Money Magazine names Sherwood one of America's best places to live

The magazine ranked Sherwood 18th in its annual list; Lake Oswego made the list at 32

By Anthony Roberts

The Sherwood Gazette, Jul 16, 2007, Updated Oct 30, 2009 (3 Reader comments)

Anthony Roberts / Sherwood Gazette

The new streets in Old Town Sherwood.

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The July issue of Money Magazine names Sherwood as one of the country's best places to live; the city, listed at number 18, is among only two Oregon towns to make the annual list.

The magazine wrote that towns named in the popular yearly list benefit from a combination of “economic opportunity, good schools, safe streets, things to do and a sense of community.” This marks Sherwood’s first appearance on the list, and the city finds itself ahead of neighboring Lake Oswego, which is ranked 32nd. The ranking came as a surprise to city officials.

“It wasn’t something that we were obviously out looking for or applying for,” Assistant City Manager Jim Patterson said.

“Obviously we’re pleased and humbled by it. Those of us that live and work in Sherwood, we’ve long known these things about our community, but to be recognized on a national basis … it’s quite an accomplishment and we’re all very excited about it.”

Patterson said Sherwood likely stood out due to its low crime rates and strong sense of community. The town of 16,000, located about 15 miles southwest of Portland, holds a number of events that draw from surrounding communities, such as this weekend’s Robin Hood Festival and the annual Music on the Green concert series that runs every Wednesday evening during the summer months.

Sherwood’s economy has also grown over the past decade as the population spiked. The town was home to 3,000 as recently as 1990. From 2000 to 2006, Sherwood experienced job growth of 23 percent, compared to 13 percent for the other cities on Money’s list. Sherwood Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Holli Robinson has seen her organization explode during that time.

“Membership is up by 300 percent over the last six or seven years, it’s like we hit the ground and never stopped running,” she said. “Even the big box stores are members here, and they’re not in some communities.”

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