Neighbors - Birch Bay

POSTED: Wednesday, Oct. 01, 2008

Once a tourist town, Birch Bay growing into a year-round home

When she was growing up in White Rock, B.C., Maureen McMillan often came down to Birch Bay to picnic, roller skate and, as a teen, cruise the strip along the bay.

Now 64, McMillan and her husband continued her cross-border ties in 2002 when they bought a membership at Birch Bay Leisure Park, a private RV community on Birch Bay Drive.

Her husband died three years ago, but McMillan still spends time in Birch Bay, and her family wouldn't want it any other way.

"It's been quite a nice thing for us to come down here," she said. "It's still very much like what White Rock used to be years ago."

In their early days, Birch Bay and White Rock were beach getaways popular with summer tourists. But White Rock has boomed in recent years, so much so that McMillan can see its two, new high-rise residential towers when she's in Birch Bay.

Birch Bay, meanwhile, is changing in fits and starts. After World War II, the community was a Coney Island of the Northwest, with amusement parks, dance halls and other attractions for people drawn to the bay's warm water, long beaches and island views.

Tourism dwindled with the advent of Interstate 5 and other changes, turning Birch Bay into a sleepy, half-empty enclave once the visitors left.

That began changing the past several decades as Whatcom County grew and Birch Bay grew even faster. During the 1990s, Birch Bay grew faster than any other part of the county, reaching nearly 5,000 people in 2000, with its population expected to nearly double by 2022.

Reminders of the transition are everywhere. Signs advertise land for sale and point to new or planned housing developments. On Birch Bay Drive, the road that hugs the bay, you'll drive by expensive condos, cottages on tiny lanes, trailers and shuttered buildings, often one next to the other.

At Horizon at Semiahmoo, grass fields stand ready for pricey new homes with a commanding view of the bay and the San Juan Islands, but tight money has slowed road connections to a crawl.

Financial problems also plague efforts to create a high-speed traffic route from Birch Point and Semiahmoo to the freeway, so Birch Bay Drive can remain a low-speed tourist haven.

Those bumps might slow growth, but likely won't derail it. Not far away, at Birch Bay Square, developers continue to remodel the former outlet mall, and recently announced that The Markets plans to open a grocery store there.

A full-size grocery store has long been a dream of Birch Bay residents. With the dream closer to reality, it will be more convenient for families, locals and others, to enjoy Birch Bay year-round.

"We still find it pretty laid-back, compared to where we live," McMillan said.

HISTORY

Scottish botanist Archibald Menzies named Birch Bay for the black birch trees along shore. Menzies served on Captain George Vancouver's exploration of the Northwest coast of North America, with a June 1792 stop at Birch Bay so Vancouver could launch some small-boat exploration. Menzies' name lives on in several species, including the Douglas fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii).

CONTACTS

Birch Bay Chamber of Commerce: 371-5004; birchbaychamber.com

Birch Bay State Park: 371-2800; parks.wa.gov/parkpage.asp?selectedpark=Birch+Bay

Birch Bay Steering Committee: 371-0171; www.birchbayinfo.org

Birch Bay Waterslides: 371-7500; birchbaywaterslides.net

AMENITIES/EVENTS

Bay Polar Bear Swim: Join hundreds of brave souls who greet each New Year with a plunge into the brisk waters of Birch Bay.

Birch Bay State Park: The nearly 200-acre park offers picnic and camping facilities, plus nearly two miles of beach on Birch Bay.

Discovery Days: Usually held mid- to late-July, Birch Bay's weekend festival features a parade, arts and crafts, and other family fun.

Sand Castle Contest: Each June, people of all ages can build a sand castle or sculpture on the sandy beaches of Birch Bay.