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Physical
Longview, Washington
Longview is a planned city in Cowlitz County, Washington, built for lumber mill workers where the Cowlitz River meets the Columbia.
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The idea
Longview is a city in Cowlitz County, in southwestern Washington, located where the Cowlitz River flows into the Columbia River. In the 2020 census, 37,818 people lived there, which made it the most populous city in the county. Longview is the principal city of a metropolitan area that covers all of Cowlitz County, and its neighbor to the east is Kelso, the county seat.
Most towns grow gradually from a trading post or a farming village, but Longview was deliberately planned. In 1918 the Long-Bell Lumber Company, led by Robert A. Long, decided to buy a large expanse of timberland in Cowlitz County. The company planned two large mills and several lumber camps, and it needed a total of 14,000 workers to operate them, more people than any nearby town could supply.
In 1921 Long began planning a complete city that could support a population of up to 50,000, enough to staff the mills and to attract other industries as well. Long paid for several of the city's buildings with his own money. A planned city is laid out before people move in, so its streets, parks and neighborhoods are placed on purpose. The planner George Kessler based its design on the nation's capital, in the style of the City Beautiful movement. Since 2000 the Cowlitz Indian Tribe has been federally recognized, and its headquarters is in Longview.
Check yourself
Question 1 of 3
Why did Robert A. Long build Longview as a whole new city?
Composition
what it's made of
- River junction — The city lies where the Cowlitz River meets the Columbia River.
- Lumber mills — The Long-Bell Lumber Company planned two large mills here, and the city was built to house their workers.
- Planned city — Robert A. Long began planning the city in 1921, for up to 50,000 people.
- Port of Longview — A deep-water port on the Columbia River, set up by a vote of local residents in 1921.
- Tribal headquarters — The Cowlitz Indian Tribe, federally recognized since 2000, has its headquarters in the city.
Connection
how it relates
Change
how and why it evolves
- Past
- Longview was officially incorporated on February 14, 1924, and by the 1930s it had grown into the fourth-largest city in the state. The Lewis and Clark Bridge opened on March 29, 1930, as a privately owned bridge called the Longview Bridge. It was renamed in honor of the Lewis and Clark Expedition in 1980. In 1963 Amos Peters built the Nutty Narrows Bridge, a small bridge made just for squirrels so they could cross a busy street safely.
- Now
- As of 2023, the city had seven squirrel bridges.
- Next
- Longview will probably stay the center of its metropolitan area, with its port and river location still important to local jobs. How fast it grows will likely depend on jobs in the wider region.