Point Roberts, Washington

Point Roberts is an unincorporated community in Whatcom County, Washington, United States, on the southernmost tip of Tsawwassen Peninsula. The population is 1,308 (US 2000 census). Point Roberts is one of two exclaves of the contiguous United States, the other being the Northwest Angle in northern Minnesota.

Point Roberts, a peninsula, borders British Columbia, Canada, on the north and is part of the US because it lies south of the 49th parallel, the official latitude defining the Canada-US border in that area.

History

Point Roberts assumed its present status in 1846, when the Oregon Treaty extended the 49th parallel as the boundary between American and British territory from the Rocky Mountains to Georgia Strait. It adjoins the municipality of Delta in British Columbia; the peninsula is about two miles from north to south and about three miles from east to west. Boundary Bay lies to the east of Point Roberts and the Strait of Georgia to the west.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 1,308 people, 1,308 households, and 474 families residing in the CDP. There were 1,838 housing units. The racial makeup of the CDP was 75.1% White, 12.3% African American, 0.9% Native American, 3.6% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 5.5% from other races, and 2.4% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 12.5% of the population.

In the CDP the population was spread out with 22.1% under the age of 19, 2.2% from 20 to 24, 29.0% from 25 to 44, 32.0% from 45 to 64, and 14.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43.2 years.

The median income for a household in the CDP was $36,146, and the median income for a family was $45,417.

The zip code is 98281.

Education

The only school is for K–second-grade pupils; older public school students must be bussed into British Columbia and back into the United States at the Blaine, Washington, border crossing; it is a 40-minute drive. Similar trips are often required for residents who wish to obtain goods where the sale of Canadian products are restricted by law.

Transportation

The only authorized land access to Point Roberts is 56 Street, a major thoroughfare that runs through the community of Tsawwassen on the Canadian side of the border; southward, the road turns into Tyee Drive. Point Roberts also has a small runway and a large marina for air and water access.

Economy

Many of the area's businesses are geared toward recreational and weekend visitors from Greater Vancouver, especially those in search of cheap gasoline. The handful of area bars and nightclubs are popular with visiting Canadians, and were even more so in the days before Sunday drinking was legalized in British Columbia.

Until 1988, Point Roberts telephone numbers were in British Columbia's 604 area code and served by BCTel, a Canadian telephone company.

External links

Additional information

Community websites

All Point Bulletin community newspaper

Canada and the United States | Towns in Washington | Whatcom County, Washington | Exclaves

Point Roberts | Point Roberts

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