If logic had anything to do with it, Point Roberts would be part of Canada. End of story.
After all, the 22-mile strip of land is surrounded by Canada on one side and the great Pacific Ocean on the other. It makes no sense for there to be border crossing between Canada and Point Roberts, nor to have to cross the border twice from America — first into Canada, and then back into the US — in order to enter Point Roberts.
But countries’ boundaries and logic don’t always meet, and thus it is that Point Roberts, a sleepy enclave south of the 49th parallel, is emphatically American. Want to visit? Pack a passport or you’ll be turned away.
Located on the tip of the Tsawwassen Peninsula in Canada, Point Roberts presents an interesting contrast in personality. Delta, BC is a fast-growing municipality of close to 100,000, while Point Roberts has a population of just 1,314. In the summer its numbers swell to 4,500 as Canadian vacationers flock to many of the 2,068 housing units and seaside cottages they use to ‘get away from it all.’
As the Canadian loonie dips and dives relative to the American greenback, so too does the traffic and real estate exchanges in Point Roberts. When the currency exchange makes it worthwhile, Point Roberts becomes a destination for gas, booze and food, particularly milk, eggs and cheese. When it’s weak, those Canadian shoppers prefer to spend their dollars at home.
The contrast is best appreciated if you spend time in Tsawwassen (a city within the municipality of Delta) before crossing into Point Roberts. Bustling with retail strip malls, new home construction and lots of traffic generated by a growing population, Tsawwassen feels modern, contemporary and thriving. Hop across the border into Point Roberts and if you see a couple of vehicles on the road, you know it’s a busy day. You don’t hear many construction crews this side of the border, and the retail outlets look old, worn and tired.
That’s not to say there’s no reason to visit Point Roberts, though. On the contrary, the area’s sleepy personality has a lot of appeal. There is peace and quiet here, beaches that can be all yours, beautiful hiking paths and bald eagles perched in the trees. Many come here to retire, drawn by the secluded lifestyle and the security of life in Point Roberts, guarded as it is by border guards and the ocean. That level of safety has generated a nickname for Point Roberts: “America’s most secure gated community.”
You might be safe in Point Roberts, but life isn’t always convenient in this enclave. Say you get sick, for example, and need immediate attention. There’s a nurse practitioner at Point Roberts Clinic, and emergency medical technicians are also available. But if you need more urgent care your health care coverage does not extend into the arms of Canada, less than a kilometer away, you have to get Medi-Vac-ed by helicopter to St. Joseph’s Hospital in Bellingham, and many year-round residents carry special insurance for such emergencies. The commute by chopper is just 12 minutes, but still. If logic had anything to do with it, you’d cross the border into Canada to get the care you need.
The school system is another example of an absence of logic. While kids up to 3rd grade can attend elementary school in Point Roberts, after that they must commute by bus to the Blaine School District, crossing two borders each way to do so.
If you find yourself hungry in Point Roberts, Brewster’s Fine Foods is the place to go. Located in a century-old house, it’s a rustic place with a large stone fireplace and a big patio open in the summer. Expect home-baked muffins, delicious fish tostadas and a well-rounded menu that includes pasta, steak, appetizer dips, chicken and seafood. Richard Procter, who owns Brewster’s with his wife Sandra, said all the products in the restaurant have to come from the US, which means a bonded truck must cross the international border twice a week for deliveries.
But take a seat in this eatery and you’ll get a sense of the small community warmth that pervades Point Roberts. Unlike its Canadian neighbor to the north, this is the kind of place where ‘everyone knows your name.’ And even if they don’t, you’re still treated like an old friend. I suspect this is a large part of Point Roberts’ appeal: sleepy, beautiful, old-fashioned in many ways, but warm and cozy like that old pair of slippers you can’t bear to part with.
For more information about visiting point Roberts and what this “country within a country” has to offer, visit Point Roberts Tourism online.
