View of the downtown and marina of Anacortes, from the east
Anacortes (pronounced IPA: /ˌænəˈkɔrtəs/) is a city in Skagit County, Washington, USA. The name Anacortes comes from Anna Curtis, the maiden name of early settler Amos
Bowman's wife.[1] The population was 14,557
at the 2000 census. It is one of two principal cities of and included in the Mount
Vernon-Anacortes Metropolitan Statistical Area.
There is a Washington State Ferries dock that serves Lopez Island, Shaw Island, Orcas
Island, and San Juan Island, as well as Victoria, British Columbia (via Sidney, British
Columbia) on Vancouver Island. There is also a Skagit County-operated
ferry dock that serves Guemes Island.
History
Anacortes was officially incorporated on 19 May, 1891.
Geography
Anacortes is located at 48°30′7″N, 122°37′25″W (48.502012,
-122.623733)1.
Anacortes is on Fidalgo Island.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area
of 36.7 km² (14.2 mi²). 30.5 km² (11.8 mi²) of it
is land and 6.2 km² (2.4 mi²) 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 477.1/km² (1,236.0/mi²). There were 6,551 housing units at an
average density of 214.7/km² (556.2/mi²). 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 races, 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 population was spread out with 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 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
The Majestic Inn, Anacortes, Washington
Anacortes is on Fidalgo Island. It is surrounded by the north Puget Sound and
San Juan Islands on three sides, and by the Swinomish Channel and the flats of
Skagit Valley to the east. The weather is milder than other areas of the Pacific Northwest, because it lies within the Olympic
Mountain rain shadow. Fidalgo Island gets 21" of rain per year, only half as much as
Seattle.
Anacortes was established with a name and a post office in 1877 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 1950's oil companies built big refineries near town. Two of the five refineries in
Washington are located near the town. One is operated by BP (which locally markets gasoline as Arco), another by Conoco Phillips
(which locally markets gasoline as 76). Refining remains the area's largest industry, but the economic base now includes yacht
construction, tourism, and residential services for the nearby Whidbey Island Naval Air Station.
Anacortes is a popular destination for boaters and those traveling on to the San Juan Islands. The city maintains a 220 acre
city park on the northwestern end of Fidalgo Island called Washington Park. This park features camping, boat launching, and
majestic views of the San Juan Islands. The most prominent view is of Cypress Island. Anacortes also features many forest trails used for mountain biking and
hiking. There are also many popular areas for rock climbing at Mount Erie.
Notable residents and natives
- Craig Bartlett – animator, creator of syndicated
cartoon Hey Arnold!!
- Bobo – western lowland gorilla
brought to Anacortes in 1952 by Bill Lowman. Featured in Seattle's Woodland Park Zoo.
- Burl Ives – folk singer, author, and actor.
- Charley Schanz – former Major League
Baseball pitcher.
- Gary Troxell - Lead singer for the Fleetwoods. 1988 inductee into the Northwest Music Hall of Fame.
- T.J. Fantini - former Disney Mouseketeer.
- Don Hume - Olympic rower, gold medalist at the 1936 "Hitler" Berlin Olympics.
- Wallie Funk - known as "Mr. Anacortes". Retired publisher, photographer and city historian. Owner of the extensive Ferd Brady
photo collection documenting early life in Skagit County.
- Dunton Sisters - Acclaimed Bluegrass musicians.
- Bill Mitchell - city historian, artisan, creator of the "Anacortes Mural Project" which depicts an eclectic mix of more than
100 life-sized outdoor murals inspired from photographs of early Anacortes life.
- Paul N. Luvera Sr. - former community grocer, noted carver of native North American totem poles. Highway leading to Anacortes
named in his honor.
- Rien Long - NFL Tennessee Titans defensive lineman, 2002 Outland Trophy winner.
- Ray Auld - Conservationist who fought for the creation of the Anacortes Community Forest Lands. Spent countless hours
building and improving park trails on Mount Erie until his death at the age of 88. Drive to the top of Mount Erie named in his
honor.
- Phil Elvrum - Lead singer and songwriter of the Microphones/Mount Eerie. Also founder of P.W. Elverum & Sun Ltd.
Records.
Sister cities
Anacortes has four sister cities:[2]
See also
References
- ^ "Historical Timeline." Anacortes History Museum. July 10, 2006. Retrieved on August 14, 2007.
- ^ "Sister Cities Online Directory: Washington, USA." Sister Cities International, Inc.. Retrieved on
March 23 2007.
External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to:
Coordinates:
48.502012° N 122.623733°
W
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