Visitor’s Guide

Campus and Community

Clark College's 90-acre arboretum is open to the public and includes the Royce E. Pollard Japanese Garden. Each spring, visitors enjoy more than 100 Shirofugen cherry trees in bloom, while the campus's shaded walkways and green spaces provide a welcoming place to relax throughout the year.

The campus also features a theatre, art gallery, dental clinic, fitness center, career services, child care, and other facilities that serve both students and the community. Throughout the year, Clark College welcomes thousands of visitors for performances, exhibitions, athletic events, lectures, and cultural celebrations, including the annual Clark College Jazz Festival and Sakura Festival.

Southwest Washington

Vancouver, home to Clark College's main campus, is Washington's fourth-largest city and the county seat of Clark County. The city is part of the Portland–Vancouver–Hillsboro metropolitan area, one of the nation's largest metropolitan regions. Southwest Washington encompasses vibrant urban centers, growing suburban communities, and rural towns connected by agricultural lands, forests, rivers, and scenic open spaces.

Clark College serves residents throughout Clark County, Skamania County, and portions of Klickitat County through its main campus in Vancouver and educational locations in Ridgefield and east Vancouver. This broad service area enables the college to provide accessible higher education, workforce training, community partnerships, and cultural programming that support the economic vitality and quality of life throughout the region.

Recreation

Residents and visitors enjoy abundant outdoor recreation opportunities, including hiking, bicycling, camping, fishing, and kayaking. The nearby Columbia River Gorge and Cascade Mountains provide year-round access to world-class scenery and recreation, from skiing and snowboarding to windsurfing, kiteboarding, hiking, and cycling.

Employment

Clark County is home to a diverse and growing economy anchored by advanced manufacturing, semiconductor technology, health care, logistics, education, and professional services. Major employers include WaferTech, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, SEH America, PeaceHealth, The Vancouver Clinic, Clark College, and numerous public agencies and school districts. The Port of Vancouver USA serves as one of the Pacific Northwest's major deep-water ports, supporting international trade and regional industry. As the region's leading provider of workforce education and training, the college partners closely with employers to prepare students and incumbent workers for careers in high-demand industries, including advanced manufacturing, health care, information technology, and skilled trades.

Services

Two major regional medical centers serve Clark County, highly regarded K–12 school districts, and two public institutions of higher education: Clark College and Washington State University Vancouver, which offers bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degree programs. Two interstate crossings—the Interstate Bridge (I-5) and the Glenn L. Jackson Memorial Bridge (I-205)—connect Southwest Washington with the Portland metropolitan area, where many residents work and access Portland International Airport, regional transit, health care, and cultural and commercial amenities.