West Minnehaha

About our association

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The unique location of the West Minnehaha Neighborhood and its diverse yet cohesive blend of urban, commercial, and semi-rural attributes have a long tradition of attracting residents from a broad range of social, cultural, political, and economic backgrounds. Residents proudly recognize and wish to maintain a sense of community unity, while acknowledging and respecting each neighbor's right to an autonomous lifestyle.

The West Minnehaha neighborhood is located north of the downtown Vancouver area. The neighborhood, which consists of 1023 households within 62 blocks, is bounded by four major arterial. The Neighborhood is delineated on the north by Minnehaha Avenue; to the west by Highway 99; to the east by St. Johns Road; and to the south by SR-500. Residents have easy access to all nearby and distant regions of the community.

Bonneville Power Administration is located in the upper northwest portion of the neighborhood and supports a light manufacturing land use. In the spirit of building harmonious partnerships between businesses and residents, Bonneville Power Administration has generously granted the use of a large two-story Victorian style house, which will serve as the new West Minnehaha Neighborhood Center.

The neighborhood is characterized by the preponderance of single-family dwellings. Approximately 80 percent of the housing units are owner-occupied. The prevailing zoning in the neighborhood is single-family residential. Increased housing development in the neighborhood over the past ten years has placed stress on traffic flow throughout the streets that feed into the main arterial. Many streets are not pedestrian friendly and need maintenance and improvements such as sidewalks, adequate lighting, bicycle and disabled access.

The homes throughout the neighborhood represent pleasantly diversified architectural styles. The majority of the housing stock was built primarily between 1950 and 1984. However, some dwellings date back to the turn of the century. Multifamily housing is primarily located in the St. Johns/St. James Corridor, thereby being conveniently accessible to public transportation. The neighborhood benefits from a blend of commercial and urban parcels along the exterior portions of the neighborhood. Stores and commercial services are conveniently located along the St. Johns/St. James Coridor to the east of the neighborhood. A variety of churches and schools are located throughout the neighborhood.

The neighborhood contains two large open-spaces and two extensive trails that interconnect the parks. Discovery Trail traces the southern boundary of the neighborhood, following Burnt Bridge Creek through both Arnold Park and Leverich Park. The Ellen Davis Trail traces the north boundary, continuing southwest where it meets the Discovery Trail at the west edge of Leverich Park. Leverich Park is located in the southwest comer of the neighborhood and offers complete park facilities; a large shelter, ball field, BBQ stoves, bathroom facilities. There are no small neighborhood parks located within the predominantly single-family area of the neighborhood.

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