Evergreen Field/Evergreen Airport | Vancouver, Washington
Evergreen Field (also called Evergreen Airport) didn’t close because of a single dramatic event—it was mainly economic pressure + land development + urban encroachment. Here’s the real story:
The land became far more valuable than the airport. By the 2000s, the area around the airfield had turned from farmland into suburbs, shopping centers, and commercial development. The owners (the Olson family) decided to sell the property to a developer, which effectively sealed its fate. Plans were made for mixed residential and commercial redevelopment. In short: the land was worth more as real estate than as a small general-aviation airport.
It was also getting harder to sustain financially. The airport had already been shrinking for years, with pieces of land sold off just to keep operations going. Small private airports like this often struggle because of limited revenue (mostly small aircraft, flight training, events) and rising maintenance and insurance costs.
It ended up surrounded by development, which creates noise complaints, safety constraints, and pressure from nearby property owners. This is a very common pattern—small airfields near growing cities often disappear for this reason.
The airport officially shut down in July 2006 after tenants were given notice to vacate.
After closure, some aviation activity nearby survived at the adjacent Evergreen North–South Airpark, which is still operating privately.
Many planes relocated to other local airports like Grove Field.
Evergreen Field didn’t close due to an accident or regulation—it was a classic case of suburban growth overtaking a small airport. The owners sold the land, and development pressure made keeping it open impractical.
The land became far more valuable than the airport. By the 2000s, the area around the airfield had turned from farmland into suburbs, shopping centers, and commercial development. The owners (the Olson family) decided to sell the property to a developer, which effectively sealed its fate. Plans were made for mixed residential and commercial redevelopment. In short: the land was worth more as real estate than as a small general-aviation airport.
It was also getting harder to sustain financially. The airport had already been shrinking for years, with pieces of land sold off just to keep operations going. Small private airports like this often struggle because of limited revenue (mostly small aircraft, flight training, events) and rising maintenance and insurance costs.
It ended up surrounded by development, which creates noise complaints, safety constraints, and pressure from nearby property owners. This is a very common pattern—small airfields near growing cities often disappear for this reason.
The airport officially shut down in July 2006 after tenants were given notice to vacate.
After closure, some aviation activity nearby survived at the adjacent Evergreen North–South Airpark, which is still operating privately.
Many planes relocated to other local airports like Grove Field.
Evergreen Field didn’t close due to an accident or regulation—it was a classic case of suburban growth overtaking a small airport. The owners sold the land, and development pressure made keeping it open impractical.