About San Juan Island

Leaving Anacortes, Washington on the ferry, or flying in by airplane, you are bound for an area that is truly unique. You leave behind all the hassle of traffic, stop lights, crowds, honking horns, smog, and noise.

You will be entering a pristine area of sheltered coves, fir and madrona trees, eagles, seals, orca and many other kinds of wildlife. There will be lots of room for hiking, beach combing or just sitting on a piece of driftwood and contemplating your future as you watch the waves. Time has a way of standing still in the islands, and deadlines don't seem to have as much urgency as they used to.

The weather is almost unbelievable. Our summer temperatures are in the 70s and our winters seldom get below freezing. Our rainfall is less because of the "rain shadow" effect of the Olympic Mountains. This is truly a heavenly place.

What is there to do when you live on San Juan Island? More than there is space to tell about it. There is something for everyone. Here are but a few things to keep you occupied.

Hiking, beach combing and bird watching are all great ways to spend your leisure hours. Clams, crabs, seashells, driftwood and even agates are there for the finder on the beach. Hours can be spent looking for just the right memory or item to add to your collection.

The Whale Museum offers a great opportunity to keep informed on what is happening to our local whale population. As the local Orca pods move around the islands, the Museum can keep you in touch with their activity. Check out the Whale Museum's web site at www.whale-museum.org for more information.

If you are interested in the arts, you do not want to overlook the San Juan Community Theatre. Established just ten years ago, it provides great local productions as well as professional troops from off island, all year long. The theatre also works closely with the high school drama department, providing a very professional atmosphere for learning about arts and the theatre. The theatre web site will keep you up to date with all of the activities and performances at the theatre. Look at www.sanjuanarts.org for additional information.

News is always important to any community. It is also true on San Juan Island. With two local news papers, the Island's Journal and the Sounder, the community is kept informed about community activities. In addition to the newspapers, we also have a web news outlet. This web site www.sanjuanislander.com provides daily updates of all the activities on the island, with links to many other interesting sites.

Golf and Tennis are very active sports on the island; at least they are my favorites. San Juan Island boasts one of the best nine hole golf courses with tennis courts as well. The San Juan Golf and Country Club is a private club, which is open to the public for play. They provide a driving range, practice putting area, tennis courts and a great club house with a restaurant and bar facilities as well.

There are churches of almost every denomination on the island. Service times and locations can be found both in the local papers as well as on local web sites.

This is but a thumbnail sketch of some of the activities on the island. For more information look at the links provided on www.sanjuanislander.com.