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City Guide
Living in Kalama. The river town.
Kalama, WA is a town of about 3,000 people wedged between the Columbia River and forested bluffs, right on I-5 in southern Cowlitz County. It was the Northern Pacific's western terminus in 1870 and the county seat until 1922. Today it pairs a working deep-water port with an antique-shop main street and some of the best river views on the lower Columbia. Portland is about 40 minutes south.
Living here
Downtown is a few compact blocks along First Street, with brick storefronts that have become a genuine antique destination, with several shops within walking distance of each other. From there the neighborhoods climb the hill to the east, a mix of older cottages, mid-century ranches, and newer builds, and the higher you go the better the view. Homes on the bluffs look straight down the Columbia shipping channel, watching grain ships and log ships come and go.
The waterfront is the town's front porch. The Port of Kalama runs a string of public parks along the river: Marine Park, the marina, Louis Rasmussen Day Use Park, and Ahles Point, connected by a walking path. McMenamins Kalama Harbor Lodge sits in the middle of it, a four-story hotel and brewpub that opened in 2018 next to the town's landmark totem poles, one of them carved from a single giant red cedar by the artist Lelooska. East of the freeway, Kalama River Road follows one of the region's most famous steelhead and spring Chinook rivers, and this is where the acreage lives: riverfront cabins, custom homes on multiple acres, and small farms, with the Port's 40-acre Haydu Park for river access.
One of Kalama's landmark Lelooska totem poles, carved from a single red cedar, on the Port of Kalama waterfront · Photo: Chris Light · CC BY-SA 4.0
Who it fits
Living in Kalama suits Portland and Vancouver commuters who want small-town life without giving up the freeway, anglers and outdoor people who would rather live on the river they fish, and buyers chasing a view: the bluff and riverfront homes here deliver Columbia River panoramas that would cost dramatically more closer to Portland. Families like the single small school district where kids go K through 12 with the same classmates. Port and industrial workers can live minutes from the job: more than 50 companies employ over 1,300 people at the Port of Kalama, including Steelscape's steel-coating mill and two major grain export terminals.
Getting around
I-5 runs right past town with three exits: 27 at Todd Road for the Port, 30 for downtown, and 32 for Kalama River Road. Woodland is about 10 minutes south, Longview and Kelso about 15 minutes north, Vancouver roughly 30 minutes, and Portland about 40 minutes in normal traffic. Amtrak Cascades and Coast Starlight trains stop at the Kelso Multimodal Transportation Center, a short drive up the freeway. There is no local transit to speak of, so plan on driving. The trade is that this stretch of I-5 moves better than almost anything inside the Portland metro.
Schools
Independent ratings for Kalama schools are linked below, with deeper data on the state's OSPI report card.
- Kalama High SchoolHigh school · Kalama School District
- Kalama Middle SchoolMiddle school · Kalama School District
- Kalama Elementary SchoolElementary · Kalama School District
- Kalama School DistrictDistrictRatings on GreatSchools →
School assignment depends on the exact address. We check boundaries for any home you're considering, before you write an offer.
Photo: M.O. Stevens · CC BY-SA 3.0
Common questions
Straight answers to what buyers ask us about Kalama most.
Is Kalama, WA a good place to live?
Kalama suits buyers who want a small river town with a real identity: about 3,000 people, a working deep-water port, an antique-shop main street, and some of the best river views on the lower Columbia, all right on I-5.
How far is Kalama from Portland?
About 40 minutes south in normal traffic. Vancouver is roughly 30 minutes, Longview and Kelso about 15 minutes north, and Woodland 10 minutes south.
What school district serves Kalama?
The Kalama School District, with the high school, middle school, and elementary school all in town.
What is Kalama known for?
The port, the river, and the history. Kalama was the Northern Pacific Railroad's western terminus in 1870 and the Cowlitz County seat until 1922. Today the antique shops and the Columbia River views carry the identity.
Photo: Joe Mabel · CC BY-SA 3.0
Weighing a bluff view in town against acreage up the Kalama River?
One call gets you a straight answer on what your budget buys in Kalama, from a Windermere team that works these river towns every week.