Longview

Longview is a city in Cowlitz County, Washington.

Longview's population was 36,648 at the time of the 2010 census and it is the largest city in Cowlitz County. The city is located in southwestern Washington, at the junction of the Cowlitz and Columbia rivers.

The Cowlitz Indian Tribe, a federally recognized tribe of Cowlitz people, is headquartered in Longview.

History[]

Longview was the location of Mount Coffin, an ancestral burial ground for the local indigenous people. Star Sand & Gravel, a company located in Portland, OR, purchased a plot of land that included Coffin Rock (aka Mount Coffin). A fire was set in October 1805, alternately claimed to be accidental or set on purpose, which cleared away all vegetation and, more importantly, all of the estimated 300 open-air gravesites on the 240 ft. basalt tower. Within days of the fire, workers began blasting and quarrying the remaining rock without tribal permission, which was then crushed into gravel and used for road construction. Weyerhaeuser, a local timber processing business at the time, then purchased the site in 1925, and have allowed the Cowlitz tribe to have several ceremonies for the lost dead as recently as 2005.

The Longview area was first settled by European-Americans, led by pioneers Harry and Rebecca Jane Huntington, in 1849. The area was named Monticello in honor of Thomas Jefferson's home in Virginia. In 1852 a group assembled in what would be called the "Monticello Convention" to petition Congress for statehood to be called "Columbia". Congress agreed to statehood but as Washington, after President Washington, to avoid confusion with the District of Columbia. A monument to the convention is located near the Longview Civic Center.

The area remained sparsely populated for nearly 60 years, consisting mostly of farmland and wilderness. In 1918, Missouri timber baron Robert A. Long (1850–1934) decided to move his operation out to the west coast, owing to the Long-Bell Lumber Company's dwindling supplies in the south. By 1921, Wesley Vandercook had decided to build a mill near the small town of Kelso, Washington. It was apparent that Kelso, with a population of barely 2,000 would not be able to support the approximately 14,000 men that would be required to run the mill.

The Long-Bell company contracted with George Kessler, a city planner based in St. Louis, to build the city that would support the two mills that were now planned. Longview was officially incorporated on February 14, 1924. At the time of its conception, Longview was the only planned city of its magnitude to have ever been conceived of and built entirely with private funds. Long planned and built a complete city in 1921 that could support a population of up to 50,000 and provide labor for the mills as well as attracting other industries. Several buildings in the city were built from Long's private funds, including R. A. Long High School, the Longview Public Library, the YMCA building and the Monticello Hotel.

Geography[]

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 14.79 square miles (38.31 km²), of which 14.49 square miles (37.53 km²) is land and 0.30 square miles (0.78 km²) is water.

The Lewis and Clark Bridge spans the Columbia River, linking Longview to Rainier, Oregon. It is the only bridge spanning the river between Portland and Astoria, Oregon.

North of Longview is Longview Heights and Rocky Point. West is West Kelso and Kelso. Southeast is Vision Acres, Carrolls, and Kalama. South is Rainier, Oregon. West is West Longview, Eufaula, and Coal Creek.

Climate[]

Longview is located in a small gorge, so its climate varies from that of its close neighbor, Portland. Longview is generally about 7 °F (4 °C) cooler than Portland. Located about 80 miles (130 km) inland across a stretch of relatively flat ground, the Longview skies can be overcast due to moisture from the Pacific Coast marine layer. The Columbia River gorge permits an exchange of air between eastern and western Washington. The direction and speed of air movement through the gorge is determined primarily by the pressure gradient between the eastern and western slopes of the mountains. Due to the gorge-like effect, marine pushes on summer evenings can frequently reach gusts up to 30 to 40 miles per hour (48 to 64 km/h) There have been gusts of up to 90 to 100 miles per hour (140 to 160 km/h), and over 100 miles per hour (160 km/h) at higher elevations.

Fall is usually cooler but foggy; on some days the fog never clears. By early-to-mid November, rainfall begins in typical Northwest fashion. Winter tends to be chilly and rainy, with occasional violent windstorms or spates of unusually warm—65 to 70 °F (18 to 21 °C)—temperatures. This is due to extremely warm air coming from the Pineapple Express which can drop 3 to 6 inches (76 to 152 mm) of rain in a matter of days. Each year there are one or two snowfalls, typically less than 6 inches (15 cm) but up to 1 metre (3 ft) in the surrounding foothills. Spring is warmer, but still a little wet; this is the most common time for the occasional thunderstorms.

Demographics[]

As of 2010, the median age in the city was 39.6 years. 23.2% of residents were under the age of 18; 9.2% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 23.6% were from 25 to 44; 26.2% were from 45 to 64; and 17.5% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 48.1% male and 51.9% female.

There were 36,648 people, 15,281 households, and 9,086 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,529.2 inhabitants per square mile (976.5/km²). There were 16,380 housing units at an average density of 1,130.4 per square mile (436.4/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 86.0% White, 0.9% African American, 1.7% Native American, 2.2% Asian, 0.3% Pacific Islander, 4.7% from other races, and 4.2% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 9.7% of the population.

The median income for a household in the city was $35,171, and the median income for a family was $43,869. Males had a median income of $38,972 versus $26,625 for females. The per capita income for the city was $18,559. About 12.3% of families and 16.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 25.0% of those under age 18 and 6.8% of those age 65 or over.

Neighborhoods[]

Longview has 21 official "neighborhood areas" throughout the city.

Downtown
Broadway
Third Avenue
Industrial & California Way
Old West Side
New West Side
Columbia Heights East
Cascade/City View
Northlake/Corman
Olympic East
Mint Farm
Memorial Park
Mint Valley
Columbia Valley Gardens
Glenwood
Hillside Acres
West Longview
Barlow Point

Economy[]

The Port of Longview[]

The Port of Longview, established in 1921, has eight marine terminals handling a wide range of cargo from windmills, pencil pitch, calcined coke, pulp bales, lumber, grain, logs and steel. The Port is 66 miles (106 km) from the Pacific Ocean.

Industry[]

Manufacturing in Longview accounts for 19% of the employment and easy access to the Columbia River, Interstate 5, and the west coast railways has attracted a rapidly diversifying manufacturing base. The abundance of timber around Longview provides the city's former two largest employers, Weyerhaeuser and Kapstonewith timber products. Other major manufacturers in Longview include NORPAC (newsprint), Solvay Chemicals (hydrogen peroxide), and PPG Industries (Acquired Equa-Chlor in 2011).^[15] Smaller operations include Epson Toyocom, Northwest Hardwoods, Caffall Brothers, Peterson Manufacturing, JM Huber, Specialty Minerals, HASA and the Simpson Timber Company.

Parks and Recreation[]

Longview has a variety of parks and recreation facilities. Longview Parks and Recreation maintains the local parks, including the popular Lake Sacajawea. Dozens of other parks exist within city limits with walking trails, sport fields, dog-friendly areas, children's play areas, and other features. Both Longview and its neighbor city, Kelso, are home to skateparks. Two athletic clubs exist, including the YMCA and Mint Valley Racquet and Fitness. Golf is also a popular sport in the local area, with the Longview Country Club, Mint Valley, among others. The Longview parks and Recreation also works with youths of all ages with programs such as the elementary and middle schools after-school programs, The Boulevard for youths of grades 6–12, Youth and Family link, etc.

Media[]

Radio[]

KBAM AM 1270 (Classic Country)
KEDO AM 1400 (Talk radio)
KLOG AM 1490 (Classic Hits)
KJVH FM 89.5 (Christian radio)
KLWO FM 90.3 (Contemporary Christian)
KLYK FM 94.5 (Hot Adult Contemporary)
KPPK FM 98.3 "The Peak" (Adult hits)
KRQT FM 107.1 "Rocket 107" (Classic rock)
KUKN FM 105.5 (Country)
K268BN FM 101.5 "The Wave" (Classic rock) (Simulcast as KUKN-HD2 FM 105.5)

Television[]

KLTV – Local public-access television cable TV channel, which has its headquarters in downtown Longview, at the corner of 12th Avenue and Washington Way.

Newspaper[]

The Daily News – Longview's primary newspaper, won a 1981 Pulitzer Prize for its coverage of the Mount St. Helens eruption.
Columbia River Reader – A monthly community newspaper.
Valley Bugler – A monthly "good news" and community events paper that grew out of the now defunct Castle Rock Advocate in 1998.

Trivia[]

In 2012, Forbes listed Longview as one of The United States' prettiest cities.
The Green Day song "Longview" from their album Dookie is named after the town.
In 1981 Longview's, The Daily News, won a Pulitzer Prize for its coverage of the Mount St. Helens eruption.