Columbia River provides natural recreation and development potential
Washougal is a small city of roughly 17,000 residents on the northern bank of the powerful Columbia River. Following the footsteps of its western neighbor, Vancouver, the city and its neighboring community of Camas are planning the development of mixed-use waterfront developments, complete with apartments as well as retail, restaurant and office space. “It will be great for the community in the sense that it will tie Camas and Washougal together, and it will be a great meeting place,” says Derek Jaeger, the director of business development for the Port of Camas-Washougal. The port owns the land of the future waterfront development, which broke ground in November 2024. “Being on the water is prime real estate. We have views of Mount Hood, which has snow on it year-round, and a 6-mile trail along the waterfront.”
Construction, manufacturing, lumber and insurance make up the bulk of employment in the city. National companies with offices in Washougal include PEMCO Insurance, Richmond American Homes, Pendleton Woolen Mills, Vancouver Clinic, Columbia Credit Union and Ecological Land Services.
Homes in Downtown Washougal vary in size and style.
Construction, manufacturing, lumber and insurance make up most of employment in Washougal.
Ballard Marine Construction is a major employer in Washougal.
A freshly developed waterfront is in the works in Washougal.
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American Four Squares to Prairie Revivals
Homes in Washougal come in a broad spectrum of architectural styles from different periods. The city’s housing market includes everything from American Four Squares from the first decades of the 1900s to Prairie-style revivals from the 2020s, stark white modern builds or new constructions with asymmetrical lines. The overwhelming majority of homes are new traditional builds with distinct Craftsman flair built throughout the 2000s, with split-levels and ranch-style homes from the 1960s and 1970s interspersed throughout. Home values in Washougal are considerably higher than the national median. Washougal properties garnered a median price of $698,900 in October 2024, while the national median rested around $416,700.
Washougal properties garnered a median price of $698,900 in October 2024.
Home values in Washougal are considerably higher than the national median.
A classic truck sits in front of a home on C St in Downtown Washougal.
A simple ranch home sits on 12th St in Downtown Washougal.
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Watersports on the Columbia and Washougal rivers
The Washougal Parks Department covers 19 green spaces, though the blue waters of the Columbia and Washougal rivers might be the city's main outdoor attractions. A mile-long, 12-foot-wide paved trail weaves along the bank of the Columbia River, where hikers can look out to the water to find kayakers, anglers, paddleboarders and water skiers. Farther east along the Columbia, Captain William Clark Regional Park—also referred to as Cottonwood Beach—is one of the locations where Lewis and Clark camped during their historic journey. In commemoration, replicas of both Indigenous Chinookan canoes and the exploratory team’s dugout canoes were installed in the park, which is also a prime launching spot among stand-up paddleboarders.
Waahougal features a 12 foot wide paved path along the Columbia River.
Washougal residents can enjoy quiet moments of reflection by the Columbia river.
The Washougal River flows from the Cascade mountains in the city of Washougal.
The Washougal Waterfront park offers trails and a Playground on S 2nd St in Washougal.
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New mixed-use waterfront development
Though Washougal’s downtown district is inland, the city’s waterfront is slowly becoming its main commercial draw. The waterfront—known as the Port of Camas-Washougal—will be the future site of the Hyas Point apartments, a mixed-use development that broke ground in the fall of 2024 and will also have retail and restaurant space. A senior center with independent residential units, memory care and assisted living is among the next projects in the pipeline, as well as an athletic center with weight rooms, tennis and pickleball courts, a basketball court and a six-lane swimming pool. The Pendleton outlet store is to the south of downtown, and it continues the Portland-based company’s legacy of producing high-end woolen items.
Washougal's waterfront is slowly becoming its main commercial draw.
A mixed-use development that broke ground in the fall of 2024 in Washougal.
The Washougal waterfront will be the future site of the Hyas Point apartments.
The Pendleton outlet store is to the south of downtown Washougal.
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Reflection Plaza and the Pro Motocross Championship
The Two Rivers Heritage Museum downtown preserves the region’s history with artifacts like an antique weaving loom and early 20th-century tools. Outside of the museum, the Gathering Place at Washuxwal is a wooden structure that pays homage to the Indigenous people of the region who lived in similar plank houses. A few blocks away, the Reflection Plaza hosts a roster of events, including several Halloween and Christmas celebrations and the Washougal Art and Music Festival.
Hailed as the country’s most scenic raceway, Washougal Motorcross (MX) Park hosts the Pro Motocross Championship on one of only three natural terrain raceways in the United States.
The Two Rivers Heritage Museum downtown Wasougal preserves the region’s history.
Reflection Plaza in Washougal hosts a roster of events.
Washougal Motorcross (MX) Park hosts the Pro Motocross Championship.
Cottonwood Beach is ideal for summertime activities in Washougal.
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Washington state Route 14 connects to interstates
Washington's State Route 14, also known as the Lewis and Clark Highway, runs along the Washougal and Camas waterfronts until it intersects Interstate 205 and merges into Interstate 5, west of the city. Both interstates traverse Vancouver, around 17 miles away, and continue south into Portland.
Clark County’s public transportation system, C-TRAN, maintains a bus line that takes passengers from Washougal to the Mill Plain Transit Center in Vancouver. There, they can catch other transit options to downtown Vancouver or downtown Portland.
Budget shortfalls plague an improving school district
The Washougal School District serves seven schools, a preschool and an online learning program, which have a combined enrollment of just under 2,900 students. The school district earns an overall B-minus grade from Niche and its students outperform state averages in more than 80% of subjects and grades assessed. The district’s high school graduation rate also surpasses that of Washington, celebrating its highest graduation rate since 2016 in 2023, when 89% of its senior class earned diplomas. Despite rising academic success rates, the district is facing a budget shortfall of about $3 million for the 2024-2025 school year. The deficit is largely caused by underfunding from the state, which is influenced by a declining enrollment rate, as well as inflation and a levy rollback.
Washougal High School serves grades 9-12 on 39th st in Washougal.
Jemtegaard Middle School serves grades 6-8 on SE Evergreen Hwy in Washougal.
Gause Elementary School on 34th St serves grades 1-5 in Washougal.
Hathaway Elementary School serves grades 1-5 on 24th St in Washougal.
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Occasional snow or ice during Washougal winters
Washougal saw a property crime rate of 32.2 reports for every 1,000 residents in 2022, which dropped to 24.7 in 2023. Violent crime stayed about the same: 15.3 reports per every 1,000 residents in 2023, compared to 15.8 the previous year. Nearly 25% of the city’s total crime consisted of assault, followed by larceny or theft.
Washougal has a moderate climate, with lows that may drop below freezing between December and March, and summer highs that hover around 80. The city receives around 50 inches of rain per year and about five days of snow or icy conditions.
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