There is nothing new about the influence of California on the rest of the nation. When you are the most populous state and enjoy an economy larger than the United Kingdom, you are going to have an impact.
There also is nothing new about concerns regarding that influence. So, when Columbian reporter Sarah Wolf wrote an article this week about California-based companies expanding into Clark County, it called to mind a bit of the Northwest’s history.
There was, for example, Tom McCall, who was governor of Oregon from 1967 to 1975. Although he inspired efforts to clean up the Willamette River and preserve Oregon beaches as public property and establish the nation’s first bottle bill, McCall probably is best known for a sharply articulated philosophy regarding visitors to his state: “I urge them to come and come many, many times to enjoy the beauty of Oregon. But I also ask them, for heaven’s sake, don’t move here to live.”
And there was a comical 1980 TV commercial for Blitz-Weinhard beer, in which the punchline is that it is a felony for a California developer to move to the Northwest.
And there is a long-running animus toward our West Coast neighbor. As Portland Monthly magazine wrote in 2020: “The anti-California sentiment runs deep here, and not always in a joking way.”
Oregon, by dint of geography, has typically harbored stronger anti-California feelings than other states. But those sentiments are not unique. “Don’t Californicate our state” has been a mantra at various times in multiple regions, including Washington. The implication: Other states should avoid the “haphazard, mindless development that has already gobbled up most of Southern California,” as a 1972 article in Time magazine put it.
Which brings up the question of whether Clark County is being Californicated.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, approximately 3,400 people moved from California to Clark County between 2016 and 2020. That is a large number, second to Oregon as a source of newcomers; but it is far from life-changing. It does not account for out-migration from Clark County, and it represents a small fraction of the population increase of 42,000 residents during that period.
Such growth – combined with vibrant communities – has led several California-based retailers to recently open outlets in the region. Hamburger chain In-N-Out, discount seller Daiso and Mountain Mike’s Pizza are among the companies with strong California roots that are setting up shop in Clark County.
In one sense, this highlights the need to support local businesses. If the product, service and prices are comparable, we recommend choosing a business that keeps its profits in the community and has locally based executives.
In another sense, all of this serves as a compliment to the people and the amenities of Clark County. As one commercial real estate expert told The Columbian: “We have a strong, well-educated, trained and skilled workforce, which equates to discretionary income. Discretionary income results in sales and purchases of all types of merchandise, including soft goods.”
In other words, whether a business is based in California or Kalamazoo, it is going to expand to areas where it can sell its products.
“Companies want to see development activity in a region,” the real estate expert said. “It is no secret Clark County is on the upswing.”
And plenty of people and businesses from California have recognized that.
