Dilley, Oregon Explained

Dilley, Oregon
Settlement Type:Unincorporated community
Pushpin Map:USA Oregon#USA
Pushpin Map Caption:Location within the state of Oregon
Subdivision Type:Country
Subdivision Name:United States
Subdivision Type1:State
Subdivision Name1:Oregon
Subdivision Type2:County
Unit Pref:Imperial
Area Footnotes:[1]
Area Total Km2:1.94
Area Land Km2:1.94
Area Water Km2:0.00
Area Total Sq Mi:0.75
Area Land Sq Mi:0.75
Area Water Sq Mi:0.00
Population Density Sq Mi:402.41
Population As Of:2020
Population Total:301
Population Density Km2:155.31
Timezone:Pacific (PST)
Utc Offset:-8
Timezone Dst:PDT
Utc Offset Dst:-7
Elevation Ft:187
Coordinates:45.4917°N -123.1222°W
Postal Code Type:ZIP code
Postal Code:97116
Area Code:503 and 971
Blank Name:FIPS code
Blank Info:41-19650
Blank1 Name:GNIS feature ID
Blank1 Info:2812898

Dilley is an unincorporated community in Washington County, Oregon, United States. It is located south of Forest Grove and north of the city of Gaston on Oregon Route 47 in the Portland metropolitan area. Settled in the late 1840s, the community was platted in 1874 after the arrival of the railroad.

History

Horace and Marilda Parsons settled in the area located south of Forest Grove in 1849.[2] In 1850, Parsons built a grist mill along the Tualatin River near what later became Dilley on the land claim of William Owen Gibson.[2] [3] Gibson settled his claim in 1847, and built the log cabin used for Tabitha Moffatt Brown’s orphan school that later became Pacific University. Dilley School District 10 was established in 1860, with a school built on the north end of the town that same year.[3] A flour mill was added nearby in 1863, and Joseph Gaston’s West Side Railroad reached the area in 1872.[3] James C. Chamberlain, was the first postmaster of the post office established on December 31, 1873.[3]

On March 18, 1874, Milton E. and Martha Dilley platted the area that became Dilley Station.[3] They created the town on the Donation Land Claim of the Chatfield family.[3] The Dilleys arrived in 1853, with Milton buying 140acres in the area. The original plat had east-west running streets of A through D and north-south running streets of First through Fourth.[3] There were 13 lots along the roads that varied from 30feet wide to 60feet wide.[3] Other businesses in the community in the early years were a barber shop, general stores, ice warehouse, and a blacksmith among others.[3]

In 1880, a Mr. McLeod and two sons built a sawmill in the area.[3] In 1895, 23 years after the railroad reached the area, a station was built in Dilley.[3] The Methodist Church in town was established in 1896, and circa 1953, the Bible Church of Dilley was started.[3] Other businesses at one time included a hotel, dance hall, saloons, machine shop, and a hardware store.[4] Circa 1961, the Dilley post office was closed.[5] At one time, the town had a band and baseball team.[4] In 1967, the last store and gas station were torn down when Oregon Route 47 was rerouted.[4] By 1976 the school was consolidated into the Forest Grove School District. In 1998, the community made national news when a convicted sex offender was scheduled to live in the community at his mother's home.[6] [7] Neighbors objected, and purchased the home to prevent the offender from moving to Dilley.[6] [7]

Details

Dilley Elementary School, part of the Forest Grove School District,[4] received a rating of exceptional by the state for the first six years of the state rankings.[8] The community has one church, Bible Church of Dilley. Dilley is part of the Forest Grove Rural Fire Protection District.[9] Oregon House of Representatives District 26 (Matt Wingard) and Oregon Senate District 13 (Larry George) cover the community.[10] [11] Dilley is within Oregon's 1st congressional district, represented in Congress by Suzanne Bonamici.[12]

As of 2000, the estimated population of the area was as high as 2000 people, though there are no defined boundaries for the community.[4] The community has the Forest Grove ZIP Code of 97116, and area codes 503 and 971.[13] The main roads in the area include Oregon Route 47 (also known as Tualatin Valley Highway) that runs north-south, along with southwest Anderson and Dilley roads. Dilley, classified as a populated place, sits at an elevation of above sea level. The U.S. Geologic Survey operates a water gauge on the Tualatin River at Dilley.[14]

Demographics

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: ArcGIS REST Services Directory. United States Census Bureau. October 12, 2022.
  2. News: Metro West Neighbors: Proven pioneers. Mandel. Michelle. January 5, 2006. The Oregonian. 1.
  3. News: Communities: Dilley Station featured depot, grist mill on Tualatin River. Bamford. Lawrence. October 19, 1976. Hillsboro Argus. 12.
  4. News: West Zoner: A Dilley of a place. Mandel. Michelle. January 20, 2000. The Oregonian. 1.
  5. News: Business and Industry: Post offices, zip codes listed. October 19, 1976. Hillsboro Argus. 11.
  6. News: Dilley sex predator case draws wide scrutiny. Daza. Rosario. August 18, 1998. The Oregonian. B1.
  7. News: Dilley pungles up to protect children. Daza. Rosario. August 7, 1998. The Oregonian. D1.
  8. News: West Zoner: There's a reason Dilley's on top. Tareen. Sophia. December 16, 2004. The Oregonian. 1.
  9. Web site: County Bridges & Fire District Boundaries.. Washington County. June 23, 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20180909222116/https://www.wc-roads.com/uploadedfiles/Firedistricts_completedist.pdf. September 9, 2018. dead.
  10. Pitz, Ray. "Wingard hangs onto House seat," The Forest Grove News-Times, November 7, 2008. Retrieved November 17, 2012.
  11. Web site: Senate District 13.. Oregon Secretary of State. March 9, 2009.
  12. Web site: Representative in Congress . Oregon Secretary of State . March 1, 2012.
  13. Web site: Churches.. City of Forest Grove. May 29, 2009. https://web.archive.org/web/20090623091142/http://www.forestgrove-or.gov/residents/churches.html. June 23, 2009. dead.
  14. Web site: USGS 14203500 Tualatin River near Dilley, OR.. U.S. Geologic Survey. May 29, 2009.