Tigard, Oregon is a suburb located to the southwest of Portland, in Washington County. With 55,000 people, it is the third largest city in Washington County, behind Hillsboro and Beaverton, and fourth largest suburb of Portland (in Oregon). Tigard has had a post office since the 19th century, but was only incorporated as a city in the early 1960s. With the post-World War II boom along the West Coast, Tigard grew rapidly. It is currently an aglomeration of different areas. Along the eastern border of the city, which is Interstate 5, it has many big box stores and fast food restaurants. Further west, it more fits the stereotype of an upscale suburb, with fancier homes on winding, tree-lined streets. It also has office parks with technology companies, and the hard drive manufactur LaCie is based there. Tigard also directly borders Portland, but because it is on the other side of the West Hills, there is a discontinuity between them.
It is somewhat of a stereotype, but the area around Tigard and a few other cities to the southwest of Portland are one of the main parts of the Portland metro area that seem to be more traditonal American suburbs. This is in part because Tigard, while it has good bus service (and even is connected to the WES commuter rail) doesn't have lightrail, and is one of the more car-oriented part of the Portland area. Also, while Tigard is considered to be a small suburb by most people in Portland, Tigard by itself is larger than every town outside the Willamette Valley, except Bend and Medford. While it is easy for many people in Portland to ignore it, Tigard isn't a small place.