Vancouver

Vancouver is a city on the north bank of the Columbia River in the U.S. state of Washington, located in Clark County. Originally established in 1825 around Fort Vancouver, a fur-trading outpost, the city is located on the WashingtonOregon border. It is the county seat of Clark County and forms part of the Portland-Vancouver metropolitan area, the 25th-largest metropolitan area in the United States. Incorporated in 1857, Vancouver has a population of 190,915 as of the 2020 census, making it the fourth-largest city in Washington state. First known European contact was made by William Robert Broughton in 1792, with approximately half of the indigenous population killed by smallpox before the Lewis and Clark Expedition arrived in the area in 1806. The city was briefly the capital of Washington Territory, before capital status was returned to Olympia, Washington by a 21 ruling of the territory's supreme court, in accordance with Isaac Stevens' preference and concern that proximity to the border with Oregon might give some of the state's influence away to Oregon. Vancouver became the end point for two ultra-long flights from Moscow, USSR, over the North Pole. The first of these flights was performed by Valery Chalov in 1937 on a Tupolev ANT-25 airplane, but was redirected at the last minute to Vancouver's Pearson Airfield. The neighborhood of Sifton was the terminus of an early electric trolley that ran from 1910 until 1926.

History

The Vancouver area was inhabited by several Native American tribes, most recently the Chinook and Klickitat nations. First known European contact was made by William Robert Broughton in 1792, with approximately half of the indigenous population killed by smallpox before the Lewis and Clark Expedition arrived in the area in 1806. The first permanent European settlement did not occur until 1824, when Fort Vancouver was established as a fur trading post of the Hudson's Bay Company. The City of Vancouver was incorporated on January 23, 1857. Vancouver was briefly the capital of Washington Territory, before capital status was returned to Olympia, Washington by a 21 ruling of the territory's supreme court. Ulysses S. Grant, then a captain in the U.S. Army, was quartermaster at what was then known as Columbia Barracks. Other notable generals to have served in Vancouver include George B. McClellan, Philip Sheridan, Oliver O. Howard and 1953 Nobel Peace Prize recipient George C. Marshall. Vancouver became the end point for two ultra-long flights from Moscow, USSR, over the North Pole. In June 1975, a monument was dedicated commemorating the event near State Highway 14, then moved to the north side of Pearson Field in 1987. The neighborhood of Sifton was the terminus of an early electric trolley operated by the Northcoast Power Company that also served nearby Orchards from 1910 until 1926. The trolleys made ten stops once per hour, charging 15 cents each way.

Geography

Vancouver is located just north of the Columbia River and the Oregon border. It is in the Western Lowlands region of Washington. Mount Hood, Mount St. Helens, Mount Rainier, Mount Jefferson and Mount Adams are all visible from Vancouver. Average annual precipitation is 42 in (1,100 mm) Heavy snowfalls are infrequent and snow often falls and doesn't stick, with major snowstorms only occurring every 24 years. In 2017 there were 297,932 weekday vehicle crossings on the Interstate Bridge and the Glenn Jackson Bridge. An EF1 tornado struck on January 10, 2008, just after noon, causing moderate damage along a two-mile (3.2 km) path from Vancouver Lake to the unincorporated Hazel Dell area. The city has a total area of 49.86 sq mi (129.14 km²), of which 46.46sq mi (120.33 km²) is land and 3.4 sq mi (8.81 km²) is water. It shares a climate with Portland, Oregon, with which it shares a similar climate. Rainfall occurs frequently throughout the fall, winter, and spring, but ceases around the middle of June, with dry and warm weather lasting through September. High pressures east of the Cascade Range create something of a venturi effect, leading to cold east winds down theColumbia River Gorge. Unsheltered by the Willamette Valley, Vancouver has historically seen colder temperatures, including "silver thaw" storms where freezing rain cakes limbs and power lines.

Demographics

As of the census of 2010, there were 161,791 people, 65,691 households, and 40,246 families residing in the city. The racial makeup of the city was 76.2% White, 2.9% African American, 1.0% Native American, 5.0%. The median income for a household was $41,618, and the median family income was $20,192. A large increase in persons with Russian or Ukrainian as their primary language has occurred. The city is located in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers's National Defense Training Area. It is the second largest city in the Army Corps, after Fort Worth, Texas, which is home to the Army National Guard and the Army Air and Space Command. The U.N. has a training center in Fort Worth that is open to the public. It was the site of the World War II training camp for American soldiers, which was closed in the 1950s and 1960s. The training center is now used by the Army Reserve and the National Guard. It also hosts the Army’s Joint Base Lewis-McChord, a joint training center for the Army and the Air Force. The base is also home to Fort Lewis, a military base for the Air and Air Force, which has been closed since the 1980s and is now home to a training facility for the military Reserve. It has also been used as a training base by the Air National Guard since the 1970s and 1980s.

Economy

Vancouver's economy is characterized by border economics with neighboring Portland, Oregon. The state of Washington levies no individual or corporate income taxes and levies a property tax below the national average and a sales tax above the national median. As a result, many Vancouver residents prefer to shop in neighboring Portland where they do not pay sales taxes, then live and work in Vancouver. Vancouver residents "shop at their own risk" when attempting to avoid the sales tax in Washington, although the rule is rarely, if ever, enforced except for purchases requiring registration, such as motor vehicles. Vancouver's economy largely changed to high tech and service industry jobs, with many residents commuting to Portland. The most lauded outside investment was the construction of a Hilton hotel directly across from the park. Vancouver Energy ended its bid to build the hub in February 2018 following Governor Jay Inslee's rejection of the project. In 2013, Washington transitioned away from being a control state to being a tax-free state. The city is popular with retirees. Conversely, the city is less favored by students and young adults. In 2003, 70% of workers in Vancouver worked in Clark County. The Vancouver Energy project was a proposed crude oil transport hub in the Port of Vancouver USA. It was estimated to produce the equivalent of $1.6 billion in employment income during the terminal's construction and for its first 15 years of operation. Numerous projects began to rise up around the city core of Vancouver in the early 2000s. In 2012, the largest employers in the city are: Largest employers.

Arts and culture

Since the mid-1960s, Vancouver hosted a Fourth of July fireworks display on the grounds of Fort Vancouver National Historic Site that draws many people to the city. The city was named one of the National Register of Historic Places' "Dozen Distinctive Destinations" for 2003. Homes vary from Victorians and craftsman bungalows downtown, to small wartime tract housing and ranch- styles mid-town, with rural styles and larger homes in the outer ring. Many of Vancouver's art galleries are located in downtown Vancouver, and in 2014, the City Council formally designated an "Arts District" in the downtown core. In 2010 there was a movement among local artists to form cooperatives and meet with established local gallery owners for a monthly forum known as "Art Conversations" The Recycled Arts Festival held in Esther Short Park has featured the work of dozens of artists whose creations are made from at least 75% reused or recycled materials, along with live music and food. 4 Days of Aloha, also known as the Hawaiian Festival, takes place in late July in Esther short Park, Clark College, and Fort Vancouver. In 2012, the Vancouver Wine and Jazz Festival brought 13,500 attendees in 2012 and which is considered the largest jazz festival in the Pacific Northwest. Other notable buildings in Vancouver include: The 1916 U.S. Post Office at 1211 Daniels Street. The 1935 art deco telephone exchange building at Eleventh and Main. The 1941 Clark County Courthouse, designed by prolific local architect Day Hillborn.

Education

Vancouver has two school districts: Vancouver Public Schools and Evergreen School District. Vancouver has seven high schools, six middle schools, and 21 elementary schools. Vancouver is also home to the Washington School for the Deaf and Washington School For the Blind, and Home Choice Academy, for home-schoolers. The city is home to Clark College, Washington State University, Vancouver School of Arts and Academics, Vancouver iTech Preparatory (grades 612), and the Washington State College of Art and Design (two-year program). The city also has a number of non-profit organizations, such as the Washington Foundation for the Arts and Humanities (WFCA) and the Vancouver Foundation for Humanities and Social Sciences (VFCHSS), which provides grants and scholarships for high school and college students. It has a population of 2.2 million. The population of Vancouver is 2.3 million. It is the largest city in Washington state. The Vancouver area has a median household income of $50,000. The average household income in Vancouver is $60,000, and the city has a per-capita income of about $30,500. The area has one of the highest rates of obesity in the U.S. and a high rate of obesity among high school students in the United States. It also has the highest rate of asthma and childhood obesity. The school district has seven elementary schools and 21 middle schools. The district's high schools are Evergreen High School and Mountain View High School, and its middle schools are Cascade, Covington, Frontier, Pacific and Shahala.

Infrastructure

Vancouver has two interstate freeways, I-5 and I-205, both of which run northsouth, across the Columbia River into Portland and toward Seattle. It also has two heavily travelled state highways within the city limits. The area's mass transit system is C-Tran, the Clark County Public Transportation Benefit Area Authority, which operates 135 buses, vanpools, and paratransit vehicles. There have been multiple discussions about extending Portland's Max Light Rail system into Vancouver. In 2012, Vancouver voters rejected a sales tax proposal to fund light rail operations. The nearest commercial airport is Portland International Airport (PDX). Amtrak, the national passenger rail system, provides service to Vancouver Station. The long-distance Coast Starlight and Empire Builder serve the city, as well as the regional Amtrak Cascades.Pearson Field, located near downtown Vancouver, is the main airport serving the city. The airport is intended primarily for general aviation without any commercial air service. In 2008, Vancouver passed a citywide law requiring anyone on a wheeled device such as a bicycle, skateboard, scooter or skates to wear a helmet while on any sidewalk, street, trail or other public property. Despite opposition from the public, the Vancouver City Council passed the measure 51 with then Mayor Royce Pollard saying, "...statistics be damned. I support this." Dozens of local cyclists opposed the law as a misuse of city funds and police efforts, aswell as encroachment on personal freedoms.

Air Quality, Water Quality, Superfund Sites & UV Index

The Air Quality index is in Vancouver, Clark County, Washington = 70. These Air Quality index is based on annual reports from the EPA. Higher values are better (100=best). The number of ozone alert days is used as an indicator of air quality, as are the amounts of seven pollutants including particulates, carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, lead, and volatile organic chemicals. The Water Quality Index is 47. A measure of the quality of an area’s water supply as rated by the EPA. Higher values are better (100=best). The EPA has a complex method of measuring the watershed quality, using 15 indicators such as pollutants, turbidity, sediments, and toxic discharges. The Superfund Sites Index is 10. Higher is better (100=best). Based upon the number and impact of EPA Superfund pollution sites in the county, including spending on the cleanup efforts. The UV Index in Vancouver = 2.9 and is a measure of an area's exposure to the sun's ultraviolet rays. This is most often a combination of sunny weather, altitude, and latitude. The UV Index has been defined by the WHO (www.who.int/news-room/questions-and-answers/item/radiation-the-ultraviolet-(uv)-index) and is uniform worldwide.

Employed

The most recent city population of 190,915 individuals with a median age of 35.2 age the population grows by 12.86% in Vancouver, Clark County, Washington population since 2000 and are distributed over a density of 3,784.32 residents per square mile of area (1,461.14/km²). There are average 2.5 people per household in the 63,903 households with an average household income of $49,038 a year. The unemployment rate in Alabama is 7.80% of the available work force and has dropped -5.48% over the most recent 12-month period and the projected change in job supply over the next decade based on migration patterns, economic growth, and other factors will increase by 21.24%. The number of physicians in Vancouver per 100,000 population = 146.8.

Weather

The annual rainfall in Vancouver = 36.8 inches and the annual snowfall = 6.6 inches. The annual number of days with measurable precipitation (over .01 inch) = 152. The average number of days per year that are predominantly sunny = 143. 80 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily high temperature for the month of July and 33.8 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily low temperature for the month of January. The Comfort Index (higher=better) is 64, where higher values mean a more pleasant climate. The Comfort Index measure recognizes that humidity by itself isn't the problem. (Have you noticed nobody ever complains about the weather being 'cold and humid?) It's in the summertime that we notice the humidity the most, when it's hot and muggy. Our Comfort Index uses a combination of afternoon summer temperature and humidity to closely predict the effect that the humidity will have on people.

Median Home Cost

The percentage of housing units in Vancouver, Clark County, Washington which are owned by the occupant = 50.16%. A housing unit is a house, apartment, mobile home, or room occupied as separate living quarters. The average age of homes = 25 years with median home cost = $186,620 and home appreciation of -11.93%. This is the value of the years most recent home sales data. Its important to note that this is not the average (or arithmetic mean). The median home price is the middle value when you arrange all the sales prices of homes from lowest to highest. This is a better indicator than the average, because the median is not changed as much by a few unusually high or low values. The property tax rate of $12.03 shown here is the rate per $1,000 of home value. If for simplification for example the tax rate is $14.00 and the home value is $250,000, the property tax would be $14.00 x ($250,000/1000), or $3500. This is the 'effective' tax rate.

Study

The local school district spends $4,548 per student. There are 20 students for each teacher in the school, 317 students for each Librarian and 479 students for each Counselor. 7.71% of the area’s population over the age of 25 with an Associate Degree or other 2-year college degree, 14.51% with a master’s degree, Ph.D. or other advanced college degree and 7.32% with high school diplomas or high school equivalency degrees (GEDs).