As a result, one can see pastoral farmlands and old red barns within 15 miles of downtown Portland, literally across the street from large suburban developments (where that street is the urban growth boundary.) Opponents argue that this growth boundary has limited growth and increased the costs of housing; proponents argue that it has preserved valuable farmland, made possible the popular farmer's markets in Portland, and brought more efficient public transportation and less traffic than similarly sized cities.

As the population has grown, and undeveloped land inside the urban growth boundary has dwindled, there has been pressure to change or relax the rules. The rapid growth of two major employers in Washington County, namely Nike and Intel, contributed to this pressure.

The original state rules included a provision for expanding urban growth boundaries, but critics felt this wasn't being accomplished. In 1995, the State Legislature ordered cities to expand UGBs to provide enough undeveloped land for a 20 year supply of future housing at projected levels, and to complete the newest expansion by the end of 1999.