Vancouver, city (1990 pop. 46,380), seat of Clark co., SW Wash., on the Columbia River opposite Portland, Oreg., with which it is connected by bridges; inc. 1857. A rapidly growing suburb of Portland and an important deepwater port, it has an extensive shipping industry, many lumber mills, and an enormous grain elevator. Power from the nearby Bonneville Dam supplies its industries; manufactures include adhesives; sheet metal; industrial gases; electrical, communications, and transportation equipment; metal, wood, paper, and plastic products; mining machinery; ships; and clothing.
The city was founded by the Hudson's Bay Company as Fort Vancouver in 1825–26 (see McLoughlin, John). After the area was ceded to the United States in 1846, the U.S. army established (1849) a fort there, which remains in operation. Vancouver has an art gallery and a sports stadium. It is also the headquarters for Gifford Pinchot National Forest. Historic attractions include Fort Vancouver National Historic Site (see National Parks and Monuments, tablenational parks and monuments, table); Covington House (1845), one of the oldest houses in the state; and the Ulysses S. Grant house and museum.
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