I’ve called Longview, WA home for the past five years. It’s a very nice community with a lot of great people in it and have enjoyed being here.
The community itself gets a bad rap from communities in Southwest Washington in general. When our family and web design business was looking for a home anywhere from Olympia to Vancouver, we skipped over this community (and Cowlitz County in general) because of what others had said about it.
It wasn’t until we actually visited Longview that we gave it a fair shot.
Often, you have to see things for yourself to get a real idea. Sure, there are some bad areas in Longview but there are also a lot of great areas. It’s all in what you want to see. If you want to see bad, you’ll see bad. If you want to see good, you will see good.
One of the first areas we drove through was Lake Sacajawea. It’s a stunning park. And it’s huge. It features a little over a 3-mile loop which is perfect for runners and walkers alike. There are multiple places for kids to play and lots of activities going on there. It’s a staple to this community and something no one mentioned to us when they were telling us about Longview.
There are some other unique places like the Monticello Hotel and the Library which have been here since the founding of Longview in 1924. By the way, at the time of Longview’s founding it was the world’s largest planned city. Founded by Robert A. Long who owned the Long-Bell Lumber Company.
As for activities, there’s a lot to do here. The Columbia River is nearby, and outdoor activities are plentiful. Forrest is all around us which give way to hiking, backpacking, and camping. Mt. Saint Helens is around 30 miles away while the beach is about an hour and 1/2 in the opposite direction.
One of the best decisions I made was joining our local Rotary club. Not only is the club full of excellent leaders in our community, but the club does many positive things in our community.
I see Longview growing in the coming years in a positive direction. Being right in between Portland/Vancouver and Olympia/Tacoma/Seattle, I think it’s inevitable that it keeps growing. It’s a nice community and the land/housing prices are lower compared to those larger cities.
Once Internet conductivity is ubiquitous in every remote area, I see communities like this growing tenfold with people who work from home and only require an internet connection.
If you do stumble upon this post and are thinking about Longview, Washington as an area to locate, give it a shot. Take a drive and see what you think for yourself.
