San Juan Guide

These beautiful islands situated on the north side of the bay area of Seattle, in Washington state, have been awarded many times for most of the prestigious real state agencies in the country because it is one of the best places to live in the United States. This is certainly something that has brought the attraction of thousands of visitors and tourists that can have the most enjoyable time during any of the seasons of the year. Due to its quietness, its beautiful surroundings and for being one of the most relaxing places on earth, the islands are also quite popular for having become one of the main destinations forretirees from both countries, Canada and the United States.

1. Geography: these archipelagos are actually the tops of the mountains of one of the first continents that became, centuries later, America; the islands have one of the most stunning landscapes with all kind of natural sceneries like stiff hills, rocky cliffs,  thick forests, that lead to enchanting beaches with natural sand, flat shores and fascinating reefs. The tallest mountain in San Juan County, situated on Orcas Island, is Mount Constitution, only at 730 meters above sea level. On the order of 171 islands and islets found the archipelagos of San Juan and the San Juan Islands County in the state of Washington state, but only 3 of these islands (San Juan, Orcas and Lopez) have seen changes on their topography due to the different settlements from the past centuries; Shaw Island, the smallest island of the 4 largest ones, still preserve its original topography because has not developed resorts for tourists and visitors, like most of the small islands, some of them family-owned: Alegria, Allan, Anderson, Armitage, Barnes, Barren, Battleship, Bell, Blakely, Blind, Boulder, Brown, Buck, Burrows, Cactus, Canoe, Castle, Cemetery, Center, Charles, Clark, Cliff, Colville, Coon, Crab, Crane, Deadman, Decatur, Dinner, Doe, Double, Ewing, Fawn, Flattop, Flower, Fortress, Freeman, Frost, Goose, Gossip, Guss, Hall, Hat, Henry, Iceberg, James, Johns, Jones, Justice, Little, Little Patos, Little Sister,  Lone Tree, Long, Low, Matia, Mcconnell, Minor, Nob, North Finger, Obstruction, O'Neal, Patos, Pearl, Pointer, Pole, Posey, Puffin, Ram, Reef, Rim, Ripple, Rum, Satellite, Sentinel, Sheep, Skull, Small, Smith, South Finger, Spieden, Stuart, Sucia, Swirl, Towhead, Trump, Turn, Victim, Waldron, Wasp, Willow and Yellow.
    
2. Population: the population in the islands was, for the most part, locals (fishermen, sailors, farmers, sheepherders, etc.).It was not until the decade of the 70s when this peaceful group of islands became a target for the hospitality and tourism businesses; even when these beautiful natural paradises are continuously offering their magic to thousands of visitors every year, the population of San Juan Islands still remains in one piece. Many of them, bohemians who brought an artistic drift to the islands, like painters, writers, sculptors, musicians and all kind of artists, settled down in San Juan Islands, making the islands their homes. A convenient transportation system and fast data networks have brought professionals who can easily commute to their daily jobs in the main cities of Seattle’s bay area, or can just work from home with telecommuting positions.
    
3.  Climate: the islands have a mild weather during the summer time with temperatures between 20 and 30°C, although the breeze from the ocean brings a chilly air that makes temperature feel slightly colder. Winters can get to be very cold in the islands, with temperatures below zero degrees, strong Articwinds and some chances of snow. San Juan Islands, usually, have a dry weather pattern because the mountain systems inland prevent the rainstorms from reaching the islands.