We
provide this informational page for those who are new to SW
Washington. We extend a hearty welcome to you and hope you can
visit us at Longview Community Church when you are in the area.
Rare
is the city that is planned before being built. However, that
is Longview's background, thanks to the vision of its founder,
Robert A. Long. He was the president of the largest manufacturer
and retailer of lumber in the United States in the early 1900s.
With
timber holdings in the southern states facing an uncertain future,
R. A. Long, then 68 years old, put the proposal to move to the
west before his key executives. Their decision unleashed a series
of events that led the company to buy huge property holdings
in this area that included land enough for a new city that would
become Longview. Long enlisted a colleague, J.C. Nichols, a
Kansas City developer, to plan the new city. His foresight is
evident today in the streets radiating from the city center
and in the distinct neighborhood districts.
In
the beginning, the company built streets, utility lines, stores,
a hotel, schools, parks, dikes, and houses. Early photos are
almost an oddity in that they show beautifully paved streets
and a long four-laned boulevard almost devoid of buildings and
traffic. Construction was swift. The new city was dedicated
in 1923 and advertised in national magazines as a "city
built in three years - remarkable as to location, climate and
opportunities." Other industries joined the huge Long-Bell
Lumber Company. Weyerhaeuser, Longview Fibre Company, the Reynolds
Metals Company. Two of these continue to produce a huge supply
of a variety of wood and paper products today. Long's own company,
Long-Bell, sawed its last log in 1960. The planned city continues
to thrive, however, as Robert A. Long's legacy...despite a national
economic downtown and the loss of several hundred jobs here
with the closure of the aluminum plant.
Today,
Longview has 34,669 residents in a county (Cowlitz) of 92,948.
Kelso, Longview's neighboring city, has 11,895 residents. With
the Columbia River to the south and hills to the north, Longview's
primary growth is to the west.
 In
the heart of Longview is Lake Sacajawea, a narrow lake and park
that attracts walkers, joggers and area families the year around.
Longview Community Church is located across Kessler Blvd. from
the lake, almost in the heart of this wonderful park. Another
outstanding characteristic of the city is it's 14,000 trees
that line streets throughout the town.
Cowlitz
County has broken away from its early dependence on timber
products. It has a regional shopping mall in Kelso, an exceptional
medical center
(Peacehealth, St. John) in Longview and a variety of other
private employers.
The
area's schools
are excellent. Longview has two high schools, one named after
the city's founder, R. A. Long, and the other after one of Long's
executives, Mark Morris. Kelso High School serves the
Kelso School District. Longview has eight elementary schools
and three middle schools, one of which (Mt. Solo Middle School)
is brand new. All the schools in the region have a superb record
of public support.
A
two-year community college,
Lower Columbia College, offers ties to Linfield College
(nursing) and Washington State University (teaching) and contributes
hugely to vocational training in the area as well as providing
a good start for students moving on to other institutions.
Tourist
brochures often bill this area as the "gateway to Mt.
St. Helens." In fact, one of the most historic events in
the region was the eruption of
Mt. St. Helens on May 18, 1980. Today, the mountain is a
National Volcanic Monument and a world-class tourist attraction.
We've
provided links throughout this article that will give you an
opportunity to explore the region, its schools, and even its
scenery. |
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| Location
The city of Longview
is just west of Interstate Highway 5, about 130 miles south
of Seattle and 50 miles north of Portland, Oregon. It's southern
boundary is the Columbia River. The city of Kelso
and the Cowlitz River is immediately east.
The
Pacific Ocean is barely ninety minutes to the west and the Cascade
Mountains about the same distance to the east.
The
area offers a comfortable, relatively small-town lifestyle removed
from urban congestion. It's still an easy drive to such amenities
as major league sports (Mariners, Trailblazers, Sonics) and
first class "big-city" entertainment. In addition,
many opportunities exist in the local area for artists and musicians.
The area boasts a fine symphony orchestra, a professional level
chamber orchestra, outstanding choral ensembles, and the highest
calibre entertainment features in the Columbia
Theatre for the Performing Arts in downtown Longview.
Climate
The area enjoys a temperate climate.
Weather records show that average highs range from 77 degrees
in July/August to 39 in December and January. Average lows are
from 34 in December and January to 57 in July and August. Annual
rainfall averages 45 inches with 55% of that falling during
November through February.
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