Kelso, WA

The Cowlitz community of indigenous peoples originally inhabited the Kelso area. A Scottish land surveyor colonized the land in 1847, and the state incorporated the city of Kelso in 1889. The city's perch on the Cowlitz River with its connection to the Columbia River made it a perfect hub for logging in the area. Fishermen also flocked to the area for its bountiful smelt, earning Kelso the nickname as the Smelt Capital of the World in the late 1950s.

Residents once dubbed Kelso "Little Chicago" for its rough-and-tumble logger culture. The problem of violence and illicit gambling grew so large that the FBI intervened in the 1950s, shutting down most of the watering holes and all the brothels patronized by loggers. The Cowlitz County Historical Museum in northern Kelso preserves much of the history of the city's industry and indigenous people.

Kelso's culinary diversity belies the town's small size. A small swath of restaurants, centered near the Highway 4 bridge to Longview, serve inventive updates on classic Japanese, Mexican, and American traditional fare.

Sora Sushi, located on Allen Street, serves playful takes on sushi that customers say rival sushi found in large cities. Order one of their specialty items, such as the rainbow roll, a single sushi roll that contains six different varieties of fish. Sora also serves a variety of traditional udon and ramen noodle soups, not unlike those you would find in a booth in Tokyo.

Plaza Jalisco garners attention as a hidden gem for Mexican food in the Kelso area. Customers return to Plaza Jalisco for its generous traditional platters, such as the never-overcooked cheese enchilada plate. Vegetarians should note that this restaurant can make beans without lard. Make sure to stick around for the free dessert.

Sit down and grab a bite with a conscience at Grounds For Opportunity Cafe, a restaurant established as a job-training site for people without food service experience. The inventive menu trumpets new spins on classic cafe food, such as the sweet and savory apple bacon cheddar sandwich.

Longing for one of the great Portland area's best cups of coffee? Stop by Knospe's Keen Bean Coffee shop just east of Kelso where no matter who is serving, their beverages are always made with the same consistent flavor and quality.

While Kelso is not know for its exuberant nightlife, a short ride to downtown Portland should do the trick for any locals looking for a good time any evening.

Kelso's small streets and neighborhood distances make walking the preferred way to travel in the central area down by the Cowlitz River. Traversing the city takes an automobile or a bike. The I-5 runs through the eastern portion of the city, and accessing it takes at most 10 minutes from anywhere in town. City parking poses no difficulty. While Kelso has no bike lanes on its streets, the city accommodates bike travelers and commuters well.

Two Longview-based taxi services, Uptown Taxi and Ecocab, serve the Kelso area, but Uber does not operate there. RiverCities Transit provides bus service in the Kelso/Longview area, with seven bus lines that cover most Kelso and Longview neighborhoods.

Tam O'Shanter Park, a 38-acre patch of land in eastern Kelso, draws visitors with its numerous sports fields, picnic areas, trails and concession stands. Overlooking the Coweeman River, the park accommodates softball, baseball, soccer and basketball, all at the same time, if needed. Kids love the large playground, and dogs can roam in the large open acreage of the park. Day use of the park is free, but the park has covered picnic areas available to reserve for events.

Extreme sports aficionados gather at the Rotary Skate Park, located just north of Tam O'Shanter Park. The skating area contains over 10,000 square feet of concrete bowls, lips, rails and other various street elements.

Kelso's cost of living slides in at around 12 percent below the rest of Washington. Public transportation in the Kelso/Longview area costs only 60 cents for a one-way pass, and twice that for a full day pass. A beer at a local pub runs around $2, and the median one-bedroom apartment costs around $500 on average. Gas prices costs on average 14 percent more than in the rest of the country.

Kelso's Three Rivers Mall hosts major department stores such as Macy's, JC Penney and Target. Shoppers looking to spread their money around the community enjoy a handful of specialty stores in the downtown area between the freeway and the Cowlitz River. Music and video game lovers ought to check out Classics and Oddities, a speciality shop with vinyl records, CDs and used video games.

Paisley Duck Quilting and Design serves Kelso with high-quality handmade quilts, specialty fabrics and beginning to expert level classes on the art of quilting that provide eventual certification. Once certified, customers later have the option to rent quilt machines with the store's permission and access to special pre-cut pattern pieces Paisley Duck Quilting has to offer.

For groceries, a Safeway near central Kelso sells just about everything you might need. Supporters of local food can check out the Cowlitz Community Farmers Market just across the river in Longview, a great resource for community vendors, open May through October.