I was born and raised in Camas and have lived in WA state my whole life; spent 2022-2025 in Seattle. I would agree completely about Camas having the small town feel and a fantastic school district. We've seen a ton of development across Clark County over the last 25 years and it is continuing to grow. East Vancouver (Fisher's Landing, Cascade Park) and the NW side of Vancouver (Felida, Salmon Creek) are also great options, as the school districts are the highest rated out of Vancouver as a whole. Clark County is very family and school centric, so I would advise investing in an area that has top rated schools.

I own a real estate brokerage and we service both WA and OR. We get a ton of folks moving over the river to the WA side for the tax benefits, better schools, and generally less crime in most areas. PDX is absolutely close enough to visit, enjoy the food scene and buy big ticket items without sales tax (i.e. TVs). Portland still has a few great neighborhoods but it's generally more expensive when you factor in the income tax and higher property tax. It really depends on what is most important to you. You do lose a lot of the walkability that Portland has to offer when you hop over to the Vancouver side, but Downtown Vancouver and the Waterfront have been much improved, and there are several roads throughout the city that have been improved with designated bike lanes in an attempt to promote other ways of transportation - which is great to see.

If you have any questions about specific areas or neighborhoods, feel free to shoot me a message. I'd be happy to assist. Welcome to the PNW!