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Beaverton Area 2011-2012 | www.Beaverton.org | 503-644-0123 Visitor Guide 13

rearranged by the hand of man.”

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There’s plenty to do in Beaverton, and you can thank Elsie Stuhr for that.

She and other citizens decided more than 50 years ago that the Beaverton area would grow and sought the creation of park and recreation services for children, adults and families. Stuhr, a PE instructor, and supporters pushed for an initiative to create a recreation district.

“Parents soon realized that while there was a more informal atmosphere in the suburbs, there was also a lack of recreational facilities for families, and no one seemed to be planning for future open space,” Stuhr wrote.

In 1955, voters approved the initiative for the Tualatin Hills Park & Recreation District. Today, THPRD serves approximately 220,000

residents. The district’s features include six recreation centers, a sport complex, two nature parks, eight swim centers, three historic sites, a senior center, nearly 500 athletic felds and courts, two skate parks, and three lakes. The district also sponsors recreational and competitive league sports, and special-interest classes.

THPRD manages 200 parks encompassing 2,100 acres, with a park located within a half mile of every home. It also boasts 60 miles of trails and a lot more in recreation and other facilities.

While THPRD provides a regional network of parks and recreational facilities, the city also provides places for children and families to stretch and enjoy life in Beaverton. One of those is Memorial Park, located in

a two-block area between Seventh and Ninth streets, and Washington and Watson avenues.

The hugely, popular City Park Fountain, located in Beaverton’s City Park (between Watson Avenue and Hall Boulevard, and Fourth and Fifth streets, and across from Beaverton City Library) opens at the same time, in May, as the Beaverton Farmers Market. Fountain hours are daily, 8 a.m. to dark, and it shuts down for the season either in tandem with the Farmers Market or when the weather cools off signifcantly.

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