The Esther Short neighborhood is the city’s commercial, cultural, financial and municipal center. Within the neighborhood is Vancouver’s vibrant and livable downtown with its numerous small shops, restaurants, entertainment, and river front areas, and is home to many residents. Despite being the state’s fourth largest city, the downtown has the character of a small town. Since 1997 approximately $300 million have been invested in new downtown projects. The proposed redevelopment of the waterfront at the Boise Cascade site and Carr Motors site indicate that even greater investment will be made in the downtown in the next several years. The Esther Short Park (dedicated in 1855) is the oldest public square in the Pacific Northwest and is intended to be heart of the downtown district. It repre