Longview (Washington)
Longview, the City of Trees, is a city in Southwest Washington State along the Columbia River, and across the Cowlitz River from Kelso. It was established in 1923 by R. A. Long, who intended it to become the "Chicago of the West".
Understand
Get in
By car
Interstate 5 (I-5): Longview is located just west of I-5, from two exits:
Exit #36B (SR-432 Talley Way) goes to 3rd Ave, then around town as Industrial Ave to SR-4 west of town. To go to the city center, go past 3rd Ave and follow signs onto Tennant Way.- Exit 39 (Allen St/SR-4) through Kelso along Allen St.
& 
US Highway 30 crosses the Columbia River on the Lewis & Clark Bridge from Rainier, OR into town as Oregon Way. From its intersection with Tennant Way the same road goes into downtown as 15th Ave. Drivers can circumvent the town along Industrial Way (SR-432) to reach SR-4 or I-5 without going through town.
1st Ave & Westside Highway runs alongside the Cowlitz River and up to US Hwy 12 south Napavine through Castle Rock. It parallels along the westside of I-5 between Longview and US Hwy 12.
Ocean Beach Highway (SR-4) goes through town from I-5 as Allen St which becomes Catlin St once it reaches Washington Way. Going west from Washington Way the road becomes Ocean Beach Hwy which connects Longview/Kelso to the coast (Long Beach & Astoria) along the Washington side of the Columbia River.
- Washington Way Local boulevard that connects Ocean Beach Hwy (SR-4)/Catlin in West Kelso into downtown Longview.
By train
- 🌍 Kelso Station.
.svg.png)
in the neighboring town of Kelso, which is a stop for Amtrak, ☏ +1 215-856-7924, toll-free: +1-800-872-7245.
By bus
The 🌍 Longview Transit Center on S 12th Ave & Hemlock, serves as central bus station for River Cities Transit and other regional bus & shuttle companies serving southwest Washington:
- River Cities Transit, ☏ +1 360 442-5663. Local city buses around Longview proper and to neighboring Kelso. Take the #45 bus to the Kelso station where Amtrak trains and Greyhound buses stop.
- Lower Columbia CAP, ☏ +1 360 425-3430. Rural public bus system serving Castle Rock, Lexington (suburbs/rural area north of Kelso), Longview, Kalama, Woodland, and Vancouver 99th St Station (north of Vancouver, WA). Transfer to/from the C-Tran buses at the 99th St Station to other places in Vancouver and to Portland (Rt #105). $2 per boarding.
- Wahkiakum on the Move, (office & bus garage) 42 Elochoman Valley Rd, Cathlamet, ☏ +1 360 795-6212. Bus to Rockets Diner in Naselle, WA via Cathlamet, WA (major town and county seat) in neighboring Wahkiakum County, along Hwy 4. 'Wahkiakum on the Move' has additional local stops in the Kelso-Longview area for pick-up and drop off. Connections to Pacific Transit Rt #50 to Ilwaco, Astoria and South Bend at Rockets Diner in Naselle.
Get around
Major streets radiate like wheel spokes from the 🌍 RA Long Square (Central Park) in the city center.
See
- 🌍 Lake Sacajawea.
- 🌍 Nutty Narrows Bridge (the squirrel bridge) (Hangs over Olympia Way northwest of 18th Ave). This 60 ft (18 m) squirrel bridge was proposed after local tenants noticed that several squirrels had died while crossing the street in search of nuts. The proposal garnered national attention and was quickly approved by the city council. It was installed on March 19, 1963, and saw use by squirrels the following day.
Do
- Fall colors. Driving through Longview in the fall is a pleasure for the eyes that is more typical to New England than the Pacific Northwest. Where much of Washington state is covered with evergreen trees, the City of Longview has planted hundreds of deciduous trees all around town. Every fall the area between the civic circle and RA Long is covered in leaves of every imaginable color.
Buy
- 🌍 Triangle Center, 1015 Ocean Beach Hwy (SW of intersection of Ocean Beach Hwy (SR-4) & Washington Way, in a large triangular shaped lot). Hours vary by tenant/store. Triangle Center hosts Bed Bath & Beyond; Michaels, Maurices, Petco, Ross Dress for Less, Ulta, WinCo Foods and numerous other shops, banks & restaurants in the mall and in the immediate surrounding areas not part of the mall (Taco Bell, Sizzlers, Stuffy's, among others) along Ocean Beach Hwy & Washington Way. Unlike a traditional mall where everything is under one big roof, in a single building, this mall consists of several smaller buildings spread further out from each other in a huge parking lot.
- 🌍 Cowlitz Community Farmer's Market, 1900 7th Ave (New Expo Center Building at NW corner of county fairgrounds). Tu & Sa 9AM-noon from April to October.
- 🌍 Walmart Supercenter, 540 7th Ave, ☏ +1 360 414-9656. Daily 7AM-10PM.
- 🌍 Walmart Supercenter, 3715 Ocean Beach Hwy (Ocean Beach Hwy & 38th Ave, NW of town.), ☏ +1 360 355-3016. Daily 7AM-10PM.
Eat
Drink
Longview loves its coffee.
- 🌍 Guse's Gourmet Coffee, 1208 Commerce Ave (Commerce Ave & Hemlock St), ☏ +1 360 425-8940. M-F 8AM-4PM, Sa 9AM-3PM. A great places to hang out and grab a drink whether it's coffee, smoothies, hot chocolates, or tea.
Sleep
- 🌍 Quality Inn & Suites Longview Kelso, 723 7th Ave, ☏ +1 360-762-6473. Check-in: 3PM, check-out: 11AM. Indoor pool/hot tub, continental breakfast, and WiFi included.
See the Kelso article, under Sleep, for additional listings of accommodations near the Three Rivers Mall off of Allen St & I-5 (Exit #39).
Connect
- 🌍 Longview Public Library, 1600 Louisiana St, ☏ +1 360 442-5300, longviewlibrary@mylongview.com.
- 🌍 Longview Post Office (US Postal Service (USPS)), 1603 Larch St (Larch & 16th Ave at SE Corner of RA Long Square), ☏ +1 360 636-8593. M-F 8:30AM-5PM.
Go next
| Routes through Longview |
| Olympia ← Centralia/Chehalis ← | N S |
→ Vancouver → Portland |
| Naselle ← Cathlamet ← | W E |
→ Kelso → Ends at at Exit 39 |
| Jct ← Jct at Oregon Way ← |
W E |
→ Jct 3rd Ave & Tennant Way → Ends at at Exit 36B |
| Jct at Industrial Way ← |
N S |
→ Rainier → Ends at |