Point Roberts, WA (Vancouver, Bellingham, Blaine: homes, living in, costs)

[PostSecularist]

Does anyone here live in Point Roberts, Washington?
What's it like in an exclave of the United States?

[cjg5]

I've never lived there, though I have been there several times. My grandfather spent a good chunk of his childhood growing up there, my great-grandfather grew up there, and my great-great grandparents first set foot on US soil there and homesteaded there.

Anyway, Point Roberts is a pretty small community. Very quiet, but also very safe. To go between there and the rest of the US requires 2 international border crossings one way, 4 crossing round trip. (There are no ferries to and from Point Roberts, no bridges, and if you don't want to drive your only other options are private boat, or private plane).

You most likely won't be working in Point Roberts if you live there. You will have to commute to Blaine, Bellingham, or some such other place in Washington, or else work in Canada. I have heard that the border crossing in Blaine now has a special lane for Point Roberts residents, not sure if it's true or not though. An enhanced driver's license will be your best friend for making the commute.

Other things about Point Roberts: I'm not sure how it is different now, but as of last time I was there (which was almost 15 years ago now, for my great-grandfather's funeral), there was just a small business area, a marina, a lot of private beaches, and mostly residential streets. Not much else there than that. Having said that, I wouldn't have a problem living in Point Roberts, I think it would be a pretty neat experience. It is a very pretty, quiet, and laid back place. So if you like that small community feel, go for it! Otherwise, Alaska is a ginormous exclave of the United States with many different landscapes and climates; cities, towns, and bush villages, to choose from, if you are still interested in exclave living. (Also check out Northwest Angel, Minnesota, though I imagine it's very similar to Point Roberts).

[Andy]

It feels like some of the local islands. It has lots of vacation homes, shoreline, and is quiet.

[Transmition]

Do you have to stop at the border with Canada then? Ever since I found it on a map I have wondered how it operated. It doesn't seem like it would be worth having a guard to stop people and check their passports.

[Bill Loney]

Originally Posted by Transmition

Do you have to stop at the border with Canada then? Ever since I found it on a map I have wondered how it operated. It doesn't seem like it would be worth having a guard to stop people and check their passports.

You either have to travel by boat, seaplane, airplane, or cross two borders to get there.

No thanks.

[Dendrite]

Originally Posted by Transmition

Do you have to stop at the border with Canada then?

OK, an example for you. Let's say you live in Point Roberts and wanted to go to, for the sake of my example, Bellingham, WA. You'd leave home in Point Roberts and go through the (small) US/Canada border crossing station there at Point Roberts. Then you'd pick up Highway 17 over to Highway 99 going south towards White Rock, BC and then down to the (big) Canada/US border crossing at Blaine, WA. Go through the border crossing at Blaine, then travel south on I5 to Bellingham.

On the way home, you'd of course do the reverse. As mentioned above, that's a total of 4 border crossings for this single trip. The Point Roberts crossing takes a few minutes in my experience, the Blaine crossing can take 10-15 minutes to upwards of an hour or more depending upon traffic, delays, bad mood of the US Border Officer and so forth... If you have a NEXUS pass it goes a little quicker.

Hope this makes it a bit clearer for you.

[509]

When I was living in Vancouver Pt. Roberts was the party place with bars and music due to restrictive Canadian laws.

So are all those bars gone?? I remember I had a hard time paying for my beer with US Dollars!!

[Andy]

Originally Posted by Transmition

Do you have to stop at the border with Canada then?

Yes, but it is quick since odds are you are the only one crossing.

[cjg5]

Originally Posted by Transmition

Do you have to stop at the border with Canada then? Ever since I found it on a map I have wondered how it operated. It doesn't seem like it would be worth having a guard to stop people and check their passports.

Yes, crossing the border into Point Roberts is just like crossing any other border into the United States from Canada.

[Transmition]

Thanks, I'm still surprised that the admin costs for such a small population would make it worthwhile, but I can imagine the uproar if it was to become part of Canada.