The single big WHITE ROCK, that gives the community its name White Rock Beach, is located on the beach near the pier on Semiahmoo Bay between Blaine in Washington State and White Rock in British Columbia, Canada.
It is a unique attraction on its own and comes with its own interesting folklore. Nineteenth-century sailors used this rock as a beacon. The White Rock is visable while entering customs coming into Canada from across the bay. The sight of a single large white rock on a beach is a rare find, and when something is rare, it is often associated with LUCK. Some people even claim to have had luck on the lottery by rubbing their tickets on the 486-tonne boulder resting on the beach. White Rock Beach is the waterfront area of the City of White Rock in the southwest corner of the lower mainland of British Columbia, bordering Washington State.
White Rock Beach is less than 2 hours north of Seatle Washington. The White Rock Beach district runs along Marine Drive and includes a 2.5 km waterfront promenade that overlooks the warm, shallow waters of Semiahmoo Bay. The actual city of White Rock is 45 minutes from Vancouver, BC and minutes from the Canada/USA border. The city dates back to the turn of the 20th century (1900) and has a population of 18,755.(2006).
The area is shared by walkers and joggers of all ages, as well as various wildlife creatures, from gulls and other water birds to rabbits, marmots, seals, and bald eagles. The alternating tides, sunrises, and sunsets provide photographers and artists with fresh daily imagery.
The beautiful sunrises overlooking Mount Baker in Washington State and sunsets overlooking the White Rock pier add to the diversity in imagery. As one long-time permanent resident remarked, “Each sunrise and sunset is different, and I never get tired of looking at them.”
White Rock Beach enjoys far more days of sunshine than the rest of the lower BC mainland. White Rock Beach is also known as “the hole in the sky” by pilots flying overhead who’ve remarked that while often the rest of the lower mainland is under cloud cover, the sky over White Rock is clear, sunny, and cloud free. With the businesses and houses in the area built into the hillside overlooking the water, the White Rock Beach area is often referred to as the Riviera of the west coast (of Canada).
The famous White Rock pier is 1,500 feet long and a favorite tourist spot that often forms the backdrop for wedding photos. Local residents love to stroll along the promenade and out to the end of the pier. Walkers and joggers love to walk right to the end and slap the top railing before heading back to shore — all part of their daily exercise program. The trains that pass through the White Rock Beach area on the railroad tracks running along the promenade by the beach add a distinctive charm to the district. The annual New Year’s Day polar bear swim helps add to the year-round excitement of being in White Rock Beach.
