Vancouver, Washington

Vancouver is a city located on the territory of Washington. It is located on the north bank of the Columbia River. The city has a population of about 162 000 people. Vancouver was the administrative center of Clark County.

Vancouver shares the same name with the city of Vancouver, located in the Canadian province of British Columbia. Both cities were named after the sea captain George Vancouver. In order not to become confused, several times the city had ideas to change its name to Fort Vancouver, as well as Old Vancouver.

Thousands of years ago, on the territory where today the city of Vancouver is, lived tribes. The Indians called this area Skitsotoho, which in their language meant the land of mud turtles.

The first Europeans arrived in the region in 1775 and brought with them smallpox, which the local Indians could not withstand. Almost half the population died of smallpox before 1806, before in the region appeared the expedition of Lewis and Clark. Over the next fifty years, other diseases were brought by Europeans, such as influenza and reduce the number of native Indians from more than eighty thousand people to less than a hundred people.

In 1824 here was founded the first European settlement. It was called Fort Vancouver. In it lived Americans and Britons. Since then, the U.S. received full control over the area. The city of Vancouver was incorporated in 1857.

Vancouver quickly became the capital of the State of Washington, but it was for a very short time. Vancouver had a very strong military presence. Here was built the strategic point army field Pearson. Vancouver became the point of landing after a long flight from Moscow over the North Pole.

This flight was made by Valery Chkalov in 1937. His plane was directed to Pearson Field in Vancouver. The town has a street name of Valery Chkalov.

In the forties of the twentieth century, the city opened an aluminum plant, which gave work to many people and attracted new residents to the city. New settlements were created, which were later connected to Vancouver - Fruit Valley, Fourth Plain Village, Bagley Downs, Ogden Meadows, Burton Homes and McLoughlin Heights.

Because of the increase in its territory, Vancouver came into conflict with other communities in Clark County. In 1909 the City almost doubled its territory. In 1997 the vast territory was extended by over forty-five square kilometers, which increased the city to over fifty-eight thousand people. The city was divided into two parts - East and West Vancouver. In West Vancouver is the city center and the older part of town, where the historical sights of Vancouver are.

At the end of the twentieth century the city began a process of revitalization. Construction of new parks, new settlements and large buildings commenced. The city library is located in square in which there are many different buildings, like a hotel and business buildings, but also a large new library.