Named for its history of hazel trees, Hazel Dell, Washington started as a farming community. Today, this unincorporated area of Clark County gets a Niche neighborhood grade of B-. If you asked residents, however, you’d probably get much less bland reviews. The area consists of older ranch homes that boast large, often quarter-acre lots with mature trees (like hazels!), plus modern townhomes and middle-priced apartment rentals. And residents have an ample assortment of food, business and services mixed in.
Considered a dense suburb, Hazel Dell officially is recorded to have 23,086 residents, with slightly more homeowners than renters (56% versus 44%). The borders of Hazel Dell are hard to describe. Try to imagine a Texas-shaped boundary plopped between Vancouver Lake and St. Johns Road.
People often describe Hazel Dell as two different areas — depending on which side of the I-5 you’re located on, or sometimes which iteration of Hazel Dell you’ve experienced. This is mostly likely due to the area’s crime stats. There are higher instances of property crime and they seem to be concentrated near the I-5 interstate. Notably, the rate of violent crime is slightly lower than that of the average U.S. neighborhood, according to Crimegrade.org. Despite Hazel Dell’s reputation among some locals, the vast majority of the area is welcoming, safe, and pleasant, which Niche compares to Oregon’s Forest Grove or Milwaukie.
What Neighbors Say
Donald Walkinshaw and Ruby Smith (soon to be Walkinshaw) moved to Hazel Dell for new beginnings before their upcoming wedding. “We love living here,” says Smith. “We’re walkable to some of our favorite spots — usually Mahoney’s Public House on Tuesdays for trivia or at Señor Taps for the best queso dip ever.” They say that when it comes to work/life balance this neighborhood offers a great fit. “We both work remotely and that gives us the freedom to live anywhere, but we choose to be here because we love this fun, safe and welcoming community,” says Smith.
Katie Wright and her family agree. Wright owns the Drip Drop Art Studio for kids downtown and loves the simple commute. ”We chose to live in Hazel Dell because of its easy accessibility to stores, downtown Vancouver, and Portland. We love the neighborhood school and Jorgenson Woods Neighborhood Park, especially in the summer,” she says.
Play Here
Hazel Dell Community Park offers local families room to roam with walking trails and play equipment. While not directly in the Hazel Dell boundaries, many people enjoy the expansive recreation opportunities at nearby Klineline Pond in Salmon Creek Regional Park and at Felida Community Park, including the newly updated playground.
Enjoy the fun of family bowling night at Husted’s Hazel Dell Lanes (pictured above), which offers all the standard bowling alley amenities, including an onsite diner, and junior and adult leagues. Fridays and Saturdays pop in for karaoke and cosmic bowling right after East-West Martial Arts karate classes. A short drive away, families can test their problem-solving skills at the Northwest Escape Experience or catch a flick at the Regal Cinemas.
And for 59 years, families have been cheering on musicians of all ages at the Hazel Dell Parade of Bands. The event happens in mid-May each year. The Parade of Bands is the largest parade in Southwest Washington. In 2025, it featured 24 different high school bands with over 120 entries total.
Eat Here
Hazel Dell is packed full of food options. Do you want birria, chicken wings, sushi, gyros, pizza or pho? There’s a restaurant in Hazel Dell serving all of those dishes and more.
Pacific 63 Center is a bustling restaurant hub off 63rd street. Neighbors go to Golden City for its solid Chinese food menu as well as El Tapatio for Mexican.
“We also love going to MegaBite Hazel Dell,” adds neighbor Ashley Woods. “It’s an old-school pizza place with amazing pizza and their fish and chips are five stars as well!” MegaBite also has retro arcade games for the kids while you wait for your order.
“We love going to Brothers Cascadia Brewing to pick from their food carts — and we see happy kids and dogs there all the time,” says Hazel Dell resident Jenna Van Valen. The Brothers Cascadia brewery has ample indoor and outdoor seating and the food carts serve up seasonal offerings, including Cajun nachos, wood-fired pizza and bahn mi.
Live Here
$389,250: Median home price
$1,510: Average rent for a 2-bedroom apartment
Source: Realtor.com and Zumper.com