Blaine

History

The land surrounding present day Drayton Harbor was historically occupied by the Semiahmoo people, which make up a portion of the ancestry of the current-day Lummi Nation. The area was settled in the mid-19th century by pioneers who established the town as a seaport for the west coast logging and fishing industries, and as a jumping off point for prospectors heading to British Columbia's gold fields. In 1880, the Alaska Packers Association destroyed a Semiahmoo village and usurped their village site for a salmon cannery on Semiahmoo Spit. Blaine was incorporated on May 20, 1890, and was named after James G. Blaine (1830−1893), who was a U.S. senator from the state of Maine, Secretary of State, and, in 1884, the unsuccessful Republican presidential candidate. The city has a "turn-of-the-century" theme, marked by remodeled buildings and signs resembling designs that existed during the late 19th century and early 20th century. The world's largest salmon cannery was operated by the Alaska Packers' Association for decades in Blaine; the cannery site has been converted to a waterfront destination resort on Semiahmoo Spit. Several saw mills once operated on Blaine's waterfront, and much of the lumber was transported from its wharves and docks to help rebuild San Francisco following the 1906 fire there. The forests were soon logged but Blaine's fishing industry remained strong into the second half of the 20th century. Into the 1970s Blaine was home to hundreds of commercial purse seiners and gillnetters plying the waters offshore of British Columbia, between Washington state and southeast Alaska. Blaine's two large marinas are still home to hundreds of recreational sailboats and yachts. Nature lovers have always appreciated Blaine's coastal location, its accessible bike…

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which, is land and is water. Blaine's motto is "Where America Begins": the community is also known as "The Gateway to the Pacific Northwest", and the "Peace Arch City". All these phrases are commentaries on Blaine's unique locale. It lies at the northernmost point of the north-south U.S. Interstate 5 and next to Drayton Harbor and Boundary Bay (the southward extension of Boundary Bay is officially named and often referred to as Semiahmoo Bay). A 2024 proposal for a 211-unit luxury condominium development adjacent to Semiahmoo Marina on Semiahmoo Spit hit a roadblock when it failed to take into account the state-required shoreline setback. Blaine lies between the mountains east of Vancouver, the flatlands of Skagit County, Washington, the North Cascades (including Mount Baker), and the south end of Vancouver Island. Blaine has a borderline climate between mediterranean (Csb) and maritime (Cfb), which provides fairly mild weather from the rest of the Pacific Northwest. With annual precipitation of about and its milder location, Blaine enjoys more sunny days and a milder climate than neighboring communities. Blaine is home to two main West Coast ports of entry between the United States and Canada. The Peace Arch Border Crossing, which is the northern terminus of I-5 and southern terminus of B.C. provincial Highway 99, serves as the primary passenger vehicle port of entry. The Pacific Highway Border Crossing, approximately one mile to the east, serves as the primary point of entry for heavy truck traffic, and thus is also known as the Truck Crossing. The latter is reached via Washington State Route 543 which departs I-5 on the south side of Blaine and connects at the border to B.C.'s…

Race & ethnicity