Community Profile

Our People

• Native groups lived along the Columbia River for 10,000 years, with villages and trading posts on the land we now call Vancouver. The Native American Indian Heritage Festival takes place at the Water Resources Education Center every year, offering insight into the culture and honoring the early beginnings.
• The Portland (OR), Vancouver (WA), and Hillsboro (OR) area has the second largest LGBTQIA+ community in the country, according to The Street. Vancouver WA has hosted its annual Saturday in the Park Pride event in Esther Short Park since 1994.
• The Fourth Plain corridor is known as the “international business district” fostering a melting pot of Latino and Asian markets, Eastern European bakeries, and international cuisine. The Fourth Plain Multicultural Festival celebrates and promotes the area’s unique identity through music and dance, arts activities, food, and more.

In the News

• Due to the high volume of microbreweries and thrift shops per capita, MoveHub declared Vancouver the “hippest” city in America.
• Vancouver ranked in the Top 10 Best Cities for Accessible Living by RedFin for its ADA-compliant trails and outdoor attractions.
• In 2017, Sunset named Vancouver’s Main Street among the “Best in the West.”

Fun Facts

• In the 1920s, Clark County was considered the prune capital of the world, which was then the nation’s most popular breakfast fruit.
• Vancouver was home to Washington’s oldest apple tree until it died at age 194. Planted in 1826, this tree is considered the “great grandfather” of the Washington State apple industry.
• The community hub, Esther Short Park, is the oldest public square in the West. The 5.4-acre park was dedicated in 1855 and remains the area’s gathering place in downtown Vancouver.

Close By

• Vancouver is located on the north shore of the Columbia River with Portland, Oregon on the other side. Portland International Airport is just 15 minutes away and services Clark County.
• We are 100 miles east of the Pacific Ocean—Long Beach (in Washington) and Cannon Beach (in Oregon) are popular road trip destinations.
• Seattle is 165 miles north, usually about a 3-hour drive on Interstate 5 depending on traffic.