First Nations lore says that long ago, the Bridge of the Gods, a natural rock bridge, spanned the Columbia River. Each bank was home to a brother: Pahto on the north side, and Wy’East on the south. In a story as old as time, the brothers fought over the attentions of a fair maiden named Loowit; the furious battle shattered the bridge. Their dad was so pissed he turned his sons into mountains: Pahto became Mount Adams and Wy’East, Mount Hood. Loowit lives forever as Mount St. Helens.

Something about this riverside rivalry rings true today. During the 1800s, neighboring communities competed for roads, railroad terminals, canals, and steamship landings (the Deschutes River Railroad War is a great example).

Today, the beefs are better natured, and the competition is more likely to focus on brewpubs and boat launches. For some, there’s no place like home, while others say the grass is always greener on the other side.

Cascade Locks vs. Stevenson

This matchup is a good, old-fashioned steamboat rivalry. Both towns sprang up in the 1800s near the epic rapids that once lent their name to the Cascade Mountains. No sternwheeler could cross the rapids, so they had to stop and portage. But should they anchor on the Oregon side or the Washington side? Whiskey Flats on the Oregon side boasted saloons, hotels, and, uh, plenty of nightlife. Stevenson on the Washington side had its share of saloons and hotels, but added a drugstore, courthouse, print shop, and jail. The Oregon side got a boost in 1896 with the construction of the locking gate that allowed ships to bypass the rapids. But if there’s one thing to learn about the Columbia, it’s that nothing stays the same for long. In 1938, Bonneville Dam drowned the rapids, made the locks redundant, and evened the score. The two towns adapted by turning a perpetual annoyance—the wind—into a civic asset. Cascade Locks is now a prime sailing destination, while Stevenson is more a windsurfer haunt: Bob’s Beach is a premier launch point.

Cascade Locks

• Population: 1,144
• Founded: 1853
• Nickname: The Locks
• High school team: Pirates
• Popular attractions: The Sternwheeler. Thunder Island. Lockhouse.
• Local classic: Eastwind Drive-In
• Local favorite: The Indigenous-owned Brigham Fish Market
• Local pastime: Chuckling at tourists who foolishly order a fast-melting footlong soft serve at Eastwind Drive-In.
• Celebrity sighting: Reese Witherspoon during the shooting of Wild in 2014. Bridge of the Gods traffic increased so dramatically after the movie’s release, the toll doubled from $1 to $2 in 2016. It increased again to $3 in 2022. Also, everyone walking the Pacific Crest Trail.
• Signature summer events: Pacific Crest Trail Days, Aug 16–17
• Columbia River Swim, Sept. 2

Stevenson

• Population: 1,491
• Founded: 1893
• High school team: Bulldogs
• Local classic: The Skamania County Pioneer, first published in 1893, still produces a weekly edition from an old-timey office downtown.
• Local pastime: Trainspotting. Trains whiz through downtown several times a day.
• Local haunt: Walking Man Brewing
• Best place to swim: Bob’s Beach
• Celebrity sighting: Fabio! The smooth-chested ‘80s icon owns a 500-acre spread near Stevenson.
• Signature summer events: Columbia Gorge Bluegrass Festival, July 25–28 Stevenson Waterfront Music Festival, Aug. 2–3

Hood River vs. White Salmon vs. Bingen

This three-way smackdown isn’t about who’s the biggest. Hood River is twice the size of its two rivals combined. Throw in access to Mount Hood, fabled windsurfing, and hopping bar and shopping scenes, and it looks like a hands-down winner. But slow your roll a second. White Salmon and Bingen offer access to great windsurfing, too, as well as incredible hiking and rafting, and not everyone likes the crowds that being the trendiest brings. If a commanding view is your thing, White Salmon’s bluffside location makes it the clear winner. For tech types, Bingen stands out…it’s the smallest of the three, but home to Insitu, a high-tech drone maker.

Hood River

• Population: 8,313
• Founded: 1868
• Nickname: “Windsurfing Capital of the World”
• Notable resident: Indie-rock band Flor
• Popular attractions: Travelling and eating along the Fruit Loop. Make a special trip for Montavon’s blueberries in July.
• Favorite food: Tacos. There are way more than a dozen taco joints in the town. We’re partial to Love & Hominy.
• Signature summer event: Hood River is so popular during the summer it doesn’t need many events to draw outsiders. Locals show their stuff at the Hood River County Fair, July 24–27.

White Salmon

• Population: 2,224
• Founded: 1852
• Nickname: “The Land Where the Sun Meets the Rain”
• Notable resident: Kayaking legend Tao Berman
• Popular attraction: Rafting on the White Salmon River
• Local haunt: Everybody’s Brewing. When Hood River fills up with tourists during the summer months, many locals escape across the water to this brewpub on the quieter Washington side.
• Local haunt for grape lovers: Soča Wine Shop
• Local pastime: Waterfall hunting. Complaining that the White Salmon Baking Company’s pizza nights are indefinitely postponed. The bread is still great, though.
• Signature summer event: July 4 community parade

Bingen

• Population: 778
• Founded: 1892
• Nickname: None, but say it BIN-jin, as in “bingein’ on bacon.”
• Best namesake: Medieval mystic and shoegaze pioneer Hildegard von Bingen
• Popular pastime: Paragliding
• Local attraction: The Bingen Theater offers plays, live music, and movies.
• Favorite place for treasure hunting: Antiques & Oddities
• Local haunt: The pool at The Society Hotel
• Signature summer event: Bingen Huckleberry Festival, Sept. 6–8

Richland vs. Kennewick vs. Pasco

The confluence of three major rivers—Columbia, Snake, and Yakima—feeds a complex maze of cultural crosscurrents. Kennewick is the biggest of the three cities and hosts a magnificent restored carousel, a hockey team (the Tri-City Americans), the annual rodeo, and the biggest pickleball complex in the state. Richland was a tiny farming community until World War II, when the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers built a giant secret city for the workers toiling on the Hanford nuclear reactor (see page 79). Today, Richland feels a little more affluent than its neighbors, with a hopping downtown. Pasco has a great flea market, a minor league baseball team (the Tri-City Dust Devils), and Sacajawea State Park, and Kennewick is working on developing Clover Island (see page 12) as an entertainment destination. All three offer prime access to Washington Wine Country, with more than 200 wineries within a 50-mile radius (visittri-cities.com). The major shared summer event brings hydrofoil racing to the river for the Columbia Cup, July 26–28 (waterfollies.com).

Kennewick

• Population: 84,750
• Founded: 1904
• High school team: Lions
• Notable resident: Kennewick Man, “The Ancient One,” the oldest known inhabitant of North America. His skeleton was discovered here during a boat race in 1996. Archaeologists eventually concluded that Kennewick Man was at least 9,200 years old.
• Local haunt: D’s Wicked Cider House
• Big festivals: Horseshoe Pitching World Tournament, July 29–Aug. 10
• Benton Franklin Fair and Rodeo, Aug. 20–24

Pasco

• Population: 79,315
• Founded: 1891
• High school team: Bulldogs
• Notable resident: Musician Ty Bailie, keyboardist for Katy Perry, grew up in nearby Mesa.
• Local haunt: Underground Taphouse has great trivia nights.
• Local attraction: The weekend Pasco Flea Market
• Team to root for: TriCity Dust Devils, a Los Angeles Angels affiliate
• Fun fact: Named for a city in Peru
• Signature summer event: Back to School Show and Shine Car Event, Aug. 3

Richland

• Population: 60,560
• Founded: 1910
• Nickname: Atomic City
• High school team: Bombers
• Notable resident: Actress Sharon Tate went to Richland High School and worked at the A&W Drive-In, now the Atomic Ale Brewpub.
• Local hangout: Emerald of Siam is the hot spot for live music.
• Attractions: Adventures Underground, a book and game store. Spudnut Donuts offers torus-shaped confections made from potato flour. Xenophile Bibliopole bookstore.
• Fun fact: Home to the biggest freezer in the world
• Signature summer event: Art in the Park, July 26–27

This story is part of Oregon Summer Magazine, Willamette Week’s annual guide to the summer months, this year focused along the Columbia River. It is free and can be found all over Portland beginning Monday, July 1st, 2024. Find a copy at one of the locations noted on this map before they all get picked up! Read more from Oregon Summer magazine online here.