Longview Washington ????? (Seattle, Spokane, Camas: crime rates, neighborhoods, movies)

[princessmama]

We are thinking of making a move to Longview Wahington. I have a few questions that I need real answers to, not web-site answers too. First, what kind of community is Longview? Would a bi-racial family be accepted in Longview?(black-white) What is the average income of a family of 5? What is the cost of living?(groceries, movies, gas prices....) I will post more questions if I think of any.
Thanks in advance for your input.
Princessmama

[Alcon]

Hey there,

Longview is a fairly working-class, inexpensive town. I'm not sure about specifics, but it's 87% white, which is average by Washington standards. Not many black residents, but as a state, Washington isn't a place you'll need to worry too much about that sort of thing.

Anyway, I hope you decide to move to this state! It is beautiful and I can't imagine why anyone wouldn't love it (if you don't mind the rain).

[princessmama]

thanks for the information. I hate that I would have to ask such a thing. but my husband is a great, educated man. With an impressive resume. and we have been to this point many times. But once they meet him and see that he is black they do not want to hire him.

And since this is a state we have never been to we just wanted to find out what was going on. We have no problem being in a predominately white area, just wanted to have an idea how people would react to us.
thanks again,

[Cowlitz County]

Princessmama,

I'm glad to hear that you have chosen to look for a new residence in the State of Washington. I do not consider there to be any other place that I would rather live. I would like to write a little about Kelso - Longview to be a help.

I grew up in Kelso would like to warn you about a few things. First of all, Kelso-Longview has been known for it's high crime rates, drug, STD, teen pregnancies, etc. problems, always ranking #1 or #2 in the state. According to City-Data, crime here is a fair bit higher than that of LA, Portland and Seattle, to name a few. Some places you just don't go, especially at night. Different professional studies have been done in different neighborhoods and it is compared to a big city ghetto. Not your typical medium sized city.

As it was mentioned, this area is predominately white. There have been many problems between the races here. Sadly, others aren't accepted very well. Has been in the news many times for this. It is getting better, but nowhere near where it needs to be. This is not typical with the rest of the Northwest.

The area has been in an economic depression for quite some time and finally beginning to pull out of it. This has been a partial cause to all of the problems in the area. There are signs of new growth and construction.

Timber has been the largest employer for over the past 100 years. Longview began as a company town by RA Long and build the city in 1923 as the first and largest planned city west of the Mississippi. It was designed after Washington, DC. The two cities, Kelso and Longview don't get along very well as this dates back to the rise of Longview.

The cities are located between Portland and Seattle along the I-5 corridor. It it also the gateway to the Pacific Ocean and Mt. St. Helens. Everything is within a very short drive, especially for the outdoors type.

There are three large High Schools in these two cities; RA Long, Mark Morris and Kelso. There are also several alternative and Christian schools. In the surrounding towns there are schools as well (ie, Castle Rock, Kalama, Cathlamet).

I did not write this to give Kelso-Longview a worse name, but wanted to bring some problems to the forefront so one isn't surprised when they arrive. I had a great childhood here and wouldn't change it for the world. There are just some lingering problems, sadly.

Overall, the Northwest is a great place to live, work and place.

[lovekaj]

I moved to Longview about two months ago because my husband got a job here at the college. We have witnessed some of the locals acting racist towards a black couple walking across the street (they glared at and whispered about them). This town does seem to have its share of "rednecks" just to warn you. I am from Spokane originally and the people are much less sophisticated here than they are there. Many people here seem to have less personal hygiene as well. These are just my observations. I'm sorry if I offend anyone. There are many very nice, educated people here as well. They are just in the minority. If you do move to town perhaps we could be friends. I know very few people here and it gets pretty boring.

[diggitydot]

The Longview area has changed drastically in the last 20 years. I loved it as a kid, but what used to be a sleepy little community has become a meth den where the crime level outpaces that of cities with significantly more dense populations.

A lot of the issues in town come from two things. The hillbilly mentality of many residents, (certainly not all, but quite a few), and the prevalence of meth use. The meth issue is insane. They now regularly test all babies born in the county for meth and about 20% turn up positive for it in their systems.

Unfortunately, this area is exceedingly "hick", (again, not everyone, but enough to be very noticeable for those unaccustomed to it), and a biracial couple and/or family will most likely face some types of issues.

I would reccommend other communities such as Camas or Washougal for a biracial couple. There are many biracial families in those two towns and a much different mentality in general. There are several large international companies in Camas/Washougal which bring in people recruited from many different types of cultures and nationalities and you're far less likely to encounter racism. Not that there aren't jerks everywhere, but they are much in Camas/Washougal than in Kelso/Longview.

[alco261]

I live in the Camas, Washougal area and would recommend it to anyone. The schools are top notch. The only draw back is housing is not cheep. At least once a week there is something on the news about drug problems in the Longview area. The only reason to go there is to fish. Come to Camas, the people are friendly but the weather sucks most of the time.

[diggitydot]

Originally Posted by alco261

I live in the Camas, Washougal area and would recommend it to anyone. The schools are top notch. The only draw back is housing is not cheep. At least once a week there is something on the news about drug problems in the Longview area. The only reason to go there is to fish. Come to Camas, the people are friendly but the weather sucks most of the time.

I absolutely second this.

[traveling man]

Just to add my 2-cents.

I lived in Longview for nearly 9 years. When Trojan Nuclear power plant was shut down in 1992 the life blood of the city was removed and the most educated people left the city. I think Longview started to die afterwards.

Longview is in my opinion a backward place with high crime and a huge drug problem. The doctors and medical system are below par. The city is slowly dying. Go anywhere but Longview.

[kriswlz]

I live in Battle Ground WA. I find many of the residents judging anyone who is not white. You have to realize they don't like Hispanics and they don't like Russians. We don't have a large Black population here so i don't hear a lot of complaints about blacks. My guess is an educated Black would be more accepted than a Hispanic who speaks little English or a Russian.
But all of these groups live here and seem to like it. I am from the Bay Area in CA where everyone was pretty much accepted.
I like Longview. It is a working class community. There are professionals that live there who like it. The area is not that big but the shopping and restaurants are good. You can live in the city or the country. I go to Longview often for work.
The closer you get to Portland the more accepting people will be of diversity. Stevenson, on the Gorge, is a more blended community. However, I have heard the kids in high school are bored and get in to trouble because of the small community. I love Stevenson and the people there. Camas is closer to Portland, smells just as bad as Longview from the mill, and is a great town.
I like Longview enough I would live there. I especially like the college and park in town.
The people in the Pacific Northwest are not as initially friendly as the people in CA. However, once you get to know them they are just like anyone else. I love the summers here and suprisingly the rain is great. It is beautiful here. Portland is a great city and I usually hate cities.