Where am I?

It’s come to our attention that many people have no idea where they are.

Or more specifically, where their home is located. You see, you can have a “Vancouver, WA” address, without actually living in city limits.

It came up quite a bit right after I published a story about how the folks behind an anti light rail petition cited that as a factor behind their having two-thirds of their signatures invalidated.

I even got a message asking that The Columbian publish a map showing the city’s limits. (Sorry, we lack the space to do it really well, plus a map isn’t exactly news — unless the city limits expand.)

Guess Vancouver’s heard the same recently, because it posted to its Facebook page this map, which clearly outlines where you may be in the world.

Biggest differences between being in the city proper and within its urban growth area? If you don’t live in the city, you don’t pay taxes to Vancouver. (Although you may have your sewer or water supplied by them).

You also can’t vote for or against the mayor and city council — as much as you may want to. Your taxes and services and representation lie with Clark County.

Happy hunting!