Borderland Lifeways in the American Exclave of Point Roberts, Washington

Abstract

Point Roberts, Washington is a geographical anomaly that opens a window into the lived experience of borders. Created by the imposition of an antecedent geometric boundary on an undulating coastline, Point Roberts has transitioned from a resource extraction frontier to a summer tourist destination for Canadians to a transnational borderland that defies notions of the bounded state as the container for society. The community is defined by the international border, which both connects and isolates it. Point Roberts relies on a mixture of services from both countries and fills a unique transnational economic niche, reflecting the complementarity between rural and urban and the United States and Canada. Point Roberts is a hybrid borderland: a privileged exurb for U.S. citizens working in Vancouver, a U.S. service center for Canadians, and a seaside retirement community with pockets of isolation and neglect.

Key words:

• borders
• political geography
• Vancouver

The author would like to thank the reviewers for their insightful comments.

The author would like to thank the reviewers for their insightful comments.

Acknowledgements

The author would like to thank the reviewers for their insightful comments.

Notes

The author would like to thank the reviewers for their insightful comments.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Mark Bjelland

Dr. M. D. Bjelland Department of Geology, Geography, and Environmental Studies, Calvin College, Grand Rapids, Michigan; [[email protected]].