Point Roberts

Point Roberts is a small community in the Northwest Cascades region of the state of Washington, a tiny piece of the U.S. where the only road in or out is through Canada. This rectangular near-exclave sits on the Tsawwassen Peninsula just below the 49th parallel.

Understand
Point Roberts looks at first glance to be a topographical error; a small peninsula which should otherwise be in Delta, a populous Vancouver suburb, is severed by the 49th parallel to form a geographic dead-end where a US community is only accessible overland from Canada.

As a US near-exclave, Point Roberts is effectively a gated community guarded by the US Department of Homeland Security. Sometimes visitors to Canada making a day trip to Point Roberts, but lacking a multiple entry visa to Canada, get stuck in Point Roberts. U.S. law enforcement has used the Point, perceived as almost part of Canada, to trap US fugitives hiding in Canada. Once lured onto US soil on a false pretense, the Feds swoop in on the hapless crook who now has nowhere to run except into the ocean or back to the border and into the arms of US Border Patrol.

The point's unusual border status attracted more than a few smugglers during the Prohibition era. In the 1950s and 1960s, a handful of well-known musicians performed live here to circumvent British Columbia's then-strict "blue laws", which restricted the sale of alcohol on Sunday. (The law was repealed in time for Expo '86.)

Before the 11 September 2001 attacks in New York City (and the US crackdowns on the border which followed) locals tended to take the ability to cross freely for granted. That has all changed; much property on the point is still owned by Vancouverites as cottage sites ― likely because Canadian land prices in the area have long been among the most prohibitive in the nation ― but border access has grown progressively more awkward.

With fewer than 1,200 people (2020), Point Roberts has close ties with its neighbor to the north, serving as a border-hop destination for Canadians in Greater Vancouver. It has an elementary school but no middle or high school; after third grade, students have to cross an international border four times a day to go to school in the United States. (Canadian students can go to school in Delta.)

The border was closed in March 2020 due to the global COVID-19 pandemic, and after a year and a half, reopened. Despite this, many who left during the pandemic have yet to return, although there are hopeful signs. Record-setting gas prices on the other side of the border have made the local gas stations the first to economically recover. Many cottages are also now finally being seen to by their owners as crossing the border becomes easier. Point Roberts did not become a ghost town this time, but it came uncomfortably close.

By car
Point Roberts is only accessible by car through a single border crossing:



For details, see the Get in — By car section of the Northwest Cascades region article.

By public transit
While no buses cross the border, a few TransLink public bus routes serve Diefenbaker Park in Delta, just a few blocks from the border crossing. From Bridgeport Skytrain station, Routes 601 and 602 run all day and drop off on the far side of the park, roughly a 10-minute walk away. Follow the edge of the park until you reach the washrooms; the checkpoint will be visible from there.

Routes 603 and 604 also depart from Bridgeport on weekday afternoons starting around 3PM, dropping you off across from the washrooms, on the side of the park closest to the border crossing. The checkpoint will be visible just a couple hundred meters down the road. Buses 603 and 604 only go all the way back to Bridgeport on weekday mornings until 8:15AM; during the rest of the day these buses only go as far as South Delta Exchange, where you will have to get off and wait for a 601 bus.

Get around

 * Point Roberts Cab Company, 1800 Benson Road, . The only local taxi service in Point Roberts.
 * Uber is also now an option on the Point, with one driver available on a semi-regular basis. If the app shows no availability, the driver can be contacted at . The driver is able to cross the border and take passengers to some destinations in metro Vancouver, and to Bellingham (for approximately $100).

See
The line separating Point Roberts from Canada is the westernmost land border between Canada and the continental US. The westernmost spot is marked by a large monument honoring several UK soldiers from the 1800s. The monument is in a small park with a bench looking out over the Georgia Strait, the Gulf Islands, and Vancouver Island.

Do

 * There are many mountain bike trails that run through Point Roberts to the southeast corner of the peninsula. Ramps and jumps are set up for beginner to intermediate level mountain bike riders.
 * There are many mountain bike trails that run through Point Roberts to the southeast corner of the peninsula. Ramps and jumps are set up for beginner to intermediate level mountain bike riders.

Buy
Before the border was closed due to COVID-19, Point Roberts' main business was selling gas in litres (at lower tax rates), dairy products and US postal services to Canadians. There was also strong demand for food and alcohol for visitors entering Point Roberts to access their cottages. Nonetheless, many basic amenities (such as a department store or a pharmacy) are absent.

As of March 2022, record gas prices north of the border have led to gas stations across the Point fully reopening to accommodate Canadians coming for cheaper gas. The same revitalization has not extended to other businesses in the area, however. The last functional restaurant, the Saltwater Café, is still sporadically closed or operating reduced hours. Only one bank remains open. Many other businesses are still operating at reduced capacity, facing economic hardship or out of operation after being cut off from Vancouver ― the third-largest market in Canada, for nearly two years, and many properties have been put up for sale. While the increased business for the gas stations is a positive sign for the Point's economic recovery, it still has a long way to go before it returns to its pre-pandemic state.



Drink
There was one bar, Kiniski's Reef, owned by retired professional wrestler Nick Kiniski. As of Dec 2022, it appears to be operating limited hours on weekends only.

Cope
There is no doctor, dentist or pharmacist on Point Roberts.


 * It is located next to the Whatcom 5 fire hall.

Wireless Services
Verizon is the only US carrier to place a cell site in the area. Plans with other US carriers may not work, or may require an additional roaming add-on. Any plan with Canadian coverage (on any of Rogers, Telus/Bell, Freedom) will likely function in Point Roberts as it does in Canada. This means that some US subscribers will incur additional fees to roam onto the Canadian network, including paying roaming rates for what should be domestic calls.

Mail


In addition, several "parcel shops" provide commercial mail receiving service for mail-order purchases.

Go next

 * Immediately north of the international border is Delta