Cowlitz County earns the dubious distinction of having recorded the highest percentage of restricted properties among all the counties of Washington. With more than 8,000 identified so far, it ranks second in number to King County whose population and housing stock is 20 times that of Cowlitz. Many of the restrictions were imposed by the owners of the Long-Bell lumber company which planned and developed the city of Longview starting in 1923, wrapping most of its subdivisions with restrictive covenants banning "any person who is not of the white race." The links below lead to three resources featuring different kinds of maps, lists, and information showing the neighborhoods impacted by racial restrictive covenants and the history of segregation and exclusion.
