley Highway. He will often be seen holding something festive, for example, a Christmas tree in December.
- 1 Jenkins Estate, ☏ +1 503-639-7211. A refurbished farm, the Jenkins Estate boasts a log cabin and beautiful Rhododendron Gardens with fantastic views of the Tualatin Valley.
Do
[edit]- 1 Cooper Mountain Vineyards. No visit to Aloha is complete without a trip to several wineries.
- 2 The Reserve Vineyards & Golf Club, 4805 SW 229th St. One of the finest golf courses in the world, the Reserve boasts two courses (one public, one private), first class facilities, and occasional major tournaments.
Buy
[edit]A number of establishments (shops, restaurants, banks, etc.) are clustered in strip malls, with the storefronts lined up next to each other, under a single roof, fronting a large parking lot. There are no indoor walking spaces except a single sidewalk to connect the storefronts. Some of the establishments are freestanding single use buildings or kiosks that are separated from the rest of the mall by a huge parking lot. Each business keeps their own hours and are not conformed to mall hours as they have their own separate entries with a separate address at the door.
- 1 Aloha Mall, 18535-18683 SW Tualatin Valley Hwy (NW of intersection of Tualatin Valley Hwy & Sw 185th, between SW 185th & SW 187th.). Big Lots!, O'Reily Auto Parts, Ely's Rolling House, Little Caesar's Pizza, Cocina Mexico Lindo, Master Taco, etc.
- 2 Big Lots!, 18565 SW Tualatin Valley Hwy (NW of the intersection of SW 185th & SW Tualatin Valley Hwy), ☏ +1 503 642-3116. Daily 9AM-9PM. Check out Big Lots! for great deals.
- 3 Aloha Market Center, 20145-20577 SW Tualatin Valley Hwy (SW Tualatin Valley Hwy & 204th; mall spans both sides of 204th along Tualatin Valley Hwy). Safeway, Rite-Aid, Mazatlan Mexican Restaurant, Coffee Rush, Blue Moon Diner, Popeye's Louisiana Kitchen, Dr Feelgood's Pub, Roxy's Island Grill, Sushi Zen, etc. Several establishments listed under 'eat' and 'drink' sections of this article are located at the Aloha Market Center.
- 4 Baseline Center, 745-775 SW 185th (SW of the intersection of SW 185th & W Baseline.). Goodwill, Food Mart #1, U Need Asian Market, Black Rock Coffee, Toshi's Rstaurant, Maxwell's Pub & Grill, etc
- 5 Goodwill, 775 SW 185th (SW of the intersection of SW 185th & W Baseline), ☏ +1 503-906-7350. Daily 10AM-8PM. One man's trash is another man's treasure. Goodwill is one of the largest second-hand store chains in the nation.
- 6 Costco, 15901 SW Jenkins Rd (SW Jenkins & 158th), ☏ +1 503-644-7615. M-F 10AM-8:30PM; Sa 9:30AM-7PM; Su 10AM-6PM. Here you can buy large quantities for low prices.
- 7 Farmington Mall (formerly Bales Marketplace), 17395-17691 SW Farmington (SW Farmington & Kinnaman). Basic Market on Farmington, Rite Aid, Dollar Tree, Farmington Liquor, Peppermill Pub, Dairy Queen, McDonalds, Key Bank, etc.
- 8 Aloha Community Farmers' Market, 17675 SW Farmington Rd. May-Sep: Th 3-7PM.
- 9 Farmington Village, 5795-6807 SW 185th & 18605-18653 SW Farmington (mall at the NW corner of SW 185th & Farmington; some of the businesses have SW Farmington addresses while others have SW 185th Ave addresses). Bi-Mart, Safeway, Pizza Hut, Shari's Restaurant, Baskin Robbins Ice Cream, The 649, Tapatio Restaurant, Miller Paint, etc. There are other businesses across the street (SW 185 & across SW Farmington) from this mall.
Eat
[edit]- 1 Blue Moon Diner, 20167 SW Tualatin Valley Hwy, ☏ +1 503-746-5794. Daily 7AM-9PM. Love malts? Check out this 1950s flashback restaurant.
- 2 Nonna Emelia's Ristorante Italiano, 17210 SW Tualatin Valley Hwy, ☏ +1 503-649-2232. Tu-Su 4-9PM. Italian food.
- 3 Reedville Cafe, 7575 SE Tualatin Valley Hwy, ☏ +1 503-649-4643. Su-Th 7AM-9PM; F Sa 7AM-10PM. A local favorite, the Reedville Cafe has been a landmark of Aloha for years, since its humble beginnings as "The Shack."
- 4 Toshi's, 745 SW 185th (Baseline Center at Sw 185th & W Baseline), ☏ +1 503-649-8007. M-F 11:30AM-1:30PM & 5-9PM; Sa 5-9PM. A small Japanese restaurant, Toshi's serves sushi and cooked food.
Drink
[edit]- 1 Coffee Rush, 20415 Tualatin Valley Hwy (standalone kiosk, NW of the intersection of SW Tualatin Valley Hwy and 204th), ☏ +1 503-642-9904. M-F 5AM-8PM; Sa 5:30AM-8PM; Su 6AM-7PM. Among the best cups of coffee you will ever have, this humble drive-up shop uses only the finest ingredients. Drive-thru only; no seating in cafe lobby.
- 2 Dr. Feelgood's Pub, 20419 Tualatin Valley Hwy, ☏ +1 503-591-9663. Daily 8AM-midnight. A typical, laid-back neighborhood bar.
Sleep
[edit]See the Beaverton article, under Sleep, or the Hillsboro article, under Sleep, for listings of accommodations near Aloha.
Connect
[edit]- 1 Aloha Community Library, 17455 SW Farmington Rd Ste 26A, ☏ +1 503-259-0185. M-Th 10AM-6PM; open F Sa until 3PM.
By mail
[edit]- 2 Aloha Post Office (US Postal Service), 3800 SW 185th Ave (NE corner of SW 185th Ave & Blanton St), ☏ +1 503-848-3919, toll-free: +1-800-275-8777, fax: +1 503-591-1338. M-F 8:30AM-5PM. The zip codes for Aloha are 97003, 97007, and 97078
Go next
[edit]- West. Take Highway 8 (Tualatin Valley Highway). This will take you to the cities of Hillsboro and Forest Grove, the home of Pacific University. North of Forest Grove is Banks. Banks is known for fantastic golfing, specifically at Quail Valley and Pumpkin Ridge. West of Forest Grove, after a few wineries, is the Oregon Coast Range. The Oregon Coast Range is a haven for outdoorsman; it has fantastic hiking, camping, and fishing. Further west is the Oregon Coast. From Aloha, it is very easy to get to the coastal towns of Tillamook, Lincoln City, and Cannon Beach.
- South. Head South on Grabhorn Road to farm country. Here you can explore Tileflat Treasures and tour fantastic wineries.
- East. Beaverton is a nice city with lots of parks. Past Beaverton, is Portland, the largest city in Oregon. Beyond Portland is the Cascade Mountains, the most famous of which is Mount Hood. There is also fantastic windsurfing in the Columbia River Gorge.
Routes through Aloha |
Forest Grove ← Hillsboro ← | W E | → Beaverton → Portland via |
Jct ← | W E | → Beaverton → Portland via |