Camas

Camas, WA

Camas LiliesOfficially incorporated on June 18, 1906, the city is named after the camas lily, a plant with an onion-like bulb prized by Native Americans. At the west end of downtown Camas is a large Georgia-Pacific paper mill from which the high school teams get their name, “the Papermakers”. A paper mill was first established in the city in 1883 with the support of Henry Pittock, a wealthy entrepreneur from England who had settled in Portland, Oregon, where he published The Oregonian.

Pittock’s LaCamas Colony bought 2,600 acres in 1883, forming the Columbia River Paper Company the following year to begin production in 1885, before merging with Oregon City’s Crown Paper Company to form Crown Columbia Paper in 1905. Converting from steam to electricity in 1913, it then merged with Willamette Paper in 1914 and then again in 1928 with Zellerbach Paper to become the largest paper company on the west coast, Crown Zellerbach. Changing from newsprint to toilet tissue in 1930, it temporarily produced shipyard parts during the Second World War. In 1950 it was the first factory to produce folded paper napkins. “Crown Z” was the area’s biggest employer in 1971, with 2,643 of approximately 3,700 Clark County paper-mill workers. Various other mergers took place until Georgia-Pacific’s mill was the sole property of Koch Industries. In 2018, Koch announced plans to lay off approximately 200–300 workers, shutting down all equipment related to communications paper, fine paper conversion, and pulping operations. There are plans to remove the paper mill entirely and recover the waterfront. 

The city is about 20 miles (32 km) east of Portland. Historically, the commercial base of the city was almost solely the paper mill; however, the diversity of industries has been enhanced considerably in recent years by the influx of several white-collar, high-tech companies. These include Hewlett-Packard, Sharp Microelectronics, Linear Technology, WaferTech, and Underwriters Labs.

Annual events include the summer “Camas Days”, as well as other festivals and celebrations.

One of the major geographical features of the city is Prune Hill. Prune Hill is an extinct volcanic vent and is part of the Boring Lava Field of northwest Oregon and southwest Washington.

Homes for Sale in Camas

$1,115,000 - 4Br/2Ba -  for Sale in Camas
New
Price $1,115,000
Beds 4
Baths 2
Living Area SqFt 2,480
Status Active
MLS # 668242422
Property Type Singlefamilyresidence
 
$1,200,000 - 4Br/3Ba -  for Sale in Camas
Open House
New
Price $1,200,000
Beds 4
Baths 3
Living Area SqFt 3,136
Status Active
MLS # 229020098
Property Type Singlefamilyresidence
 
$1,549,000 - 4Br/4Ba -  for Sale in Camas
New
Price $1,549,000
Beds 4
Baths 4
Living Area SqFt 3,722
Status Active
MLS # 625824608
Property Type Singlefamilyresidence
 
$699,900 - 4Br/3Ba -  for Sale in Prune Hill Park, Camas
New
Price $699,900
Beds 4
Baths 3
Living Area SqFt 2,174
Status Active
MLS # 161049486
Property Type Singlefamilyresidence
 
$459,000 - 3Br/3Ba -  for Sale in Oak Park Addn, Camas
New
Price $459,000
Beds 3
Baths 3
Living Area SqFt 1,274
Status Active
MLS # 439627990
Property Type Attached
 
$1,050,000 - 6Br/3Ba -  for Sale in Sierra Meadows, Camas
Open House
New
Price $1,050,000
Beds 6
Baths 3
Living Area SqFt 3,114
Status Active
MLS # 120613784
Property Type Singlefamilyresidence
 
$750,000 - 3Br/3Ba -  for Sale in Two Creeks At Camas Meadows, Camas
New
Price $750,000
Beds 3
Baths 3
Living Area SqFt 2,236
Status Active
MLS # 513999452
Property Type Condominium
 
$704,900 - 3Br/2Ba -  for Sale in Camas Heights, Camas
New
Price $704,900
Beds 3
Baths 2
Living Area SqFt 1,916
Status Active
MLS # 673302826
Property Type Singlefamilyresidence
 
Price $1,590,000
Beds 4
Baths 3
Living Area SqFt 2,952
Status Active
MLS # 696090725
Property Type Singlefamilyresidence
 
Price $1,550,000
Beds 4
Baths 4
Living Area SqFt 4,334
Status Active
MLS # 385342321
Property Type Singlefamilyresidence
 
$1,349,900 - 3Br/3Ba -  for Sale in Lacamas Hills - Cushman Plan, Camas
Open House
Price $1,349,900
Beds 3
Baths 3
Living Area SqFt 2,550
Status Active
MLS # 219887564
Property Type Singlefamilyresidence
 
Price $697,000
Beds 3
Baths 3
Living Area SqFt 1,875
Status Active
MLS # 267525818
Property Type Singlefamilyresidence
 

Recent Sales in Camas

Area Details for Camas

Schools in Camas

Go to Top