Best Web Design in Vancouver, WA (2026)

Web Design for Vancouver, Washington

The oldest continuously settled non-Native community in Washington, grown out of the Hudson's Bay Company's Fort Vancouver on the Columbia River in the 1820s. Sitting directly across the river from Portland, Oregon, it is perpetually overshadowed by its larger Canadian namesake but trades on a distinctive no-income-tax border economy. Deep fur-trade and military history live on at Fort Vancouver and Officers Row, and locals affectionately call it "The Couve."

AppWT works with Vancouver, WA businesses from Livonia, Michigan, mostly online and travelling as needed.

About Vancouver

Also known as. The Couve (also "The 'Couv"). Vantucky (tongue-in-cheek). Vancouver USA (used to distinguish it from Vancouver, B.C.).

History. Fort Vancouver was established in 1824-1825 as the regional headquarters of the Hudson's Bay Company; the settlement is dated to 1825 and the city incorporated in 1857. Both Vancouver, Washington and Vancouver, British Columbia are named for British sea captain George Vancouver, but the Washington city is the older of the two. Clark County was Washington's first county, created by the Provisional Government of Oregon in 1845 as "Vancouver County" and renamed in 1849 for William Clark of the Lewis and Clark Expedition. In the 1920s the surrounding county was known as the "Prune Capital of the World." In 1948 the fort site was designated a National Historic Monument, upgraded in 1961 to Fort Vancouver National Historic Site.

Local economy. The economy is shaped by border economics with Portland: Washington levies no state income tax while Oregon has no sales tax, so many residents live and work on the Washington side and shop across the river. Historic industries included agriculture, lumber, fishing, shipbuilding, and aluminum production. Hydroelectric power from dams on the Columbia and Lewis rivers fueled its growth as a manufacturing center. Modern employment spans services, healthcare, and technology alongside legacy manufacturing.

Culture and community. The Fort Vancouver Fourth of July fireworks display, held since the mid-1960s, has drawn up to 60,000 visitors and is among the largest in the region. The Vancouver Wine & Jazz Festival and the Vancouver Arts & Music Festival take place in historic Esther Short Park. The Clark County Fair and events like "4 Days of Aloha" are annual summer favorites. A local craft-beer and taproom scene has grown around the downtown and waterfront.

What makes Vancouver distinct. Pearson Field is one of the oldest continuously operating airfields in the United States, with aviation use dating back to a dirigible landing in 1905. In 1937 the first nonstop transpolar flight from the Soviet Union landed at Pearson Field, and General George C. Marshall welcomed the Soviet crew at his Officers Row home. City officials have periodically floated renaming the city "Fort Vancouver" to reduce confusion with the larger, better-known Vancouver, British Columbia. The playful nickname "Vantucky" pokes at the more rural feel of parts of the area compared with neighboring cities. Esther Short Park has been the heart of downtown since 1853, predating Washington statehood by decades.

Vancouver Landmarks and Local Life

• Fort Vancouver National Historic Site
• Officers Row - a preserved line of Victorian homes including the George C. Marshall House
• Esther Short Park - one of the oldest public squares in the state (since 1853), with its 69-foot Salmon Run Bell Tower glockenspiel
• Pearson Field - a historic airfield
• The Columbia River waterfront