The people we met were generally very surprised that anyone would move here, which is kind of funny. We were glad to be somewhere where we didn’t have to do 95% of our shopping at “Freddies” (Fred Meyers, for those of you outside Oregon), such as down the road in Astoria-Warrenton.
Longview, bottom line – has a public image problem, partly because of cutbacks at the major plant, and also – because of the major plant. It doesn’t look like a pretty town when you first enter from Oregon, but if you take a trip inside, you’ll find things to do. The town is not tourist oriented like Seaside, but it has a pretty center park and Japanese garden, its own fun quirks like the Squirrel Narrows bridge and giant squirrel sculpture; there are plenty of great restaurants, some nice neighborhoods like Mint Valley, and so on. We lived in Mint Valley and had a simply stunning view of evergreen trees, a neighboring farm, and the local stream.
Woodland, which is not a very far drive, is booming and doesn’t have enough room in its schools for all the new families. Perhaps Longview will, in time, become invigorated by families who want to work in Portland-Vancouver, but live in a town with more personality than a bedroom community.