Longview

Broadway, which borders downtown Longview, is a residential neighborhood with various shops and restaurants, all within walking or biking distance of most homes. “Everybody loves the area and the neighbors are really nice. It’s near all the shopping, yet peaceful,” says Michelle Rohrbach, broker at John L. Scott Real Estate who specializes in southwest Washington. Additionally, “It’s close to the hospital, which is convenient, especially for seniors.” Broadway’s central location means it’s less than a mile from Lake Sacajawea Park, the biggest park in Longview and the site of popular events such as the annual 4th of July festival. Broadway’s gridded streets and easily navigable blocks are lined with sidewalks. Most streets are shaded by trees, though there is more greenery toward the western side of the neighborhood. The eastern side borders medical offices, shops and restaurants. Homes are compact, totaling less than 2000 square feet. Styles include 1920s Craftsman bungalows and midcentury ranch-styles, some of which have attached garages. Prices range from about $200,000 to $400,000. Whether it's craft beers at Ashtown Brewing Company or reds at Roland Winery and Tasting Room, there are plenty of places nearby to spend the afternoon. Broadway is less than a mile from small businesses downtown and chain stores within The Triangle Center, Longview’s outdoor shopping mall. Outdoors enthusiasts can pick up hunting and fishing gear at Bob’s Sporting Goods, while budding musical maestros can find their groove at Theil’s Musical Instruments. Corner Café is a highly rated restaurant offering unique twists on homestyle favorites, like their apple pie topped with locally made cheese. WinCo Foods, a grocery chain and nationally known fast-food restaurants can be found at The Triangle Center, just north of the neighborhood. Entertainment isn’t far from Broadway. Since 1925, the Columbia Theatre Association for the Performing Arts has shown movies, concerts and other live events. Residents can use the McClelland Arts Center or the Kelle Hall Event and Meeting Space to host their own events. On summer nights, families can catch free movies and concerts at Lake Sacajawea Park, less than a mile west of most residences. This scenic park is also the site of the Go Fourth Festival, the annual 4th of July celebration, which draws tens of thousands of attendees to watch the fireworks – a Longview tradition dating back to the 1960s. Schools are just a few miles north of the neighborhood. Students may attend Columbia Heights Elementary, rated B-minus on Niche, Cascade Middle, rated C-plus and Mark Morris High, rated B. Students can enroll in AP courses and classes at Lower Columbia College to earn college credit while in high school. Within the neighborhood, Victoria Freeman Park has wide open spaces, picnic areas and a playground. Broadway also borders Seventh Avenue Park, which has four baseball fields and a soccer field. Less than a mile to the west is Lake Sacajawea Park, which has the unique Solar System Walk. Around the lake are granite markers for every planet, placed at astronomically correct distances to scale. In addition to the three parks nearby, locals can use the indoor pool at the YMCA, just a couple blocks south of Broadway. There are no major roads through the neighborhood, but living in Broadway means easy access to Interstate 5, the region’s main north-south highway. Portland International Airport is about 47 miles south down I-5. While the airport is a bit of a trek, PeaceHealth St. John Medical Center is less than a mile away. As part of River Cities Transit, bus stops connect Broadway to the rest of Longview and to the Amtrak and Greyhound station in Kelso. According to the CAP Index, Broadway’s crime scores are above the national average across all categories. However, “the community is tight. They watch out for each other,” Rohrbach says. Additionally, “There is a little homelessness; you do see it,” Rohrbach says. Nonprofits like the Community House on Broadway provide support, including meals and transitional housing.

In 1923, the city of Longview got its start as a paper mill town along the Columbia River. Today, NORPAC and other corporations stationed on the river still transform lumber into paper products. “The Columbia River is amazing; it’s a gateway for international shipping,” says Jessica Baker, Broker with John L. Scott Real Estate and fourth-generation area resident. Longview’s other river, the Cowlitz, leads into the Columbia. Bordering the Cowlitz River is Columbia Heights East, a tranquil neighborhood of hillside homes. Just up the hill from downtown Longview, this neighborhood feels secluded from the bustle of the city, thanks to its natural tree cover. Columbia Heights East contains no sidewalks. Contemporary homes can be found on East Lynnwood Drive. The neighborhood also includes 20th century builds, like ranch-styles. Some homes feature decks built into the hillside overlooking the evergreen trees. Prices generally range from $330,000 to $575,000. Schools are outside the bounds of the small neighborhood, but only a short drive away. Students may attend Columbia Heights Elementary, rated B-minus on Niche, Cascade Middle, rated C-plus and Mark Morris High, rated B. High schoolers can earn college credit by enrolling in classes through Lower Columbia College, located less than 2 miles away. The neighborhood’s main road is Westside Highway, also referred to as Route 411. It runs parallel to the Cowlitz River. This car-dependent community is about 3 miles from Interstate 5. The interstate leads north toward Seattle and south towards Portland. Portland International Airport is 48 miles away. However, there’s no need to get on the interstate to go to the hospital: PeaceHealth St. John Medical Center is conveniently located within Longview. Columbia Heights East is close to two city parks. Catlin Rotary Spray Park, currently undergoing renovations but otherwise open every summer, has a splash pad where kids can safely play in the water. It also has picnic tables for outdoor snacking. Lake Sacajawea Park, the largest park in Longview, is 3 miles away. It has year-round events like a kids’ fishing derby in April and 4th of July fireworks, which draw big crowds every summer. Additionally, the park’s meticulously manicured Japanese Gardens and paths around the lake invite quiet contemplation. Whether at national franchises or local businesses, shopping and dining is not far. “It’s a total residential neighborhood, but there’s a food truck at the top of Columbia Heights, Retro B’s. A lot of people don’t know about it unless you’re in the neighborhood. Other than that, people go into town,” says Kristin Cheatley, Realtor/Broker at River Ridge Real Estate and area native. More local vendors can be found at Cowlitz Community Farmers Market, which is held twice a week. The 7th Avenue location on Saturdays and the 12th Street location on Tuesdays are open from the spring through the fall. Hillcrest Store is a small market at the tip of the neighborhood. For more groceries, WinCo Foods is located within Triangle Center outdoor mall, along with a variety of other chain stores and restaurants.

Columbia Valley Gardens, sometimes referred to as “CVG,” is in the city of Longview in Cowlitz County. CVG is one of the “top areas that people like to live in if they have kids. It’s centrally located, affordable, close to everything, no new construction – just overall desirable,” says Jessica Baker, Longview broker with Coldwell Banker and fourth generation Cowlitz County resident. Highly rated public schools are within 2 miles of this suburban area, and retail and restaurants are nearby using Ocean Beach Highway, which boarders the neighborhood. Homeowners strolling through the neighborhood won’t find sidewalks, but they will notice wide driveways, leafy trees and some front lawns encircled with chain-link fences. Homes are predominately 20th century builds with a handful constructed in the 21st century. Depending upon when homes were built or remodeled, they include carports, large garages or garage additions. Homes tend to be ranch-styles and gabled cottages. Prices range from about $372,000 to $450,000. Public schools are not far from neighborhood homes. “CVG has one of the top elementary schools in Longview, along with Mint Valley,” Baker says. Columbia Valley Gardens Elementary School, rated B on Niche, has an active pickleball club that meets before school. Students then move on to Monticello Middle, rated B-minus and R.A. Long High, rated B. Ocean Beach Highway is the major road in and out of the neighborhood, and city bus stops along the highway take passengers to the rest of Longview. Ocean Beach Highway leads east toward Kelso, where it connects to Interstate 5, the region’s main north to south highway. Interstate 5 stretches 50 miles south to Portland International Airport. The nearest hospital is in Longview: PeaceHealth St. John Medical Center is 3 miles away from Columbia Valley Gardens. Columbia Valley Gardens offers a few different options for parks and recreation. Bikers can take the Pacific Way Trail, a paved mile-long path along the neighborhood’s northern edge. Families can spend the afternoon at Bailey Park Playground, located in the center of the neighborhood. From Columbia Valley Gardens, “You can walk to Lake Sacajawea, where people go to walk and ride bikes,” Baker says. Lake Sacajawea, 2 miles away, is widely regarded as the crown jewel of Longview for its Japanese gardens and tranquil atmosphere. Getting there requires crossing Ocean Beach Highway, but there are sidewalks and crosswalks. Along Ocean Beach Highway, residents can head to Fred Meyer for groceries and prescriptions or to Walmart Supercenter for other household essentials. Red Leaf Organic Coffee offers high-quality caffeinated drinks and Rigo’s Finest Latin Grill serves up Mexican food in a modern atmosphere. On the eastern side of Longview, Cowlitz Community Farmers Market has supplied the area with locally grown produce since 1979. It’s open Saturdays and Tuesdays from the spring through the fall. While Longview is known for Squirrel Fest, celebrating its signature squirrel bridges suspended from the treetops downtown, more festivals are coming to Longview. For example, in 2024, the first Galactic Fest will celebrate all things out of this world – aliens included. It and several other festivals take place at the Cowlitz County Event Center, just a few miles from Columbia Valley Gardens.

Glenwood is a quiet, well-landscaped neighborhood in Longview, Washington. It surrounds Longview Country Club, a stately golf course that’s been a staple of the community since 1923; in fact, its clubhouse was made possible by the founding father of Longview himself, Robert A. Long. Today, Glenwood has retained the same peaceful appeal that the area exuded a century ago. Homes in Glenwood are removed from the bustle of downtown, yet a short distance from the shopping and dining at The Triangle Center, and less than 3 miles from the hospital. Homes on Wildwood Drive, Lindsey Drive and Indian Creek Drive overlook the golf course. Many of the contemporary and midcentury ranch-style homes have an element of privacy, whether they sit atop small hills, on wooded lots or are surrounded by tall hedges. Prices range from about $360,000 to $579,000. According to the CAP Index, Glenwood has low crime scores of 1 or 2 across all categories, compared to the national average of 4. Students may attend Columbia Heights Elementary, rated B-minus on Niche, Cascade Middle, rated C-plus and Mark Morris High, rated B. Several Longview Public Schools, including Cascade Middle, have their own gardens; the wider Longview community is invited to harvest the produce over summer breaks. At Longview Country Club’s 18-hole golf course, fairways lined with evergreens overlook the Columbia River below. In addition to golfing, club members can also play bingo, participate in book club and swim in the pool. Members and guests can eat at the semi-formal dining room, sip cocktails at the bar and lounge outside on the terrace. While the big draw of living in Glenwood is “definitely recreational golfing,” says Scott Foister, local Realtor with RE/MAX Premier Group, “a lot of people exercise on the Pacific Way Trail.” Joggers and cyclists can head to the paved, mile-long Pacific Way Trail along the southwest side of the neighborhood. Glenwood is also about a mile from Lake Sacajawea Park, where folks can go fishing, kayaking and canoeing. Besides dining at the country club, there are no restaurants within Glenwood. However, Grant’s at the Monticello Hotel is a popular restaurant just 2 miles away, right in the heart of Longview. Here, guests are served steaks, sandwiches and more in a renovated and upscale historic building. Also 2 miles from Glenwood, The Triangle Center has more shopping and dining options, from grocery shopping at WinCo to browsing women’s clothing at Maurices. While Glenwood is a small neighborhood, the tree-lined streets don’t have sidewalks, so it is generally car-dependent. It contains no major highways, but Ocean Beach Highway lies just outside the neighborhood. This road cuts east to west through Longview and leads to PeaceHealth St. John Medical Center, the nearest hospital, less than 3 miles away. Drivers can access Interstate 5, the main north to south highway of the region, from the neighboring city of Kelso. Portland International Airport is about 49 miles south down I-5. There are several churches right by Glenwood, and they are “still pretty prevalent” around Longview, says Foister. But on the whole, their role in most residents’ lives is “not as much as it used to be.” Still, there are plenty of city-wide events that bring the community together, from sQuatch Fest in January, where those fascinated by Sasquatch (also known as Bigfoot) can find fellow enthusiasts, to Squirrel Fest in August. Longview has a unique appreciation for squirrels, having erected several treetop bridges especially for them downtown. Squirrel Fest is a free, family-friendly festival with live music, a beer garden and tours of Longview’s squirrel bridges.

Across the Oregon border and the Columbia River sits the small city of Longview, Washington. “Longview used to be a big mill town from the mid-80s to the mid-90s. Not so much anymore,” says Nick Shivers, Principal Broker at Keller Williams Realty East Portland with over 25 years of experience. “It’s undergoing a transformation from a lumber town into a cool little town.” Within Longview, the Highlands neighborhood “has a mixed residential-commercial feel to it. It’s older homes close to the lake.” Lake Sacajawea is 1 mile away, where residents can enjoy a picnic by the water. An industrial area with rail lines separates Highlands from the Columbia River. Residents need only drive a mile past this industrial sector to cross into Oregon via the Lewis and Clark Bridge. Further south, Portland International Airport is about 48 miles down Interstate 5. Emergency medical services are available in Longview at Hospital PeaceHealth St. John Medical Center. Fei's Carriage Restaurant and Lounge offers a lunch buffet with Chinese food. For convenient shopping and dining in the middle of the neighborhood, My Thai Kitchen and 20th Avenue Grocery share a building. More retail and restaurant options line Oregon Way, like Holt’s Market, a small grocer, and Oregon Way Tavern, a motorcycle-themed bar. Matt’s Custom Meats, a butcher shop, is a few blocks east of Highlands. Bikers and joggers can hit the Highlands Trail, a paved path along the edge of the neighborhood. It extends behind Archie Anderson Park, which contains a playground, tennis courts and open fields. Right across the street from the park is the neighborhood’s community center and garden. On the other side of Highlands, Cloney Park has a BMX track, a skate park and a playground. Cloney Park leads to Lake Sacajawea Park, where annual city-wide events take place throughout the year. Free family-friendly gatherings include Concerts at the Lake on summer nights and the Go Fourth Festival over 4th of July. Highland’s gridded streets and sidewalks make up one of the oldest neighborhoods in Longview. Midcentury ranch-styles and single-story Craftsman bungalows built in the 1920s typically have modest, grassy yards surrounded by chain-link fences. Prices range from about $175,000 to $400,000. Flipping houses is common. “A big draw for Highlands is the affordability compared to other parts of Longview. That changes on other side of the lake,” says Lisa Apo, Longview local and real estate agent with RE/MAX Premier Group. St. Helens Elementary, rated C on Niche is within walking distance of Highlands homes. Monticello Middle, rated B-minus, and R.A. Long High School, rated B, are located about 1 mile north of Highlands. In recent years, graduation rates of high schoolers have exceeded state averages. Additionally, students in Grades 6 through 12 have the option to enroll in a virtual academy through the school district while still participating in after school sports, clubs and activities.