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Welcome to Anacortes, Washington.
Anacortes is a city in Skagit County, Washington, USA. The population was 14,557 at the 2000 census. It is one of two principal cities of and included in the Mount Vernon-Anacortes Metropolitan Statistical Area.
There is a Washington State Ferries dock that serves Lopez Island, Shaw Island, Orcas Island, and San Juan Island, as well as Victoria, British Columbia (via Sidney, British Columbia) on Vancouver Island. There is also a Skagit County-operated ferry dock that serves Guemes Island.
View of Anacortes from Cap Sante, looking west towards the downtown and marina. The San Juan Islands are in the distant right. Photo shot March 2006 by M. Lounsbery
Anacortes is on Fidalgo Island, the only San Juan Island accessible by road from the mainland. It is surrounded by the north Puget Sound and San Juan Islands on three sides, and by the Swinomish Channel and the flats of Skagit Valley to the east. The weather is milder than other areas of the Pacific Northwest, because it lies within the Olympic Mountain rain shadow. Fidalgo Island gets 21" of rain per year, only half as much as Seattle.
Anacortes was established with a name and a post office in 1877 in the vain hope that it would be selected as the western terminus of the transcontinental railroad. The town was officially incorporated in 1891 shortly after the railroad bust, and became a lumber and fishing center. In the 1950's oil companies built big refineries near town. Refining remains the area's largest industry, but the economic base now includes yacht construction, tourism, retirees, and residential services for the nearby Whidbey Island Naval Air Station. A growing arts and crafts community aspires to make Anacortes the Carmel of the Pacific Northwest.
Anacortes is a popular destination for boaters and those traveling on to the San Juan Islands. The city maintains a 220 acre city park on the northwestern end of Fidalgo Island called Washington Park. This park features camping, boat launching, and majestic views of the San Juan Islands. The most prominent view is of Cypress Island.
Anacortes boasts a myriad of recreational activities for all ages, interests and skill levels. Here you can enjoy sailing, power boating, whale watching, hiking, kayaking, mountain biking, golf, camping, sport fishing, bird watching, scuba diving, beach combing and much more. Anacortes is homeport for numerous sailing and power yacht charters. There are four full-service marinas and three public boat launches.
Mount Erie Park, rising 1,300 feet above Anacortes, provides spectacular views of the Skagit Valley and neighboring islands. Surrounded by more than two square miles of public forestland, it can be reached in boots, on a bike, or in a car.
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Local daily news in Anacortes:
Reduced inter-island capacity next week
WSDOT Ferries Division will temporarily reduce capacity on the San Juan Islands inter-island route during the week of Sept.
You can get there from here
If you haven't taken BC's most inexpensive cruise, consider hopping onto the stately Shelan for an early autumn, memory-making, mini-vacation. Yes, we are lucky enough to have the "fourth most scenic ferry route in the world", according to the Society of American Travel Writers, right here in our backyard.
Cigarette distributor pleads guilty to $20M Washington tax dodge
Matthew M. Cunningham was sentenced to 18 months in jail and ordered to pay more than $21 million in restitution for his role in a Washington state cigarette tax dodge scheme.
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Places of interest:
Bay View, WA (10.3 miles), La Conner, WA (11.7 miles), Ault Field, WA (12.6 miles), Oak Harbor, WA (14.5 miles), Bellingham, WA (20.0 miles), Marietta-Alderwood, WA (20.1 miles), Coupeville, WA (20.1 miles), Burlington, WA (20.4 miles).
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