|
Summit
Park
Summit Park, with a sunny southwest exposure,
sits atop a bluff overlooking beautiful Similk
Bay. The view is spectacular and evokes classic
images of the Northwest; evergreened lands in
silhouette, island jewels dotting the waters below
and the snowcapped peaks of Olympics on the horizon.
Madrona trees grace the land and bald eagles patrol
the skies. This location enables quick and easy
access to Highway 20 for travel from Fidalgo Island
yet the land conceals the highway's presence.
Homes in Summit Park are tasteful and kingly.
They are sparsely scattered over the hillside;
each positioned to best enjoy the splendid views.
Similk
Beach
Similk Beach is a cozy hamlet of homes overlooking
the tidal flux of Similk Bay waters. Residents
enjoy a landscape dominated by its driftwood beach
and the greens of Similk Beach Golf Course with
grounds that reach nearly to water's edge. The
homes flank the course and encircle the contours
of the small bay's waters. Residents enjoy wetland
wildlife practically at their doors. Distant gazes
take in Whidbey, Hope and Skagit Islands. It is
a friendly, close community with neighbors out
walking and drivers offering a wave-whether they
know you or not.
Hill
Crest
Heading south on the main street of Anacortes,
you leave the business sector and enter a residential
area. The road climbs gradually and you can at
once appreciate the views gained from the inconsiderable
elevation. These homes pepper the hillside and
have a northward orientation. They look out upon
city action, boating activity in Fidalgo Bay and
the face of Mt. Baker. Their December Christmas
lights provide a holiday showpiece for all who
pass through Anacortes.
Central
Anacortes
A varied residential area spans from Commercial
Avenue westward toward the San Juan Island ferry
landing. It is a handy location, convenient to
business and city services. The medical community
of Anacortes is located within this region and
includes Island Hospital and the surrounding medical
practices. The Anacortes High School occupies
a high point of land with football stands taking
in a commanding view. A handsome, recently constructed
Senior Center and the Fidalgo Pool and Fitness
Center are also nestled within this area. A portion
of this region is bordered by the Anacortes Community
forest Lands and enables residents' easy access
to trails and preserves the close-to-nature spirit
of the Anacortes Community.
Commercial/Downtown
The main access road into Anacortes is the spur
of Highway 20. It spills most of its travelers
onto Commercial Avenue and then proceeds into
the downtown heartland of Anacortes. Because the
San Juan Ferry option diverts drivers off Commercial
Avenue before they reach the quaint downtown section,
many miss the fashionable collection of businesses
and services that anchor the Anacortes business
identity. Carefree tourists browse the galleries
and specialty stores. Residents conduct banking
and post-office business. The local bakery or
roasting company might distract any from their
duties. Hanging baskets celebrate the lighthearted
days of summer while the city seems to hunker
down during the bluster and wet of winter.
Old
Town
This pocket of graceful homes lining the banks
of the Guemes Channel is a favorite location in
Anacortes. Large, stately homes with manicured
gardens or whimsical cottages comprise this neighborhood.
The area is adjacent to the downtown section and
many can stroll to town for bakery goods and coffee,
a book browse or meal and music. Guemes Channel
is the waterway between Anacortes and Guemes Island
and a small car ferry makes the seven-minute crossing
between the two islands. The channel is the chief
access route for pleasure boats and fishing vessels
leaving the Cap Sante marina destined for the
San Juan Islands. It is also the approach route
for the great oil tankers that come and go under
tugboat escort. To gaze closely at the spectacle
of an immense tanker underway never fails to be
thrilling. Christmas season brings the procession
of decorated boats up and down the channel for
the Boat Parade festivity. Waterfront residents
of Old Town are indeed treated to an ongoing array
of activity right at their windows.
Cap
Sante
Best known for the marina at its base, Cap Sante
takes in the promontory of land adjoining the
downtown district as well as the northeastern
waterfront area. The attractive marina has all
the facilities that a boater would expect. Over
one thousand slips accommodate recreational boats
and a working fishing fleet. Sailboat masts form
a great cluster of spires, reminding one that
Anacortes is the gateway for boating to the Islands,
Canada and Alaska.
The Cap Sante headland juts into Fidalgo Bay
waters. Homes are positioned to take full advantage
of the broad, unobstructed views. On the eastern
margin, residents peer directly at the Cascades
and the awe of Mt. Baker. Gazing downward into
bay waters, they may observe sailboat races, boating
traffic or the ample oil tankers going about their
business. Those living on the northern rim are
treated to boat traffic up close as vessels navigate
the Guemes Channel.
Oakes
Avenue and Washington Park
Neighborhoods flanking Oakes Avenue vary and include
simple homes suggesting the earlier days of Anacortes,
modest family sections and lavish homes where
sweeping views of islands, water and snow-covered
peaks are the daily fare of household gazes. With
strategic positioning, even a humble, less stylish
home may possess a stunning view. Located immediately
off Oakes Avenue is Clear Ridge, a community of
distinctive homes of newer construction that sit
perched on a hillside with expansive views to
the north.
Leaving Oakes Avenue at Georgia Place will take
you to the popular Cranberry Lake. Continuing
to the end of Sunset Avenue brings you to the
westernmost point of Fidalgo Island where you
enter Washington Park. With grassy barbecue areas,
playground equipment, boat launch, camping facilities
and forested walking loop, it is a much enjoyed
recreation spot that has something for everyone.
Skyline
Skyline sits in the northern nook of Bowman's
Bay on the western side of Fidalgo Island. The
handsome homes are a source of great pride for
residents. There is a well-equipped marina and
related marine businesses present in the community.
The marina offers boaters quicker access to the
San Juans than other marinas where occupants have
to first transit the Guemes Channel. Many waterfront
Skyline homes have private boat docks. The 'Cabana',
a nifty beach cottage snugged up against a hill
is available to residents for private events.
Waters of Burrows Bay form a picturesque cove
for Skyline residents. Living here provides some
of the Island's most spectacular views. The scenery
comes in layers: first the waters of the bay in
the foreground backed by Burrows and Allan Islands;
behind that, the Puget Sound waters with the San
Juans in the distance. Snow-capped Olympics stripe
the scene and if the evening sky is afire with
a non-stop sunset, it is a hard scene to forget.
Westside
The western rim of Fidalgo Island is marked by
a succession of communities that follow the rough
coastline southward. Residents take in premier
views of the San Juan Islands, the Straits of
Juan de Fuca and in the distance, the Olympic
peaks. Some of the Island's most exclusive enclaves
are found in this region. Distinctive pockets
of homes such as those at Del Mar Community, The
Pointe, Seaview, Alexander Beach and Biz Point
mark the entire corridor. Waterfront homes may
feature private beaches or access to mooring buoys.
Although one may feel lost in their own world
along the Westside, return to Anacortes is quick
along Havekost Road.
Eye of the Island/Lake Erie/Lake Campbell
There is no shortage of water for Fidalgo residents-they
are surrounded by it and moreover, there are seven
lakes on the island. Centrally located are the
two largest: Lake Erie and Lake Campbell. Lake
Erie sits at the base of Mt. Erie, a 1270' peak
that dominates the Skagit Valley landscape. Winter
storms may dust its point with snow and leave
lower lands merely wet with rainfall. Lookout
points at the summit provide dramatic views to
the east, west and south. Communities surrounding
Lake Erie are tucked into nooks and crannies of
scenic rolling lands or forested pockets.
Gibralter
If Deception Pass Bridge or Whidbey Island were
your destination, you would exit Highway 20 onto
its southern segment where signs direct you to
the Port Townsend Ferry or Oak Harbor. Reaching
the top of the hill, Gibralter Road appears on
your left. It spans the entire length of the hilltop
on Similk Bay's west side. Its communities are
scattered along its crest, positioned to capture
the eastward sunrise views. Side roads dip down
to water's edge and provide elegant shoreline
properties where residents enjoy the many moods
of Similk Bay waters.
Dewey
Beach/Yokeko Point
Gibralter Road drops down into the idyllic community
of Dewey Beach, which sits upon a gentle rise
of land overlooking Similk Bay and Whidbey shores.
The entire neighborhood can be taken in with a
single sweep of gaze. On a sunlit day, residents
may pause and take in the diamond sparkles dancing
on the waters or linger to watch pleasure boats
make their way along the backside of Whidbey Island.
Summer days bring the fury of gardening chores
or leisure of an oyster barbecue. Residents walk
their dogs or stroll the private beach. There
is a curious mix of homes in this area, from the
grandest to the most humble, and somehow the concoction
melds into an overall impression of finery.
|
