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Physical
Lower Columbia Cities and Towns
Cities and towns along the lower Columbia River: Portland, Vancouver, Longview, Kelso, St. Helens, Ridgefield and more.
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The idea
The Lower Columbia region holds cities and towns on both sides of the Columbia River, in Oregon and Washington. The largest is Portland, which had 652,503 people at the 2020 census, the most of any city in Oregon. It lies where the Willamette River meets the Columbia. Directly north of Portland, across the state line, is Vancouver, Washington, which had 190,915 people in 2020, the fourth-most of any city in its state.
Smaller cities surround these two. Clark County, Washington, also includes Battle Ground, Camas, Washougal and Ridgefield. Camas sits on the river across from Troutdale, Oregon. On the Oregon side, Gresham had 114,247 people in 2020, the fourth-most of any city in the state. Troutdale, approximately 12 miles east of Portland, serves as the western gateway to the Columbia River Gorge.
Downriver, St. Helens lies on the Oregon side about 28 miles northwest of Portland. Farther down on the Washington side, Longview sits where the Cowlitz River meets the Columbia, and it shares its eastern border with Kelso. The Lewis and Clark Bridge links Longview to Rainier, Oregon, across the river and the state line. Each county runs its government from one city, its county seat: Portland for Multnomah County, Vancouver for Clark, St. Helens for Columbia and Kelso for Cowlitz. The seat is not always the biggest town: Longview had more people than Kelso at the 2020 census.
Check yourself
Question 1 of 2
Which of these cities was the fourth-most populous city in Oregon at the 2020 census?
Composition
what it's made of
- Portland and Vancouver — Two cities facing each other across the Columbia River and the state line.
- Clark County cities — Battle Ground, Camas, Washougal and Ridgefield in southwest Washington.
- East Multnomah County cities — Gresham and Troutdale, east of Portland in Oregon.
- Downriver cities — St. Helens in Oregon and Longview and Kelso in Washington, northwest of Portland.
- County seats — Portland for Multnomah County, Vancouver for Clark, St. Helens for Columbia and Kelso for Cowlitz.
Connection
how it relates
Under Lower Columbia Region
Change
how and why it evolves
- Past
- Vancouver grew up around Fort Vancouver, a fur-trading post built in the winter of 1824–1825, and St. Helens began as Plymouth in 1845. Longview came much later: it was planned as a city for lumber mill workers and incorporated in 1924.
- Now
- As of 2025, Battle Ground's population was estimated at 23,513 and Ridgefield's at 16,132, both above their counts at the 2020 census.
- Next
- Growth like this will likely keep raising questions about housing, roads and river crossings between the two states.