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 204,500. 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.

The city of Vancouver, incorporated in 1857, is named after British explorer Captain George Vancouver. Clark County’s namesake is the great explorer, William Clark of the Lewis and Clark Expedition.

Southwest Washington enjoys beautiful summers and mild winters. Contrary to popular belief, the area gets far less rainfall than many popular destination cities including New York and Houston.

Clark County Accolades

• 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.
• 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.

Additional Fun Facts

• 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 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.
• 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.