Anacortes, Washington
Encyclopedia
Skagit County, Washington
Skagit County is a county in the U.S. state of Washington. It is named after the Skagit Indian tribe. As of 2010, the population was 116,901. It is included in the Mount Vernon-Anacortes, Washington, Metropolitan Statistical Area...
, United States. The name "Anacortes" is a consolidation of the name Anna Curtis, who was the wife of early Fidalgo Island settler Amos Bowman. Anacortes' population was 15,778 at the time of the 2010 census. It is one of two principal cities of and included in the Mount Vernon
Mount Vernon, Washington
Mount Vernon is a city in Skagit County, Washington, United States. The population was 31,743 at the 2010 census. It is one of two principal cities of and included in the Mount Vernon-Anacortes, Washington Metropolitan Statistical Area. It is the county seat of Skagit County...
-Anacortes Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Anacortes is known for the Washington State Ferries
Washington State Ferries
Washington State Ferries is a passenger and automobile ferry service owned and operated by the Washington State Department of Transportation that serves communities on Puget Sound and in the San Juan Islands. It is the most used ferry system in the world and the largest passenger and automobile...
dock and terminal serving Lopez Island
Lopez Island
Lopez Island is the third largest of the U.S. San Juan Islands. Lopez Island is in land area. The 2000 census population was 2,177.-History:...
, Shaw Island
Shaw Island
Shaw Island is the smallest of the four San Juan Islands served by the Washington State Ferries. The island has a land area of 19.952 km² and a small year-round population of 240 , with only a slight increase during tourist season. The Wilkes Expedition, in 1841, named the island after John Shaw,...
, Orcas Island
Orcas Island
Orcas Island is the largest of the San Juan Islands, which are located in the northwestern corner of Washington state in San Juan County, Washington.-History:...
, and San Juan Island
San Juan Island
San Juan Island is the second-largest and most populous of the San Juan Islands in northwestern Washington, United States. It has a land area of 142.59 km² and a population of 6,822 as of the 2000 census....
, as well as Victoria, British Columbia
Victoria, British Columbia
Victoria is the capital city of British Columbia, Canada and is located on the southern tip of Vancouver Island off Canada's Pacific coast. The city has a population of about 78,000 within the metropolitan area of Greater Victoria, which has a population of 360,063, the 15th most populous Canadian...
(via Sidney, British Columbia
Sidney, British Columbia
Sidney is a town located at the northern end of the Saanich Peninsula, on Vancouver Island in the Canadian province of British Columbia. It is one of the 13 Greater Victoria municipalities. It has a population of approximately 11,300. Sidney is located just east of Victoria International Airport,...
) on Vancouver Island
Vancouver Island
Vancouver Island is a large island in British Columbia, Canada. It is one of several North American locations named after George Vancouver, the British Royal Navy officer who explored the Pacific Northwest coast of North America between 1791 and 1794...
. There is also a Skagit County-operated ferry
Guemes Island ferry
The Guemes Island ferry is a ferry route in Washington State that runs between Anacortes, Washington and Guemes Island across the Guemes Channel.-History:...
that serves Guemes Island
Guemes Island
Guemes Island is a small island in western Skagit County, Washington state, USA. It is located north of the town of Anacortes on Fidalgo Island and is accessible by both private boat and by the Guemes Island ferry operated by Skagit County....
, a residential island located across a strait north of Anacortes.
Geography
Anacortes is on Fidalgo IslandFidalgo Island
Fidalgo Island is an island in Skagit County, Washington, located about north of Seattle. To the east, it is separated from the mainland by the Swinomish Channel, and from Whidbey Island to the south by Deception Pass...
. According to the United States Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the city has a total area of 14.2 square miles (36.7 km2), of which, 11.8 square miles (30.5 km2) of it is land and 2.4 square miles (6.2 km2) of it (16.93%) is water.
Demographics
In a recent estimate, there are about 16,300 people as of 2007, 6,086 households, and 4,162 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,236.0 people per square mile (477.1/km2). There were 6,551 housing units at an average density of 556.2 per square mile (214.7/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 92.66% White, 0.32% African American, 1.14% Native American, 1.64% Asian, 0.13% Pacific Islander, 1.48% from other racesRace (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 2.63% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.15% of the population.
There were 6,086 households out of which 28.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.2% were married couples living together, 9.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.6% were non-families. 26.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.37 and the average family size was 2.84.
In the city the age distribution of the population shows 23.4% under the age of 18, 5.5% from 18 to 24, 24.8% from 25 to 44, 25.5% from 45 to 64, and 20.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43 years. For every 100 females there were 93.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.4 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $41,930, and the median income for a family was $49,531. Males had a median income of $38,080 versus $27,080 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the city was $22,297. About 6.0% of families and 7.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 7.4% of those under age 18 and 7.1% of those age 65 or over.
Description
Fidalgo Island
Fidalgo Island is an island in Skagit County, Washington, located about north of Seattle. To the east, it is separated from the mainland by the Swinomish Channel, and from Whidbey Island to the south by Deception Pass...
. It is surrounded by the north Puget Sound
Puget Sound
Puget Sound is a sound in the U.S. state of Washington. It is a complex estuarine system of interconnected marine waterways and basins, with one major and one minor connection to the Strait of Juan de Fuca and the Pacific Ocean — Admiralty Inlet being the major connection and...
and San Juan Islands
San Juan Islands
The San Juan Islands are an archipelago in the northwest corner of the contiguous United States between the US mainland and Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada. The San Juan Islands are part of the U.S...
on three sides, and by the Swinomish Channel and the flats of Skagit Valley
Skagit River
The Skagit River is a river in southwestern British Columbia in Canada and northwestern Washington in the United States, approximately 150 mi long...
to the east. The weather is milder than other areas of the Pacific Northwest
Pacific Northwest
The Pacific Northwest is a region in northwestern North America, bounded by the Pacific Ocean to the west and, loosely, by the Rocky Mountains on the east. Definitions of the region vary and there is no commonly agreed upon boundary, even among Pacific Northwesterners. A common concept of the...
, because it lies within the Olympic Mountain
Olympic Mountains
The Olympic Mountains is a mountain range on the Olympic Peninsula of western Washington in the United States. The mountains, part of the Pacific Coast Ranges, are not especially high - Mount Olympus is the highest at - but the western slopes of the Olympics rise directly out of the Pacific...
rain shadow
Rain shadow
A rain shadow is a dry area on the lee side of a mountainous area. The mountains block the passage of rain-producing weather systems, casting a "shadow" of dryness behind them. As shown by the diagram to the right, the warm moist air is "pulled" by the prevailing winds over a mountain...
. Fidalgo Island gets 21 inches of rain per year, only half as much as Seattle.
First known as Ship Harbor, Anacortes was established with a name and a post office in 1879 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 1950s oil companies built big refineries near town. Two of the five refineries in Washington are located near the town. One is owned and operated by Tesoro
Tesoro
Tesoro Corporation is a Fortune 100 and a Fortune Global 500 company headquartered in San Antonio, Texas, with 2008 annual revenues of $28.3 billion, and approximately 5,600 employees....
(originally built and owned by Shell Oil), the other is owned and operated by Shell
Royal Dutch Shell
Royal Dutch Shell plc , commonly known as Shell, is a global oil and gas company headquartered in The Hague, Netherlands and with its registered office in London, United Kingdom. It is the fifth-largest company in the world according to a composite measure by Forbes magazine and one of the six...
Puget Sound Refinery Company (originally built and owned by Texaco
Texaco
Texaco is the name of an American oil retail brand. Its flagship product is its fuel "Texaco with Techron". It also owns the Havoline motor oil brand....
). Refining remains the area's largest industry, but the economic base now includes yacht construction/shipbuilding, tourism, and residential services for the nearby Whidbey Island Naval Air Station
Naval Air Station Whidbey Island
Naval Air Station Whidbey Island is a naval air station located in two sections around Oak Harbor, Washington, USA. It was commissioned as an active U.S. Navy installation on 21 September 1942....
.
Government
Anacortes is governed via the mayor-council system. The mayor is elected directly. The city council consists of seven members, of whom three are elected from single member wards. The remaining four are elected at-large.Recreation and tourism
San Juan Islands
The San Juan Islands are an archipelago in the northwest corner of the contiguous United States between the US mainland and Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada. The San Juan Islands are part of the U.S...
. The most prominent view is of Cypress Island
Cypress Island (Washington)
Cypress Island is the westernmost part of Skagit County, Washington and is about halfway between the mainland and offshore San Juan County. It is separated from Blakely Island to the west by Rosario Strait and from Guemes Island to the east by Bellingham Channel...
.
As a result of Anacortes' proximity to the Strait of Juan de Fuca
Strait of Juan de Fuca
The Strait of Juan de Fuca is a large body of water about long that is the Salish Sea outlet to the Pacific Ocean...
, the area provides opportunities for whale-watching. The waters off of Anacortes and Fidalgo Island offer numerous varieties of marine-life, including three resident Orca pods.
Anacortes Community Forest Lands
Anacortes Community Forest Lands
Anacortes Community Forest Lands consists of mostly forested lands surrounding and adjoining Little Cranberry, Heart, and Whistle Lakes on Fidalgo Island, west and south of Anacortes, Washington. Its highest point is Mount Erie, the highest point on the island at . Sugarloaf, 1,044 feet and 0.6...
, 2800 acres (11.3 km²) with 50 miles (80.5 km) of mountain biking and hiking trails, are a rare amenity in a city the size of Anacortes. In adjacent Mount Erie Park, a number of rock climbing
Rock climbing
Rock climbing also lightly called 'The Gravity Game', is a sport in which participants climb up, down or across natural rock formations or artificial rock walls. The goal is to reach the summit of a formation or the endpoint of a pre-defined route without falling...
routes are popular on the cliffs of the south and west faces of Mount Erie
Mount Erie (Washington)
Mount Erie is a mountain in Skagit County, Washington. The park land is owned and operated by the city of Anacortes and is located in the south of the Anacortes Community Forest Lands....
. Mount Erie offers scenic vistas from its 1273 foot peak.
Anacortes hosts many long-distance cyclists, as it is the western terminus of the Adventure Cycling Association
Adventure Cycling Association
The Adventure Cycling Association is a national cycling association in the United States which provides services for cycle-tourists, publishes maps and campaigns for better cycling facilities. Its headquarters are in Missoula, Montana...
's Northern Tier cross-country bicycle route, which ends in Bar Harbor, Maine
Bar Harbor, Maine
Bar Harbor is a town on Mount Desert Island in Hancock County, Maine, United States. As of the 2010 census, its population is 5,235. Bar Harbor is a famous summer colony in the Down East region of Maine. It is home to the College of the Atlantic, Jackson Laboratory and Mount Desert Island...
.
Festivals and celebrations
- "Shipwreck Day" is a popular single-day, flea market/town garage sale event held annually on the 3rd Saturday in July. City management accommodates the occasion by blocking off several downtown streets.
- What the Heck FestWhat the Heck FestWhat the Heck Fest is an annual festival in Anacortes, Washington, coinciding with a citywide rummage sale called Shipwreck Day. It began in 2001. The festival takes place at various locations all over town in a week in the middle of July. Performers present music, movies, literature, and art...
is an annual festival coinciding with "Shipwreck Day." The festival takes place at various locations all over town during one week in mid-July. Performers present music, movies, literature, and art. The thematic center of the festival is the dinner show that includes a full meal along with the concert, an actual community event.
- The first weekend of August hosts the Anacortes Arts Festival. Started in 1962 as the result of the efforts of a group of dedicated community arts patrons, the festival is held in the midst of blocked-off downtown main street areas. Vendors, merchants, and artisans present their wares in covered booths while jazz and blues musicians are showcased on four different stages.
- The Oyster RunOyster RunThe Oyster Run is a motorcycle rally held annually each September since 1981 in Anacortes, Washington. It is the largest rally in the Pacific Northwest with 2006 attendance estimated in the tens of thousands....
is an annual one day biker-friendly motorcycle rally held on the fourth Sunday of September. Beginning in 1981, the event has grown into the largest rally in the Pacific Northwest, with an estimated motorcycle count of 15000 bikes, and growing in numbers each year.
Notable residents and natives
- Craig BartlettCraig BartlettCraig Michael Bartlett is an animator best known for writing for Rugrats and creating the television series Hey Arnold!.-Career:...
– animatorAnimatorAn animator is an artist who creates multiple images that give an illusion of movement called animation when displayed in rapid sequence; the images are called frames and key frames. Animators can work in a variety of fields including film, television, video games, and the internet. Usually, an...
, creator of syndicated cartoons Hey Arnold!Hey Arnold!Hey Arnold! is an American animated television series created by Craig Bartlett for Nickelodeon. The show's premise focuses on a fourth grader named Arnold who lives with his grandparents. Episodes center on his experiences navigating big city life while dealing with the problems he and his friends...
and Dinosaur TrainDinosaur TrainDinosaur Train is an American animated series created by Craig Bartlett. The series features a curious young T. rex named Buddy who, together with his adopted Pteranodon family, takes the Dinosaur Train to meet, explore, and have adventures with all kinds of dinosaurs.It was the second show by The...
. - Karl BlauKarl BlauKarl Blau is an indie rock and folk musician based in Anacortes, Washington, and member of the Knw-Yr-Own/K Records collective. His music is eclectic, incorporating elements of folk, dub, R&B, bossa nova, grunge, hip hop, drone, and worldbeat....
– indie rock and folk musician. - BoboBobo (gorilla)Bobo was a western lowland gorilla who was a prominent feature of Woodland Park Zoo in Seattle, Washington, USA, from 1953 until his death...
– Western Lowland GorillaWestern Lowland GorillaThe western lowland gorilla is a subspecies of the western gorilla that lives in montane, primary, and secondary forests and lowland swamps in Angola, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea and Gabon. It is the gorilla usually found in zoos...
brought to Anacortes in 1952 by Bill Lowman. Featured in Seattle's Woodland Park ZooWoodland Park ZooWoodland Park Zoo is a zoological garden around the Phinney Ridge neighborhood of Seattle, Washington. Occupying the western half of Woodland Park, the zoo began as a small menagerie on the estate of Guy C. Phinney, a Canadian-born lumber mill owner and real estate developer...
. - Phil Elverum- Independent musician.
- Donald Hume – Olympic rower, gold medalist at the 1936 Berlin Olympics.
- Burl IvesBurl IvesBurl Icle Ivanhoe Ives was an American actor, writer and folk music singer. As an actor, Ives's work included comedies, dramas, and voice work in theater, television, and motion pictures. Music critic John Rockwell said, "Ives's voice .....
– folk singer, author, and actor, perhaps best known for his role in the stop motion movie, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (TV special)Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (TV special)Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer is a Christmas television special produced in stop motion animation by Rankin/Bass. It first aired Sunday, December 6, 1964, on the NBC television network in the USA, and was sponsored by General Electric under the umbrella title of The General Electric Fantasy Hour...
. - Rien LongRien LongRien Vartan Long is an American football defensive tackle who is currently a free agent. He was drafted by the Tennessee Titans in the fourth round of the 2003 NFL Draft...
– former NFL defensive lineman for the Tennessee TitansTennessee TitansThe Tennessee Titans are a professional American football team based in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. They are members of the South Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Previously known as the Houston Oilers, the team began play in 1960 as a charter...
, 2002 Outland TrophyOutland TrophyThe Outland Trophy is awarded to the best United States college football interior lineman by the Football Writers Association of America. It is named after John H. Outland. One of only a few players ever to be named All-America at two positions, Outland garnered consensus All-America honors in...
winner - William Cameron McCool – (September 23, 1961 – February 1, 2003) was a United States Navy Commander, NASA astronaut and the Space Shuttle pilot of Columbia mission STS-107. He was killed when the craft disintegrated during re-entrySpace Shuttle Columbia disasterThe Space Shuttle Columbia disaster occurred on February 1, 2003, when shortly before it was scheduled to conclude its 28th mission, STS-107, the Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrated over Texas and Louisiana during re-entry into the Earth's atmosphere, resulting in the death of all seven crew members...
into the Earth's atmosphere. - Charley SchanzCharley SchanzCharles Murrell Schanz was a Major League Baseball pitcher for the Philadelphia Phillies and Boston Red Sox . The 6'3½", 215 lb. right-hander was a native of Anacortes, Washington....
– former Major League BaseballMajor League BaseballMajor League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
pitcherPitcherIn baseball, the pitcher is the player who throwsthe baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw a walk. In the numbering system used to record defensive plays, the...
Sister cities
Anacortes has four sister citiesTown twinning
Twin towns and sister cities are two of many terms used to describe the cooperative agreements between towns, cities, and even counties in geographically and politically distinct areas to promote cultural and commercial ties.- Terminology :...
:
Kisakata, Akita
Kisakata, Akita
Kisakata was a town located in Yuri District, Akita, Japan.On October 1, 2005, along with the town of Konoura, Kisakata was merged into the town of Nikaho, all from Yuri District, to become the city of Nikaho....
, Japan Lomonosov, Russia
Lomonosov, Russia
Lomonosov is a municipal town in Petrodvortsovy District of the federal city of St. Petersburg, Russia, situated on the southern coast of the Gulf of Finland, west of St. Petersburg proper. Population:...
Sidney, British Columbia
Sidney, British Columbia
Sidney is a town located at the northern end of the Saanich Peninsula, on Vancouver Island in the Canadian province of British Columbia. It is one of the 13 Greater Victoria municipalities. It has a population of approximately 11,300. Sidney is located just east of Victoria International Airport,...
, Canada Vela Luka
Vela Luka
Vela Luka is a small town and a municipality in Dubrovnik-Neretva County in southern Dalmatia, Croatia. The town is located on the western side of the island of Korčula at the bottom of a wide bay which has many indented coves. Vela Luka developed at the beginning of the 19th century in a deep...
, Croatia