Natural wildlife, fresh air, great food and friendly people… That could describe many places in the United States or Canada this holiday week, but what sets Point Roberts apart is its geographic peculiarity.
Point Roberts is situated in a remote corner of Washington State. Actually, it is not a corner at all but a peninsula that juts out from its northern neighbor Tsawwassen, in British Columbia, Canada.
This 1,400-resident community, settled by rugged Icelandic farmers hundreds of years ago, is riddled with juxtaposition, charm and incongruity.
Point Roberts is self-described as the greatest gated community in the U.S., as its residents and visitors have go through many government checkpoints to get there.
No, it's not a military base but a holiday place, and a relatively underdeveloped part of the greater Puget Sound region.
Due to its unique location, U.S. visitors need to go through the Peace Arch main border crossing at the 49th parallel to get from Washington State to B.C.
After crossing Canadian customs and driving north into Canada, they need to curve west around Boundary Bay for a 45-minute drive, then turn south toward Tsawwassen.
There, travelers cross a second border, the Point Roberts point of entry leading from B.C. onto the tiny peninsula and once again onto American soil.
The first settlers in Point Roberts were the Coast Salish Indians who share the same heritage as the First Nations peoples of Tsawwassen. In 1792, Captain Vancouver, who had already done his B.C. explorations, named the point after his colleague and friend, Henry Roberts.
Today, the 1400 U.S. citizens and permanent residents who inhabit this tiny region are at ease with both the beauty and the inconveniences of life on the point.
During the holiday season, Point Roberts transforms from all-American to culturally Canadian, with 73 per cent of "residents" coming from Canada to vacation homes to permanent residences where they sun, swim, sail or stroll through the woods.
There are no mixed emotions here. The Americans love their Canadian friends who provide the financial infrastructure to this community virtually year-round.
This 4.9-mile tip off B.C., three miles wide and two miles long, is covered by forests, farm clearings and pebbly beaches.
While Point Roberts does not boast the sandy beaches of Boundary Bay in B.C. or the majestic ecosystem of Vancouver Island, it has a curious quality — as though being transported back in time — that one feels within seconds of crossing the border onto the point.
With just one "main street"— Tyee Avenue, there is no downtown core and no small-town clusters of shops for a walkabout.
However the one post office, zip code 98281, is a congregating point where Canadians go to pick up their mail with its U.S. address, seeking to save on cross-border tariffs and avoid longer mail times.
With complaints about rising gas prices, gas stations are an important part of Point Roberts as gas is cheaper here than in Canada. Canadians regularly cross the border to fill up their tanks.
And conveniently, they can pay with Canadian or American cash and be receipted with a daily adjusted exchange rated price.
Further down Tyee is the International Marketplace where the juxtaposition of American and Canadian flags marks its local logo.
The only aisled grocery store on the point, the marketplace offers for Canadian cash uniquely American treats like candy bars, cereals and soda pop.
With U.S. and Canadian border guards nearby 24/7, the point needs only one Sheriff and one Fire Chief — with a volunteer fire fighting brigade — making it ironically a community that has one of the highest security-to-population ratios in the U.S.
As a result, with the exception of the odd act of vandalism, Point Roberts has one of the lowest crime rates in the country.
By contrast it is considered to have substandard medical care, with no hospital, no doctor, no dentist and no pharmacist on the peninsula.
The Point Roberts Clinic has one nurse practitioner and offers a "mini-pharmacy" where prescriptions can be filled through a cooperative pharmacy — 90 miles away in Bellingham, Washington.
Likewise emergency medical treatment, which requires an EMT excursion to St. Joseph's Hospital in Bellingham.
Some residents confide they do not purchase U.S. health insurance and go "day by day;" a little risky. Those who are willing to pay cash for emergency treatment or surgery opt to go to hospitals across the border in or around Vancouver.
Even with these inconveniences, residents describe the place as serendipitous.
Whether it is viewing blue heron along the shore, picking up purple star fish among the algae, kayaking or horseback riding anywhere on the point, it is always quiet, quaint and secluded — a get away quite unlike any other.
An unrushed pace and simple lifestyle is really what Point Roberts is all about. Its farmettes are pretty basic, but boasting breathtaking views of the Straight of Georgia.
The Marina has a 1,000 boat slip for yacht lovers, with as many licensed in Canada as in the U.S., and the Dockside restaurant at the Cove offers great burgers.
There are less than a dozen eateries on the point, some opening at odd hours due to limited frequenters. A blend of coffee can be had at local favorite, Dylan' s, but those who want a Starbucks or MacDonald's will have to drive five minutes across the border and pick it up there.
If you prefer beachfront dining, you can boat over to Canada's Crescent Beach across Boundary Bay. But be prepared. You'll have to have your NEXUS card or ID ready, as the waters are appropriately patrolled by the U.S. Coast Guard.
Of course, beverage #1 is from Vancouver and that's the water. It comes down from the North Shore Mountains, through the Greater Vancouver Regional District. There are always debates on the point about water availability.
Getting a water easement approval is a bit tricky, with Whatcom County (the greater Seattle area) restricting the number of water meter approvals as the local reservoir tank is at capacity.
Of course swimming in the water is free of politics and a lot more pleasant. The waters are the warmest north of California, often reaching 80 degrees F in the summer months.
The interdependency between the two countries meets over its communication lines. Until 1988, Point Roberts had a Vancouver area code. It now has a Washington State area code, although the mobile phone stations are shared.
However, the point is ahead of its time in some ways. In the event of "the big kahuna," it has been designated one of Washington's tsunami warning systems sites.
Roadside signs announce that siren testing will begin in July. Its intent is to warn residents of a tsunami in the event of a "distant" earthquake, and provide them with a few hours lead time to evacuate — to Canada.
For the few U.S. citizens who live here year round, there is one primary school with grades K through three.
For education beyond grade three, students travel 45 minutes across two international border checkpoints to attend school in Blaine, Washington. Those who have dual citizenship often go to school in Tsawwassen, which is closer.
But the lifestyle of those who live on the point is not completely parochial. One recent grad is on his way to Panama to study Spanish, while another is off to Australia to work for 6 months.
Perhaps Point Roberts is best represented by its residents. One is Deci Bailey, a spirited entrepreneur, real estate broker and successful businesswoman who "pioneered" the first two gas stations on the peninsula.
Bailey originated from Ontario and then made her way west to Winnipeg and Vancouver before settling in Tsawwassen and ultimately Point Roberts, where she has lived for 30 years.
Driving around in her 1970's one of a kind convertible Mazerati-styled Chrysler, a unique American collectible, she describes life in Point Roberts as, "so peaceful…we're never in a hurry and we don't honk here…" as she passes deer at the roadside while a bald eagle flies overhead.
On July 1, Canada Day, some Canadian friends from the Tsawwassen Rotary Club crossed the border and put on a pancake breakfast for their American friends.
For Independence Day on July 4th, Heather McPhee, a director at the Point Roberts Chamber of Commerce, titled this year's Independence Day Parade, "It's a Small World."
So it is on Point Roberts.
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