Blaine, Washington

Blaine is a city in Whatcom County, Washington, United States. The city's northern boundary is the Canadian border. Blaine is home of the Peace Arch international monument.

1 History
2 Geography
3 Demographics
4 Economy
5 School district
6 External links

[edit] History

Peace Arch border inspection station

Aerial view of border inspection station and central Blaine

Plover ferry

Blaine was officially 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.

Blaine, Washington was first settled in the mid 1800's 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 its heyday Blaine was home to over 10,000 people, twice today’s population. The World's largest salmon cannery was operated by the Alaska Packer's 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 and robust into the second half of the twentieth century. Into the 1970's Blaine was home to hundreds of commercial purse seiners and gillnetters plying the waters between Washington State and southeast Alaska. Blaine's two large marinas are still home to hundreds of recreational sailboats and yachts, and a small fleet of determined local fishers provide visitors with dockside sale of fresh salmon, crab and oysters. Nature lovers have always appreciated Blaine's coastal location, its accessible bike and walking trails, and view of mountains and water. Birdwatchers across the continent have discovered the area's high content of migratory birds and waterfowl: Blaine's Drayton Harbor, Semiahmoo Spit and Boundary Bay are ranked as Important Birding Areas by the Audubon Society.

International border intrigue has always been a part of Blaine's ambiance. Smuggling became an underground industry there in 1919 with the passage of the Volstead Act banning liquor sale and use in the United States. Rum-running and border jumping thrived along Blaine's shared coastline with British Columbia, and continued until Prohibition was repealed in 1933 (coincidentally the US Congressional law which re-legalized alcohol is named the Blaine Act). In the 1990’s smuggling again reached a zenith as criminals in neighboring British Columbia became major exporters of high grade marihuana. Much more lenient Canadian drug laws provided a rich haven to thousands of large and small cannabis 'grow operations'. As the production of the chemically powerful 'BC Bud' coalesced into competing groups of well networked criminal organizations across BC, a sometimes dangerous game of cat and mouse played out along Blaine's border with Canada. Smugglers used every technique from backpacks to helicopter aerial drops to push tons of the marihuana crop into the US, while a growing phalanx of local, state and federal law enforcement sought ways to stem the tide. Smuggling of drugs, weapons, and money, and human trafficking continues in the area. However, following the terrorist attacks of 2001, the addition of hundreds of federal agents and millions of dollars in enforcement technology have pushed more of the smuggling activity away from Blaine and into the rugged interior of Washington.

With its location at the intersection of an international border, a major interstate freeway, and the Pacific Ocean, Blaine is frequently in the news. In 1970 Blaine became the site of the first hostile invasion of the contiguous United States since Canadian/British forces burned the White House to the ground in 1814 during the War of 1812. In May 9, 1970, at the height of the Vietnam War, a group of people from Canada came to Peace Arch Park in Blaine to protest the U.S. invasion of Cambodia and the National Guard's shooting of students at two US universities. A group of the protesters (size estimates vary between 50 and 600) swarmed from Canada past US Customs and Immigration officers across the border into downtown Blaine, vandalizing storefronts, cars and a local memorial dedicated to Blaine men who had fought and died in earlier wars. They retreated back to the border after burning a U.S. flag and fighting with Blaine residents. Once back at the Peace Arch, the protesters vandalized the monument. This low point in international and local relations between the friendly neighboring countries and communities has never been repeated. The Peace Arch is occasionally still used as a focal point for peaceful demonstrations and debate, but the very vast majority of the millions of people who visit or pass by the Park each year remember it for its beauty and peaceful shoreline setting. Currently, a group of Blaine community members are soliciting support to formalize a sister-city relationship with Pugwash, Nova Scotia.

[edit] Geography

Blaine is located at 48°59′17″N, 122°44′37″W (48.988005, -122.743741)^GR1.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 22.0 km² (8.5 mi²). 14.3 km² (5.5 mi²) of it is land and 7.6 km² (3.0 mi²) of it (34.57%) is water.

Peace Arch Park is located in Blaine at the US Canadian border, and the Canadian city of Surrey, British Columbia is adjacent to Blaine on the north side of the international boundary. The Park straddles the U.S./Canada border, allowing visitors the experience of strolling to and fro between countries amid flowers and ponds . The Peace Arch monument, located in the Park, symbolizes lasting peace between the U.S. and Canada.

Blaine is often referred to as "The Gateway to the Pacific Northwest". It lies at the northernmost point of the North-South U.S. Interstate 5 and next to Boundary Bay.

Blaine has a small airport, popular with light aircraft owners for its low fuel prices. The runway measures 2539 x 40 ft. / 774 x 12 m. The Blaine city government operates the automated fuel pumps. In the spring of 2006 the city government removed several tall trees south of the runway as a safety precaution. Link — http://www.airnav.com/airport/4W6

[edit] Demographics

As of the census^GR2 of 2000, there were 3,770 people, 1,496 households, and 1,036 families residing in the city. The population density was 262.7/km² (680.4/mi²). There were 1,737 housing units at an average density of 121.1/km² (313.5/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 87.72% White, 1.19% African American, 1.14% Native American, 4.19% Asian, 0.66% Pacific Islander, 1.33% from other races, and 3.77% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.35% of the population.

There were 1,496 households out of which 32.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.9% were married couples living together, 12.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.7% were non-families. 25.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.48 and the average family size was 2.96.

In the city the population was spread out with 26.5% under the age of 18, 6.9% from 18 to 24, 26.4% from 25 to 44, 25.7% from 45 to 64, and 14.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 94.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.2 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $36,900, and the median income for a family was $45,056. Males had a median income of $36,381 versus $23,561 for females. The per capita income for the city was $20,333. About 10.2% of families and 15.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 16.6% of those under age 18 and 8.3% of those age 65 or over.

In the 2004 US presidential election, Blaine cast 49.33% of its vote for Democrat John Kerry [1]and 50.67% for the winner, Republican George W. Bush.

[edit] Economy

Much of Blaine's economy is based on trade across the Canadian border. The eastern side of the city accommodates a number of import/export warehouses, freight and courier services and gas stations serving long haul cargo trucks. The Department of Homeland Security operates two border inspection stations in Blaine.

The Port of Bellingham (http://www.portofbellingham.com/) operates a large marina 1 km south of the border, serving a variety of pleasure craft and fishing vessels.

[edit] School district

Blaine School District #503 serves a population which extends to the south end of nearby Birch Bay, well beyond the City limits of Blaine. The largest share of school services is consolidated on a large (quarter mile square) campus in central Blaine. Approximately 2,500 students of all grades (K-12) attend school in facilities which separately house K-2, 3-6, 7-8, and 9-12th grades respectively. Students from the small nearby US exclave of Point Roberts, Washington above 3rd grade are also bussed to Blaine to attend school. The school district enjoys very strong community support, and in return provides an array of award winning educational and child development services, including it's large, multiple-award winning Middle School and High School Band. The main campus is home to a state of a state-of-the-art tiered seating Performing Arts Center and sports facilities for all team sports.

Blaine High School is the alma mater of Luke Ridnour, a flashy, nationally-known point guard for the NBA's Seattle Supersonics. Scott Gomez of the New Jersey Devils (NHL) attended Blaine High School for one year.