(Ed. note: I have just finished my monthly writing marathon for the magazine and don’t have much left for the blog. I thought I would treat you to a very condensed version of an article that will appear in the July issue. This is the story of a very unusual American community. You may want to consult the atlas in order to fully understand.)
Getting to the Point
Point Roberts is the result of someone who became too enamored of the 49th parallel. That latitude line marks the boundary between the US and Canada all the way from Minnesota to about three miles west of what residents refer to as Point Bob.
According to one story, a British official sent a letter to his American counterparts warning that the 49th parallel was going to create a geographical anomaly. The Americans, still resentful over the War of 1812, ignored the letter. The result was Point Roberts, a place apart.
In order to get to the Point, residents of the rest of America have to travel through 17 miles of Canada and make two border crossings. It also involves going through a time warp. Coming through the part of Tsawassen, BC, that leads to Point Roberts is just like coming through any other part of heavily trafficked, strip-malled North America. The moment you cross the border into Point Bob, however, you’re in a pastoral paradise of forest and sea that seems to have gotten stuck somewhere back in the 1960s.
Despite all the hassles created by constant border crossings, the 1100 or so permanent residents of the point wouldn’t have it any other way. They’re concentrated in a handful of enclaves scattered across the 4.9 square miles of the peninsula. Much of the land remains undeveloped.
One of the flies in the Point Roberts ointment was the lack of health care. A simple doctor’s appointment could involve four border crossings and the better part of a day. That problem was at least partially resolved on June 6 with the opening of the long anticipated Aydon Wellness Clinic.
Jim Julius’ grandfather came to Point Bob in 1918 as one of many former Icelanders who originally settled the area. The owner of Julius Realty has seen the point change from a sleepy backwater to a vibrant community that delights in its differences.
“It started to turn around in 1958,” Julius said, “when the Canadians opened the ferry terminal at Tsawassen. It became less and less seasonal and Canadians with vacation homes began spending the weekends here year-round. Now the children of people who had summer homes here are coming to live on a permanent basis. We used to roll up the streets after Labor Day. No more.”
Many of the new permanent residents are of the boomer generation, who have arranged it so that they can telecommute.
“We have DSL, cable and a fiber optic line here now,” Julius said. “That connectivity is what makes permanent residency possible for many.”
Of those who physically commute to work, about half go to Canada and half to the US. Many of them hold dual citizenship.
“I don’t think things have ever boomed here,” Julius said. “That’s part of what makes the place so desirable.”
One of the leading attractions of living at Point Bob is the lack of crime. The isolation created by the border causes even the most moronic of criminals to think twice.
“We also have the best climate in the northwest,” Julius said. “In a sense, we’re right in the middle of things, 23 miles to Blaine (WA), 23 to Vancouver (BC) and the (Vancouver) airport close by.”
Construction activity has been such that Shane Reimer of Cafco Construction hasn’t had to leave the point for the last three years in order to stay busy.
“Last year, there was $10 million in construction activity here,” Reimer said, “not counting the golf course. Seventy percent of that is new construction and the rest remodeling.”
Like most of the people at Point Roberts, he has learned to be somewhat more self-reliant than those in less isolated areas of the country.
“If you live here, you learn to do it yourself,” Reimer said.
Business at Point Bob is very dependent on Canadians.
“Things haven’t been so good for a while,” said Debbie Nissen, branch manager of Banner Bank, “but the rebound in the Canadian dollar is already being felt. There’s definitely more people, more activity, more small shops. But the place isn’t changing its character yet. Everything here is a little different. We’re always a day behind receiving things that the other branches get. The border crossings make bank officials reluctant to come for a visit.”
Jay Lewis manages International Marketplace, the closest thing to a supermarket. He commuted from Bellingham for five years before succumbing to the charms of Point Bob. He is very aware of the time warp.
“You step across that border and you step into the past,” Lewis said. “No traffic, no crime, beautiful surroundings, eagles, whales. What’s not to like?”
One of the many small communities that hug the shore of the Point Roberts peninsula is Maple Beach. It faces east onto Boundary Bay, which is a shallow, inviting playground featuring rows of sand bars and near-tropical water temperatures in the summer.
Terry LaPorte operates the Maple Meadow Bed and Breakfast, located just up the hill from the beach. The demographics at Point Bob are pretty unusual.
“There are a lot of airline personnel living here,” LaPorte said. “They fly out of YVR (the airline symbol for Vancouver International) and take advantage of the lower tax rates in the US. Quite a few US students attending the University of British Columbia or Simon Fraser University live here. There’s lots of cottage industries and it’s a mecca for mail order businesses.”
LaPorte echoed what is becoming a local motto of sorts: The Great Northwest Begins Here.
“We have to let people know about that,” LaPorte said. “I advertise in both the US and Canada, but I have to do a lot of explaining as to just where we are.”
There is a handicap for business travelers. Cell phone service is spotty, at best. That, too, adds to the charm.
“It’s a small price to pay for living in heaven,” LaPorte said. “I love the smell of the beach, the sound of the loons, the sight of herons in our big old maple.”
National Geographic is helping raise consciousness with an article on Point Roberts to be published in November.
“This is such a great romantic escape,” LaPorte said. “We have great beaches, wonderful restaurants, and the new golf course has been rated one of the best in the US. It’s so safe that you have to be careful about speeding here. The sheriff’s deputy has nothing better to do.”
Whalen’s Beach Café and Store is owned and operated by Steve and Carol Fowler.
“Maple Beach is a community made up mostly of beach cottages owned by Canadians,” Steve Fowler said. “It’s been that way since the 1920s. It was extremely popular up until the 50s and 60s when travel habits changed. People became more mobile and the cottages were used less and less.”
There was a lot of intermingling across the border between Maple Beach on the US side and Beach Grove on the Canadian side. There are no visible boundaries on the beach. That all came to an end on 9/11.
“That really impacted our visitation,” Fowler said. “Beach Grove is just a bedroom community with no facilities. There was a border crossing here until the 1970s. In fact, there was a store right on the border that sold to both sides. There was a roller rink here, three restaurants and a grocery store.”
Point Roberts never set out to be a geographic curiosity. The people who call it home have to put up with a fair amount of inconvenience in order to live in what they universally describe as a paradise. Having been handed a small peninsula that could have become a real lemon, the residents have done a very good job of making lemonade. They are still, however, awaiting discovery by most of their fellow Americans who live just a few miles and two border crossings away.
11:12:16 PM 
|
