Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 26,567, incorporated in 1913.
For most people who can afford it, yes. West Linn grades A overall, 6th of 142 graded towns in Oregon. It has 18 miles of trail. It is healthier than 93% of U.S. towns and its public schools beat 91% of Oregon towns on state tests and graduation. The catch is cost: homes are expensive, about $762K for a typical one and 7.8 times the Portland metro’s $97K median household income. 62% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more in West Linn, against 27% in Oregon’s towns and 29% across U.S. towns. On safety, just 4 of Oregon’s 79 towns do better. West Linn has 7 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Nicholas O. Walden House and Lewthwaite-Moffatt House.
Where West Linn beats most towns.
| Widest gap | West Linn | OR |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer uninsured adults | 4.3% | 8.5% |
| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| Trillium Creek Primary School | PK–5 | 480 |
| Willamette Primary School | PK–5 | 384 |
| Sunset Primary School | PK–5 | 375 |
12.3% of the town is conserved land, across 38 parks and preserves.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Oregon), ordered by how far West Linn is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 1,628 in 1920, 27,373 in 2020. The archive holds 10 old photos and papers going back to 1890 and 7 maps from 1914 on.
7 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around West Linn. Close and well known come first.
12 mi Stadium & arenaModa Center
11 mi Stadium & arenaProvidence Park
in town WaterfallWillamette Falls
29 mi WaterfallMultnomah Falls
12 mi MuseumPittock Mansion
13 mi GardenForest ParkModa Center: Lugnuts, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Providence Park: Pdx.rollingthunder, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Willamette Falls: The original uploader was Cacophony at English Wikipedia., CC BY-SA 3.0 · Multnomah Falls: John Fowler from Placitas, NM, USA, CC BY 2.0 · Pittock Mansion: PittockBack.jpg: Cacophony derivative work: Tiptoety talk, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Forest Park: EncMstr, CC BY-SA 3.0
Who provides power, water and the rest in West Linn, and how to reach them.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Oct 2, 2026.
Ordered by what stands out in West Linn.
West Linn fares better on crime within Oregon than nationally and has schools in the top 5% of Oregon, but it has homes that cost more against local pay than most of Oregon.
19 miles of trail in 38 parks and preserves. West Linn’s trail density is 2.3 miles per square mile. Mary S. Young Park, at 132 acres with 3.5 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Mary S. Young Park | 3.5 mi | 132 |
| 2. Wilderness Park | 2.2 mi | 66 |
| 3. Hidden Springs Open Space | 1.3 mi | 44 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its A ranks #4 of the 142 Oregon towns we grade for schools. Its A for schools comes with a D− for cost of living: the typical home is worth about $762K.
Its public schools are run by West Linn-Wilsonville SD 3J. Three of its 8 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rosemont Ridge Middle SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 699 | A |
| West Linn High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,809 | – |
| Cedaroak Park Primary SchoolTop results in townGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 348 | A |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within OR on state tests and graduation
Its widest gap with Oregon is no health insurance: 4.3% of those 18–64 have no health insurance, against 8.5% statewide. Against the 3,008 U.S. towns with household incomes like West Linn’s, it is healthier than 68%, a smaller edge than it has nationally: part of it comes with its incomes.
13% of adults say their health is fair or poor in West Linn. Only 6 of the 142 Oregon towns we compare have a lower share of adults who report frequent physical distress than West Linn. 15% of adults report frequent mental distress in West Linn.
| West Linn | Oregon towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 8% | 13% | 14% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 21% | 25% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 11% | 15% | 14% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 20% | 19% |
| What stands out | West Linn | OR |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer uninsured adults | 4.3% | 8.5% |
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 7.1% | 12.5% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 9.9% | 8.9% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
At 7.8 years of the Portland metro’s $97K median household income, the typical home (about $762K) costs more against local pay than in 91% of Oregon towns; that ratio is one input to its D− for cost of living. The median property tax bill is $7,793, against $3,876 across Oregon, another input to its cost-of-living grade.
The median rent in West Linn is $2,116 a month. The typical West Linn home is worth about $762,000, up 1.7% in a year, 55% above the Oregon typical home. 83% of West Linn households own their home.
| West Linn | Oregon towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $2,116 a month | $1,413 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 83% | 65% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
32.4% of workers work from home, against 19% across Oregon.
Among 142 Oregon towns, just 3 have a higher median household income than West Linn. Since 2013, West Linn has added 1,206 jobs, to 5,821 in 2023. Among 142 Oregon towns, just 5 have a higher share of workers working from home than West Linn.
| West Linn | Oregon towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Work from home | 32% | 14% | 11% |
| Median household income | $147,000 | $81,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 5.5% | 11% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 24 minutes | 23 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
At 10.8 crimes per 1,000 residents a year, it reports less crime than 99% of Oregon’s graded towns. Its B+ tops all 3 graded towns on its borders; Lake Oswego (B) comes closest.
Only 2 of the 75 Oregon towns we compare have a lower violent crime rate than West Linn.
| West Linn | Oregon towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 0.3 per 1,000 residents | 2.2 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 8.3 per 1,000 residents | 15.6 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
West Linn has mild winters and pleasant summers. July afternoons reach 81°, January nights drop to 36° and about 4 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 59% of U.S. communities. Since 1994, 43 flood insurance claims have been paid out in West Linn.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
15 within 15 miles of the center of West Linn
About 6 of every 100 West Linn residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Oregon.
Where West Linn’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
7 places in West Linn on the National Register of Historic Places.
5 notable people were born in West Linn.
City in Oregon, United States
West Linn is a city in Clackamas County, Oregon, United States. A southern suburb in the Portland metropolitan area, West Linn developed on the site of the former Linn City, which was named after US Senator Lewis F. Linn, who had advocated the American occupation of Oregon Country as a counterclaim to the British. The T. W. Sullivan Hydroelectric Plant opened in 1889, and harvested energy from nearby Willamette Falls. The adjacent Willamette Falls Pulp and Paper Company began operations the same year. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 27,373.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
6 towns share a border with West Linn.
| Town | OR rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| West Linn | #6 | A | D− | B+ | A | A |
| Stafford | — | — | D | — | A | A |
| Lake Oswego | #4 | A | D− | B | A+ | A+ |
| Oak Grove | #37 | B | D | — | B+ | B+ |
| Oregon City | #44 | B− | D | C+ | B | B+ |
| Jennings Lodge | #50 | B− | D | — | B+ | B− |
| Gladstone | #63 | C | D | C+ | B | B |
Stafford has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Stafford, Oak Grove and Jennings Lodge report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare West Linn with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
For most people who can afford it, yes. West Linn grades A overall, better than 86% of U.S. towns and #6 of 142 in Oregon. It grades A for health, B+ for safety and A for schools. Cost of living is its weak spot, with a D−.
Yes. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades D−.
5 notable people were born here, including Chael Sonnen and Anthony Mathis.
