Population:
The city of Vancouver, the fourth largest and most southwestern city in the state of Washington, has a population of 156,600.  It is located in Clark County, the oldest county in Washington state, which has a total population of 403,500.  Clark County, encompassing the cities of Vancouver, Camas, Washougal, Battle Ground, Ridgefield, La Center, Amboy and Yacolt, is the fastest growing county in the state of Washington.

Name:
The city of Vancouver, incorporated in 1857, is named after British explorer Captain George Vancouver.  Clark County was named in honor of the great explorer, William Clark of the Lewis and Clark Expedition.

Settled:
The first non-native settlement in Vancouver was Fort Vancouver, established in 1825 by the Hudson’s Bay Company as a trading post and provisional center.  It became the center of political, cultural and commercial activities in the Pacific Northwest.  Today, the Fort is open to visitors to tour the reconstructed buildings and witness period dressed re-enactors working as they did in the early 1800’s.  To learn more about this and other attractions, click here. 

Geography:
Vancouver is located at latitude 45.64’N and 122.66’W on the north shore of the Columbia River just north of Portland, Oregon.  It is approximately 100 miles to the Pacific Ocean to the west, 164 miles to Seattle, WA to the north and 120 miles to Eugene, OR, to the south, and located just off of the major north-south Interstate highway 5. Regional Map

Accommodations:
Clark County has a total of 32 lodging properties offering over 2,400 affordable and convenient area guest rooms.

Transportation:
The major airport serving Vancouver is Portland International Airport which is only a 10 minute drive away.  For more information on transportation, click here.

Weather:
Southwest Washington enjoys beautiful summers and mild winters.  Contrary to popular perception, the area gets far less rainfall than many popular destination cities.  For more information about weather, and a look at the current weather conditions, click here.

Distinctive Designations:
In 2005, Vancouver was designated by Mrs. Laura Bush, First Lady of the United States and Honorary Chair of Preserve America, as a Preserve America Community for its preservation efforts of the community’s cultural and natural heritage resources.

In 2005, Vancouver ranked among Money Magazine’s 100 Best Places to Live, a listing that considered education, economy, crime, employment and arts and cultural offerings in cities all across America.

In 2003, the National Trust for Historic Preservation named Vancouver on its list of America’s Dozen Distinctive Destinations, an annual honor bestowed on unique and lovingly preserved communities in the United States.  The area is chock-full of historical properties.  Pick up a historic properties walking map at the Tourism Information Center.

Clark County has more than 40 miles of urban trails.  In 1999 Vancouver received the Walkable Community Award from Walking Magazine for its trail development and its support of the Discovery Walk Festival and other walking groups.

In the 1920’s, Clark County was considered the prune capital of the world.  Prunes were in high demand as the nation’s most popular breakfast fruit and growers enjoyed healthy prices, making prunes the county’s leading agricultural commodity.

Vancouver Barracks, established by the U.S. Army in 1849, is the first American military post in the Pacific Northwest. It became the headquarters of the Department of the Columbia, which covered present-day Washington State, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, and Alaska.  Notable soldiers who served at Vancouver Barracks are: Gen. Ulysses S. Grant, Gen. George McClellan, Gen. Philip Sheridan, Gen. O.O. Howard, and Gen. George C. Marshall.

Vancouver is home to Washington’s oldest apple tree.  Planted in 1826, this tree is considered the “great grandfather” of the Washington state apple industry.  It is celebrated every October with its own festival.

Esther Short Park in the center of downtown Vancouver is the oldest public square in the West.  Named after the early pioneer, Esther Short, who bequeathed the property to the city, the 5.4 acres was dedicated as a public square in 1855.

Pearson Field, in Vancouver, is the oldest continually operating airfield in the U.S.  It is also the landing site of the first transpolar flight in 1937 from Moscow, USSR, to Vancouver, Washington.  It took a total of 63 hours and 16 minutes.

During World War I, Vancouver was home to the world’s largest spruce lumber mill for airplane construction.  Vancouver was also a major ship building center during World War II at the Kaiser Shipyards along the banks of the Columbia River.