Welcome to Sandy, Oregon

Sandy, Oregon is a city of over 8,200 population located on the Mt. Hood Highway (U.S. 26) midway between Portland and Mt. Hood.

Residents of Sandy enjoy a mild climate, clean air, good water, beautiful scenic views in a country setting, and all the advantages of small-town living while being only 45 minutes from the urban amentities of downtown Portland.

Though Sandy’s heritage was logging and sawmilling, today’s economic activity comes from light-industrial manufacturing and service businesses. Many Sandy residents commute to jobs in nearby Portland. Agricultural crops in the surrounding area are primarily nursery stock and a variety of berries.

Sandy’s civic organizations – including Kiwanis, Lions, and Optimist – actively work for the betterment of the community.

Sandy is proud of its outstanding public library, newly remodeled Community and Senior Center, and a fine public school system, the Oregon Trail School District.

U.S. Highway 26 remains a major thoroughfare for travelers and for commerce; agriculture is central to the area’s economic stability; and industrial activity is increasing. However, the prominent attraction to Sandy continues to be “it’s a great place to live”

Map of Sandy Oregon

History of Sandy, Oregon

In 1845, Samuel K. Barlow, a pioneer emigrant from Kentucky, blazed a road (known as The Barlow Road) from The Dalles, Oregon around the south side of Mt. Hood to Eagle Creek (a settlement just east of Oregon City) thus completing the last leg of the famous Oregon Trail that began in Independence, Missouri.

Sandy’s first settlers, the Francis Revenue family, arrived in 1853 and soon opened a trading post here on the Barlow Road and served many of the thousands of pioneers who traveled through on their way to the Willamette Valley.

Sandy’s first Post Office was established in 1873 and the village became an incorporated city in 1911.

Sandy was named for the nearby Sandy River which was originally identified as the “Quicksand River” by Lewis and Clark; however, the name “Quicksand” gradually evolved into “Sandy”.

Visit the Sandy Historical Society Website.