The City of Sumas is located in Whatcom County in the northwest corner of Washington State along the Canadian Border. Sumas is a busy border crossing into Abbotsford, BC, Canada. Sumas is one of only four border crossings from Whatcom County and Western Washington into Canada. The border crossing at Sumas is open 24 hours a day.

Sumas lies at the northeast end of the farmlands created by the Nooksack River in western Whatcom County. East of Sumas are the foothills of the Cascade Mountain Range. The main base of the economy in Sumas is agricultural with some border crossing economy and in recent years an industrial area west of town developed by the Port of Bellingham. Sumas has a population of over 1,000 people.

Photo from the City of Sumas web site is loading......

This photo from the City of Sumas web site shows the Sumas City Hall. There is a link below to their web site.

Where is Sumas?

Sumas is most easily found by taking Interstate-5 Exit 256 (Meridian Street in Bellingham) and going north on Meridian for 12.6 miles to the East Badger Road. Turn right on the East Badger road (WA-546) and go 11.8 miles east (you will go around two 90 degree turns) and you will be at the south end of Sumas. Turn left, you are on Cherry Street, the main street of Sumas.

A little History of Sumas

The first use of the word Sumas was a place called Sumas Prarie in the 1800’s. This area was northeast of Sumas and it was a grassy area along the Fraser River. This area is a place that has been flooded by both the Fraser and Nooksack Rivers and was orignally called a prarie because it lacked the thick Douglas Fir forests that cover Western Washington and British Columbia. Instead this area was swamp lands and grass lands.

The first settlers arrived in the area in the 1870’s and the first wagon trail from Bellingham to Sumas was constructed in 1875. In 1891 the railroad arrived in Sumas. The railroads changed the main form of transportation from water to rail. Today the swamps have been turned into rich farmlands that stretch from the Nooksack River six miles to the south to the Fraser River nine miles north of Sumas in British Columbia.

Recommended Attractions

Antiques
See listed antiques below
Gift Shops
See listed gift shops below
Attractions
The Mt. Baker Scenic Byway The Mt. Baker Scenic Byway A 60 mile trip to Mt. Baker Ski Area up the Nooksack River Valley. There are farms, a winery, old growth forests, and parks along the byway.
Museums

Parks & Gardens	Border Crossing Information
	We have a page with border crossing information and links to government agency web pages. Border Crossing Information
Visitor Information
City of Sumas http://cityofsumas.homestead.com/	Sumas Chamber of Commerce http://www.sumaschamber.com/home.html
Bellingham ~ Whatcom County Visitors Bureau http://www.bellingham.org/

Other Attractions

Antiques

Art Galleries

Gift Shops/ Specialty Shops

Call Me Crazy Boutique – 360-988-0724

510 Front Street, Sumas, WA 98295

Golf

Museums

Parks/Gardens

Quilting/Needlecrafts

Scrapbooking/Crafts

Theatres/Performing Arts

Tours/Charters

Wine/Spirits

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