Rhododendron, Oregon

Unincorporated community in the state of Oregon, United States

Unincorporated community and Census designated place in Oregon, United States

45°18′11″N 121°52′46″W / 45.30306°N 121.87944°W / 45.30306; -121.87944CountryUnited StatesStateOregonCountyClackamasElevation

^[1]

2,116 ft (645 m)Time zoneUTC-8 (Pacific (PST)) • Summer (DST)UTC-7 (PDT)ZIP code

97049

Area code(s)503 and 971GNIS feature ID2805458^[1]

Rhododendron is an unincorporated community in Clackamas County, Oregon, United States. It is located within the Mount Hood Corridor, between Government Camp and Zigzag on U.S. Route 26 (a.k.a. the Mount Hood Scenic Byway).^[2] It is one of the communities that make up the Villages at Mount Hood.

A post office was established in the area in 1909 and named "Rowe" after Henry S. Rowe, a mayor of Portland, Oregon who was interested in developing the state's scenic attractions.^[3] In 1917 the office was renamed "Zig Zag" and shortly thereafter "Zigzag".^[3] (The name was later reused for the post office in the current community of Zigzag.)^[3] In 1920 the office was renamed "Rhododendron" because of the large number of rhododendrons growing near there.^[3] The community started out as a summer resort colony, but with the increased popularity of skiing, it became a year-round settlement.^[3]