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Friday Harbor, located on San Juan Island in the Pacific Northwest, is a picture-perfect historic seaport surrounded by spectacular mountain and marine views. With a natural grandeur that combines salty breezes, vibrant blue water, pebbled beaches and fragrant woods, it is a rare, unspoiled retreat ideal for outdoor adventurers, wildlife enthusiasts and history buffs alike.
Friday Harbor, an antidote to city life, is a small, well-preserved community tucked between Seattle, Vancouver BC and Victoria BC. It’s a year-round destination, accessible only by ferry or seaplane, where visitors can easily get around on foot to indulge in the eclectic collection of art galleries, coffeehouses, boutiques and eateries. Nestled in the center of a “rain shadow” cast by the mountains on the Olympic Peninsula, Friday Harbor enjoys nearly 250 days of sunshine each year and only half the annual rainfall of nearby Seattle, making it a place where kayaking, biking and walking are as common as driving.
Though only one square mile in size, Friday Harbor boasts nearly 150 historic buildings reflecting the community’s civic, commercial and residential history. Friday Harbor has been selected as a 2008 Dozen Distinctive Destination by the National Trust for Historic Preservation. Friday Harbor is one of Washington’s few seaport villages to survive the turn-of-the-century fires that engulfed early Seattle and other cities. Its authentic downtown streetscape and postage-size Memorial Park are the gateway to discovering the rich history, rural character and pristine marine environment of the San Juan archipelago.
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