north sound living vol 4 #1 stood. By the early 1990s, retirees, urban refugees, and developers had started snapping up century-old houses and undeveloped land. Suddenly Anacortes was more than a place to pass through to get to somewhere else. Chamber of Commerce director Mitch Everton was quoted about how visitors so often come to his adopted hometown: “First they buy the boat, then they visit Anacortes, then they move to Anacortes.�
MT VERNON‌ Amazing vistas of farmland, mountains, river valleys, and islands await you in Mount Vernon! Just a 60-mile drive north on I-5 from Seattle or an 80-mile drive south from Vancouver, B.C., Mount Vernon is a charming mix of an historic river front town, a bustling community, and the promise of outdoor adventure. Whether you enjoy boutique shopping and fine dining or kayaking, biking and hiking, Mount Vernon is a great place to visit. Enjoy a trip through one of many working family farms or photograph some great watchable wildlife. Mount Vernon boasts a number of city parks, cultural and historic experiences, and festivals throughout the year. Mount Vernon hosts the world famous Skagit Valley Tulip Festival each April, as well as the Skagit Highland Games, Shakespeare Festival, and many more.
Burlington City
Built at the intersection of I-5 and State Highway 20 as well as the meeting point of the north-south and east-west railroads, Burlington has fulfi lled its mission as the transportation hub of Skagit County. When settlers established the community in 1882, Burlington was nothing more than a dense forest. The city was incorporated nine years later (1891) and has grown to become a distribution center for loggers, farmers and manufacturers throughout the Northwest. Today, Burlington has evolved to become the major shopping destination in Skagit County, boasting an upscale outlet mall, 14-screen cinema complex, and the area’s premier Auto Row. Bordered by the Skagit River, the waterway provides fishing and other recreational opportunities all year long. The links style 27-hole Avalon Golf Course is just a few miles north of town.
Visit us at www.visitmountvernon.com for more details and to plan your stay! Mount Vernon Chamber of Commerce
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Located 23 miles east of Sedro-Woolley along Highway 20 and nestled in the rugged foothills beneath Mount Baker, Concrete is the gateway to the recreational opportunities of the North Cascades. The city earned its name as the home to the Superior Portland Cement Plant, which produced more than 40 percent of the cement used to build the Grand Coulee Dam. Today the town’s efforts are focused on renovation and transforming the industrial site into a recreational playground. Concrete’s visitor center displays the salmon “taxi� system where migrating salmon are transported by trucks around two dams and then released to complete their natural life cycle.
Hamilton
Deposits of coal and iron brought settlers to Hamilton at the turn of the North Sound Living • Volume 4 - No 1
Š Hartford Photography
Concrete
www.VisitMountVernon.com
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