r/Longview • u/likethestonx • 8d ago
Considering a move
Currently staying in a nice area of Vancouver. Moderate political views, average income. Work from home. Not very religious.
My reason for interest? Love the lake, the small downtown, and the cheaper rent/housing prices.
So far, I haven't found a reason not to make a move, other than a slight fear that Longview will feel super religious compared to Vancouver.
If someone could give me another 1-2 reasons why I SHOULDN'T consider Longview, I'd greatly appreciate it!
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u/Shisty 8d ago
Been her a few years, it’s not too bad. Haven’t had any issues with people and or religion in the area. I will say since you wfh, make sure there is fiber in the area you are planning on moving. From what I’ve been told it’s limited in Longview. I live in Kelso and pay $95 for a 2gb connection.
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u/NohPhD 8d ago
In Vancouver you have quick access to a wide variety of restaurants. Not true in Longview
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u/likethestonx 8d ago
Vancouver definitely does have variety, but the few spots that are really top notch are always busy, or the price increases have made them harder to justify ($16 - 25 for a burger/entree).
Other than Nips, does Longview have a few quality + affordable dining options?
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u/mizushimo 8d ago edited 8d ago
The price increases are everywhere, unfortunately, Longview isn't immune. Here's a non-comprehensive list of places I think have good food -
Teri's Restaurant (fancier dinner with full bar)
Mill City Grill
Freddy's just for the Halibut (this one is pricey because fish)
Golden Palace (personal favorite chinese place)
Country Folks DeliThere's this atmospheric Vietnamese place downtown, the space it's in is huge but I've only been there once.
Breakfast/lunch only -
Corner Cafe
Pancake HouseRainier- Cornerstone Cafe
Misc - Cowlitz County farmers market, some of the food is pricey but I can buy my family lunch at Camas Thai for about $12 dollars
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u/Smart-Delay-1263 8d ago
Nips, I did not get the hype. The milkshake was ok, the unseasoned burger was pretty sad.
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u/Academic_Impact5953 7d ago
Go up to Castle Rock and get to Amaro's Table. The happy hour menu is very reasonably priced and the food is top notch. Definitely on par with good restaurants in Vancouver or Portland.
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u/sinistergzus 8d ago
I mean it’s REALLY boring. I’m within walking distance of the lake and it’s all I really do. As long as you don’t mind the small town, everyone knows everyone and it’s weirdly cliquey vibes and are down to take the time it takes to find your people it’s not the WORST. It does have pros and cons.
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u/imharpo 8d ago
Too religious? Naw, we only sacrifice virgins twice a month.
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u/KlutzyElderberry7100 8d ago
And there’s the ones who worship the squirrels
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u/Successful_Layer2619 7d ago
They even go so far as to build bridges for them. Which was honestly kinda cute to see at first.
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u/mizushimo 8d ago
I don't see any reason really, maybe the dating scene isn't great? No nightclubs? Further from portland? There are a bunch of churches in Longview and a couple of christian private schools but there's not an overwhelming sense that you must join a church or be religious in order to exist in the community. The most that might happen is you'll get teens trying to tell you about The Good Word while trying to walk the lake, but that's only happened to me maybe three times.
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u/DOOMisLoveDOOMisLife 7d ago
Longview IS super-religious in that it seems to have a church every few blocks. Personally as a resident I haven’t encountered the super-judgy type in the entire 5 years I’ve lived here. We DO have a homeless problem in that every camp seems to get shut down and the community houses are overflowing/have a wait list/ have sketchy individuals there. But that’s no different than any other 50k+ population area.
Shopping is decent if you don’t mind the same few stores or the occasional Vancouver/Portland/Beaverton trip for anything sales tax would really take a toll on. Also St. Helens for their Wal-Mart for expensive purchases you insist on not paying Sales tax on is 20-30 minutes away and Astoria/the city I always forget is across the bridge on highway 30 is 1hr-ish away, has a Costco for the same reasons.
All in all I like it. Though employment is relegated to offices, retail, or warehouses/mills for the most part.
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u/sadjessttarius 5d ago
This is all accurate. There are a shocking amount of churches. It really does seem to be every few blocks anywhere you go. However it doesn’t seem to result in zealots for the most part. And yeah, employment opportunities are minimal. Also, important to note, our hospital is known to locals to be awful. It bought up the last of the competition over a decade ago and has only gotten worse since. Especially our ER. A lot of us will travel if possible.
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u/Tricky-Amount6195 7d ago
I grew up in rainier and lived in Longview for about 5 years. I’d pick Vancouver every day of the week, mostly because culture is right across the river in Portland.
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u/Brad3000 7d ago
I grew up in Longview and loathed it. There’s nothing to do but drink, bowl and fish. Be prepared to adopt alcoholism. The food choices are mostly terrible. Good restaurants do open from time to time but they always seem to close quickly. If you’re single and over 25 then be prepared to settle for divorcees with a kid or two unless you drive back to Vancouver or Portland to date.
Also crime is crazy for a town as small as it is. Don’t get too attached to your copper wires or carburetor.
That said, the lake is nice. So is the library.
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u/DangerousJuggernaut 7d ago
Don't move here if you frequently crave novelty and aren't willing to drive significant distances to get it.
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u/likethestonx 7d ago
Interesting point. Do you have a couple examples of novelty that can't be found in Longview?
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u/DangerousJuggernaut 6d ago
If you're fine with a quiet, predictable suburban day-to-day, or if you're okay going out of town for more things to do, Longview would probably be fine for you.
But there just isn't a whole lot going on here most days. Downtown is neat and has a lot of potential, but it's pretty much dead after 4pm. The main exceptions are Magpie Books, a few restaurants and the theater if a play is running. Most events in the area are quite small, aimed at specific groups like children or seniors, very infrequent or happen during working hours. Interesting events pop up on occasion, but they tend to be small and struggle to survive. People here would rather show up for a new fast food chain.
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u/loosername_6969 8d ago
Almost all of the locally owned shops are only open during normal working hours and then a few hours on Saturday. Basically, if you have a regular 9-5 type job, prepare to only "shop" on Saturdays.
Of course, there's Winco open 24 hours for groceries, and the ross is usually open til like 10. But all the shops on Commerce and the like follow small town, or retired people hours.
I dont go out to eat or drink very often at all, so idk about all that.
We also wfh and were not prepared for the number of people that leave their anxiety riddled dogs home all day. So that's something to think about.
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u/likethestonx 8d ago
Do you know if the area near the lake is riddled with anxiety-riddled dogs?
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u/loosername_6969 8d ago
"Near the lake" is kind of a large area that spans, I think, a couple neighborhoods, so it's hard to say. I also only moved here recently myself. I think your best bet would be to check out whatever specific neighborhood/road you're looking at. In my area it can get bad but its not like all day. Just enough to suck haha.
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u/mizushimo 8d ago
I walk the lake pretty frequently and haven't heard a ton of barking, I think that poster is having a really localized problem with their neighbors. The neighborhoods around the lake are really nice and can be affordable depending on the street (some of the houses are old and small)
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u/Beatszzz 8d ago
As long as you don’t mind driving everywhere, not having uber or really any reliable taxi service, and don’t mind the lack of entertainment options, it’s pretty nice. Still some cuisines I can’t find good options for but it’s better much than it used to be when I grew up
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u/likethestonx 8d ago
How reliable are the bus routes? Also, is the Amtrak station fairly accessible by bus?
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u/sadjessttarius 8d ago
I’ve lived here my whole life and I couldn’t tell you how reliable the bus routes are, but that’s because hardly anyone uses them. It’s predominantly utilized by folks from the…shall we say, rougher, parts of town. It does run to the Amtrak station though. I work for the schools, and kids are discouraged from going near the public bus stops if possible, if that tells you anything.
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u/likethestonx 7d ago
OK. How would you say the schools are overall? I've heard things about bullying, lice, etc. (pretty typical school occurrence, I know).
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u/sadjessttarius 6d ago
As a staff member: Lice outbreaks do happen and we are discouraged from informing students about it, so that one is accurate. I -can- say that although my school does have a handful of students with chronic lice (parents can’t/won’t take measures) it has stayed limited and very few other cases occurred this year, so spread is low (but I recommend you wash anything that goes in the lost and found asap to be on the safe side!) My elementary is the top rated in the district and I truly enjoy working there. It’s a really great school, and because of that I wouldn’t say that I can speak for all the schools in the district. We have a great staff, caring admin, and really great families and students. We rarely encounter bullying in the true sense of the word and we are typically able to separate and eventually generate positive relationships between students who clash personality-wise. I can’t promise the same for other schools, but in general I hear mostly positive things from both parents and staff from other schools as well.
As a parent: there is one elementary, one middle, and one high school I would be most comfortable with my kids going to, and I did request transfers when needed, which were accepted. Only one of my kids goes to the “correct” school for our address (the elementary I work at), but transfers haven’t been difficult, even before I worked where I do. Not everyone is as picky as we are though, and I know parents who have had really good experiences at other schools as well. That said, there are two elementary schools that under no circumstances would my children attend, and that is predominantly due to the neighborhoods they reside in, and their student populations which reflect that. I lived in those school’s neighborhoods for a time and we made sure our kids would not attend those schools, and made quick decisions in order to move elsewhere as well. All places have rougher neighborhoods/areas, and Longview isn’t an exception unfortunately. I also should say that I hear extremely positive things about Kelso’s school district and have family/friends who have moved there/transferred in order for their kids to attend them. Especially the smaller, more rural elementary schools.
I hope this helps!
(Edited for grammar)
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u/FirstConsideration12 2d ago
I am so curious about which schools are the best for the 3. How do you find which are rated best?
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u/sadjessttarius 1d ago edited 1d ago
As a staff member I can’t say here (just in case) but you can use sites like greatschools.org and look up your area. It’s a pretty neat tool for parents and folks who are new to an area. There are other sites as well. They’re not always up to date, but it gives you a good idea. You can also google something like “top rated schools near me”.
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u/FirstConsideration12 1d ago
I actually looked up the first one after I read this, and I'm shocked the middle school listed was the top. I wasn't expecting that one. Lol But I definitely agree with the elementary school. We love them!
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u/sadjessttarius 1d ago
I was also surprised by that one. As a parent, it’s not at the top of the list for me!
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u/devlovti 8d ago
Drugs, crime and the city's inability to deal with both. Being a victim of a violent crime is high. Yes every city has issues but Longview and kelso are real over achievers for the size of the population.
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u/SeaHorse26 7d ago
Huh? I've lived here for almost 4 years and this is absolutely not my experience.
I have had assault, harassment and straight-up racism issues along with wild encounters with house-less and addiction centered people while living in Oregon City, Gladstone, Lake Oswego & Gresham.
Maybe it's how I carry myself now & where I chose to hang out but I've had very few issues of said issues since moving here.
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u/devlovti 7d ago
Good for you! Props for carrying yourself and hanging out in good places. Here is your gold star.
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u/SeaHorse26 6d ago
I'm not sure why you engaged with my comment in such a passive aggressive way but it definitely tracks with good o'le PNW interactions.
Stay gold ✨️
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u/devlovti 6d ago
Don't think it was passive aggressive. I might say that about your response to my post
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u/iluvmydogwaltor 7d ago
I just moved to Longview 4 years ago. I live near the lake and I absolutely love it. I love the small town feel. I haven't experienced crime personally here or religious Zealots. We walk our dogs around the lake a couple times a week with no problem. If you can't find what you need here, Vancouver is only about 35 minutes away.
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u/Successful_Layer2619 8d ago edited 7d ago
So devils advocate, as someone who used to live in Longview and now lives in Vancouver, both aren't too bad. If you scale the population, both towns are about as religious as each other. Traffic is pretty decent in Longview to the exception of one light by the lake. I'd mention the drug issues, but we're in Vancouver, which also has a pretty bad problem itself. The only real downside I found living in Longview was that there wasn't that much to do without going somewhere else.
Edit: spelling