Battle Ground

Battle Ground is nestled at the foot of the Cascade Mountains, but is only 280' above sea level. Although sometimes refreshingly wet (average rainfall is 48 inches), the winter are mild to moderate. Average summer temperatures are around 65° and winters average 42° with a growing season of about 154 days. Although the population is small at 9.075, an active and caring business community serves Battle Ground. Driving times to more extensive services are: Vancouver Mall, 15 minutes; Portland City Center, 35 minutes; and Portland Airport. 25 minutes. Olympia is two hours away and Seattle is about a three-hour drive. Battle Ground residents can drive to ocean beaches in 1½ to 2 hours; to boating, sailing, and windsurfing in 30 minutes to one hour, and skiing in 1½ hours.   Regardless of what you like to do you are only a matter of a few hours away from it.

Battleground Lake, courtesy Battleground Chamber of Commerce

Population Growth:

1970    1980     1990     2000     2005

 1,438       2,774        3,758         9,296       14,960

Schools:  The school district consists of 6 elementary schools, 5 middle schools and 3 high schools.  You can also follow this link where you will find a complete list of Clark County Schools.     Click on this link for a complete list of all Clark County Public Schools, including address and phone numbers.  The Battle Ground Public Schools is a diverse district that serves more than 11,000 students in 325 square miles of rural Clark County.  Battle Ground has an excellent school system and if you are interested in finding out more about them this link will take you directly to the Great Schools site.  This site lists all the schools and allows parents to rate them and leave commits about how well they feel the school performs.  You can also go directly to the School Districts website.

State Recognized Private School: For a list of all Clark County State Recognized Private Schools.

Youth Sports:  Battle Ground and Clark County offer a wide variety of Youth Sports Programs.  Make sure you click the link and check them all out.

Library:  Battle Ground public library is located on 12 W. Main Street.  It is open Monday through Thursday 10.00 am to 8:00 pm; Friday - Saturday 10:00 am. to 6:00 pm.  Their phone number is 360-687-2322.

Newspaper:  The community newspaper is called the Reflector and will provide information on all the local activities.  You may also want to order up The Columbian, which is a paper published from Vancouver and deals mostly with local issues or you could order the Oregonian which cover the Portland-Vancouver metro area.

Chamber of Commerce:  Battle Ground has an active Chamber of Commerce and you will find a wealth of information at their website.  

City:  The City of Battle Ground offers many services to it's residents.  It is worth checking out. 

Hiking:  In Battle Ground you can enjoy the Bells Mountain Trail which is 7.5 miles long.  Clark County offers a variety of hiking trails so make sure you click on the link and explore them all.

Property:  You are welcome to look through the current Property Listings  available in the Battle Ground and the Vancouver area.  If you have any questions or need more information please feel free to just ask.

The Battle That Never Was

Battle Ground is a small town with peaceful country living, nearby lakes, streams and forest service areas, which offer outstanding recreational opportunities. Battle Ground is also within commuting distance of the Portland metro area.

The origin of the City's name comes from a battle, which never took place. In 1855, some Klickatat Indians escaped from Fort Vancouver. Captain Strong headed up the army in charge of bringing the Indians back to the fort. Upon meeting up with the Indians, the Indian chief, Chief Umtuch, promised Captain Strong that the Indians would return to the fort. There are different versions of what happened next, but Chief Umtuch was killed. Captain Strong allowed the Indians to bury the chief. He returned to the fort with the Indians' promise to return. The Indians did return, and for not forcibly bringing them back, Captain Strong was presented a petticoat for bravery and courage. This area later became known as "Strong's Battle Ground".

The first known settler to homestead the Battle Ground area was John Tuke. In 1862, he chose the area near the hill now known as Tuke's Mountain for his farm.

......story courtesy of the city of Battle Ground