Damascus Oregon

It was established in 1867, and in 2004 it was formed in an effort to give the community more authority over the decisions that are made about the local land usage. It was de-incorporated on July 18, 2016, as a result of a special election procedure that was authorized by the Oregon Legislature and held on May 17, 2016, during which a majority of those voting voted in favor of the dissolution of the city.

On May 1, 2019, the Oregon Court of Appeals decided that this vote violated the legislation and voided it because of their finding. Damascus may be found to the west of Boring, to the east of Happy Valley and to the east of Interstate 205. In the year 2000, there were 9,022 people living in the region that would eventually become the city. According to the census completed in 2010, there were 10,539 people living in the area.

Several residents of the community, in response to a decision made by Metro in the year 2000 to expand Portland’s urban development boundary into the region, drafted and submitted Measure 3-138, which was placed on the ballot for the general election that took place in November of 2004. Call Now  

Damascus Oregon

The merging of the formerly unincorporated villages of Damascus and Carver into the City of Damascus was the direct outcome of the initiative’s success, and it is this action that will prevent the community from being annexed by other surrounding cities in the future. The city was the first new city to be founded in the state of Oregon in the previous 22 years.

Eighty-eight percent of the voters in a special election held on September 21, 2005, backed the creation of a municipal charter.

Voters in eleven different parcels of land between Damascus and Happy Valley were given the opportunity to vote on whether or not to annex to Damascus. Six of the areas voted in favor of annexation, four of the areas voted against annexation, and in the eleventh location, no votes were cast.

Damascus, as a city, passed through seven different city administrators in the span of eight years, and its life as a municipality was often fraught with conflict.

This includes a referendum in 2013 to both dissolve the city’s incorporation and remove the mayor from office. At the primary election held on May 17, 2016, residents of Damascus were given a second opportunity to vote on a proposal to dissolve the city as an incorporated municipality. At this point, the plan has been given the go-ahead, and on July 18, 2016, the city was effectively dissolved as a legal entity.

Nevertheless, on May 1, 2019, the disincorporation was declared invalid by the Appellate Court of the State of Oregon. The decision to dissolve the city’s incorporation in May 2016 was upheld by the Oregon Supreme Court on September 3, 2020, and as a result, the city no longer exists. Unincorporated area in Clackamas County is on land that was formerly occupied by the city of Damascus.