More than 613,000 people call Washington
County home, and 19 out of every 20 live
within an Urban Growth Boundary (UGB). The
term UGB describes a boundary that controls
urban development to protect farm and forest
land.

There are four UGBs in Washington County. In
the greater Portland area, Metro is responsible
for adopting the UGB and ensuring there is
enough buildable land to meet projected
growth. The cities of Banks, Gaston and North
Plains are outside of the Metro boundary and
have their own UGBs.