Camas is a city in
Clark County, Washington
Clark County is the southernmost county in the U.S. state of Washington. As of the 2020 census, the population was 503,311, making it Washington's fifth-most populous county. Its county seat and largest city is Vancouver. It was the first co ...
, with a population of 26,065 at the
2020 census.
The east side of town borders the city of
Washougal, Washington
Washougal ( ) is a city in Clark County, Washington, United States. The population was 17,039 as of the 2020 census.
History
Washougal was officially incorporated on December 4, 1908. Its Mount Pleasant Grange Hall is the oldest continually u ...
, and the west side of town borders
Vancouver, Washington
Vancouver is a city on the north bank of the Columbia River in the U.S. state of Washington, located in Clark County. Incorporated in 1857, Vancouver has a population of 190,915 as of the 2020 census, making it the fourth-largest city in Was ...
. Camas lies along the Washington side of the Columbia River, across from
Troutdale, Oregon
Troutdale is a city in Multnomah County, Oregon, United States, immediately north of Gresham and east of Wood Village. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 15,962. The city serves as the western gateway to the Historic Columbia River ...
, and is part of the
Portland metropolitan area
The Portland metropolitan area is a metro area in the U.S. states of Oregon and Washington centered on the principal city of Portland, Oregon. The U.S. Office of Management and Budget (OMB) identifies it as the Portland–Vancouver–Hillsboro, ...
.
One of the major geographical features of the city is Prune Hill. Prune Hill is an extinct volcanic vent and is part of the
Boring Lava Field
The Boring Lava Field (also known as the Boring Volcanic Field) is a Plio-Pleistocene volcanic field with cinder cones, small shield volcanoes, and lava flows in the northern Willamette Valley of the U.S. state of Oregon and adjacent southwest ...
of northwest Oregon and southwest Washington.
History
Officially incorporated on June 18, 1906, the city is named after the
camas lily, a plant with an onion-like bulb prized by Native Americans. At the west end of downtown Camas is the large
Georgia-Pacific
Georgia-Pacific LLC is an American pulp and paper company based in Atlanta, Georgia, and is one of the world's largest manufacturers and distributors of tissue, pulp, paper, toilet and paper towel dispensers, packaging, building products and r ...
paper mill from which the high school teams get their name, "the Papermakers". A paper mill was first established in the city in 1883 with the support of
Henry Pittock, a wealthy entrepreneur from
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
who had settled in
Portland, Oregon
Portland (, ) is a port city in the Pacific Northwest and the largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon. Situated at the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers, Portland is the county seat of Multnomah County, the most populous co ...
, where he published ''
The Oregonian
''The Oregonian'' is a daily newspaper based in Portland, Oregon, United States, owned by Advance Publications. It is the oldest continuously published newspaper on the U.S. west coast, founded as a weekly by Thomas J. Dryer on December 4, 185 ...
''.
Pittock's LaCamas Colony bought 2,600 acres in 1883, forming the Columbia River Paper Company the following year to begin production in 1885, before merging with
Oregon City's Crown Paper Company to form Crown Columbia Paper in 1905. After converting from steam to electricity in 1913, Crown merged with Willamette Paper in 1914 and then with Zellerbach Paper in 1928.
Crown Zellerbach
Crown Zellerbach was an American pulp and paper conglomerate based in San Francisco, California, purchased in a hostile takeover in 1985. Most of its pulp and paper assets were sold to James River Corporation, now part of Georgia-Pacific.
I ...
became the largest paper manufacturer on the west coast. During
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
, the Camas mill temporarily manufactured parts and components for US Naval vessels produced at the nearby
Kaiser Shipyards
The Kaiser Shipyards were seven major shipbuilding yards located on the West Coast of the United States, United States west coast during World War II. Kaiser ranked 20th among U.S. corporations in the value of wartime production contracts. The s ...
. In 1950, the Camas mill was the first factory to produce folded paper napkins.
"Crown Z" was the area's biggest employer in 1971, with 2,643 of approximately 3,700
Clark County paper mill workers. In 1986, Crown Zellerbach was absorbed by
James River Corporation
James River Corporation was an American pulp and paper company based in Richmond, Virginia, once the largest paper manufacturer in the world.
History
The company was founded in 1969 as the James River Paper Company by Brenton Halsey and Robert Wi ...
; after further mergers with the
Fort Howard Paper Company
Fort Howard Paper Company was an American pulp and paper company based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. Its products were sold under a variety of brand names, including ''Envision'', ''Fort Howard'', ''Mardi Gras'', and ''Soft'n Gentle''.
The company mer ...
in 1997 and
Georgia-Pacific
Georgia-Pacific LLC is an American pulp and paper company based in Atlanta, Georgia, and is one of the world's largest manufacturers and distributors of tissue, pulp, paper, toilet and paper towel dispensers, packaging, building products and r ...
in 2000,
Koch Industries
Koch Industries, Inc. ( ) is an American privately held multinational conglomerate corporation based in Wichita, Kansas and is the second-largest privately held company in the United States, after Cargill. Its subsidiaries are involved in th ...
acquired Georgia-Pacific and the Camas mill in 2005. In 2018, Koch announced plans to
lay off approximately 200–300 workers, shutting down all equipment related to communications paper, fine paper conversion and pulping operations.
By 1971, there had been four attempts to merge Camas and Washougal that were denied by voters.
Camas is approximately northeast of Portland, Oregon. Historically, the commercial base of the city was almost entirely the paper mill; In recent years, however, the diversity of industries in and near Camas has been enhanced considerably by the influx of several high-tech, white-collar companies. These include
Hewlett-Packard
The Hewlett-Packard Company, commonly shortened to Hewlett-Packard ( ) or HP, was an American multinational information technology company headquartered in Palo Alto, California. HP developed and provided a wide variety of hardware components ...
,
Linear Technology
Linear Technology Corporation was an American semiconductor company that designed, manufactured and marketed high performance analog integrated circuits. Applications for the company's products included telecommunications, cellular telephones, ne ...
,
WaferTech and
Underwriters Laboratories
The UL enterprise is a global safety science company headquartered in Northbrook, Illinois, composed of three organizations, UL Research Institutes, UL Standards & Engagement and UL Solutions.
Established in 1894, the UL enterprise was founded a ...
. Annual events include the summer "Camas Days", as well as other festivals and celebrations.
Geography
According to the
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of the ...
, the city has a total area of of which is land and is water.
There are numerous bodies of water within the city limits, including
Lacamas Lake
Lacamas Lake is a small lake in Clark County, Washington. It is a popular place to fish and water ski for locals from Vancouver, Camas and Washougal. It connects to Round Lake via a channel that runs under the SR 500 bridge on the southeast ...
,
Lacamas Creek,
Round Lake,
Fallen Leaf Lake, Tug Lake, the
Washougal River
The Washougal River is a tributary of the Columbia River in the U.S. state of Washington. Its headwaters and upper are in Skamania County in the Gifford Pinchot National Forest, and its lower are in Clark County. The river, which meets the C ...
, and the
Columbia River
The Columbia River (Upper Chinook: ' or '; Sahaptin: ''Nch’i-Wàna'' or ''Nchi wana''; Sinixt dialect'' '') is the largest river in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. The river rises in the Rocky Mountains of British Columbia, C ...
.
Public parks
![US-WA-Camas-lacamas park-main sign-tar](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/03/US-WA-Camas-lacamas_park-main_sign-tar.jpg)
There are numerous parks in Camas and within the Camas area, including:
Lacamas Park encompasses
Round Lake and runs against
SR 500 on its west side. Across SR 500 is
Lacamas Lake
Lacamas Lake is a small lake in Clark County, Washington. It is a popular place to fish and water ski for locals from Vancouver, Camas and Washougal. It connects to Round Lake via a channel that runs under the SR 500 bridge on the southeast ...
. The park is open year-round and includes
barbecue
Barbecue or barbeque (informally BBQ in the UK, US, and Canada, barbie in Australia and braai in South Africa) is a term used with significant regional and national variations to describe various cooking methods that use live fire and smoke t ...
s, a playground, trails around the park and lake, and access to the
Camas Potholes. The park includes trails which lead to the Camas Potholes and the Camas lily fields, as well as a loop around Round Lake. Water activities in Round Lake are also common around summer time. Bathrooms are available on a seasonal basis only.
Heritage Park has facilities for launching boats into Lacamas Lake, a playground, much open field, and trails through the trees. The parking lot is large and includes numerous long parking stalls to accommodate vehicles with trailers.
Demographics
2010 census
As of the
census
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses incl ...
of 2010, there were 19,355 people, 6,619 households, and 5,241 families residing in the city. The
population density
Population density (in agriculture: standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical term.Matt RosenberPopul ...
was . There were 7,072 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 87.4%
White
White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White on ...
, 1.0%
African American
African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...
, 0.6%
Native American, 6.0%
Asian
Asian may refer to:
* Items from or related to the continent of Asia:
** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia
** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia
** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...
, 0.2%
Pacific Islander
Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe the original p ...
, 1.2% from
other races
Other often refers to:
* Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy
Other or The Other may also refer to:
Film and television
* ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack
* ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...
, and 3.6% from two or more races.
Hispanic
The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad.
The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to Vic ...
or
Latino
Latino or Latinos most often refers to:
* Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America
* Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States
* The people or cultures of Latin America;
** Latin A ...
of any race were 4.1% of the population.
There were 6,619 households, of which 46.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 65.7% were
married couples
Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between t ...
living together, 8.9% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.6% had a male householder with no wife present, and 20.8% were non-families. 16.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 4.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.91 and the average family size was 3.27.
The median age in the city was 36.9 years. 31.1% of residents were under the age of 18; 6.5% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 27.1% were from 25 to 44; 26.8% were from 45 to 64; and 8.7% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 49.6% male and 50.4% female.
2000 census
As of the
census
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses incl ...
of 2000, there were 12,534 people, 4,480 households, and 3,422 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,149.3 people per square mile (443.6/km). There were 4,736 housing units at an average density of 434.3 per square mile (167.6/km). The racial makeup of the city was 92.01%
White
White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White on ...
, 0.69%
African American
African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...
, 0.69%
Native American, 3.41%
Asian
Asian may refer to:
* Items from or related to the continent of Asia:
** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia
** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia
** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...
, 0.14%
Pacific Islander
Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe the original p ...
, 0.80% from
other races
Other often refers to:
* Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy
Other or The Other may also refer to:
Film and television
* ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack
* ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...
, and 2.26% from two or more races.
Hispanic
The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad.
The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to Vic ...
or
Latino
Latino or Latinos most often refers to:
* Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America
* Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States
* The people or cultures of Latin America;
** Latin A ...
of any race were 2.86% of the population. 18.8% were of German, 11.3% English, 9.6% American, 8.2% Irish and 5.6% Norwegian ancestry.
There were 4,480 households, out of which 42.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 63.9% were married couples living together, 8.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 23.6% were non-families. 18.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 6.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.78 and the average family size was 3.19.
In the city, the age distribution of the population shows 31.2% under the age of 18, 6.2% from 18 to 24, 32.5% from 25 to 44, 21.4% from 45 to 64, and 8.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females, there were 96.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.6 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $60,187, and the median income for a family was $64,885. Males had a median income of $51,470 versus $31,985 for females. The
per capita income
Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population.
Per capita i ...
for the city was $27,267. About 4.4% of families and 5.4% of the population were below the
poverty line
The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for t ...
, including 6.4% of those under age 18 and 4.7% of those age 65 or over.
Education
Sister cities
Camas has the following
sister cities
A sister city or a twin town relationship is a form of legal or social agreement between two geographically and politically distinct localities for the purpose of promoting cultural and commercial ties.
While there are early examples of inter ...
, according to the
Lieutenant Governor's Office:
*
Hamamatsu
is a city located in western Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan. the city had an estimated population of 791,707 in 340,591 households, making it the prefecture's largest city, and a population density of . The total area of the site was .
Overview
...
, Japan
*
Taki, Mie
is a town located in Mie Prefecture, Japan. , the town had an estimated population of 14,210 in 5730 households and a population density of 140 persons per km². The total area of the town was .
Geography
Taki is an inland municipality located i ...
, Japan
*
Krapkowice
Krapkowice (; german: Krappitz; szl, Krapkowicy) is a town in southern Poland with 16,301 inhabitants (2019), situated in the Opole Voivodeship, straddling both banks of the Oder River at the point where it joins with the Osobłoga. It is the re ...
, Poland
*
Morawica, Poland
*
Zabierzów, Poland
Notable people
*
Michael R. Barratt
Michael Reed Barratt (born April 16, 1959) is an American physician and a NASA astronaut. Specializing in aerospace medicine, he served as a flight surgeon for NASA before his selection as an astronaut, and has played a role in developing NASA ...
, NASA astronaut
*
Greg Biffle
Gregory Jack Biffle (born December 23, 1969) is an American semi-retired professional stock car racing driver. He last competed part-time in the NASCAR Cup Series, driving the No. 44 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 for NY Racing Team and full-time in the ...
, NASCAR driver
*
Jaime Herrera Beutler
Jaime Lynn Herrera Beutler ( ; born November 3, 1978) is an American politician who served as the U.S. representative for from 2011 to 2023. The district is in southwestern Washington, lying across the Columbia River from Oregon's Portland met ...
, U.S. Representative
*
Shane Chen
Shane Chen ( zh, 陈星; born 10 February 1956 in Beijing, China) is a Chinese-American inventor and entrepreneur based in Camas, WA USA. He is best known for inventing the self-balancing hoverboard.
Early life and education
Chen grew up in Be ...
, inventor and entrepreneur
*
Niko De Vera, professional soccer player for the
Portland Timbers
The Portland Timbers are an American professional men's soccer club based in Portland, Oregon. The Timbers compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member club of the league's Western Conference. The Timbers have played their home games at P ...
*
Alexa Efraimson
Alexa Efraimson (born February 20, 1997) is an American professional middle distance runner from Camas, Washington who competes for Nike. During the 2014 indoor and outdoor season, as a junior, she set a pair of U.S. high-school records, break ...
, professional runner for
Nike
Nike often refers to:
* Nike (mythology), a Greek goddess who personifies victory
* Nike, Inc., a major American producer of athletic shoes, apparel, and sports equipment
Nike may also refer to:
People
* Nike (name), a surname and feminine give ...
*
Kenneth Fisher
Kenneth Lawrence Fisher (born November 29, 1950) is an American billionaire investment analyst, author, and the founder and chairman of Fisher Investments, a fee-only financial adviser. Fisher's ''Forbes'' "Portfolio Strategy" column ran from 1 ...
, ''Forbes'' columnist, financial author, money manager
*
Denis Hayes
Denis Allen Hayes (born August 29, 1944) is an environmental advocate and an advocate for solar power. He rose to prominence in 1970 as the coordinator for the first Earth Day.
Hayes founded the Earth Day Network and expanded it to more than ...
, environmental activist, coordinated first
Earth Day
Earth Day is an annual event on April 22 to demonstrate support for environmental protection. First held on April 22, 1970, it now includes a wide range of events coordinated globally by EarthDay.org (formerly Earth Day Network) including 1 b ...
*
Jimmie Rodgers
James Charles Rodgers (September 8, 1897 – May 26, 1933) was an American singer-songwriter and musician who rose to popularity in the late 1920s. Widely regarded as "the Father of Country Music", he is best known for his distinctive rhythmi ...
, 1950s pop singer
*
Taylor Williams
Taylor Grant Williams (born July 21, 1991) is an American professional baseball pitcher in the Seattle Mariners organization. He made his Major League Baseball (MLB) debut with the Milwaukee Brewers in 2017 and has also played for the Mariners, ...
, Major League Baseball player for the
San Diego Padres
The San Diego Padres are an American professional baseball team based in San Diego. The Padres compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Founded in 1969, the club has won two NL penna ...
*
Wendy Wilson
Wendy Wilson (born October 16, 1969) is an American singer and television personality who is a member of the pop trio Wilson Phillips. She co-founded Wilson Phillips with her older sister, Carnie, and childhood friend Chynna Phillips when th ...
, singer, member of 1990s girl group
Wilson Phillips
Wilson Phillips is an American pop group formed in Los Angeles in 1989. The group consists of Carnie Wilson and Wendy Wilson, the daughters of Brian Wilson of the Beach Boys, and Chynna Phillips, the daughter of John and Michelle Phillips of th ...
Gallery
Image:Camas, Washington bathrub races.triddle.jpg, Competition is fierce at the Camas Days bathtub races.
Image:US-WA-Camas-down_town-looking_east-tar.jpg, Downtown Camas, looking east
Image:US-WA-Camas-down_town-looking_west-tar.jpg, Downtown Camas, looking west
Image:Liberty Theater, Camas, Washington.jpg, Liberty Theatre
The Liberty Theatre is a former Broadway theater at 234 West 42nd Street in the Theater District of Midtown Manhattan in New York City. Opened in 1904, the theater was designed by Herts & Tallant and built for Klaw and Erlanger, the partnership ...
in downtown Camas
Image:Main US Post Office - Camas Washington.jpg, U.S. Post Office in Camas
Image:US-WA-Round lake-north west bank-tar.jpg, Round Lake
Image:US-WA-Camas potholes-triddle.jpg, Camas Potholes
Image:US-WA-lacamas lake-south east bank-tar.jpg, Lacamas Lake
Lacamas Lake is a small lake in Clark County, Washington. It is a popular place to fish and water ski for locals from Vancouver, Camas and Washougal. It connects to Round Lake via a channel that runs under the SR 500 bridge on the southeast ...
Image:US-WA-lacamas lake-north boat launch-tar.jpg, Lacamas Lake
Lacamas Lake is a small lake in Clark County, Washington. It is a popular place to fish and water ski for locals from Vancouver, Camas and Washougal. It connects to Round Lake via a channel that runs under the SR 500 bridge on the southeast ...
References
External links
Official websiteHistory of Camasat
HistoryLink
HistoryLink is an online encyclopedia of Washington state history. The site has more than 8,100 entries and attracts 5,000 daily visitors. It has 500 biographies and more than 14,000 images.
The non-profit historical organization History Ink prod ...
*
Camas Public Schools
{{Authority control
Cities in Washington (state)
Cities in Clark County, Washington
Populated places established in 1883
1883 establishments in Washington Territory
Portland metropolitan area
Washington (state) populated places on the Columbia River