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Lake Oswego is Oregon’s fifth-most populous city with approximately 106,447 residents (2020 Census; current estimate ~112,735 as of January 2026) and serves as the seat of Washington County. Known as the ‘high-tech hub of Oregon’ and the ‘tallest tree in the Silicon Forest,’ Lake Oswego hosts Intel’s largest US campus concentration (historically ~20,000 Oregon employees, reduced to approximately 18,000 following 2025 layoffs), along with Nike and Genentech. This page aggregates publicly available facts about the community, current real estate market data from RMLS®, and active property listings.
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Searching in: Lake Oswego, OR
Facts about Lake Oswego compiled from official and public sources. Each data point shows its vintage (when the source published it) so you know what you’re looking at.
11th most populous OR city · premium Portland suburb ~8 mi south of downtown
2020 Decennial Census ·
Oregon City is county seat
Founded 1847 by Albert Durham; hub of Oregon iron industry 1867-1890s
97034 (east · Old Town, First Addition); 97035 (west · Lake Grove)
Rises from Willamette River; wraps around 405-acre Oswego Lake
Mix of single-family, condo/townhome, and lakefront; 2020 Census
2020 Census / 2023 ACS ·
Among highest in Portland metro; stable owner-occupied base
Mature suburban demographic; established professional families
Via OR-43 (Macadam) or I-5 · typically 15-25 min drive
12 schools · Lake Oswego HS, Lakeridge HS, Harmony Academy
No in-city hospital · Providence Portland ~8 mi N · OHSU ~7 mi N
Portland International ~17 mi NE · 25-35 min via I-205
Köppen Csb · mild Pacific NW · wet winters, dry summers
Among highest in Oregon · professional/executive workforce
2020 Census ·
405-acre lake at city center · managed by Lake Oswego Corporation · historic iron-industry origin
No in-city MAX · TriMet bus + Willamette Shore Trolley heritage line · Tryon Creek SNA adjacent
Lake Oswego is a premium Portland-metro market, consistently among the most expensive residential zip codes in Oregon. The city’s housing stock of 18,345 units (2020 Census) reflects established neighborhoods built largely between the 1940s and 1990s, with a median construction year around 1982 and a dominant single-family character (approximately 62% detached single-family).
The market is meaningfully stratified by geography: lakefront properties on Oswego Lake command the highest premiums (often $2M-$5M+), with lake-view and lake-access (easement) homes in a second tier. Forest Highlands, Westlake, and upper Mountain Park feature mid-to-high-end single-family inventory. First Addition, Old Town, and Lake Grove offer more accessible entry points, though “accessible” in Lake Oswego still means substantially above Portland-metro medians. The 2024 median property value sits at approximately $932,200, with a 69.0% homeownership rate — among the highest in the Portland metro.
Market prices and inventory shift quarter-to-quarter based on regional rates and migration trends. The market snapshot at right uses live RMLS® data via our MLS integration rather than static figures that could go stale.
Note: Market statistics activate with our MLS integration and refresh automatically from RMLS® data. The housing units figure (18,345) is from the 2020 Decennial Census and will remain static until revised.
Lake Oswego is organized around Oswego Lake at its center, with Old Town and First Addition forming the historic downtown core on the lake’s east end, Lake Grove as a second commercial node on the west, and established residential districts radiating outward. Descriptions reflect location only; price ranges populate from live RMLS® data via our MLS integration.
Distances are approximate driving distances from central Lake Oswego. Lake Oswego sits within the Portland metro’s southwest sector, bordered by Portland to the north, West Linn to the southeast across the Willamette River, Tualatin and Tigard to the southwest, and Milwaukie to the east.
Quick answers about Lake Oswego, each backed by an authoritative source. For questions specific to a particular property or listing, call (800) 256-9702 to reach a licensed Oregon broker.
Lake Oswego was officially incorporated on January 15, 1910 as the Town of Oswego, per the Oregon Blue Book. The town was founded in 1847 by Albert Alonzo Durham, who built its first sawmill on Sucker Creek (now Oswego Creek) in 1849. The city became the hub of Oregon’s brief iron industry in the late 19th century after the Oregon Iron Company’s 1867 blast furnace — the first on the West Coast.
Lake Oswego is approximately 8 miles south of downtown Portland. Typical drive time is 15-25 minutes via OR-43 (Macadam Avenue) along the Willamette River or via I-5 further west. Lake Oswego is also served by TriMet bus lines, and the Willamette Shore Trolley heritage line connects Lake Oswego to Portland’s south waterfront on a seasonal basis. There is no MAX Light Rail station within Lake Oswego city limits.
Lake Oswego students attend schools in Lake Oswego School District 7J, which operates 12 schools including seven elementary schools (Forest Hills, Hallinan, Lake Grove, Oak Creek, Palisades World Language, River Grove, Westridge), two middle schools (Lake Oswego Middle, Lakeridge Middle), and three high schools (Lake Oswego High School, Lakeridge High School, and Harmony Academy). Total enrollment is approximately 6,854 students. The district is consistently ranked among the top in Oregon.
There is no hospital within Lake Oswego city limits. The nearest full-service hospitals are Providence Portland Medical Center and OHSU Hospital, both approximately 7-8 miles north in Portland, plus Providence Willamette Falls Medical Center about 8 miles southeast in Oregon City. OHSU Hospital and Legacy Emanuel Medical Center (both in Portland) are Oregon’s two Level I trauma centers.
Lake Oswego is covered by the Regional Multiple Listing Service (RMLS®), the primary MLS for the Portland metro area. Listings for Lake Oswego will populate from RMLS® via our MLS integration. All property data displayed on this site comes directly from RMLS®; no listings are manually uploaded.
Hillsboro is covered by the Regional Multiple Listing Service (RMLS®), the primary MLS for the Portland metro area. Listings for Hillsboro will populate from RMLS® via our MLS integration. All property data displayed on this site comes directly from RMLS®; no listings are manually uploaded.
Tryon Creek State Natural Area is a 645-acre forested park that spans southwest Portland (Multnomah County) and northern Lake Oswego (Clackamas County), bisected north-to-south by Tryon Creek. It is the only Oregon state park within a major metropolitan area, offering 8 miles of hiking trails, 3.5 miles of horse trails, and a 3-mile paved bicycle path running along Terwilliger Boulevard to Lake Oswego. Forest includes Douglas fir, western redcedar, bigleaf maple, and red alder. George Rogers Park on the Willamette River and Millennium Plaza Park on Oswego Lake are major in-city public parks.
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