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Welcome

The Helvetia Community Association (HCA) is a tax-exempt 501(c)(3) cultural, educational organization whose mission is to inspire understanding and enjoyment of Helvetia's people, land and history.

HCA brings together farmers, business owners, concerned citizens, neighbors, and residents of the Helvetia area who are working to promote and preserve the Helvetia community and its neighboring agricultural lands.

Located approximately fifteen miles west of Portland, Oregon, Helvetia is recognized throughout the Portland metropolitan area for its pastoral farmland, scenic beauty, Swiss-German cultural heritage, and its natural resources.

HCA seeks to preserve, educate, and celebrate the rich cultural heritage inherited from the hardworking cultures who carefully stewarded Helvetia's fertile land and soil:

  • the Tuality (Atfalati) tribe of the Kalapuya band (now part of the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde) who inhabited this area until the resettlement of 1855, and
  • the hardy German-Swiss farmers who settled this area in the 1870s and named it “Helvetia” (which means “Switzerland” in Latin).

These two cultures respected the land, nurtured its soils and treasured its natural resources.  Today the Helvetia area is known as a beautiful oasis that is enjoyed and treasured by those who live here and by those who visit it.

Helvetia Community Association offers unique gift items for sale through our Helvetia Market.  All proceeds go to support HCA's many projects, and you and your family and friends get to enjoy a bit of Helvetia.

We encourage you to contribute to our efforts to keep Helvetia a special place in Oregon: 

  • We welcome your financial donation to HCA.  HCA is a 501(c)(3) cultural, educational non-profit organization, staffed 100% by volunteers.  Your donation is tax deductible to the extent permitted by the IRS.  To donate, simply click on “Donate”.
  • HCA is a volunteer-supported organization with many opportunities for interested folks to participate.  Please consider volunteering your time and join our team in doing good things for a great place.  To see just a few of our volunteer opportunities, click on “Volunteer”.

If you have any questions regarding HCA and its programs, you can reach us using our convenient contact form.


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