What is downtown Camas like? (Vancouver, Washougal: appointed, sales, low crime)

[movin2008]

We are thinking of moving to Camas, and I am wondering what the downtown is like. Are there any nice coffee shops, bakeries and stores? Is there any place you could take your kids to sort of walk around, get an ice cream or hot chocolate, etc.? What about the grocery stores? How far is it to get to a larger shopping area with a Target, Costco, Home Depot, Walmart, etc.? We live in an area now that has no charm. We want to live close to a city, but still in a opener area with a small town feel, good schools and a little charm. Would Camas fit the bill? Of course, we need to visit, but I would love to hear what you think of Camas.

Thank you.

[diggitydot]

Originally Posted by movin2008

Is there any place you could take your kids to sort of walk around, get an ice cream or hot chocolate, etc.?

Absolutely. Downtown Camas is very family friendly. Here's a link with some great info and pics. There are also a ton of family friendly community events.

Originally Posted by movin2008

What about the grocery stores? How far is it to get to a larger shopping area with a Target, Costco, Home Depot, Walmart, etc.?

• Camas has a Safeway a couple blocks away from the downtown blocks.
• The nearest Walmart is on 192nd. (Address is 430 SE 192nd Ave, Vancouver. Just plug it into Google maps to get an idea of how close/far away it is.)
• The nearest Target is at the intersection of Mill Plain and 164th Ave, also in Vancouver. (Address is 16200 SE Mill Plain Blvd.)
• There's a Costco in Vancouver, but the one in Portland is surprisingly closer. And you also get to avoid the sales tax.
• Nearest Home Depot is next to the Walmart in 192nd. Address is 6720 NE 84th Street, Vancouver.

Originally Posted by movin2008

We live in an area now that has no charm. We want to live close to a city, but still in a opener area with a small town feel, good schools and a little charm. Would Camas fit the bill? Of course, we need to visit, but I would love to hear what you think of Camas.
Thank you.

There are some parts of Camas with the cookie-cutter subdivisions that I don't think have oodles of charm, but much of the town is very charming. (I'm particularly fond of the areas near Crown Park and St. Thomas Catholic Church.) And the schools are spectacular. Some of the best around. Also, Camas and Washougal both have freakishly low crime rates compared to other communities in Clark County.

Be prepared. The people in Camas/Washougal are pretty friendly so don't be surprised when they strike up conversations in line at the grocery store or at the local diners. Everyone seems to know everyone else (which I absolutely hated as a kid, but really envy now that I'm a parent).

Camas is one of my favorite towns in the world and even though I've lived in several other communities, I still consider it home.

[Topaz]

When I first saw it, I was a little bit disappointed in downtown Camas because it didn't seem very nice to me, but I was comparing it to the city where we were before (Lake Oswego, Oregon), which is very upscale.

I think maybe downtown Camas is evolving and it will be better and better over time. Right now it seems a little bit spotty. I'm not sure I would describe it as "charming," YET.

I agree with diggitydot that this is one of the most friendly places I've ever lived and we absolutely LOVE that part.

[diggitydot]

Originally Posted by Topaz

When I first saw it, I was a little bit disappointed in downtown Camas because it didn't seem very nice to me, but I was comparing it to the city where we were before (Lake Oswego, Oregon), which is very upscale.

I agree that Camas' downtown isn't nearly as upscale as what you'd find somewhere like Lake Oswego. It has much more of a small-town kinda charm. Definitely not something you'd expect to see in larger communities, that's for sure. But it has a cute little downtown with tree-lined streets, old brick buildings, and some very nice locals.

[scottsostuff]

Originally Posted by movin2008

We are thinking of moving to Camas, and I am wondering what the downtown is like. Are there any nice coffee shops, bakeries and stores? Is there any place you could take your kids to sort of walk around, get an ice cream or hot chocolate, etc.? What about the grocery stores? How far is it to get to a larger shopping area with a Target, Costco, Home Depot, Walmart, etc.? We live in an area now that has no charm. We want to live close to a city, but still in a opener area with a small town feel, good schools and a little charm. Would Camas fit the bill? Of course, we need to visit, but I would love to hear what you think of Camas.

Thank you.

My husband's family has lived there four generations. His grandfather Jake Straub owned Straub's Funeral Home in Camas. We have seen many things in Camas change over the years, it went from a sleepy mill town to a vibrant community. But throughout the changes and growth it has never lost its reputation for being friendly.

Downtown Camas has evolved to a charming place. Business owners are friendly and helpful, they believe in customer service and frequently will refer you to one of their competitors if it helps you.

We refer to it as a charming town with a "Norman Rockwell" feel. We love the tree lined streets and small town feel that downtown Camas offers. There are coffee shops and specialty restaurants and a great historical movie theater called Liberty Theatre that shows new releases.

It has nice boutique style retail stores, clothing stores, antique shops and a great local hardware store and much-much more. Within 10 minutes you are at WalMart Super Center, Home Depot, QFC Grocery, (soon a brand new JC Penney's), Target, Best Buy, Kohl's, Safeway, etc.

Besides the beauty of the area. Schools are one of the #1 reasons that people relocate to Camas. Camas schools have been in the top rankings for our Clark County area.

[hml1976]

I agree with Topaz, we were a little disappointed in downtown Camas at first because its so little and surrounded by older neighborhoods that may have seen better days, but the community feel is excellent and there are a few cute little shops and restaurants.

[ukiyo-e]

I have relatives who have lived in Camas for over 10 years, love it there, and I love visiting them. I was thinking of moving to Portland in a couple years if I retire a little early, but the housing prices there just seem too high for what you get. The city has some problems I'm not comfortable with (and which it seems to have its head in the sand about), and the schools are poor, which means fewer families with young kids. Even though my son is about ready to go off to college, I enjoy living in a neighborhood with a mix of ages including my charming little next-door neighbors who are 5 and 7. So now I'm thinking of Camas instead. Still not sure, but I think it's a great smaller town near enough, but separate enough, from a large city to work for me. I suspect the downtown will revitalize some as the population grows - there's probably a great market for some new small businesses there.

[FunTimes]

I have dealt with several people that have retired and have moved from Alaska to retire around Portland. Everyone of them has chosen the Washington side of the river because they can not see losing 8% of their retirement to go to the state of Oregon for their state income tax. It can be quite a price to pay just to live in Portland. You can live in Washington, save your money, and still enjoy the offerings of Portland, from many areas just across the river.

I am not sure where you will be moving from, but I thought I would just point this out, because some people are unaware until it is too late. Plus the housing prices on a whole are cheaper still in Washington.