Editing Point Roberts, Washington (section)

===Relationship with Canada===
During the [[Fraser Canyon Gold Rush|1858 Fraser gold rush]], prospectors from Victoria, BC who were attempting to avoid tax collection briefly settled Point Roberts. Their settlement was called Robert's Town and consisted of six wooden buildings, including a store and saloon, but lasted less than a year.<ref>{{Cite book |last = Murray |first= Anne |title= Tracing Our Past |year= 2008 |publisher= Nature Guides BC |isbn= 978-0-9780088-2-6 |pages= 87}}</ref>

In 1949, there was talk about Point Roberts seceding from the U.S. and joining Canada. A regional development plan for the Lower Mainland presented in 1952 suggested turning Point Roberts into an [[international park]] or leasing it for [[99-year lease|99 or 999 years]].<ref>{{cite news |date=March 1, 1952 |title=New Bridges Across Fraser, Express Routes To U.S. Urged |page=40 |work=The Province |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/50412309/new-bridges-across-fraser-express/ |via=Newspapers.com |access-date=May 6, 2020 |archive-date=June 15, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200615003334/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/50412309/new-bridges-across-fraser-express/ |url-status=live }}</ref> In 1973, a drought that caused the wells to run dry created tensions between Point Roberts's U.S. and Canadian residents. The Americans threatened to cut off the Canadian residents' water supply — and hung up signs saying "Canadians Go Home" — unless the Canadian municipality of Delta agreed to provide water. An agreement signed on August 28, 1987, requires the Point Roberts Water District to purchase raw water on an annual basis from the Greater Vancouver Water District.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.pointrobertswaterdistrict.com/|title=Point Roberts Water District #4 &#124; Point Roberts WA|website=www.pointrobertswaterdistrict.com|access-date=July 29, 2022|archive-date=February 24, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210224195956/http://www.pointrobertswaterdistrict.com/|url-status=live}}</ref> Delta Fire Department also [[Mutual aid (emergency services)|provides assistance]] to the Point Roberts volunteer fire department when requested. Until 1988, BC Tel (now [[Telus Communications]]) provided telephone service; the sole exchange prefix of 945, officially part of area code 206, could also be dialed through area code 604 during the period of BC Tel ownership.<ref name="pointbob">{{Cite news|url=http://www.canada.com/theprovince/news/story.html?id=b887d3f8-2eb5-4886-b42a-b056ed05b509|title='Point Bob' part of the family|date=November 9, 2008|newspaper=[[The Vancouver Province]]|author=Staff|access-date=January 30, 2010|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121105113833/http://www.canada.com/theprovince/news/story.html?id=b887d3f8-2eb5-4886-b42a-b056ed05b509|archive-date=November 5, 2012}}</ref>

After the [[September 11 attacks]] of 2001, security at border crossings—including Point Roberts—was increased, leading to long delays for residents.<ref>{{cite news |last=Gilmore |first=Susan |date=October 3, 2001 |title=U.S. town finds border access intolerable |page=B1 |work=The Seattle Times}}</ref> The Canadian border was closed to non-essential travel in March 2020 due to the [[COVID-19 pandemic]], which had been worsening in both countries but especially in the United States.<ref>{{cite news |last=Judd |first=Ron |date=March 18, 2020 |title=Confusion, uncertainty as officials announce U.S.-Canada border restrictions to slow coronavirus |url=https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/confusion-uncertainty-as-officials-announce-u-s-canada-border-restrictions-to-slow-coronavirus/ |work=The Seattle Times |access-date=March 18, 2020 |archive-date=March 19, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200319052730/https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/confusion-uncertainty-as-officials-announce-u-s-canada-border-restrictions-to-slow-coronavirus/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Fremson |first=Ruth |date=September 1, 2020 |title='I Am Stuck Until That Border Opens': Marooned in Paradise |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/09/01/us/coronavirus-point-roberts-washington-canada.html |work=The New York Times |access-date=September 3, 2020 |archive-date=September 3, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200903030203/https://www.nytimes.com/2020/09/01/us/coronavirus-point-roberts-washington-canada.html |url-status=live }}</ref> In 2020, a study found that Point Roberts had lost 80 percent of its business and hundreds of seasonal residents as a result of the pandemic and border shutdown. The area, described as a "[[ghost town]]" by the local chamber of commerce director, had no confirmed cases of COVID-19 {{as of|September 2020|lc=y}}.<ref>{{cite news |last=Ballard |first=Joel |date=September 27, 2020 |title=The birth of a ghost town: Point Roberts has lost 80% of its business, hundreds of its residents |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/point-roberts-covid-1.5740806 |work=[[CBC News]] |access-date=September 27, 2020 |archive-date=September 27, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200927165603/https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/point-roberts-covid-1.5740806 |url-status=live }}</ref> A temporary ferry was set up by the Port of Bellingham in August 2020 to connect Point Roberts to the mainland, initially to Blaine and later to Bellingham.<ref name="Herald-Ferry20"/> The Canadian government waived its mandatory COVID testing requirements for Point Roberts residents in February 2021, following negotiations with Washington state.<ref>{{cite news |last=O'Sullivan |first=Joseph |date=February 17, 2021 |title=Inslee: Canada won't require coronavirus testing for residents of Point Roberts |url=https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/health/inslee-canada-wont-require-covid-19-testing-for-residents-of-point-roberts-wash/ |work=The Seattle Times |accessdate=February 18, 2021 |archive-date=February 18, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210218031423/https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/health/inslee-canada-wont-require-covid-19-testing-for-residents-of-point-roberts-wash/ |url-status=live }}</ref> The border was fully reopened for non-essential travel in August 2021 and the ferry service ceased the same month.<ref name="Herald-Ferry21">{{cite news |last=Gallagher |first=Dave |date=July 22, 2021 |title=With Canada reopening its border, the Port of Bellingham is ending this service |url=https://www.bellinghamherald.com/news/coronavirus/article252951728.html |work=The Bellingham Herald |accessdate=September 22, 2022}}</ref>

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Point Roberts was acclaimed as the "safest place" for avoiding [[COVID-19|coronavirus]] due to its isolation from the mainland United States and Canada and very low case numbers.<ref>{{Cite news |date=April 17, 2020 |title=Point Roberts among 'safest places on earth' |language=en-US |website=[[Global News]] |url=https://globalnews.ca/video/6836491/point-roberts-among-safest-places-on-earth/ |access-date=December 21, 2022 |archive-date=December 4, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221204015050/https://globalnews.ca/video/6836491/point-roberts-among-safest-places-on-earth/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Murphy |first=Ted |date=April 18, 2020 |title=Point Roberts gets international acclaim as 'safest place' in U.S. during pandemic |language=en |website=[[Delta Optimist]] |url=https://www.delta-optimist.com/local-news/point-roberts-gets-international-acclaim-as-safest-place-in-us-during-pandemic-3121193 |access-date=December 21, 2022}}</ref> Because of limited access to the rest of Whatcom County and border closures into Canada, the case numbers remained very low.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Golden |first=Hallie |date=April 16, 2020 |title='The safest place': how one isolated US town is keeping coronavirus at bay |language=en |website=[[The Guardian]] |url=http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/apr/16/coronavirus-point-roberts-geography |access-date=December 21, 2022}}</ref> The City of Delta installed a [[chain-link fence]] at the end of English Bluff Road in 2025 to deter accidental crossings after an elderly man walked into Point Roberts. The fence was poorly received by local residents and at least one Delta councilmember demanded its removal.<ref>{{cite news |last=Vikander |first=Tessa |date=January 23, 2025 |title=Council, locals unhappy after police in Delta, B.C., order new chain-link fence along stretch of U.S. border |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/delta-police-us-border-fence-1.7439078 |work=CBC News |accessdate=January 25, 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Judd |first1=Amy |last2=Palma |first2=Jennifer |date=January 22, 2025 |title='What the heck is going on?' Why this B.C. community put up border fence with U.S. |url=https://globalnews.ca/news/10973171/bc-community-border-fence-us/ |work=Global News |accessdate=January 25, 2025 |archive-date=January 25, 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250125000703/https://globalnews.ca/news/10973171/bc-community-border-fence-us/ |url-status=live }}</ref>