Anderson Island (Washington) facts for kids
Anderson Island is the island farthest south in Puget Sound. It is a special area in Pierce County, Washington, United States, where the government keeps track of the population. You can get to the island by boat or by taking a 20-minute ferry ride from Steilacoom. Anderson Island is just south of McNeil Island. To the northwest, the Key Peninsula is across Drayton Passage. The southern part of Puget Sound separates the island from the mainland to the southeast. To the southwest, the Nisqually Reach of Puget Sound separates the island from the mainland.
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Island Life and Nature
Anderson Island covers about 7.75 square miles (20.1 square kilometers) of land. In 2020, about 1,302 people lived there. This number was up from 1,037 people in 2010. Many people choose Anderson Island as a place to retire. The average age of people living there is 54 years old. This is older than the average age for all of Washington state, which is 37 years.
Every summer, the island gets much busier! The population can grow to about 4,000 people. The island is also home to many deer.
A Look Back in Time
Long ago, Anderson Island was part of the land of the Steilacoom people. They were a Coast Salish tribe.
The island got its name in 1841 from Charles Wilkes. He was leading the United States Exploring Expedition. Wilkes was treated very kindly at Fort Nisqually by a man named Mr. Anderson and a captain named McNeill. To thank them for their help, Wilkes named two nearby islands after these two men.
In 1870, Andrew N. Christensen and his brother, Christian F. Christensen, were the first European settlers to live on the island for good. They were from Denmark. Christian was the only brother who stayed on Anderson Island permanently. At first, the main business on the island was selling wood to steamboats that used wood for fuel. These boats would come into Amsterdam Bay. Other early jobs included making bricks, farming, and fishing.
Today, there is only one General Store on the island. A local island resident runs it.
In 2004, a company bought many empty pieces of land on the island. They sold these lots to people, mostly from California, who lived outside the state. Many of these lots sold for over $40,000.
Getting to the Island by Ferry
Anderson Island can only be reached by ferry or private boat. The Steilacoom-Anderson Island Ferry is the only ferry service run by Pierce County. The ferry Steilacoom II started service in 2007. It works with an older ferry called the Christine Anderson.
The ferry runs many times each day. It starts at 4:45 in the morning from Steilacoom, Washington. The last ferry leaves Anderson Island at 10:50 pm. In 2020, the Anderson Island Citizen Advisory Board worked with Pierce County to make the ferry run even longer hours. Before then, the service ended earlier on Sunday through Thursday. During busy times, like summer and holidays, both ferries run. However, you might still have to wait three hours or more to get on the ferry during special events and weekends.
School on the Island
The Steilacoom Historical School District serves Anderson Island. Young children in grades PreK through 3 go to school right on the island. But older kids, from grades 4 to 12, travel to the mainland for school each day. The Anderson Island School is called a "remote and necessary" school by the State of Washington. This means it's one of the few schools left in the state that is far away and important for its community.
Steilacoom High School is the main high school for students in the district.
See also
In Spanish: Yoman (Washington) para niños
