About Happy Valley

Happy Valley was first settled in the 1850s by Christian and Matilda Deardorff, who received 640 acres under the Donation Land Claim Act of 1850; the community was originally known as Christilla Valley — a blend of their names — and later as Deardorff Valley. It was officially incorporated as a city in 1965, but remained a small, largely rural community for decades afterward. Located in northwestern Clackamas County about 13 miles southeast of downtown Portland, Happy Valley covers roughly 12 square miles and borders Portland, Clackamas, Damascus, Pleasant Valley, and Sunnyside. The extinct volcanic cone of Mount Scott, rising to about 1,050 feet, and nearby Scouters Mountain give the city its rolling, forested terrain and its name. Starting in the late 1990s, Happy Valley became one of the fastest-growing cities in Oregon, its population climbing to more than 28,000 residents by 2023, up from 23,733 at the 2020 census. Students in Happy Valley attend schools in the North Clackamas School District, which operates two high schools, two middle schools, and eight elementary schools serving the area. The city has one of the higher median household incomes in the Portland metro area, and its Economic Development Division works to attract new employers alongside the Happy Valley Business Alliance, the city's local chamber of commerce. Happy Valley operates under a mayor-council government, with an elected mayor and four city councilors serving four-year terms. The city has produced two women who went on to represent Oregon in the U.S. House of Representatives — Lori Chavez-DeRemer, a former Happy Valley mayor, and Janelle Bynum, the first Black member of Oregon's congressional delegation. Residents have access to city parks including Mount Scott and Scouters Mountain Nature Park, both popular for hiking and for sweeping views across the Portland metro area and, on clear days, Mount Hood.