People are moving to Clark County, and the No. 1 place they’re coming from is right across the Columbia River.
Net migration from Multnomah County, Ore., to Clark County between 2009 and 2013 was 1,530 people, according to recently released U.S. Census estimates. That figure is calculated by taking the number of people who have moved to Clark County from Multnomah County and subtracting the number of people who left Clark County for Multnomah County.
“It seems like all the people I’ve met up here are Portland transplants,” said Lynn Quijada, who moved from North Portland’s Piedmont neighborhood to Hazel Dell in March 2014. “For us, it was a financial decision mainly.”
The 44-year-old and her husband wanted one of them to be a stay-at-home parent after the birth of their first child. With the mortgage and rising cost of living in Portland, it wasn’t financially viable to live off of one income. In Hazel Dell, the Quijadas were able to afford that, along with a big backyard, peace and quiet, and access to nearby Burnt Bridge Creek Trail.
Gained 1,530 Multnomah County, Ore., residents.
Lost 1,313 residents to King County.
Source: U.S. Census
“The first day we were here, I had neighbors come over and welcome us to the neighborhood,”Quijada said. “It feels like a small town inside a city. That’s what I really loved about North Portland 12 years ago. Everyone else decided they loved it and moved in, too.”
Quijada recently had a second child and started working from home, though she commutes to her workplace in Beaverton, Ore., on Mondays. On those days, she’ll go to happy hour with her friends and enjoy what Portland has to offer. Her family could now afford to return to Portland and considered making the move, but ultimately decided against it, she said.
Reasons to move
“People end up moving within a metro area based on a lot of factors,” said Scott Bailey, regional economist with the Washington Employment Security Department in Vancouver.
Proximity is a big part of it, he said. Multnomah County, which includes Portland, is the most populated county adjacent to Clark County.
Robert Christensen, owner of the Portland and Vancouver franchise of You Move Me, said he has been seeing a lot of young people seeking home ownership in Vancouver, where it’s less expensive than in Portland. His crew spent midday Monday moving a young couple from the West Hills of Portland to the Orchards area in Clark County. They were looking to save money and eventually purchase a condo.
Christensen also said he has been seeing retirees cashing out on the hot Portland housing market.
“Their homes now are worth more than they were ever worth before,” Christensen said.
A smaller mortgage in Vancouver appeals to those living on a fixed income, he added, and those selling their house in Portland can make a substantial profit. For those who work on the Washington side of the river, another advantage is the lack of income tax.
Migration is not one way, though. While 4,036 people moved to Clark County from Multnomah County in that five years, 2,506 people in Clark County moved to Multnomah County, according to Census estimates. People moving locally are often improving their housing situation, while those moving longer distances tend to move for retirement or employment, Bailey said.
Clark County saw a net gain of 1,591 people from other counties in the Portland metro area, including Washington, Clackamas, Yamhill and Columbia counties in Oregon, and Skamania County in Washington.
Between 2009 and 2013, 2,623 people living in Multnomah County left for other counties in the Portland metro area. That doesn’t mean the county and Oregon aren’t seeing gains. Multnomah County saw the biggest net gains from Los Angeles County, Calif., and King County.
A 2014 study by United Van Lines dubbed Oregon the top moving destination for the second year in a row based on customers’ state-to-state migration patterns. The moving company found that 66 percent of moves to and from the state were inbound.
Vancouver-curious
In general, more people are moving to Clark County than moving away. In all, the county saw a net gain of 1,083 newcomers between 2009 and 2013, according to Census estimates. The number might seem small, but that’s because the area is bouncing back from the recession, during which people weren’t as mobile, Bailey said.
“We’re getting more people moving in than moving out by the thousands, and I expect that to continue,” he said.
Akin to suburbs around the nation, the area has more space to grow and lower building costs than major cities, Bailey said.
When large companies such as PeaceHealth, Fisher Investments or Banfield Pet Hospital expand or relocate to Clark County, it draws highly skilled workers from all over the country.
The Greater Vancouver Chamber of Commerce fields calls from people interested in moving to the area who want to learn about the population, climate, neighborhoods and things to do, said Teresa Lawwill, fund development and community relations director.
“We’re getting a lot of calls about senior living,” she said.
Parents might ask about housing near Clark College or Washington State University Vancouver and neighborhood safety. Business owners might be interested in downtown Vancouver and available office space, Lawwill said.
Thriving downtown areas attract people, and Vancouver is seeing a small but growing group of startups moving to downtown, Bailey said. Trendy things such as cool restaurants and things to do and see in downtown areas are magnets for startups, so those things can feed off one another. Likewise, the waterfront redevelopment might have those trendy things startup employees want and fuel more inbound migration, Bailey said.
“It’s OK to be a little hipster in Vancouver,” he said.
Moving to Seattle
Another, larger metropolitan area saw the biggest net gain of former Clark County residents. King County, which includes Seattle, attracted 1,888 people in that five-year period. And an estimated 575 people moved in the opposite direction.
Seattle has jobs that attract newcomers, and it’s easier to move to Seattle (a 2.5-hour drive from Clark County on a good day) than, say, Houston, Bailey said. Those with family in the Clark-Vancouver area can still be relatively accessible if they move to Seattle.
Clark County is gaining more people, but at a slower pace than it once did, Bailey said. In the mid-1990s, when there was a lot more vacant land, the county experienced rapid population growth of 3, 4 or 5 percent annually. In the years before that, the Washington side of Interstate 205 opened, which increased mobility and fueled growth on the county’s east side.
