About Rockwood
Located in the Northwest corner of Gresham, the Rockwood neighborhood is established in the area from Northeast Glisan & 162nd up to East Burnside & 202nd. This neighborhood accounts for about a third of Gresham’s total population; over thirty thousand of their residents live here.
Oregon has hundreds of neighborhoods and communities, so what makes Rockwood special?
What makes Rockwood unique is that it is one of the most diverse communities within the state of Oregon. Surveys estimate that Rockwood’s community members come from over 40 different countries, one in every 4 residents was born in a country outside of the U.S., and that there are over 88 languages spoken.
Because of its diversity, the Rockwood area has a wide array of culturally specific services, organizations, and community resources. Gresham City and the organizations that service this community, are working hard to bring the voices of the Rockwood community front and center when it comes to supporting local businesses, hosting community events, and amplifying political voices.
In addition to the market hall, an organization called Play Grown Learn, hosts The People’s Market every Saturday in the downtown plaza located in front of the hall. The People’s Market features fresh produce from local BIPOC farmers and encourages those who do not have regular access to fresh produce to come by giving away food vouchers and accepting SNAP benefits.
This years past community events have included – a Koi Expo, a drum performance by the Takohachi Community Group, a well-attended Juneteenth Celebration in a local public park, and features from local latinex musicians at its yearly ‘I <3 Rockwood Festival’.
The diversity of the Rockwood community that has been represented in Gresham’s local businesses, community events, and political voices, has only begun! There are many projects in the works or on the horizon that are making a huge effort to consult community members in important local government decisions.
