Editing Anacortes, Washington (section)

==Description==
[[File:Anacortes 28299.JPG|thumb|left|The Majestic Inn, Anacortes, Washington]]

Anacortes is on [[Fidalgo Island]]. [[Rosario Strait]] and the [[San Juan Islands]] are to the West while to the South, [[Deception Pass]] separates Fidalgo and Whidbey Islands. To the East, the [[Swinomish Channel]] separates Fidalgo Island from the mainland. The weather is milder than other areas of the [[Pacific Northwest]], because it lies within the [[Olympic Mountains|Olympic Mountain]] [[rain shadow]]. Fidalgo Island gets 21 inches of rain per year, only half as much as [[Seattle]].

First known as Ship Harbor, Anacortes was established with a name and a post office in 1879 in the vain hope that it would be selected as the western terminus of the transcontinental railroad. The town was officially incorporated in 1891 shortly after the railroad bust, and became a lumber and fishing center.

[[File:Workers at the Robinson Fisheries Co, Anacortes, Washington, nd (COBB 94).jpeg|thumb|Workers at the Robinson Fisheries Co. skinning [[codfish]] in the Cutting and Skinning Department]]
In the 1950s, oil companies built big refineries near Anacortes. Two of the five refineries operating in Washington are located near the town. One is owned and operated by [[Marathon Petroleum]] (opened in 1955, it was originally built and owned by [[Shell Oil]] and later operated by [[Andeavor]] [formerly Tesoro]), operating as the [[Andeavor Anacortes Refinery|Marathon Anacortes Refinery]], the other was owned and operated by [[Shell Puget Sound Refinery]] Company (opening in 1957, and originally built and owned by [[Texaco]]). However, [[HollyFrontier]] has now bought the refinery. Refining remains the area's largest industry, but the economic base now includes yacht construction/shipbuilding, tourism.