Nestled near the Columbia River on the Oregon-Washington border, Ridgefield is a small Vancouver suburb of roughly 15,000—for now. Its population grew by 45.5% between April 2020 and July 2023, making it one of the fastest-growing cities in the state. It’s also on track to get the state’s first In-N-Out Burger, a Clark College satellite campus and its own waterfront development. “It’s the next town over that has buildable land, so once everything was built on in Vancouver, developers moved north,” says Kori Burke, a realtor with the Bordak Group. “Wherever you see a Walmart or a Costco, there’s going to be astronomical growth in the next five years,” Burke says, referring to the Costco that opened in Ridgefield in August 2024.
The ilani Casino Resort is one of Clark County’s largest employers, located north of Ridgefield on the Cowlitz Reservation. Other major employers in the county are dedicated to the healthcare industry, with Providence Health & Services and PeaceHealth two of the biggest care providers.
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Historic downtown will connect to future waterfront development
Ridgefield considers its historic downtown a slice of “Main Street America,” far removed from fussy establishments or generic chains. Local eateries and specialty shops line downtown streets, and on a southwest corner of the district, Overlook Park has a stage with interpretive panels that honor the region’s Indigenous peoples and their traditions. To celebrate its centennial in 2009, the city produced a self-guided historic walking tour of downtown, which it plans to connect to a future waterfront development. Though the project is still in its planning phase, the mixed-use development will stretch across 27 acres on the bank of Lake River.
Seven wineries are part of the local dining scene, born out of the prime growing conditions of southwest Washington, though Ridgefield also has several Pacific Northwest-style craft breweries. The Ridgefield Farmers Market has locally grown produce, artisan baked goods and crafted items on Saturdays from June through September.
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New construction tries to accommodate population growth
To accommodate Ridgefield’s booming population growth, new construction is springing up throughout the city. In fact, buyers will be hard-pressed to find a home built before the 21st century. Most homes were built after 2020 in the new traditional style with nostalgic Craftsman details, though the Lake River marina has 60 slips for houseboats and boathouses. The median home sales price in Ridgefield floats around $599,200, considerably higher than the national median of $416,700 and that of its own average of $500,000. Though home prices continue to appreciate—at a roughly 2% yearly rate—Ridgefield homes sell slower than average. Homes stay on the market for about 59 days in Ridgefield, compared to 44 days nationwide.
Enjoy well paved and quiet sidewalks in the city of Ridgefield.
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Number two school district in Clark County
The Ridgefield School District serves almost 4,000 students across seven schools. It receives an overall grade of B-plus from Niche, though the site scores district academics with an A-minus. The number two district in the county, it’s able to invest more in each student than the average United States school system; the Ridgefield School District received about $18,468 in funding per student during the 2023-2024 school year, while K-12 public schools spend about $17,280 per student on average nationwide.
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Birds migrate over Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge
Lake River curves along the western side of the city, where there's a paved waterfront trail and a public boat launch. The Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge stretches across 5,200 acres of marsh and grassland between the Lake River and the Columbia River, encompassing several lakes. It’s also located on the Pacific Flyway, with sightings of Canadian geese, great blue herons, sandhill cranes, swans and turkey vultures common around the refuge’s water and airspace. Every October, the Birdfest and Bluegrass festival celebrates the region’s diverse wildlife. Six multipurpose fields make up the Ridgefield Outdoor Recreation Complex, home to the Ridgefield Raptors, a collegiate summer baseball team in the West Coast League (WCL).
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Old Liberty Theater keeps up with new times
Though it may be a smaller city compared to its neighboring ones, the Ridgefield community is big in the arts. Established in 1946, the Old Liberty Theater hosts cultural events throughout the year, from live music concerts and comedy shows to film screenings. The Ridgefield Art Association hosts art exhibits, sales, lectures and classes, and it also organizes the annual Spring Art Show. The art show is part of the city’s Spring Festival, a culmination of its monthly First Saturday events. Each First Saturday focuses on a different theme. Local art, music, athletic events, local food vendors and pop-up activities are a constant in the city.
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Interstate 5 creates travel and business opportunities
Interstate 5 passes through the east side of the city, making out-of-town travel and business convenient. The interstate travels north toward the ilani Casino Resort and the Seattle metro area, as well as south to Vancouver, which is about 17 miles away—or 25 minutes, depending on driving conditions. Pioneer Street, which is also known as Oregon state Route 501, traverses the entire city, connecting its historic downtown to the interstate. There is also a single C-TRAN public bus route from Hazel Dell that passes through the community on its way to the casino.
Lower crime rate than the state average
The crime rate in Ridgefield is lower than the Vancouver average and that across the state. For every 1,000 residents, 27.9 crimes were reported in Ridgefield in 2023, compared to 116.2 in Vancouver and 62 across the state. Larceny and theft were among the most commonly reported property crimes in the city, which decreased by almost 6% between 2022 and 2023. Simple assault, the most widely reported violent crime, decreased by 4.7% over that span, though the number of aggravated assault reports more than doubled.
Ridgefield enjoys a moderate climate, with summer temperatures that stay below 90 and winter lows that typically do not drop below freezing. However, the city experiences a generous amount of precipitation throughout the year.
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