Tualatin Commons

I give this place three stars instead of two, as it sits on the river… which makes it nice. Other than that, I’ve lived in better and I’ve lived in worse.
The walls here are extremely thin. Not only within your apartment, but within the whole complex.
There is only one trash area, and it’s a bummer when you have to take out the trash or walk your dog… it’s a good walk to the other side to throw things away.
A big plus… washers and driers in the apartments, albeit not the best I’ve used. Still better than going to a laundromat or using their machines (only one laundry room).

There is no center. That is the issue Tualatin has been struggling with for years. While most of the surrounding cities have a ‘historic’ or dense collection of shops and restaurants in the city center, Tualatin is more spread out.
But over the past decade, they have continued to develop the Tualatin Commons. On the former site of a dog food factory, they constructed Commons Lake and surrounded it with a mix of businesses, a hotel, restaurants, and a few condominiums. The idea was a good one, but it doesn’t quite have the same appeal. It still feels like a business park unless an event is taking place. The city even proposed building a clock tower or some other structure to act as a focal point.
Having been a Tualatin resident for over a decade, I’ve been to this park hundreds of times. Heck, I don’t live there anymore and I was still at the Commons three times this week.
There are rules that are (mostly) enforced:
1) No swimming, wading, fishing or ice skating on the lake
2) No dogs
3) No alcoholic beverages
4) No inline skating or bicycles
It is as if they don’t want you to have any fun at all.
The Commons is the venue for many of Tualatin’s community activities: Concerts on the Commons (Friday), Farmer’s Market (Friday) and Movies in the Commons (Saturday) during the summer. They also host part of the Tualatin Crawfish Festival here, where almost all of the rules above are broken.
I do suggest you heed the warning about the lake. Filled with goose poop and algae, you really don’t want your kids splashing around. It is prettier from a distance. There is also a large water structure that is similar to Salmon Street Fountain in Portland, but on a smaller scale.
Tualatin is filled with trees, but the Commons is rather stark and I prefer to hang out with the family at the other city parks. But it is central and I do enjoy some of the restaurants in the area, so I suppose it serves its purpose.

Nice place to sail my radio controlled model yacht.