Point Roberts, Washington

File:Point Roberts, Washington.JPG]]

The area around the southern Tsawwassen Peninsula was a favored fishing spot for several Coast Salish groups, who named the peninsula "q̓ʷulƛ̕əl̕".{{cite web |last=Dougherty |first=Phil |date=September 14, 2009 |title=Point Roberts — Thumbnail History |url=https://www.historylink.org/File/9158 |work=HistoryLink |access-date=September 4, 2020 |archive-date=February 24, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210224182325/https://www.historylink.org/File/9158 |url-status=live }}{{cite web |title=sdaʔdaʔ gʷəɬ dibəɬ dxʷləšucid ʔaciɬtalbixʷ (Puget Sound Geographical names) |date=January 16, 2017 |url=https://tulaliplushootseed.com/places/ |publisher=Tulalip Tribes Lushootseed Language Department |access-date=September 4, 2020 |archive-date=April 4, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220404195058/https://tulaliplushootseed.com/places/ |url-status=live }} The first Europeans to see Point Roberts were members of the 1791 expedition of Francisco de Eliza. The maps produced from Eliza's explorations depicted Point Roberts as "Isla de Cepeda" or "Isla de Zepeda."{{cite book |last= Hayes |first= Derek |title= Historical Atlas of the Pacific Northwest: Maps of exploration and Discovery |year= 1999 |publisher= Sasquatch Books |isbn= 1-57061-215-3 |pages= 72}}[http://w3.gsa.gov/web/p/interaia_save.nsf/cf0d4c7c0de34938852563d3004975f3/8678dd54a2b40948852565d90053a19e?OpenDocument U.S. Port of Entry/Point Roberts Border Station] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080210150415/http://w3.gsa.gov/web/p/interaia_save.nsf/cf0d4c7c0de34938852563d3004975f3/8678dd54a2b40948852565d90053a19e?OpenDocument |date=February 10, 2008 }}, Historic Federal Buildings In 1792, the British expedition of George Vancouver and the Spanish expedition of Dionisio Alcalá Galiano encountered one another near Point Roberts. In the morning of June 13, 1792, the two ships under Galiano sailed into Boundary Bay and verified Point Roberts was not an island, which was thus renamed Punta Cepeda. They then sailed around Point Roberts and immediately encountered HMS Chatham, the second ship of Vancouver's expedition. The two parties made contact and agreed to share information and work together in mapping the Strait of Georgia.{{cite book |last= Kendrick |first= John |title= The Voyage of Sutil and Mexicana, 1792: The last Spanish exploration of the Northwest Coast of America |year= 1990 |publisher= The Arthur H. Clark Company |location= Spokane, Washington |isbn= 0-87062-203-X |pages= 111–113}}

Point Roberts acquired its present name from George Vancouver, who named it after his friend Henry Roberts, who had originally been given command of the expedition.{{cite web |url=http://www.historylink.org/index.cfm?DisplayPage=output.cfm&file_id=9158 |title=Point Roberts—Thumbnail History |publisher=HistoryLink |author=Dougherty, Phil |date=September 15, 2009 |access-date=July 26, 2010 |archive-date=August 19, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160819201848/http://www.historylink.org/index.cfm?DisplayPage=output.cfm&file_id=9158 |url-status=live }} Point Roberts assumed its present political status in 1846, when the Oregon Treaty extended the 49th parallel as the boundary between U.S. and British territory from the Rocky Mountains to Georgia Strait.

After years of joint occupation of the disputed area between Mexican California and Russian America (now Alaska) known as the Oregon Country to the Americans, and as the Columbia District to the British, American expansionists like U.S. Senator Edward A. Hannegan of Indiana urged U.S. President James K. Polk to annex the entire Oregon Country up to latitude 54°40′N, as the Democrats had been elected on the slogan "Fifty-Four Forty or Fight".

While his government asserted that the title of the United States of America to the entire territory was unquestionable even though there was only one U.S. resident (a former Briton) north of the Columbia basin, Polk and Secretary of State James Buchanan made an offer of a boundary at 49 degrees with the line straight across Vancouver Island, with no commercial privilege to be granted to the British south of the line, with the exception of free ports on Vancouver Island. The British rejected the offer and the U.S. soon withdrew it.

On April 18, 1846, notice was forwarded to London that the U.S. Congress had adopted a joint resolution abrogating the Treaty of 1818 which provided for joint occupancy.

The British emissary, Richard Pakenham, had been advised that the last concession he could expect of the United States was to bend the boundary at the 49th parallel around the southern end of Vancouver Island. Fort Victoria was viewed as the future center for settlements on the island. It was deemed necessary around this point in time to give up territory on the Lower Mainland to keep Vancouver Island part of British North America.

Lord Aberdeen, British Foreign Secretary, proposed a treaty making the 49th parallel the boundary to the sea, giving the UK the whole of Vancouver Island. The Treaty of Oregon was concluded on June 15, 1846.

The acceptance of the 49th parallel as the international boundary was concluded without precise knowledge of its effects. Later, as the Boundary Commission surveyed the line, the British government realized the peninsula of Point Roberts would be an isolated part of the United States. The British Foreign Office instructed Captain James Prevost, the British Boundary Commissioner, to inform his U.S. counterpart of the situation and request Point Roberts be left to Britain, because of the great inconvenience it would be to the United States. If the American Boundary Commission was reluctant, Prevost was instructed to offer "some equivalent compensation by a slight alteration of the Line of Boundary on the Mainland". It is not known how the U.S. commissioner responded, but Point Roberts remained part of the United States.{{cite book |last= Hayes |first= Derek |title= Historical Atlas of the Pacific Northwest: Maps of exploration and Discovery |year= 1999 |publisher= Sasquatch Books |isbn= 1-57061-215-3 |pages= 161}}

File:US-border-notice.jpg|Notice at the international boundary between Canada and the United States in Point Roberts

File:Warning sign at Point Roberts.jpg|Boundary post in Point Roberts, Washington at the boundary between U.S. and Canada; photo taken at English Bluff Road, Delta facing Marine Drive, Point Roberts

File:Boundary Marker No.1 Point Roberts.JPG|Boundary Marker No.1 on the 49th parallel north on the western shore of Point Roberts, erected in 1861

During the 1858 Fraser gold rush, prospectors from Victoria, BC who were attempting to avoid tax collection briefly settled Point Roberts. Their settlement was called Robert's Town and consisted of six wooden buildings, including a store and saloon, but lasted less than a year.{{Cite book |last = Murray |first= Anne |title= Tracing Our Past |year= 2008 |publisher= Nature Guides BC |isbn= 978-0-9780088-2-6 |pages= 87}}

In 1949, there was talk about Point Roberts seceding from the U.S. and joining Canada. A regional development plan for the Lower Mainland presented in 1952 suggested turning Point Roberts into an international park or leasing it for 99 or 999 years.{{cite news |date=March 1, 1952 |title=New Bridges Across Fraser, Express Routes To U.S. Urged |page=40 |work=The Province |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/50412309/new-bridges-across-fraser-express/ |via=Newspapers.com |access-date=May 6, 2020 |archive-date=June 15, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200615003334/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/50412309/new-bridges-across-fraser-express/ |url-status=live }} In 1973, a drought that caused the wells to run dry created tensions between Point Roberts's U.S. and Canadian residents. The Americans threatened to cut off the Canadian residents' water supply — and hung up signs saying "Canadians Go Home" — unless the Canadian municipality of Delta agreed to provide water. An agreement signed on August 28, 1987, requires the Point Roberts Water District to purchase raw water on an annual basis from the Greater Vancouver Water District.{{Cite web|url=http://www.pointrobertswaterdistrict.com/|title=Point Roberts Water District #4 | Point Roberts WA|website=www.pointrobertswaterdistrict.com|access-date=July 29, 2022|archive-date=February 24, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210224195956/http://www.pointrobertswaterdistrict.com/|url-status=live}} Delta Fire Department also provides assistance to the Point Roberts volunteer fire department when requested. Until 1988, BC Tel (now Telus Communications) provided telephone service; the sole exchange prefix of 945, officially part of area code 206, could also be dialed through area code 604 during the period of BC Tel ownership.{{Cite news|url=http://www.canada.com/theprovince/news/story.html?id=b887d3f8-2eb5-4886-b42a-b056ed05b509|title='Point Bob' part of the family|date=November 9, 2008|newspaper=The Vancouver Province|author=Staff|access-date=January 30, 2010|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121105113833/http://www.canada.com/theprovince/news/story.html?id=b887d3f8-2eb5-4886-b42a-b056ed05b509|archive-date=November 5, 2012}}

After the September 11 attacks of 2001, security at border crossings—including Point Roberts—was increased, leading to long delays for residents.{{cite news |last=Gilmore |first=Susan |date=October 3, 2001 |title=U.S. town finds border access intolerable |page=B1 |work=The Seattle Times}} The Canadian border was closed to non-essential travel in March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which had been worsening in both countries but especially in the United States.{{cite news |last=Judd |first=Ron |date=March 18, 2020 |title=Confusion, uncertainty as officials announce U.S.-Canada border restrictions to slow coronavirus |url=https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/confusion-uncertainty-as-officials-announce-u-s-canada-border-restrictions-to-slow-coronavirus/ |work=The Seattle Times |access-date=March 18, 2020 |archive-date=March 19, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200319052730/https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/confusion-uncertainty-as-officials-announce-u-s-canada-border-restrictions-to-slow-coronavirus/ |url-status=live }}{{cite news |last=Fremson |first=Ruth |date=September 1, 2020 |title='I Am Stuck Until That Border Opens': Marooned in Paradise |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/09/01/us/coronavirus-point-roberts-washington-canada.html |work=The New York Times |access-date=September 3, 2020 |archive-date=September 3, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200903030203/https://www.nytimes.com/2020/09/01/us/coronavirus-point-roberts-washington-canada.html |url-status=live }} In 2020, a study found that Point Roberts had lost 80 percent of its business and hundreds of seasonal residents as a result of the pandemic and border shutdown. The area, described as a "ghost town" by the local chamber of commerce director, had no confirmed cases of COVID-19 {{as of|September 2020|lc=y}}.{{cite news |last=Ballard |first=Joel |date=September 27, 2020 |title=The birth of a ghost town: Point Roberts has lost 80% of its business, hundreds of its residents |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/point-roberts-covid-1.5740806 |work=CBC News |access-date=September 27, 2020 |archive-date=September 27, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200927165603/https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/point-roberts-covid-1.5740806 |url-status=live }} A temporary ferry was set up by the Port of Bellingham in August 2020 to connect Point Roberts to the mainland, initially to Blaine and later to Bellingham. The Canadian government waived its mandatory COVID testing requirements for Point Roberts residents in February 2021, following negotiations with Washington state.{{cite news |last=O'Sullivan |first=Joseph |date=February 17, 2021 |title=Inslee: Canada won't require coronavirus testing for residents of Point Roberts |url=https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/health/inslee-canada-wont-require-covid-19-testing-for-residents-of-point-roberts-wash/ |work=The Seattle Times |accessdate=February 18, 2021 |archive-date=February 18, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210218031423/https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/health/inslee-canada-wont-require-covid-19-testing-for-residents-of-point-roberts-wash/ |url-status=live }} The border was fully reopened for non-essential travel in August 2021 and the ferry service ceased the same month.{{cite news |last=Gallagher |first=Dave |date=July 22, 2021 |title=With Canada reopening its border, the Port of Bellingham is ending this service |url=https://www.bellinghamherald.com/news/coronavirus/article252951728.html |work=The Bellingham Herald |accessdate=September 22, 2022}}

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Point Roberts was acclaimed as the "safest place" for avoiding coronavirus due to its isolation from the mainland United States and Canada and very low case numbers.{{Cite news |date=April 17, 2020 |title=Point Roberts among 'safest places on earth' |language=en-US |website=Global News |url=https://globalnews.ca/video/6836491/point-roberts-among-safest-places-on-earth/ |access-date=December 21, 2022 |archive-date=December 4, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221204015050/https://globalnews.ca/video/6836491/point-roberts-among-safest-places-on-earth/ |url-status=live }}{{Cite news |last=Murphy |first=Ted |date=April 18, 2020 |title=Point Roberts gets international acclaim as 'safest place' in U.S. during pandemic |language=en |website=Delta Optimist |url=https://www.delta-optimist.com/local-news/point-roberts-gets-international-acclaim-as-safest-place-in-us-during-pandemic-3121193 |access-date=December 21, 2022}} Because of limited access to the rest of Whatcom County and border closures into Canada, the case numbers remained very low.{{Cite news |last=Golden |first=Hallie |date=April 16, 2020 |title='The safest place': how one isolated US town is keeping coronavirus at bay |language=en |website=The Guardian |url=http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/apr/16/coronavirus-point-roberts-geography |access-date=December 21, 2022}} The City of Delta installed a chain-link fence at the end of English Bluff Road in 2025 to deter accidental crossings after an elderly man walked into Point Roberts. The fence was poorly received by local residents and at least one Delta councilmember demanded its removal.{{cite news |last=Vikander |first=Tessa |date=January 23, 2025 |title=Council, locals unhappy after police in Delta, B.C., order new chain-link fence along stretch of U.S. border |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/delta-police-us-border-fence-1.7439078 |work=CBC News |accessdate=January 25, 2025}}{{cite news |last1=Judd |first1=Amy |last2=Palma |first2=Jennifer |date=January 22, 2025 |title='What the heck is going on?' Why this B.C. community put up border fence with U.S. |url=https://globalnews.ca/news/10973171/bc-community-border-fence-us/ |work=Global News |accessdate=January 25, 2025 |archive-date=January 25, 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250125000703/https://globalnews.ca/news/10973171/bc-community-border-fence-us/ |url-status=live }}

File:Point Roberts USGS map cropped.JPG

Point Roberts is a U.S. exclave bordered by Canada and the waters of Boundary Bay. It is {{convert|22|mi}} south of Downtown Vancouver, British Columbia. Point Roberts is part of the U.S. because it lies south of the 49th parallel, which constitutes the Canada–US border in that area. Other exclaves of this type include parts of Minnesota such as the Northwest Angle and Elm Point, Minnesota. Alburgh, Vermont and nearby Province Point are separated from the rest of the U.S. by Lake Champlain, though Alburgh is reachable by highway bridge from "mainland" Vermont.

Point Roberts borders the municipality of Delta in British Columbia. Boundary Bay lies to the east of Point Roberts and the Strait of Georgia to the south and west. The U.S. portion of the peninsula is about {{convert|2|mi|0}} from north to south and about {{convert|3|mi|0}} from east to west. It has an area of {{convert|4.884|sqmi}}, all land.

File:East cliff-face Lily Point.jpg

Beneath Point Roberts, the bedrock of the Chuckanut Formation was deposited as an alluvial plain containing layers of sediments consisting of silt, sand, gravel and peat. During the last 60 million years the sediments were compacted and folded by mountain building forces from continental drift to form strata of siltstone, sandstone, conglomerate and coal. During recent geologic history, the Chuckanut formation was overridden by four or more glaciations.{{cite journal| last = Armstrong | first = J.E |author2=Crandell, D. R. |author3=Easterbrook, D. J. |author4=Noble, J. E. | name-list-style=amp|title = Late Pleistocene Stratigraphy and Chronology in Southwestern British Columbia and Northwestern Washington | journal = Geological Society of America Bulletin | volume = 76 | pages = 321–330 | date = March 1965 | doi = 10.1130/0016-7606(1965)76[321:LPSACI]2.0.CO;2 | issue = 3| bibcode = 1965GSAB...76..321A }}

Point Roberts consists of a series of the resulting glacial sediments resting upon the Chuckanut Formation. The lowest glacial sediments (now near sea level) are from Salmon Springs or older glaciations. At the peak of the most recent glaciation, the main ice sheet was in excess of {{Convert|7000|ft}} thick as it moved southward between Vancouver Island and the Canadian Coast Range and down the Strait of Georgia. A smaller lobe of the continental glacier in excess of {{Convert|5000|ft}} traveled down the Fraser River flood plains merging with the main ice sheet over the greater Vancouver area and Whatcom and Skagit Counties. The coalesced continental ice sheet traveled south terminating in the vicinity of Chehalis, Washington. Relatively impermeable Vashon glacial lodgment till (estimated to be as much as {{Convert|40|ft}} thick at the uppermost layer) was plastered over the advance outwash as the weight of the {{Convert|7000|ft|adj=on}} thick plus Strait of Georgia ice lobe moved southward over approximately 10,000 years. (Armstrong, et al., 1965) Point Roberts, Tsawwassen, and part of British Columbia extending past English Bluff comprised an island at the close of the Vashon Glaciation, approximately 11,000 years ago.

As the ice sheets melted, the thinner Fraser Lobe began to float while the Strait of Georgia lobe acted as a dam forming a lake under the Fraser Lobe. Sediments settling from the melting, floating ice resulted in the accumulation of {{Convert|300|ft}} or more of glacial marine drift over much of western Whatcom County. (Easterbrook, 1976; Geologic Map of Western Whatcom County, Washington, USGS, Map I-854-B) This glacial marine drift is generally soft and was not consolidated by the weight of the glacier. A discontinuous, thin mantle of this glacial marine drift above the glacial lodgement till has been identified sporadically across Point Roberts. The uppermost layer of glacial sediments consists of recessional sand, silt, and gravel deposited as the Strait of Georgia ice lobe receded. Since the recession of the glaciers, the Fraser River has deposited deltaic sediments on the north and easterly side of the Point Roberts-Tsawwassen Island, connecting it to the Greater Vancouver mainland (approximately 2,500 years ago, Murray 2008). At some locations, these sediments have been eroded or removed, exposing the lodgement till.

File:North_from_maple_beach.jpg

• Maple Beach (NE) {{nb5}}
• Monument Park (NW)
• Lighthouse Marine Park (SW)
• Point Roberts Skate Park (Central - recreational open space)
• Lily Point Marine Reserve (SE)
• Cascadia Marine Trail (S and E)

• South Beach Estates (beach rights)
• Bells Grove
• Crystal Waters
• Freeman Beach
• Lily Point
• Maple Beach
• Waters Plat
• Ocean View Estates
• Seabright Farm Cottages
• Cedar Heights

Despite its proximity to 49 °N latitude, Point Roberts has an Oceanic climate (Köppen: Cfb); however, winters may be colder for this climatic subtype, similar to the Vancouver-Seattle-Portland axis.{{Cite web|url=https://www.plantmaps.com/koppen-climate-classification-map-united-states.php|title=Interactive United States Koppen-Geiger Climate Classification Map|website=www.plantmaps.com|language=en|access-date=November 7, 2018|archive-date=January 22, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190122182229/https://www.plantmaps.com/koppen-climate-classification-map-united-states.php|url-status=live}} Point Roberts lies within a depression created by Vancouver Island, the north shore mountains surrounding Vancouver, and the North Cascades (including Mount Baker). This micro-climate provides some of the mildest weather in the Pacific Northwest. With annual precipitation of about {{convert|40|in|mm}}, Point Roberts enjoys more sunny days and a milder climate than its neighbors.{{Citation needed|date=November 2018}} While 49 °N latitude suggests a harsh winter, snow averages and low January temperatures are milder than the American average: {{convert|8.4|in|mm}} in vs {{convert|25.8|in|mm}} and {{convert|35.8|°F|°C}} vs {{convert|22.6|°F|°C}}, respectively. Although the amount of rainfall is less than the regional average, it is better-distributed through the year , with 146 days of precipitation. The comfort index is high.{{Cite web|url=https://www.bestplaces.net/climate/city/washington/point_roberts|title=Point Roberts, Washington Climate|website=www.bestplaces.net|access-date=November 7, 2018|archive-date=March 9, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210309215304/https://www.bestplaces.net/climate/city/washington/point_roberts|url-status=live}}

{{Weatherbox

|location = Point Roberts, Washington

|single line = Y

|collapsed = Y

|Jan high F = 45.3

|Feb high F = 48.3

|Mar high F = 52.4

|Apr high F = 57.3

|May high F = 63.0

|Jun high F = 67.6

|Jul high F = 71.6

|Aug high F = 71.7

|Sep high F = 66.8

|Oct high F = 57.7

|Nov high F = 49.5

|Dec high F = 44.2

|year high F= 58.0

|Jan low F = 34.5

|Feb low F = 35.0

|Mar low F = 38.0

|Apr low F = 41.4

|May low F = 46.3

|Jun low F = 50.8

|Jul low F = 53.6

|Aug low F = 53.4

|Sep low F = 49.0

|Oct low F = 43.4

|Nov low F = 38.2

|Dec low F = 33.7

|year low F= 43.1

|Jan record high F = 61

|Feb record high F = 68

|Mar record high F = 72

|Apr record high F = 80

|May record high F = 85

|Jun record high F = 92

|Jul record high F = 95

|Aug record high F = 92

|Sep record high F = 86

|Oct record high F = 78

|Nov record high F = 65

|Dec record high F = 62

|year record high F= 95

|Jan record low F = −1

|Feb record low F = −1

|Mar record low F = 11

|Apr record low F = 22

|May record low F = 26

|Jun record low F = 35

|Jul record low F = 37

|Aug record low F = 37

|Sep record low F = 28

|Oct record low F = 19

|Nov record low F = 6

|Dec record low F = −1

|year record low F= −1

|precipitation colour = green

|Jan precipitation inch = 4.98

|Feb precipitation inch = 3.40

|Mar precipitation inch = 3.41

|Apr precipitation inch = 2.43

|May precipitation inch = 2.02

|Jun precipitation inch = 1.72

|Jul precipitation inch = 1.22

|Aug precipitation inch = 1.39

|Sep precipitation inch = 1.85

|Oct precipitation inch = 3.65

|Nov precipitation inch = 6.01

|Dec precipitation inch = 5.90

|year precipitation inch= 37.98

|Jan snow inch = 2.5

|Feb snow inch = 1.5

|Mar snow inch = 0.6

|Apr snow inch = 0

|May snow inch = 0

|Jun snow inch = 0

|Jul snow inch = 0

|Aug snow inch = 0

|Sep snow inch = 0

|Oct snow inch = 0.1

|Nov snow inch = 0.7

|Dec snow inch = 3.0

|year snow inch= 8.4

| source 1 = {{cite web|url=https://plantmaps.com/98281|title=Zipcode 98281|website=www.plantmaps.com|access-date=January 20, 2023|archive-date=January 21, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230121021253/https://plantmaps.com/98281|url-status=live}}

| source 2 = {{cite web|url=https://www.bestplaces.net/climate/city/washington/point_roberts|title=Climate in Point Roberts, Washington|website=best-places.net|access-date=January 20, 2023|archive-date=March 9, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210309215304/https://www.bestplaces.net/climate/city/washington/point_roberts|url-status=live}}

|date=April 2011}}

As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 1,314 people, 678 households, and 372 families residing in the Point Roberts ZCTA (ZIP Code Tabulation Area). There were 2,068 housing units, only 678 (33%) of which were occupied. The racial makeup of the ZCTA was 91.9% White, 0.8% African American, 0.8% Native American, 4.5% Asian, 0.3% from other races, and 1.7% from two or more races. Hispanics or Latinos of any race were 2.4% of the population.

The age distribution was 16.2% under 20, 3.0% from 20 to 24, 16.2% from 25 to 44, 40.7% from 45 to 64, and 23.9% who were 65 or older. The median age was 52.7 years.

The median income for a household in the ZCTA was US$58,672; the median income for a family was $75,724; and the per capita income was $39,696.

During the summer the population swells to about 4,500, most of the visitors being vacationing Canadians.

Point Roberts' population includes descendants of Icelandic immigrants, who first settled there in the 1890s.{{cite web|url=http://www.snorri.is/point-roberts.html|title=Point Roberts|work=The Snorri Program|access-date=January 24, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150128132418/http://www.snorri.is/point-roberts.html|archive-date=January 28, 2015|url-status=dead}}

File:Point Roberts United States Post Office.jpg

Many of the area's businesses serve weekend and recreational visitors from Greater Vancouver. Canadians visit for cheaper American gasoline, alcohol, and food when the Canadian Dollar is strong; Americans from Point Roberts seek goods which are cheaper in Canada. Many Canadians visited its bars and nightclubs on Sundays, until Sunday drinking was legalized in British Columbia in 1986.{{cite hansard |jurisdiction=Legislative Assembly of British Columbia |url=http://www.leg.bc.ca/hansard/33rd4th/33p_04s_860526p.htm#08353 |title=Estimates: Ministry of Consumer and Corporate Affairs |date=May 26, 1986 |department=4th Session, 33rd Parliament |page_start=8353 |page_end=8357|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070509204615/http://www.leg.bc.ca/hansard/33rd4th/33p_04s_860526p.htm#08353 |archive-date=May 9, 2007 }} The local post office and several private companies rent many post office boxes to individuals and businesses from the Greater Vancouver area, who find it a convenient and fast way to receive mail and parcels from the United States without paying for cross-border shipping costs, or as a delivery point for online purchases when American sellers do not ship outside the U.S.{{r|pointbob}} The U.S. Consulate General in Vancouver also used the Point Roberts post office,{{cite web | url=http://vancouver.usconsulate.gov/about-us/consulate-information.html#address | title=Consulate Information | work=Consulate General of the United States, Vancouver Canada | access-date=February 17, 2012 | url-status=dead| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120217053805/http://vancouver.usconsulate.gov/about-us/consulate-information.html#address | archive-date=February 17, 2012 | df=mdy-all }} but it has since changed to using one in Blaine, Washington, on the contiguous border.{{cite web | url=https://ca.usembassy.gov/embassy-consulates/vancouver/ | title=Consulate Information | publisher=Consulate General of the United States, Vancouver Canada | access-date=January 16, 2020 | url-status=dead | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200110211114/https://ca.usembassy.gov/embassy-consulates/vancouver/ | archive-date=January 10, 2020 | df=mdy-all }}

Because entry to Point Roberts from the rest of the U.S. requires two international border crossings, it has sometimes been described as "the best gated community in the U.S." Residents enjoy a low crime rate, with a high local security presence.National Geographic Magazine, August 2004. Popular folklore describes the town as a popular resettlement site for the US Federal Witness Protection Program, assisting informants who testify against criminals to relocate under new identities for their protection.

While there is one doctor's clinic, there is no hospital, dentist, pharmacist or veterinarian. Point Roberts residents usually seek medical care in Bellingham, Washington, although Vancouver is closer, because American health insurers will not pay for treatment from Canadian providers.

Point Roberts has a single grocery store, which threatened to close in July 2021 due to the prolonged travel restrictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic. An emergency grant of US$100,000 from the state government was approved in late June to prevent its closure.{{cite news |last=Rasbach |first=David |date=June 29, 2021 |title=With border still closed, here's what Inslee is doing to keep Point Roberts' grocery open |url=https://www.theolympian.com/news/state/washington/article252455003.html |work=The Olympian |accessdate=June 29, 2021}}

After US president Donald Trump in 2025 introduced a 25% tariff on Canadian goods and was suggesting that Canada should become a US state, Canadians who objected boycotted US things; this led to a 30% drop in Canadian visitors to Point Roberts, causing some businesses to close and others to relocate to Canada, a situation said to be worse than during the pandemic. Local people were concerned that Point Roberts as they know it could cease to exist if the government did not help.{{cite news| last=Tremayne-Pengelly | first=Alexandra | title=US's most Canadian town is stuck in the middle of a trade war |newspaper=The Guardian | date=4 June 2025 | url=https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jun/04/point-roberts-washington-canada-tourism-trump}}

The community is served by the Blaine School District.{{cite map |author=U.S. Census Bureau Geography Division |date=January 14, 2021 |title=2020 Census – School District Reference Map: Whatcom County, WA |scale=1:140,000 |url=https://www2.census.gov/geo/maps/DC2020/PL20/st53_wa/schooldistrict_maps/c53073_whatcom/DC20SD_C53073.pdf |publisher=U.S. Census Bureau |accessdate=March 16, 2025 |archive-date=March 21, 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250321024523/https://www2.census.gov/geo/maps/DC2020/PL20/st53_wa/schooldistrict_maps/c53073_whatcom/DC20SD_C53073.pdf |url-status=live }} Point Roberts Primary School, the sole school in the exclave, is part of the Blaine School District and provides teaching for kindergarten as well as first through third grades. It is classified as a remote and necessary school by the state government and is the smallest school in Whatcom County, with approximately 15 students and one full-time teacher.{{cite news |last=Mittendorf |first=Robert |date=October 17, 2017 |title=In tiny Point Roberts, education is one teacher, four grades and 15 students |url=https://www.bellinghamherald.com/news/local/article178833911.html |work=The Bellingham Herald |accessdate=August 31, 2023}} The three-room schoolhouse opened in 1993 and began offering third grade lessons in 1999.{{cite news |last=Eskenazi |first=Stuart |date=June 13, 2005 |title=Anxiety runs high in border town fearing its lone school may be lost |url=https://archive.seattletimes.com/archive/?date=20050613&slug=pointroberts13m |work=The Seattle Times |accessdate=August 31, 2023 |archive-date=September 1, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230901054124/https://archive.seattletimes.com/archive/?date=20050613&slug=pointroberts13m |url-status=live }} From 4th grade onward, American children must take a 40-minute ride through British Columbia, crossing back into the United States at Blaine, Washington.{{cite news |last=Bleiberg |first=Larry |date=December 2, 2019 |title=A US town only reached through Canada |url=https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20191201-a-us-town-only-reached-through-canada |publisher=BBC |accessdate=August 31, 2023 |archive-date=September 1, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230901053401/https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20191201-a-us-town-only-reached-through-canada |url-status=live }} Canadian children can attend school in Delta, British Columbia.{{r|pointbob}}

The only authorized land access to Canada from Point Roberts is Point Roberts-Boundary Bay Border Crossing, the westernmost in the Lower 48. On the US side, this major thoroughfare northward is named Tyee Drive; on the Canadian side, it is 56th Street. Point Roberts also has a small airport (Point Roberts Airpark) and a large marina (Point Roberts Marina Resort) for air and water access; these two point facilities allow direct access to the rest of Washington state without the need to enter Canada.

A temporary passenger ferry service from Point Roberts to Blaine operated by the Port of Bellingham and the Whatcom Transportation Authority entered service in August 2020 amid the COVID-19 pandemic, which had caused the Canadian border to be closed to non-essential travel for several months. The ferry used two vessels leased from San Juan Cruises and was fare-free.{{cite news |last=Booth |first=Mark |date=August 24, 2020 |title=Point Roberts ferry to Blaine makes debut on Tuesday |url=https://www.delta-optimist.com/news/point-roberts-ferry-to-blaine-makes-debut-on-tuesday-1.24191410 |work=Delta Optimist |access-date=August 27, 2020 |archive-date=September 27, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200927045022/https://www.delta-optimist.com/news/point-roberts-ferry-to-blaine-makes-debut-on-tuesday-1.24191410 |url-status=live }} It was initially run once per week, but the frequency was increased to twice a week and the ferry was diverted to serve the Bellingham Cruise Terminal due to high demand.{{cite news |last=Gallagher |first=Dave |date=September 2, 2020 |title=Demand for the first Point Roberts ferry was strong, so these changes are planned |url=https://www.bellinghamherald.com/news/coronavirus/article245424995.html |work=The Bellingham Herald |access-date=September 3, 2020}} Ferry service ended in August 2021 as the border were reopening to nonessential travel.

Roosevelt Road follows the US side of the border across the peninsula. To the west, it ends at a small park, Monument Park built around Monument 1, the westernmost point of the 49th parallel border.{{Cite web |url=http://www.clui.org/section/united-divide-a-linear-portrait-usacanada-border-5 |title=Chapter 6: Washington State |website=United Divide: A Linear Portrait of the USA/Canada Border |publisher=The Center for Land Use Interpretation |publication-date=Winter 2015 |access-date=November 13, 2017 |archive-date=November 14, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171114100046/http://www.clui.org/section/united-divide-a-linear-portrait-usacanada-border-5 |url-status=live }}

Until 1988, Point Roberts telephone numbers were in British Columbia's area code 604 and served by BCTel, the local telephone company for most of British Columbia. It was served by the 945 exchange which was officially in area code 206, the area code for most of western Washington, but protected in 604, resulting in the oddity of calls from British Columbia being local calls while calls from Washington and the rest of the United States were billed as international calls. In 1988, Point Roberts service was severed from BC Tel, and the protection of the 604-945 prefix ended, at the expense of losing the ability to make local calls to any other exchange in either country. Along with the rest of Whatcom County, Point Roberts moved to area code 360 in 1995.{{Cite web|url=https://www.localcallingguide.com/lca_exch.php?exch=208380|title=Local calling guide: Rate centre information|website=www.localcallingguide.com|access-date=July 29, 2022|archive-date=March 5, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210305022159/https://www.localcallingguide.com/lca_exch.php?exch=208380|url-status=live}} The local regular-service telecom provider is Whidbey Telecom.{{r|pointbob}}

Although Point Roberts is nominally part of the Seattle television market, the only over-the-air stations available in the town come from the Metro Vancouver region and Bellingham, Washington. Cable television in Point Roberts was provided by Delta Cable, a subsidiary of Canadian cable company EastLink. Delta Cable pulled out of Point Roberts with short notice in August 2019.{{Cite news|url=https://www.delta-optimist.com/local-business/eastlink-is-pulling-the-plug-in-point-roberts-3103293|title=EastLink is pulling the plug in Point Roberts|first=Sandor|last=Gyarmati|newspaper=Delta Optimist|date=July 10, 2019|accessdate=March 22, 2022|archive-date=May 4, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220504030617/https://www.delta-optimist.com/local-business/eastlink-is-pulling-the-plug-in-point-roberts-3103293|url-status=live}}

Whidbey Telecom is the broadband Internet provider to residents of Point Roberts. In 2019, Whidbey Telecom began construction to provide fiber-optic Internet to Point Roberts.

Mobile telephone service is provided by a variety of companies, both American and Canadian.

Current

• Glen Hanlon, former National Hockey League goaltender and former ice hockey coach{{cite web|url=https://twitter.com/News1130Sports/status/83579114719686656|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210308045625/https://twitter.com/News1130Sports/status/83579114719686656|url-status=dead|archive-date=March 8, 2021|title=Twitter}}
• Michael S. McLean, Emmy award winner and former Hollywood director, editor and producer{{cite web|url=https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0572617/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1|title=Michael S. McLean|work=IMDb|access-date=July 1, 2018|archive-date=March 8, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210308021043/https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0572617/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1|url-status=live}}

Past

• Pavel Bure, former National Hockey League forward
• Ross Douglas, songwriter, musician and actor{{cite web|last1=Douglas|first1=Ross|title=Driving Burning and a Uke|url=http://www.rossdouglas.com/blog/?p=58|website=Ross Douglas Blog|access-date=August 6, 2017|date=February 13, 2012|quote=I live in Point Roberts Washington and work primarily in Vancouver|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190608192407/http://www.rossdouglas.com/blog/?p=58|archive-date=June 8, 2019|url-status=dead}}
• Roger Fisher and Nancy Wilson, of rock band Heart
• Margaret Laurence, Canadian novelist and short story writer{{cite book |last1=Xiques |first1=Donez |title=Margaret Laurence: The Making of a Writer |pages=270}}
• Kekuta Manneh, Gambian-born soccer player, formerly of Vancouver Whitecaps FC{{cite news |last=Weber |first=Mark |date=March 11, 2015 |title=Weber: Commuting Kekuta Manneh needs to be more Ferrari, less Ford Fiesta |url=https://calgaryherald.com/sports/Commuting+Manneh+needs+more+Ferrari+less+Ford+Fiesta/10884430/story.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150412004517/http://www.calgaryherald.com/sports/Commuting+Manneh+needs+more+Ferrari+less+Ford+Fiesta/10884430/story.html |newspaper=Calgary Herald |archive-date=April 12, 2015 |access-date=November 1, 2015}}
• Alexander Mogilny, former National Hockey League forward
• Dave Nonis, National Hockey League Toronto Maple Leafs
• Bob Robertson, longtime Northwest sportscaster
• Katee Sackhoff, actress; lived in Point Roberts during filming the TV series Battlestar Galactica
• John Tortorella, coach of the Philadelphia Flyers{{cite news|author=Zeimer, Brad|url=https://vancouversun.com/sports/Canucks+reset+starts+with+coach+John+Tortorella/8990391/story.html|title=Canucks' reset starts with coach John Tortorella|newspaper=Vancouver Sun|date=October 3, 2013|access-date=January 27, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181106035508/http://www.vancouversun.com/sports/canucks+reset+starts+with+coach+john+tortorella/8990391/story.html|archive-date=November 6, 2018|url-status=dead}}

• Border irregularities of the United States
• Oregon boundary dispute
• Tsawwassen, British Columbia
• Río Rico, Tamaulipas, a city that was once an exclave of the United States, now ceded to Mexico
• Northwest Angle, another US pene-exclave in Canada

Notes

{{Reflist}}

Further reading

• Clark, Richard E. (1980). Point Roberts, USA: The History of a Canadian Enclave. Textype Publishing.
• Murray, Anne (2006). [http://www.natureguidesbc.com A Nature Guide to Your Boundary Bay]. Nature Guides B.C., Delta
• [https://www.census.gov Point Roberts Census County Division, Whatcom County, Washington]. United States Census Bureau.
• Swenson, Mark (2017). Point Roberts Backstory: Tales, Trails and Trivia from an American Exclave. Village Books. ({{ISBN|978-0-692-93168-4}}).

{{Commons category|Point Roberts, Washington}}

{{Wikivoyage|Point Roberts}}

• [http://www.pointrobertschamberofcommerce.com/ Point Roberts Chamber of Commerce]
• Geologic Map from [http://www.dnr.wa.gov/Publications/ger_ofr2003-17_geol_map_rocheharbor_100k.pdf Washington State Department of Natural Resources]
• Zoning Map from [http://wa-whatcomcounty.civicplus.com/DocumentCenter/View/15461 Whatcom County]

{{Geographic location

| Center = Point Roberts

| North = Tsawwassen, Delta, British Columbia
(Canada)

| Northeast = Boundary Bay, South Surrey, White Rock, British Columbia, Semiahmoo First Nation
(Canada)

| East = Semiahmoo Bay
Blaine, Washington

| Southeast = Puget Sound

| South = Strait of Georgia
& San Juan Islands

| Southwest = Strait of Georgia
& Gulf Islands (Canada)

| West = Strait of Georgia
& Gulf Islands (Canada)

| Northwest = Strait of Georgia

| image =

}}

{{Whatcom County, Washington|state=collapsed}}

{{Authority control}}

Category:Census-designated places in Whatcom County, Washington

Category:Exclaves in the United States

Category:Border irregularities of the United States

Category:Peninsulas of Washington (state)

Category:Borders of Washington (state)

Category:Landforms of Whatcom County, Washington

Category:Cities in Whatcom County, Washington

Category:Delta, British Columbia