Anacortes, Washington | |
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 View of the downtown and marina of Anacortes from Cap Sante, c. 2006 | |
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| Coordinates:48°30′07″N122°37′25″W / 48.50194°N 122.62361°W /48.50194; -122.62361 | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Washington |
| County | Skagit |
| Government | |
| • Type | Mayor–council |
| Area | |
• Total | 15.65 sq mi (40.53 km2) |
| • Land | 11.70 sq mi (30.30 km2) |
| • Water | 3.95 sq mi (10.23 km2) |
| Elevation | 246 ft (75 m) |
| Population | |
• Total | 17,637 |
• Estimate (2021)[4] | 17,832 |
| • Density | 1,498.16/sq mi (578.45/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC-8 (PST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-7 (PDT) |
| ZIP code | 98221 |
| Area code | 360 |
| FIPS code | 53-01990 |
| GNIS feature ID | 2409702[2] |
| Website | cityofanacortes |
Anacortes (/ˌænəˈkɔːrtəs/AN-ə-KOR-təs) is a city inSkagit County, Washington, United States. The name "Anacortes" is an adaptation of the name of Anne Curtis Bowman, who was the wife of earlyFidalgo Island settler Amos Bowman.[5] Anacortes' population was 17,637 at the time of the2020 census.[3] It is one of two principal cities of and included in theMount Vernon-AnacortesMetropolitan Statistical Area.
Anacortes is known for theWashington State Ferries dock and terminal servingLopez Island,Shaw Island,Orcas Island, andSan Juan Island. There is also aSkagit County-operated ferry that servesGuemes Island, a residential island located across Guemes Channel, north of Anacortes.
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Anacortes is within the historical territory of the Samish people. Anacortes was officially incorporated on May 19, 1891.
In 1877, railroad surveyor and town founder Amos Bowman moved his family to the northern tip of Fidalgo Island. Bowman began promoting the area as an obvious terminus for theNorthern Pacific Railway as it was built through the north Cascades to the Pacific. Bowman established the town's first newspaper, The Northwest Enterprise, to promote his vision of the New York of the West.[6]
Seattle and Northern Company began building a rail line from the town in 1888. Real estate and development boomed from 1888 to 1890 as a result of the railroad rumors, and the Oregon Improvement Company posted $15 million in bonds to develop the town.[7]
In 1891, the real estate bubble burst. Speculators lost money and the Oregon Improvement Company could no longer afford to complete tracks over the Cascades. The town failed to become the railroad terminus Bowman had envisioned.[8]
After the bust, the town became prominent for its fishing tradition, thriving canning industry, and timber mills.[8]
Anacortes is onFidalgo Island. According to theUnited States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 15.53 square miles (40.22 km2), of which 11.75 square miles (30.43 km2) is land and 3.78 square miles (9.79 km2) is water.[9]
The area around the city includes cliffs and bluffs with bedrock deposits that date to 160 million yearsbefore present. The landforms were shaped by amajor glaciation event 15,000 years before present.[10]
According to theKöppen climate classification system, Anacortes has a warm-summerMediterranean climate (Csb) with cool, rainy winters and warm, dry summers.
| Climate data for Anacortes | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 65 (18) | 69 (21) | 79 (26) | 83 (28) | 90 (32) | 95 (35) | 101 (38) | 95 (35) | 88 (31) | 82 (28) | 69 (21) | 74 (23) | 101 (38) |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 45.1 (7.3) | 48.6 (9.2) | 52.4 (11.3) | 57.8 (14.3) | 63.6 (17.6) | 68.2 (20.1) | 72.2 (22.3) | 72.2 (22.3) | 67.5 (19.7) | 59.2 (15.1) | 51.0 (10.6) | 46.3 (7.9) | 58.7 (14.8) |
| Daily mean °F (°C) | 39.8 (4.3) | 42.3 (5.7) | 45.3 (7.4) | 49.7 (9.8) | 54.7 (12.6) | 58.9 (14.9) | 62.0 (16.7) | 62.0 (16.7) | 58.5 (14.7) | 51.9 (11.1) | 45.2 (7.3) | 41.2 (5.1) | 51.0 (10.5) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 34.5 (1.4) | 35.9 (2.2) | 38.1 (3.4) | 41.6 (5.3) | 45.7 (7.6) | 49.6 (9.8) | 51.7 (10.9) | 51.8 (11.0) | 49.4 (9.7) | 44.6 (7.0) | 39.4 (4.1) | 36.0 (2.2) | 43.2 (6.2) |
| Record low °F (°C) | 6 (−14) | 9 (−13) | 18 (−8) | 27 (−3) | 31 (−1) | 33 (1) | 35 (2) | 33 (1) | 19 (−7) | 23 (−5) | 10 (−12) | 4 (−16) | 4 (−16) |
| Averageprecipitation inches (mm) | 3.56 (90) | 2.48 (63) | 2.31 (59) | 1.83 (46) | 1.57 (40) | 1.37 (35) | 0.8 (20) | 1 (25) | 1.53 (39) | 2.64 (67) | 3.84 (98) | 3.79 (96) | 26.73 (679) |
| Average snowfall inches (cm) | 2.1 (5.3) | 1.1 (2.8) | 0.5 (1.3) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 0.4 (1.0) | 1 (2.5) | 5.1 (13) |
| Average precipitation days | 17 | 13 | 14 | 12 | 9 | 8 | 4 | 5 | 8 | 12 | 17 | 17 | 136 |
| Source:[11] | |||||||||||||
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1890 | 1,131 | — | |
| 1900 | 1,476 | 30.5% | |
| 1910 | 4,168 | 182.4% | |
| 1920 | 5,284 | 26.8% | |
| 1930 | 6,564 | 24.2% | |
| 1940 | 5,875 | −10.5% | |
| 1950 | 6,919 | 17.8% | |
| 1960 | 8,414 | 21.6% | |
| 1970 | 7,701 | −8.5% | |
| 1980 | 9,013 | 17.0% | |
| 1990 | 11,451 | 27.0% | |
| 2000 | 14,557 | 27.1% | |
| 2010 | 15,778 | 8.4% | |
| 2020 | 17,637 | 11.8% | |
| 2021 (est.) | 17,832 | [4] | 1.1% |
| U.S. Decennial Census[12] 2020 Census[3] | |||
As of the2010 census,[13] there were 15,778 people, 6,980 households, and 4,461 families residing in the city. Thepopulation density was 1,342.8 inhabitants per square mile (518.5/km2). There were 7,680 housing units at an average density of 653.6 per square mile (252.4/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 91.5%White, 0.7%African American, 1.0%Native American, 1.9%Asian, 0.1%Pacific Islander, 1.6% fromother races, and 3.3% from two or more races.Hispanic orLatino of any race were 5.0% of the population.
There were 6,980 households, of which 24.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.5% weremarried couples living together, 9.0% had a female householder with no husband present, 3.5% had a male householder with no wife present, and 36.1% were non-families. 29.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.25 and the average family size was 2.75.
The median age in the city was 47.2 years. 19.6% of residents were under the age of 18; 6.3% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 21.4% were from 25 to 44; 29.9% were from 45 to 64; and 22.9% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 47.9% male and 52.1% female.
Anacortes is onFidalgo Island.Rosario Strait and theSan Juan Islands are to the West while to the South,Deception Pass separates Fidalgo and Whidbey Islands. To the East, theSwinomish Channel separates Fidalgo Island from the mainland. The weather is milder than other areas of thePacific Northwest, because it lies within theOlympic Mountainrain shadow. Fidalgo Island gets 21 inches of rain per year, only half as much asSeattle.
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.
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In the 1950s, oil companies built big refineries near Anacortes. Two of the five refineries operating in Washington are located near the town. One is owned and operated byMarathon Petroleum (opened in 1955, it was originally built and owned byShell Oil and later operated byAndeavor [formerly Tesoro]), operating as theMarathon Anacortes Refinery, the other was owned and operated byShell Puget Sound Refinery Company (opening in 1957, and originally built and owned byTexaco). However,HollyFrontier has now bought the refinery. Refining remains the area's largest industry, but the economic base now includes yacht construction/shipbuilding, tourism.
Anacortes has amayor–council government with an elected mayor and sevencity councilmembers, of whom three are elected from single member wards. The remaining four are electedat-large.
The city government operates amunicipal broadband system that began operation as a pilot in late 2019 and will expand to the entire city in 2023.[14][15]
Anacortes is a popular destination for boaters and those traveling on to the San Juan Islands.[citation needed] The city maintains a 220-acre (0.89 km2) city park on the northwestern end of Fidalgo Island named "Washington Park". This park features camping, boat launching, and views of theSan Juan Islands. The most prominent view is ofCypress Island.As a result of Anacortes' proximity to theStrait of Juan de Fuca, the area provides opportunities for whale-watching. The waters off of Anacortes and Fidalgo Island are home to several varieties of marine-life, including three resident Orca pods.[citation needed]
Anacortes Community Forest Lands, 2,800 acres (11 km2) with 50 miles (80 km) of mountain biking and hiking trails, are a valuable amenity in a city the size of Anacortes. In adjacent Mount Erie Park, a number ofrock climbing routes are popular on the cliffs of the south and west faces ofMount Erie.[citation needed] Mount Erie offers scenic vistas from its 1273-foot peak.[16]
Anacortes hosts many long-distance cyclists,[citation needed] as it is the western terminus of theAdventure Cycling Association's Northern Tier cross-country bicycle route, which ends inBar Harbor, Maine.
Anacortes'sister cities are:[25][26]
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Municipalities and communities ofSkagit County, Washington,United States | ||
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| Cities |  | |
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| CDPs | ||
| Other communities | ||
| Indian reservation | ||
| Ghost towns | ||
| International | |
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| Geographic | |
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