North Sifton-Orchards

Like many American cities, Vancouver has an "urban growth boundary," which establishes rules for how a geographic area can be developed during a set length of time. They are not all built equally, but in Vancouver, it serves an obvious purpose of preservation. "I like this area because it is beyond the edge of the urban growth boundary, so people looking to get away from the city but still live in town, find a good space here," says Realtor Cassandra Marks of Real Broker, a local farmer who in her spare time publishes home buying research videos about the Orchards area to YouTube. "It's just a really, really beautiful area and a really nice community itself."

North Sifton-Orchards extends up from Fourth Plain Boulevard between 130th and 152nd Avenues until it meets its northern boundary at 99th Street. Inside is a segmented grid of all sorts of home designs that often hide behind tightly trimmed cedar hedges and white picket fences smothered in British ivy. "The Orchards area has everything from a little bit older, single-level homes to brand new construction," says Marks. The neighborhood's midcentury modern Prairie homes, ranch-styles and even some bungalows sell around a median of $475,000, though new builds often sell for a higher range of $500,000 to $650,000. Prices like these are competitive for the Pacific Northwest and are a significant attraction for many home buyers. "Part of the reason why I moved to Vancouver is because when I bought my farm, it was $100,000 cheaper to buy in Washington than it was to buy in Oregon," says Marks.

Neighborhood students may begin their education at either Sifton, Silver Star or York Elementary Schools, all of which earn a C-plus or higher from Niche. Once they reach middle school, students attend either Covington Middle, which earns a C from Niche, or Frontier Middle, which earns a C-plus from Niche. Finally, high schoolers attend Heritage High, which is located right in the neighborhood. Heritage High earns a score of B-minus from Niche and is home to a college and career development center for students, which assists with developing such skills as applying for scholarships and internships as well as resume building.

The neighborhood is home to several well-used parks. Tiger Tree Park provides neighborhood kids with a logging-themed jungle gym topped with faux pine trees. Another can be found on the south end of the neighborhood at Little Prairie Neighborhood Park, which has a grinding ledge for skateboarders and BMX bikers. But when you need more room to spread out, or if you grow tired of playgrounds, many residents visit Hockinson Meadows Community Park. Seventy of the park's 240 acres are devoted to a disc golf course that is expected to be fully complete by the fall of 2024. Sad news for the pups whose owners take them to the Meadows' dog park, as they will have to watch those Frisbees fly across the sky from behind a fence, but good news for Vancouver's vibrant community of disc golfers. "It's very community-driven," says Communications Manager for Clark County Public Works Kayley McLachlan-Burton. "Volunteers in the area's disc golf community were absolutely, 100% instrumental in designing the layout of the course and providing input on the layout and the difficulty level."

There are plenty of amenities for shopping right at your fingertips in North Sifton-Orchards. A Walmart Supercenter is located less than a mile outside of the neighborhood on Fourth Plain Boulevard, as well as veterinarians' offices, auto repair shops and several local restaurants. While you're driving along the Boulevard, pull into Dutch Bros Coffee – a beloved Vancouver institution that sells almost as many bumper stickers as cups of joe. Or split off from Fourth Plain Boulevard at Ward Road and visit Magnolia Tavern to peruse their menu of creative cocktails and Southern dishes.

It isn't easy to narrow down what makes North Sifton-Orchards an intriguing place for home buyers. Simply put, "It's a great place for people who want the amenities and the schools and the mobility of an urban area but also want the charm and the beauty of a natural area," says McLachlan-Burton.

Written By

Tom Jakob

Photography Contributed By

John Othic