Hazel Dell is an

unincorporated area An unincorporated area is a region that is not governed by a local municipal corporation. Widespread unincorporated communities and areas are a distinguishing feature of the United States and Canada. Most other countries of the world either have ...

and

census-designated place A census-designated place (CDP) is a concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only. CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the counterparts of incorporated places, such ...

(CDP) in Clark County,

Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...

, United States, located north and west of

Vancouver Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...

. As of the 2010 census the population was 19,435. Previous censuses divided the community into two areas, Hazel Dell North and Hazel Dell South.

Geography

Hazel Dell runs parallel to and is bisected by

Interstate 5 Interstate 5 (I-5) is the main north–south Interstate Highway on the West Coast of the United States, running largely parallel to the Pacific coast of the contiguous U.S. from Mexico to Canada. It travels through the states of Califor ...

, with access from exits 4 and 5. The community is bounded by the Vancouver city limits on the south in the vicinity of Burnt Bridge Creek,

Lake Shore The ''Lake Shore'' was a long-distance passenger train operated by Amtrak between Chicago and New York via Cleveland, Ohio. The ''Lake Shores route paralleled that of the New York Central's famed ''Lake Shore Limited''. Amtrak introduced the ...

to the west, Salmon Creek to the north,

I-205 Interstate 205 may refer to either of two unconnected Interstate Highways in the United States, both of which are related to Interstate 5 * Interstate 205 (California), a connector in the San Francisco Bay Area * Interstate 205 (Oregon–Washingt ...

/ Barberton to the northeast, and Walnut Grove to the east.

Vancouver Lake Vancouver Lake is located just west of Vancouver, Washington, United States, north of the Columbia River and Portland, Oregon, south of Ridgefield, Washington, and the Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge. The lake is shallow, with a maximum depth ...

is a short distance to the west of the area, and the community of

Minnehaha Minnehaha is a Native American woman documented in Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's 1855 epic poem ''The Song of Hiawatha''. She is the lover of the titular protagonist Hiawatha and comes to a tragic end. The name, often said to mean "laughing wat ...

is to the southeast. 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 Hazel Dell CDP has a total area of , of which , or 0.27%, is water. Much of Hazel Dell is occupied by businesses and

working class The working class (or labouring class) comprises those engaged in manual-labour occupations or industrial work, who are remunerated via waged or salaried contracts. Working-class occupations (see also " Designation of workers by collar colou ...

homes, in well established neighborhoods. The main business portion follows NE Highway 99, just east of I-5, generally, from 63rd to 99th Street, with businesses east and west of Highway 99 on NE 78th and 99th streets. There are fewer businesses and

shopping center A shopping center (American English) or shopping centre (Commonwealth English), also called a shopping complex, shopping arcade, shopping plaza or galleria, is a group of shops built together, sometimes under one roof. The first known collec ...

s along NE Hazel Dell Avenue, just west of I-5, scattered from 63rd to 99th Street. Hazel Dell's businesses and services include several retail, restaurant, and grocery chains,

convenience store A convenience store, convenience shop, corner store or corner shop is a small retail business that stocks a range of everyday items such as coffee, groceries, snack foods, confectionery, soft drinks, ice creams, tobacco products, lottery ticket ...

used car dealer Used may refer to: Common meanings *Used good, goods of any type that have been used before or pre-owned *Used to, English auxiliary verb Places *Used, Huesca, a village in Huesca, Aragon, Spain *Used, Zaragoza, a town in Zaragoza, Aragon, Spain ...

ships,

auto parts This is a list of auto parts, mostly for vehicles using internal combustion engines which are manufactured components of automobiles: Car body and main parts Body components, including trim Doors Windows Low voltage/auxiliary ele ...

stores and

auto repair An auto mechanic (automotive technician in most of North America, light vehicle technician in British English, and motor mechanic in Australian English) is a mechanic who services and repairs automobiles, sometimes specializing in one or more ...

shops,

pawn shop A pawnbroker is an individual or business (pawnshop or pawn shop) that offers secured loans to people, with items of personal property used as collateral. The items having been ''pawned'' to the broker are themselves called ''pledges'' or ...

s, barber shops,

tavern A tavern is a place of business where people gather to drink alcoholic beverages and be served food such as different types of roast meats and cheese, and (mostly historically) where travelers would receive lodging. An inn is a tavern that h ...

s, lounges and pubs, and

motel A motel, also known as a motor hotel, motor inn or motor lodge, is a hotel designed for motorists, usually having each room entered directly from the parking area for motor vehicles rather than through a central lobby. Entering dictionaries ...

s, as well as many other

franchise Franchise may refer to: Business and law * Franchising, a business method that involves licensing of trademarks and methods of doing business to franchisees * Franchise, a privilege to operate a type of business such as a cable television p ...

eateries, several banks and realty, medical and dental offices.

Municipal services

Law enforcement for the community of Hazel Dell is provided by the Clark County Sheriff's Office, and the local crime rate is typical for a neighborhood of its size and population density. Fire Station 61 on Hazel Dell Avenue operates as part of Clark County Fire District 6 and provides firefighting services to Hazel Dell and neighboring communities."Service Area of Fire District 6." Clark County Fire District 6. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 July 2010. . Hazel Dell has its own sewer district as well.

Parks

Construction of Kate and Clarence LaLonde Neighborhood Park was to begin in early July 2010. Hazel Dell Community Park is located at 2300 NE 68th Street. Developed in 2007, the Tenny Creek Neighborhood Park is located along NE 88th Street. Jorgenson Park NW 3rd Ave. / NW 70th St.

Schools

Hazel Dell Elementary School is a kindergarten through 5th grade

elementary school A primary school (in Ireland, the United Kingdom, Australia, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, and South Africa), junior school (in Australia), elementary school or grade school (in North America and the Philippines) is a school for primary ed ...

located at NE Hazel Dell avenue and Anderson road within the residential area of south Hazel Dell and is part of the Vancouver School District. The school is home to the "Panthers". The current principal is Lisa Reed. Sacajawea Elementary School is a kindergarten through 5th grade elementary school located within a residential area of northwest Hazel Dell, and is part of the Vancouver School District. The school is home to the "Skyhawks". Sarah J. Anderson Elementary School is a kindergarten through 5th grade elementary school located within a residential area of northeast Hazel Dell and is part of the Vancouver School District. The school is home to the "Pioneers". The current principal is Katie Arkoosh. Columbia River High School is a 9th through 12th grade

high school A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper seconda ...

located at NW 99th Street within the residential area of Hazel Dell. The school was formerly home to the Chieftains, however, as of 2021, Columbia River High School is now the home of the Rapids.

Toponymy and history

Oregon Country Oregon Country was a large region of the Pacific Northwest of North America that was subject to a long dispute between the United Kingdom and the United States in the early 19th century. The area, which had been created by the Treaty of 1818, co ...

pioneers Reese and Sarah J. Anderson were Hazel Dell's first settlers. Sarah named the area after a stand of filberts on their land near what is today 78th Street and Highway 99. She also donated the land for the first school in Hazel Dell. The name "Bear Gulch" was briefly considered by the early Hazel Dell residents. Hazel Dell and Minnehaha were two of the first suburban areas to be developed after

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 ...

and were followed by Lake Shore, Felida, and Salmon Creek. Much of the housing boom in this area has subsided due to the increase of homes being built to the east of Vancouver, between Interstate 205 and Camas and

Washington State Route 500 State Route 500 (SR 500) is a State highways in Washington, state highway in Clark County, Washington, Clark County, Washington (state), Washington, United States. The east–west highway runs through Vancouver, Washington, Vancouver a ...

/Fourth Plain Boulevard 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 ...

. Until the early 1970s, it was not uncommon to see

horses The horse (''Equus ferus caballus'') is a domesticated, one-toed, hoofed mammal. It belongs to the taxonomic family Equidae and is one of two extant subspecies of ''Equus ferus''. The horse has evolved over the past 45 to 55 million yea ...

and

dairy cattle Dairy cattle (also called dairy cows) are cattle bred for the ability to produce large quantities of milk, from which dairy products are made. Dairy cattle generally are of the species ''Bos taurus''. Historically, little distinction was mad ...

at several points along Interstate 5 and Highway 99 where there are now shopping centers. Children during that time often made money for school clothes and summer activities by picking

strawberries The garden strawberry (or simply strawberry; ''Fragaria × ananassa'') is a widely grown hybrid species of the genus '' Fragaria'', collectively known as the strawberries, which are cultivated worldwide for their fruit. The fruit is widely ap ...

raspberries The raspberry is the edible fruit of a multitude of plant species in the genus ''Rubus'' of the rose family, most of which are in the subgenus '' Idaeobatus''. The name also applies to these plants themselves. Raspberries are perennial with w ...

bean A bean is the seed of several plants in the family Fabaceae, which are used as vegetables for human or animal food. They can be cooked in many different ways, including boiling, frying, and baking, and are used in many traditional dishes th ...

s and other vegetables at several farms in the area. After new

child labor laws Child labour laws are statutes placing restrictions and regulations on the work of minors. Child labour increased during the Industrial Revolution due to the children's abilities to access smaller spaces and the ability to pay children less wage ...

went into effect restricting children under 12 from working, most farm owners implemented "direct to customer"

U-pick A You-Pick ("U-Pick") or Pick-Your-Own (PYO) farm operation is a type of farm gate marketing, farm gate direct marketing (farm-to-table) strategy where the emphasis is on customers doing the harvesting themselves. A PYO farm might be preferred by p ...

. There are now only a few small acreage farms left in Hazel Dell and no dairies at all.

Hazel Dell Parade of Bands

Every third Saturday in May since 1964, Hazel Dell has hosted the "Parade of Bands". The parade route follows Hwy 99 North to 78th Street, west to Hazel Dell Avenue, south to 63rd Street and back to Highway 99. The parade was first organized and sponsored by Harvey Johnson and family who owned the now demolished Steakburger Drive-in restaurant on Highway 99.

Basilville renaming proposal

Local business leaders once considered changing the name to "Basilville" in honor of enterprising merchant Basil Dhanens. With thanks, Dhanens declined the offer. He died in 1972.

References

{{authority control Geography of Vancouver, Washington Census-designated places in Clark County, Washington Census-designated places in Washington (state) Portland metropolitan area.