Map of Anacortes city

Anacortes (/ˌænəˈkɔːrtəs/ AN-ə-KOR-təs) is a city in Skagit County, Washington, United States. The name “Anacortes” is an adaptation of the name of Anne Curtis Bowman, who was the wife of early Fidalgo Island settler Amos Bowman. Anacortes’ population was 17,637 at the time of the 2020 census. It is one of two principal cities of and included in the Mount Vernon-Anacortes Metropolitan Statistical Area.

Anacortes is known for the Washington State Ferries dock and terminal serving 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 that serves Guemes Island, a residential island located across Guemes Channel, north of Anacortes.

Anacortes city overview:
Name:	Anacortes city
LSAD Code:	25
LSAD Description:	city (suffix)
State:	Washington
County:	Skagit County
Elevation:	23 ft (7 m)
Total Area:	15.65 sq mi (40.53 km²)
Land Area:	11.70 sq mi (30.30 km²)
Water Area:	3.95 sq mi (10.23 km²)
Total Population:	17,637
Population Density:	1,498.16/sq mi (578.45/km²)
ZIP code:	98221
Area code:	360
FIPS code:	5301990
GNISfeature ID:	1511964
Website:	cityofanacortes.org

Online Interactive Map

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Anacortes online map. Source: Basemap layers from Google Map, Open Street Map (OSM), Arcgisonline, Wmflabs. Boundary Data from Database of Global Administrative Areas.

Anacortes location map. Where is Anacortes city?

Anacortes location on the U.S. Map. Where is Anacortes city. — Anacortes location on the U.S. Map.

Anacortes location on the Washington map. Where is Anacortes city. — Location of Anacortes in Washington.

History

Anacortes is within the historical territory of the Samish people. Anacortes was officially incorporated on May 19, 1891.

In 1877, railroad surveyor and town founder Amos Bowman moved his family to the northern tip of Fidalgo Island. Bowman began promoting the area as an obvious terminus for the Northern Pacific Railway as it was built through the north Cascades to the Pacific. Bowman established the town’s first newspaper, The Northwest Enterprise, to promote his vision of the New York of the West.

Seattle and Northern Company began building a rail line from the town in 1888. Real estate and development boomed from 1888 to 1890 as a result of the railroad rumors, and the Oregon Improvement Company posted $15 million in bonds to develop the town.

In 1891, the real estate bubble burst. Speculators lost money and the Oregon Improvement Company could no longer afford to complete tracks over the Cascades. The town failed to become the railroad terminus Bowman had envisioned.

After the bust, the town became prominent for its fishing tradition, thriving canning industry, and timber mills.

Anacortes Road Map

Anacortes city Satellite Map

Geography

Anacortes is on Fidalgo Island. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 15.53 square miles (40.22 km), of which 11.75 square miles (30.43 km) is land and 3.78 square miles (9.79 km) is water.

Climate

According to the Köppen climate classification system, Anacortes has a warm-summer Mediterranean climate (Csb) with cool, rainy winters and warm, dry summers.