Point Roberts Light

Point Roberts is a pene-exclave of Washington on the southernmost tip of the Tsawwassen peninsula, south of Vancouver, British Columbia. The area, which had a population of 1,191 at the 2020 census, is reached by land from the rest of the United States by traveling 25 mi (40 km) through Canada. It is a census-designated place in Whatcom County, Washington, with a post office, and a ZIP Code of 98281. Direct sea and air connections with the rest of the U.S. are available across Boundary Bay. Point Roberts was created when the United Kingdom and the United States settled the Pacific Northwest American-Canadian border dispute in the mid-19th century with the Oregon Treaty. The two parties agreed that the 49th parallel would define the boundary between their respective territories, and the small area that incorporates Point Roberts is south of the 49th parallel. Questions about ceding the territory to the United Kingdom and later to Canada have been raised since its creation; however, its status has remained unchanged.

The Point Roberts–Boundary Bay Border Crossing connects the communities of Point Roberts, Washington, and Tsawwassen, British Columbia on the Canada–US border. Tyee Drive on the American side joins 56 Street on the Canadian side. The crossing is the westernmost in the contiguous United States. By land, Point Roberts can only be accessed via this crossing.

The Salish Sea ( SAY-lish) is a marginal sea of the Pacific Ocean located in the Canadian province of British Columbia and the U.S. state of Washington. It includes the Strait of Georgia, the Strait of Juan de Fuca, Puget Sound, and an intricate network of connecting channels and adjoining waterways. The sea stretches from the channels of the Discovery Islands north of the Strait of Georgia to Budd Inlet at the south end of Puget Sound. It is partially separated from the open Pacific Ocean by Vancouver Island and the Olympic Peninsula. Much of the coast is part of the Pacific Northwest megalopolis. The region is anchored by Metro Vancouver to the north, and Metro Seattle to the south. Other principal cities on the Salish Sea include Bellingham, Port Angeles, Port Townsend, Everett, Tacoma, Olympia, and Bremerton in Washington, and Victoria and Nanaimo in British Columbia. As of 2021, the region is home to 8.76 million people.

Tsawwassen (English: tə-WAH-sən) is a suburban, mostly residential community on a peninsula in the southwestern corner of the City of Delta in British Columbia, Canada. It provides the only road access to the American territory on the southern tip of the peninsula, the community of Point Roberts, Washington, via 56th Street. It is also the location of Tsawwassen Ferry Terminal, part of the BC Ferries, built in 1959 to provide foot-passenger and motor vehicle access from the Lower Mainland to the southern part of Vancouver Island and the southern Gulf Islands. Because Tsawwassen touches a shallow bank (Roberts Bank), the ferry terminal is built at the southwestern end of a 3 km (1.9 mi) causeway (part of Highway 17) that juts into the Strait of Georgia. Boundary Bay Airport, a major training hub for local and international pilots which also provides local airplane and helicopter service, is ten minutes away. The Roberts Bank Superport is also nearby. To the northwest of the community are the lands of Tsawwassen First Nation ("TFN"), a people of Coast Salish ancestry who have used this land since at least 200 B.C. Having been "stripped of their lands, rights and resources" by European colonizers throughout the 19th century, and in accordance with a 2009 treaty with British Columbia, their territory now consists of approximately 724 ha (1,790 acres) of treaty settlement land, bounded by the Strait of Georgia on the west, the 2600 block to the north, the 4800 block to the east, and the 1200 block to the south. While also part of TFN lands, the 92-lot residential subdivision of Stahaken was leased for use by the (then) Tsawwassen Indian Reserve to Staheken Developments Ltd. in 1989 for a 99-year term. It was then developed in a partnership between Stahaken Development Ltd. and the Municipality of Delta. As such it is commonly thought of and serviced in the same manner as other subdivisions in the community of Tsawwassen. Stahaken residents are represented by the Stahaken Homeowners Association.

Named for, and located adjacent to the bay of the same name, Boundary Bay is a residential neighbourhood in the community of Tsawwassen (Delta, British Columbia, Canada). Directly south of the neighbourhood, and across the international border, is the residential neighbourhood of Maple Beach, Washington, in Point Roberts, Washington. The traditional name of the location in the Downriver dialect of the Halkomelem language is Chiltinm or Chiltenm. The Boundary Bay Airport is a notable inclusion in this area.

Lily Point Marine Reserve is a park and marine reserve located within the southeastern portion of Point Roberts, Washington. It encompasses more than 275 acres (111 ha), with 1.4 miles (2.3 km) of saltwater shoreline along Boundary Bay.In 2008, Whatcom County acquired this property with the assistance of The Nature Conservancy and Whatcom Land Trust. Major goals in the planning process for the park include the preservation of the site's natural and cultural heritage and public access. Proposed improvements include a trailhead with parking and restrooms, trails through forested uplands, viewpoints and shoreline access.

Tsawwassen is a ferry terminal and a major transportation facility in Delta, British Columbia, part of the BC Ferries system and Highway 17. Positioned less than 500 metres (1,600 ft) from the 49th parallel along the Canada–United States border, it is located at the southwestern end of a 2-kilometre (1 mi) causeway that juts out into the Strait of Georgia off the mainland at the community of Tsawwassen. With an approximate size of 23 hectares (57 acres), it is the largest ferry terminal in North America.

The Tsawwassen Lands is the sole reserve of land that the Tsawwassen First Nation has authority over in British Columbia, Canada, and is located adjacent to the causeway of the Tsawwassen ferry terminal. To the south is the Canada–United States border and on the north is Canoe Pass, an arm of the Fraser River. The First Nation operates a park-and-ride for ferry customers, and also has a residential development housing non-natives called Tsatsu Shores just south of the causeway. The Tsawwassen Lands, which were extinguished as an Indian Reserve and are now fee-simple land holdings since the Tsawwassen Treaty, effective April 3, 2009, are 662 hectares (1,640 acres) in area.The Tsawwassen Mills mall is located within this area.

South Delta Exchange is a transit exchange located adjacent to the South Delta Recreation Centre in the community of Tsawwassen, British Columbia, Canada. Opened on October 31, 1975, the exchange serves Delta and Richmond.

Tsawwassen Mills is a shopping mall on Tsawwassen First Nation land, in Delta, British Columbia. The mall was built by Ivanhoé Cambridge and opened on October 5, 2016. It features 1.2 million square feet (110 thousand square metres) of retail space and a 1,100 seat food court. It features 200 retailers, including Bass Pro Shops and Saks Off 5th.Tsawwassen Mills is owned by Weihong Liu of Central Walk.

Southpointe Academy is a private K-12 school in Tsawwassen, British Columbia, Canada. It is a secular, co-education day school with approximately 630 students. Southpointe is authorized IB school offering the IB Primary Years Programme, IB Middle Years Programme, and is a candidate school for the IB Diploma Programme. The school moved to a new building in 2012 and contains learning spaces for various art and STEM subjects that offer hands-on experiences. Southpointe also offers service and outdoor education programmes.

Roberts Bank is home to a twin-terminal port facility located on the mainland coastline of the Strait of Georgia in Delta, British Columbia, Canada. Opened in 1970 with Westshore Terminals as its only tenant, Roberts Bank was expanded in 1983–84, and in June 1997 opened a second terminal, the GCT Deltaport container facility. Part of Port of Vancouver, Roberts Bank is also known as the Outer Harbour of Canada's busiest port. Westshore is the busiest single coal export terminal in North America and is operated by the Westar Group on a long-term contract. It typically ships over 20 million tonnes of export coal a year and early in 2010 completed a $49-million equipment upgrade, bringing its capacity from 24 million to 29 million tonnes per year. Some of this coal is metallurgical coal from mines in the interior of British Columbia, some of which are operated by Teck Resources. This coal mined within British Columbia pays a provincial carbon tax on its embodied emissions. However, some of the coal exported through the Roberts Bank is mined within the United States, and is exported through Canada to China. Communities along the West Coast of the United States have rejected proposals for coal export terminals for environmental reasons, and so the Roberts Bank Superport is the only way for coal producers in the Powder River Basin to export coal to Asia. The American coal exported through Roberts Bank does not pay a provincial carbon tax. This practice has been criticized by environmentalists in British Columbia.Like the Tsawwassen Ferry Terminal to the southeast, Roberts Bank was built at the end of a long causeway over a shallow bank. Originally created as a 20-hectare (49-acre) pod of reclaimed land for a major coal port, it is now four times that size. In January 2010, Deltaport added a third berth and doubled its capacity. It is now one of the busiest import/export ports in North America and a major hub for container trucking companies. Roberts Bank is serviced by the Robert's Bank Rail Corridor, which serves CN Rail, CP Rail, and BNSF Railway trains. It opened on April 16 1970 under the B.C. Harbours Board. Additionally, Seaspan International provides tugboat services to both terminals at peninsula.