2010 Winter Olympics – The Whatcom County Council of Governments reports 450,000 visitors are expected to attend the Feb. 2010 Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver, B.C., and more than one third of those, 175,000, will drive north to Canada on the I-5 freeway. Just below the border, a string of small towns in northern Washington state are cheerfully throwing out the welcome mats at restaurants, gas stations and hotels to accommodate travelers. In January 2008, reservations were already being taken for the 1,600 hotel rooms available in Bellingham, Ferndale, Birch Bay and Blaine, WA, which are the closest U.S. cities to the Games. Local attractions include luxury spas, high-end casinos, premium shopping outlets, the towering International Peace Arch monument dedicated to friendly relations between the U.S. and Canada, and endless recreation opportunities in the Mount Baker Snoqualmie National Forest, which holds the world record for annual snowfall.

Stats from Bellingham-Whatcom County

• The closest U.S. cities to the 2010 Winter Olympic Games are a series of quaint small towns in upstate Washington, connected to the border and to each other by the four-lane Interstate 5 freeway. Folks here look forward to the international influx the Games will bring. More than 175,000 visitors are expected to pass through these communities in February 2010 on their way north to Canada. Although still two years in advance, reservations are already being taken during that month for the 1,600 hotel rooms available in Bellingham, Ferndale, Birch Bay, Blaine, and Lynden, which are the principal cities of Whatcom County, WA. The metropolitan area of Vancouver, B.C. is just a stone’s throw across the border from here.

• The Whatcom County Council of Governments “estimates about 450,000 people will visit the games, with two-thirds traveling from the United State and 55 percent of those coming straight up Interstate 5.” – Bellingham Herald, Jan. 6, 2008.

• Whatcom County stretches 112 miles along the U.S.-Canadian border and hosts four border crossing locations.

• Residents of these U.S. communities are regular travelers to and from Canada and many own vacation properties at Whistler Mountain. Thousands of Canadians also own vacation spots on the U.S. side of the border and, with the strong Canadian dollar, have become frequent shoppers here. As a result new hotels and retail outlets are on the rise in Whatcom County. This is a region of dual citizenship and mutual understanding, where the Olympics’ message of “peace between nations” has special meaning.

• Two mottos, “Children of a Common Mother,” and “Brethren Dwelling Together in Unity” are viewed by all who cross the border on I-5. For the past 87 years, Whatcom County has been home to the massive Peace Arch monument astride the exact U.S.-Canada boundary line, with one foot in Blaine, WA and the other planted in Surrey, B.C. The Peace Arch was built even before a road or an official port of entry was located here.

• The force behind its construction was Sam Hill, a businessman and former executive of the Great Northern Railway who envisioned the need for good roads on the growing West Coast and promoted a Pacific Highway from Vancouver, B.C. to Tijuana, Mexico. Hill also appreciated the long-standing friendship between these once rival countries, made possible by the Treaty of Ghent signed on Dec. 24, 1814 to end the U.S.-British War of 1812 and by the Rush-Bagot Agreement of 1817, which disarmed all military at the border with Canada.

• On Sept. 6, 1921 the Peace Arch became the first monument dedicated to a century of peace between the U.S. and Canada (1814-1914), as well as to the 100^th anniversary of the world’s longest unguarded border (1817-1917), stretching 3,000 miles from the Strait of Juan de Fuca in Washington to the Bay of Fundy in Nova Scotia. Fifty tons of steel and 800 yards of concrete formed the imposing, white classical style structure, with bronze gates held permanently open. Inscriptions on the gates read: “1814 – Open 100 Years – 1914,” and “May These Gates Never Be Closed.”

• To date, the gates are still open. The highway and the official port of entry were placed near the monument in 1929. After eight decades, both the Canadian and the U.S. federal governments are constructing new, enhanced Peace Arch Point of Entry facilities to speed land crossings for the 2010 Olympics and beyond. In January, 2008, the Washington State Legislature introduced a bill to designate the Peace Arch as the official peace monument for the state of Washington.

• In 1931, donations from school children also assisted in securing the land surrounding the Peace Arch as an international park with 26 acres maintained by the state of Washington and 23 acres maintained by the province of British Columbia.

• Today, visitors from either country may walk the entire 49 acre park grounds without a visa, although they may not legally enter the adjacent country before clearing Customs. The park is open daily, year-round, from 8 a.m. to dusk. On the U.S. side, it is accessible from exit 276 off I-5. The serene setting includes picnic tables, interpretive trails, planted floral displays and island views.

• Such a park is a natural accompaniment here. Plentiful outdoor recreation and slower pace living are a hallmark of Washington state’s I-5 communities north of Seattle. Many U.S. travelers are choosing to lodge here during the Games to beat the crowds and higher prices just up the road, while also enjoying the region’s unspoiled natural beauty.

• Bellingham, a thriving university town of 71,000, is an easy drive to and from Vancouver, and offers hotels ranging from economy to high-end luxury. The city circles Bellingham Bay, with a bustling marina. The Port of Bellingham operates the closest U.S. airport to Vancouver. Daily flights arrive from Seattle, Las Vegas, Reno and Palm Springs.

POSSSIBLE INTERVIEWS:

United States Canada Peace Anniversary Association:  Christina Alexander (360) 332-7009

• Hosts annual international sculpture exhibition in park.
• Planning International Flags of Participants display in park during Olympics,
• Starting a concert series through the WA State Arts office
• Planning celebration in 2014 to honor bi-centennial of U.S.- Canadian Peace

(Peace Arch Monument was built to honor the centennial, and is the only park of its kind.)

Peace Arch State Park and National Monument

www.peacearchpark.org , 67-feet tall, built in 1921, commemorates the signing of the Treaty of Ghent on Dec. 24, 1814 and the Rush-Bagot Agreement in 1817.

“Entered into by the king of England, and President Monroe, these treaties provided for an unguarded United States/Canadian border from the Strait of Juan de Fuca to the Bay of Fundy. Both treaties resulted from the War of 1812.”

Peace Arch U.S. Port of Entry Redevelopment Project

Michael Levine, Regional Environmental Program Manager,

U.S. General Services Administration,  (253)931-7263, Michael.Levine@gsa.gov