Sumas, Washington facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Sumas, Washington
City
The city's welcome sign, pictured in 2009
Location of Sumas, Washington
Sumas, Washington Location in Washington (state)
Country	United States
State	Washington
County	Whatcom
Area
• Total	1.47 sq mi (3.81 km2)
• Land	1.47 sq mi (3.80 km2)
• Water	0.00 sq mi (0.01 km2)
Elevation	43 ft (13 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	1,583
• Density	1,079.1/sq mi (416.6/km2)
Time zone	UTC−8 (Pacific (PST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC−7 (PDT)
ZIP Code	98295
Area code	360
FIPS code	53-68330
GNIS feature ID	1512699

Sumas (pronounced SOO-mas) is a small city in Whatcom County, Washington, United States. In 2020, about 1,583 people lived there. Sumas is right next to the border between Canada and the U.S. It touches the city of Abbotsford, British Columbia in Canada.

The border crossing at Sumas is open all day, every day. Sumas is also part of the Nooksack Valley School District. This school district also serves the nearby cities of Nooksack and Everson. Sumas is the northernmost town on State Route 9.

History of Sumas

For thousands of years before settlers arrived, the Nooksack Indians lived in this area. The first permanent settler, Robert Johnson, came in 1872. The name "Sumas" comes from a Cowichan tribe word. It means "land without trees" or "big flat opening."

Early Town Life

The town was first called "Sumas City." It officially became a city on June 18, 1891. A post office has been open there since 1897.

Sumas was an important stop for trains. It also played a small part in the Mount Baker Gold Rush. Some gold mining still happens nearby, like at the Lone Jack Mine. In the early 1900s, Sumas was famous for a large event called the "Sumas Roundup," which was a big rodeo.

Flooding in Sumas

The land around Sumas is a wide, flat area. Water from the Nooksack and Fraser rivers flows into Canada's Fraser River. Because of this, Sumas has often experienced floods. Records show floods happening ever since people settled there.

A notable flood happened on November 10, 1990. It caused a lot of damage, costing millions of dollars. More recently, on November 15, 2021, a big flood hit Sumas again. About 85% of the homes in the city were damaged. Hundreds of people had to be rescued from their homes.

Geography of Sumas

The United States Census Bureau says that Sumas covers about 1.48 square miles (3.83 square kilometers). All of this area is land.

Northernmost Point

When the border with Canada was first mapped, technology was not as good as it is today. Because of this, the border west of the Cascade Range is slightly off the true 49th parallel. Sumas has the biggest difference, about three city blocks. This makes Sumas the northernmost city in the main part of the United States.

Population of Sumas

Sumas border crossing

Sumas in 2010

In 2010, there were 1,307 people living in Sumas. They lived in 482 homes, and 329 of these were families. The city had about 883 people per square mile.

Most people in Sumas were White (83.7%). Other groups included African American, Native American, and Asian people. About 15.8% of the population was Hispanic or Latino.

Many homes (39.8%) had children under 18 living there. About half of the homes (49.6%) were married couples. The average age of people in Sumas was about 30.6 years old.

Famous People from Sumas

• Gale Bishop, a professional basketball player
• Harry Delmar Fadden, a sailor who received the U.S. Medal of Honor
• Casey Bauman, an NFL Quarterback

City Services

The City of Sumas provides several services to its residents and businesses. It supplies electricity, which it buys from the Bonneville Power Administration. The city also offers water, sewer, and cable TV services. These cable services include major TV networks from Seattle, Canadian TV channels, and other expanded cable options.

See also

In Spanish: Sumas (Washington) para niños