Longview is a city in Cowlitz County, Washington, situated on the Columbia River in the southwest corner of the state, about forty miles north of Portland, Oregon. It is the principal city of the Longview metropolitan statistical area and the most populous community in Cowlitz County, with roughly 38,000 residents. Longview's origins are unusual among Pacific Northwest cities: it was a planned community, laid out deliberately and dedicated in 1923 by lumber magnate R.A. Long and his Long-Bell Lumber Company. Built on the site of the old Monticello settlement, the city was designed around what was then the world's largest lumber mill, which opened in 1924. That industrial and civic ambition still reads in the city's broad boulevards, its formal civic buildings, and Lake Sacajawea, a 45-acre lake set at the heart of town. Today Longview pairs its timber and port legacy with a diversified local economy. The Port of Longview operates marine terminals and waterfront industrial property on the deep-draft Columbia River shipping channel, about 66 river miles from the Pacific Ocean, and the BNSF and Union Pacific rail lines run through the area alongside Interstate 5. The city is home to the Longview School District, one of two districts serving the closely linked Longview-Kelso urban area, and to a range of established neighborhoods that grew up around the lake and the original mill district. Longview's appeal rests on a combination of affordability, regional access, and outdoor setting. Mount St. Helens rises to the east, with state parks and the Cowlitz River offering recreation nearby, while Interstate 5 puts Vancouver, Washington, and Portland within commuting range. For households seeking a small-city, historically rich Columbia River community with lower housing costs than the Portland metro, Longview offers a compelling and distinct option in southwest Washington.