Thinking about moving to Vancouver, WA? These are 12 things you’ll need to know before deciding to potentially move here. Read about it or watch the video we made below
We’re Not in Canada!
Vancouver is also a city in B.C., Canada, but that’s not us! Vancouver, WA is located in the good old USA! Vancouver, Canada has a population of 2,600,000 + people, while Vancouver, WA has a population of 180,000.
We are Coffee Snobs
A classic sign of the Pacific North West – we love our coffee! We have plenty of Starbucks and Dutch Bros, but the local one-off coffee shops are the best. We have some really amazing local coffee shops and roasteries here.
We also have coffee stands, which is not the norm across the country. These are little drive-through stands, usually in parking lots, and the baristas only serve coffee to-go in your car.
Check out my ‘Favorite Local Coffee Shops‘ Guide for Clark County
No One Uses Umbrellas
So, I know that sounds weird, because it rains a lot of the winter here, but it’s true. Most people in the PNW just put their rain-coat hood up and run, or even sometimes, no hood at all! Using an umbrella on a day-to-day basis will make you stick out.
Not to worry though, as using an umbrella is not fully forbidden. People still use them often for things like soccer games, football games, or other outdoor events where you’re standing in the rain for a long time.
Not Every House Has AC
This may come as a surprise if you’re relocating from a warm area. Well, it’s true, not all homes here have air conditioning (or a heat pump, which also produces cold air).
Reason being that for many decades, summers were between 75-85 degrees for the most part, which didn’t really warrant AC.
As time has gone by and summers have gotten hotter, AC has become more of a staple, especially in newer homes. But it’s still a good idea to check for this in every house and make sue you know if it’s a must-have on your home shopping list.
Vancouver is Nicknamed “The Couve”
This is a nickname that the city’s picked up over the last couple decades. Typically you’ll hear it used more by the younger crowd, but if you hear people say “The Couve” they mean Vancouver.
Our Scenery is Beautiful
Washington State and Clark County has some of the most beautiful scenery in the nation. We have trees as far as the eye can see, mountains, rivers, lakes, rolling hills, and more. It’s truly a blessing to experience it daily.
The hiking and outdoor opportunities are one of the biggest reasons that people chose to move to Clark County.
Our Waterfronts are Being Renovated
The waterfront & port renovations around Clark County have been one of the biggest community projects over the last decade.
The Downtown Vancouver Waterfront is gorgeous and scenic, with many restaurants, bars, wine tasting rooms, local shops, offices, condos, apartments, and more. There’s also a splash-pad for kiddos in the summer, a 5-mile long walking path, and Grant Pier, which is a great spot to look at the Columbia and take photos.
The Port of Camas and Washougal is re-developing over the coming years, which will be known as “The Waterfront at Parker’s Landing.” It’s include restaurants, office space, residential homes, performing arts space, green/walking space, retail, and more. The project may take more than 10 years to complete and construction for phase one is slated to be from Fall 2022 – Spring 2024. You can read more about the vision for the Port here.
We Have No State Income Tax
Washington is one of nine states in the US with no income tax, and in our opinion, the best of those nine! People relocating to Washington can save upward of 10%+ of their income by not having to pay a state income tax. If you work from home full time, since Washington is your physical place of work, you also would not have to pay state income tax.
To offset state income tax, Washington does have a sales tax on most goods that hovers around 9% in Clark County.
If you’d like to know more about taxes in Washington vs Oregon (Portland area), see the video we made about that topic here.
People Are Nice
We hear this one a lot – “people here are just so nice!” Growing up in this area, it’s not something you take specific note of, but it is for sure noticeable if you’ve relocated from elsewhere.
So go ahead, introduce yourself to your neighbors, say hi to the person you’re walking by on the street, and chat it up the person behind you in the coffee line.
You’re Close to PDX International Airport
This is truly such a great benefit of living in Clark County. PDX international airport is just 10 minutes over the river, with hundreds of flights daily and tons of job opportunities.
For the frequent traveler, this is a must!
It Rains Most of The Winter
Let’s be clear about what winters in the PNW are actually like. It does rain here more often than not, but not every day is a complete downpour like the movies make it seem. Some days there is just a light mist in the air, others sprinkle all day, some downpour for hours, and then others have a mix of all of the above.
We Experience All Four Seasons
Experiencing all four seasons annually is such a blessing.
Our summers are balmy, usually hovering around 75-85 degrees most days. We do get a few hot weeks of 90-100 degree heat each summer.
Autumn is straight out of a movie – colorful leaves falling everywhere, crisp cooler air with sun shining bright, pumpkin spice lattes, and the smell of fall in the air. 2
Winter in the PNW is mild, all things considered. We get a bad rap for being ‘gloomy and rainy all the time,’ and certainly, many of our days are overcast and drizzly. However, most of our winter days are between 35-45 degrees, and we have more rain showers/light drizzles on-and-off than we do complete downpours that are shown in movies. We also usually get snow about 1-2x per year, and it’s usually an inch at most. Nonetheless, we are not prepared for snow here, so usually everything gets shut down when it does snow (school, work, and events).
Some people experience SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder) in the winter due to the grey skies, especially if they are coming from a warmer place. Taking vitamin D supplements and going on a sunny vacation annually can help to cure this.
Spring in Southwest Washington is gorgeous as ever, with cherry blossoms, clear blue skies, little planes flying overhead, and leaves and flowers blooming everywhere.
Truly, all four seasons in Washington are a delight.
Summary
If these 12 important things sounds good to you, Vancouver/Clark County, Washington may be great place for you to live. You can learn more about relocating to the area or within the county here on the Living in Vancouver & Camas Washington Youtube Channel.
Please don’t hesitate to reach out using the messaging form at the bottom of this page!