Cascade Park Vancouver, WA

In the 1880s, Cascade Park specialized in prune production. Farmers expanded from the Fisher's Landing neighborhood into what would later become Cascade Park, developing huge prune farms near Mill Plain until the 1990s.

After World War II, Cascade Park remained rustic until Don MacKay and Arch MacDonald decided to expand the area for residential use. In the 1960s, after the completion of Highway 14 connecting the neighborhood to downtown Vancouver, the population in Cascade Park boomed. Most of the neighborhood contains homes and apartments, with businesses located primarily along Mill Plain Boulevard.

The neighborhood lacks museums, but it has a strong local arts scene. Evergreen Dance Academy calls the neighborhood home, as does Pulse Dance Studio.

While the neighborhood does not have specific annual festivals thrown by officials, plenty of community events pop up through the Cascade Park Community Library and other organizations.

You won't find a boisterous nightlife in Cascade Park, but you'll discover quality eateries and superb live music. The suburban nature of this neighborhood gives it a quiet spirit, yet people come from all over Vancouver and Portland to experience Cascade Park's bars and restaurants.

Mill Plain Boulevard claims the title of Cascade Park's central restaurant location. Nearly every popular restaurant in the area sits along this street's busy lanes. You'll find Little Italy's Trattoria on this street, which serves authentic Italian food across the Portland area. Since 1995, this restaurant has served up everything from classic antipasti to fresh seafood dishes. Take a bite out of their calamari, a deep-fried squid served with marinara sauce. Their lasagne vegetarian offers a hearty meal for vegetarian customers.

For something on the light side, try Larson's Bakery, Deli and Coffee Bar, just across the street from Little Italy's Trattoria. Grab a quick lunch to go, choosing among sandwich classics such as the BLT, egg salad sandwich or a gourmet roast beef sandwich with cream cheese. What makes this deli stand out from the crowd is the assortment of specialty cakes. They specialize in Danish pastries and wedding cakes, with most of their items sitting in the display when you walk through the front door.

Mar's Inn Chinese Cuisine serves Cantonese and Szechuan food classics such as crab puffs, pork noodle soup and General Tso’s chicken. If you're looking for food to go, look no further than this Chinese food staple in Cascade Park. Order ahead of time to cater parties or large events, and keep your guests satisfied.

The hub of entertainment in Cascade Park is the Cascade Bar & Grill. While this establishment serves food and a wide selection of craft beers, locals know it best for its live music. As one of the only live music venues in town, Cascade Bar & Grill features musicians on a raised stage in front of a large dance floor. Come to the venue every weekend to dance or sip on a cold draft beer.

The Main Event Sports Grill straddles both the Cascade Park and Fisher's Landing neighborhoods, serving residents specialty cocktails and sports entertainment. Cheer on your favorite team at the bar's high-definition television screen or shoot billiards in the bar's pool room.

As most of the streets have safe sidewalks with low speed limits on traffic, you can walk to most major locations in Cascade Park. If you choose to drive, expect less than five minutes per trip to most grocery stores and entertainment hubs.

Take the C-Tran public transit system to get to most areas of the neighborhood. The bus travels along Mill Plain Boulevard, although you might take a short walk through the residential areas to get home.

Hail a cab to get to Cascade Park's most popular bars, restaurants and shopping centers. Since Mill Plain remains one of Vancouver's most popular streets, taxis make frequent trips. You can also use Uber to schedule a specialized trip catered to your needs. Uber serves all of Vancouver.

Find public parking at most shopping centers and stores for free. Since most of the area contains shopping plazas, you won't need to look for spaces that have parking meters. Park in most residential neighborhoods for free.

Drive down Highway 14 to get to any location outside of Cascade Park. This highway intersects the neighborhood and connects to Interstate 5 on the west side. To get to Portland International Airport, take Interstate 205 near Highway 14.

When you walk through Cascade Park, you'll feel safe. Nearly every street has wide, paved sidewalks for pedestrians. Bike lanes scattered throughout the neighborhood make biking safe for commuters.

Some of Cascade Park's namesake outdoor community centers include Bella Vista Park and Cascade Park. The parks are free to all patrons, and they welcome animals, as long as they are kept on leashes.

Bella Vista Park encompasses five acres of well-manicured grass. It includes a playground for children, paved walkways for joggers and picnic tables for family gatherings. Shoot hoops at this park's tar basketball court.

Cascade Park takes its name from the surrounding neighborhood. It features five acres of playground equipment, concrete paths and open field. Cascade Park's proximity to Crestline Elementary School makes it ideal for children to play.

While none of these parks hold annual festivals or events, community members often use these open spaces to host the occasional community gathering.

The cost of living in Cascade Park is higher than in downtown Vancouver. Living in this neighborhood still costs you less than if you were living in downtown Portland, though. Expect to pay a median rent of about $825 per month, as most one-bedroom apartments sit within the $800 to $1,000 per month range. Take the bus for $1.75 to get anywhere in the neighborhood or downtown Vancouver. If you have a Medicare card, you can get around for about $0.85. To get to downtown Portland, buy a C-Tran ticket for $3.75. Entertainment prices remain reasonable in Cascade Park, with a bottle of beer selling for about $3 at most bars. Expect to pay about 7 percent more for gas in Cascade Park than the national average. Cascade Park's gas prices are lower than the Washington state average.

Millport Shopping Center is the major shopping area in Cascade Park. You'll find stores scattered throughout the neighborhood, especially around Mill Plain Boulevard. Millport Shopping Center houses a Walgreens, Kazoodles, Craft Warehouse, Island Hobbies and Sushi Hana.

Most of the stores in Cascade Park lean toward crafts, rather than high-end boutique retailers. One of the few boutique stores caters to children's toys. Kazoodles sells children's toys you can't find in a supermarket. These toys emphasize the organic side of fun. Rather than gadgets and video games, the store sells blocks, artistic craft kits and wooden cars kids can fit inside.

If you have a hobby that requires complicated parts and equipment, stop in Cascade Park's Island Hobbies for your needs. This family-run business formed after the owners moved to Vancouver from Maui in the 1990s. They sell everything from radio control cars to toy helicopters and moped parts.

River City Music caters to Vancouver's thriving local music scene. This specialty music shop stands out as one of the finest in instrument repairs. Not only can they repair nearly any instrument, they sell brand new products. Whether you play in a rock band or an orchestra, you'll find your perfect instrument here. If you want to try before you buy, River City Music has you covered – the store allows customers to rent instruments for school or pleasure.

Cascade Park's conveniently-located grocery stores make it the perfect place for residential neighborhoods filled with growing families. Buy all of your food staples at popular grocery stores such as Safeway on 136th Avenue or Chuck's Produce & Street Market near Mill Plain Boulevard. For special dishes, cruise through Ocean King Market, a seafood wholesale store. Get your organic goods at Whole Foods Market, or get convenience store basics at 76 Village Vendor.

To get fresh food from the nearest farmers market, drive into downtown Vancouver via Highway 14 in Cascade Park during the spring, summer and fall months.