Nobody calls it The 'Couv
Crosscut has this story about Vancouver, inspired by a recent Willamette Week story all about "The 'Couv." From WW:
But it's nice to know we have Burgervilles here, I wasn't aware of that.
And nobody in Clark County calls it "The 'Couv." If someone says that, you know they are from somewhere else, probably Portland, and they are most likely a jerk. Thanks for sending such a crack team of reporters on such a dangerous mission north of the river, WW. Who woulda thunk that if you get wasted and "table hop" at Shari's, they will get mad? Obviously Clark County is uptight, man.
While pointing out our deficiencies in a kind, loving manner, WW kind of skipped one: our lack of real media sources. Sure, there's The Columbian and its crack investigative team of zero, but we are completely dominated by regular Portland television.
Why, an alternative weekly could do wondrous work uncovering the good old boy networks and shady deals that happen up here. Who was that anonymous $5 million donor to the library right before a public vote? Why did Riverwest get special legislation and why is it potentitally in the path of the new bridge? What ever happened with that supposed hate crime arson at an East Vancouver restaurant late last year? Why is Clark County set to expand the UGB's at the same time it is against the staff proposal for a new bridge? How much money does the BIAW contribute to local politicians? Who are the big lobbyists in Olympia that hail from Clark County?
It's a muckraker's paradise here.
So we look forward to WW's discovery of Clark County, and we especially look forward to the journalism that WW will bring. It's hard work, perhaps even more difficult than sinking the putt on the anthill hole at Golf-O-Rama, but that's what real news outlets do: dig deep and cover the tough stories. Now if you'll excuse me I've learned that there is something called "a fort" around here somewhere and that it has "fireworks" on the "4th of July." Should be good for 2,500 words and some pancakes.
POSTSCRIPT-- WW mentions Warren G. Harding but not Tony Harding. Maybe that's because she's from Oregon?
What if the region's success at controlling growth while still maintaining one of the nation's more robust economies is because of...Vancouver? Or more specifically, because Vancouver has fewer land-use laws and limits on growth? Has Vancouver become a convenient place to handle Portland's overflow, for those who wanted to live, work and play in the area, but who also wanted a bigger yard, lower taxes and a house on a cul-de-sac? All this so Portland could build its light rail, trams and condo towers.It was nice of them to point that out, but they still somehow managed to work Wesley Allan Dodd, the depraved serial child murderer from the 1980's, into the feature. Even the TV stations don't do that any more.
In other words, has Vancouver become our safety valve? Consider this: While Portland has grown respectably and gradually since the booming 1990s, Vancouver has exploded. Clark County's population nearly doubled from 238,000 in 1990 to more than 400,000 today.
But it's nice to know we have Burgervilles here, I wasn't aware of that.
And nobody in Clark County calls it "The 'Couv." If someone says that, you know they are from somewhere else, probably Portland, and they are most likely a jerk. Thanks for sending such a crack team of reporters on such a dangerous mission north of the river, WW. Who woulda thunk that if you get wasted and "table hop" at Shari's, they will get mad? Obviously Clark County is uptight, man.
While pointing out our deficiencies in a kind, loving manner, WW kind of skipped one: our lack of real media sources. Sure, there's The Columbian and its crack investigative team of zero, but we are completely dominated by regular Portland television.
Why, an alternative weekly could do wondrous work uncovering the good old boy networks and shady deals that happen up here. Who was that anonymous $5 million donor to the library right before a public vote? Why did Riverwest get special legislation and why is it potentitally in the path of the new bridge? What ever happened with that supposed hate crime arson at an East Vancouver restaurant late last year? Why is Clark County set to expand the UGB's at the same time it is against the staff proposal for a new bridge? How much money does the BIAW contribute to local politicians? Who are the big lobbyists in Olympia that hail from Clark County?
It's a muckraker's paradise here.
So we look forward to WW's discovery of Clark County, and we especially look forward to the journalism that WW will bring. It's hard work, perhaps even more difficult than sinking the putt on the anthill hole at Golf-O-Rama, but that's what real news outlets do: dig deep and cover the tough stories. Now if you'll excuse me I've learned that there is something called "a fort" around here somewhere and that it has "fireworks" on the "4th of July." Should be good for 2,500 words and some pancakes.
POSTSCRIPT-- WW mentions Warren G. Harding but not Tony Harding. Maybe that's because she's from Oregon?
