Vancouver, Washington
From open-encyclopedia.com - the free encyclopedia.
Vancouver, Washington should not to be confused with Vancouver, British Columbia, a city in Canada.
Vancouver, Washington is a city on the north shore of the Columbia River, in the state of Washington, USA. It is the county seat of Clark County. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 143,560, positioned as an influential neighbor to nearby Portland, Oregon.
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History
In 1806 the Lewis and Clark expedition camped in the area. Lewis wrote that it was "the only desired situation for settlement west of the Rocky Mountains." The first permanent settlement did not occur until 1825, when Fort Vancouver was established as a fur trading post of the Hudson's Bay Company. From that time on, the area was settled by both the US and Britain under a "joint occupation" agreement. Joint occupation ended on June 15, 1846, with the signing of the Oregon Treaty, which gave the United States full control of the area.
The City of Vancouver was incorporated on January 23, 1857. (List of Mayors from 1858 on)
The much larger city of Vancouver, British Columbia is located 250 miles (400 km) north of Vancouver, Washington. Both cities were named for sea captain George Vancouver, but the Canadian city was not incorporated until 1886, nearly 30 years after Vancouver, Washington, and more than 60 years after the name Fort Vancouver was first used. Some residents of Vancouver jokingly refer to the city as 'The Couve' (pronounced in the same way that the second syllable in Vancouver is pronounced). City officials have periodically suggested changing the city's name to Fort Vancouver to reduce confusion with Vancouver, British Columbia.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 119.5 km² (46.1 mi²). 110.8 km² (42.8 mi²) of it is land and 8.7 km² (3.3 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 7.24% water.
Vancouver lies just across the Columbia River from Portland, Oregon, to the north. Because of its proximity to a major city, many people that live in Vancouver work in Portland. Consequently, much of Vancouver growth is due to Portlanders moving across the river but keeping their old jobs in Portland. In 2003, 70% of workers in Vancouver worked in Clark County. Also, many people who live Vancouver shop in Portland, due to Oregon's 0% sales tax rate and wider variety of shopping choices.
Demographics
As of the census2 of 2000, there are 143,560 people, 56,628 households, and 36,298 families residing in the city. The population density is 1,295.4/km² (3,354.7/mi²). There are 60,039 housing units at an average density of 541.7/km² (1,403.0/mi²). The racial makeup of the city is 84.81% White, 2.50% African American, 0.97% Native American, 4.51% Asian, 0.54% Pacific Islander, 2.86% from other races, and 3.80% from two or more races. 6.29% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There are 56,628 households out of which 33.4% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.3% are married couples living together, 12.1% have a female householder with no husband present, and 35.9% are non-families. 27.6% of all households are made up of individuals and 8.3% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.50 and the average family size is 3.06.
In the city the population is spread out with 26.7% under the age of 18, 9.8% from 18 to 24, 32.1% from 25 to 44, 20.6% from 45 to 64, and 10.7% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 33 years. For every 100 females there are 96.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 93.8 males.
The median income for a household in the city is $41,618, and the median income for a family is $47,696. Males have a median income of $37,306 versus $26,940 for females. The per capita income for the city is $20,192. 12.2% of the population and 9.4% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 16.1% of those under the age of 18 and 8.2% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.
Colleges and universities
- Clark College (2 year)
- Washington State University - Vancouver Campus (upper division and graduate programs)
Major Newspapers
- The Columbian
- The Oregonian (Portland, Oregon)
Nearby Cities
External links
- City of Vancouver Web Site
- Vancouver Chamber of Commerce Web Site
- Fort Vancouver National Historic Site
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| Regions: Central Washington | Columbia River Plateau | Eastern Washington | Inland Empire | Kitsap Peninsula | Olympic Peninsula | Okanogan Country | Palouse | Puget Sound | San Juan Islands | Western Washington | Yakima Valley | |
| Largest Cities: Auburn | Bellevue | Bellingham | Bremerton | Edmonds | Everett | Federal Way | Kennewick | Kent | Kirkland | Lakewood | Olympia | Redmond | Renton | Richland | Seattle | Shoreline | Spokane | Tacoma | Vancouver | Yakima | |
| Counties: Adams | Asotin | Benton | Chelan | Clallam | Clark | Columbia | Cowlitz | Douglas | Ferry | Franklin | Garfield | Grant | Grays Harbor | Island | Jefferson | King | Kitsap | Kittitas | Klickitat | Lewis | Lincoln | Mason | Okanogan | Pacific | Pend Oreille | Pierce | San Juan | Skagit | Skamania | Snohomish | Spokane | Stevens | Thurston | Wahkiakum | Walla Walla | Whatcom | Whitman | Yakima | |
