The city of Gresham could not establish itself as a city unless given a post office and postal code. A local storeowner offered to use his store as a post office and offered to name the city after Postmaster GeneralWalter Quinton Gresham if a post office was granted. Until that time, the city had simply been known as Campground because this forested site was where pioneers often stopped to spend the night and compose themselves before moving on to Portland. Although a post office was established in May, 1884, Gresham was not incorporated as a city until 1905. Lewis Shattuck, son of a pioneer family, was the first mayor.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 22.2 square miles (57.6 km²), of which, 22.1 square miles (57.4 km²) of it is land and 0.1 square miles (0.2 km²) of it is water. The total area is 0.40% water.
Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 90,205 people, 33,327 households, and 22,695 families residing in the city. The population density was 4,071.6 people per square mile (1,572.4/km²). There were 35,309 housing units at an average density of 1,593.8/sq mi (615.5/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 82.72% White, 1.89% African American, 0.94% Native American, 3.33% Asian, 0.27% Pacific Islander, 7.02% from other races, and 3.82% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 11.90% of the population.
There were 33,327 households out of which 36.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.9% were married couples living together, 12.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.9% were non-families. Out of all households, 24.3% were made up of individuals and 7.8% had someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.67 and the average family size was 3.17. In the city, the population was spread out with 27.5% under the age of 18, 11.1% from 18 to 24, 30.3% from 25 to 44, 21.2% from 45 to 64, and 9.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females, there were 97.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.9 males. The median income for a household in the city was $43,442, and the mean income for a family was $51,126. Males had a median income of $37,701 versus $27,744 for females. The per capita income for the city was $19,588. About 8.4% of families and 12.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 17.2% of those under the age of 18 and 6.7% of those 65 and older.
The City of Gresham operates under the council-manager form of government. The mayor and city council are elected to be the legislative and policy-making body for the city.
The council appoints a professional city manager who is responsible for day-to-day city operations. As of 2008, the city manager of Gresham is Erik Kvarsten, who is a professional city manager with 20 years of experience. Kvarsten was appointed to the position on August 1, 2004.
The city council consists of the mayor and six councilors, all of whom serve four-year terms. Elections are held in November of even-numbered years. In elections in years divisible by four, (e.g. 2000, 2004, 2008), three councilors are elected. In elections in years not divisible by four, (e.g. 1998, 2002, 2006), the other three councilors and the mayor are elected.
