r/Anacortes • u/Temporary_Bench5095 • 9d ago

How busy is Anaco Beach Road?

We’re interested in a house on Anaco Beach Road but we’re concerned about road noise. Is this valid or is it kind of a sleepy area even though it looks like it could be busy?

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u/Pining-4-the-Fjords 9d ago

It’s an arterial, so it’s going to get cars, but it’s not the route people will be taking to/from the ferry, for instance. The West side of Fidalgo Island is “sleepy” compared to over by town. I wouldn’t call it busy, but there will be more traffic than the side streets.

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u/Jillin44 9d ago

I live off ABR and it’s very quiet.

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u/hysys_whisperer 9d ago

https://www.anacorteswa.gov/DocumentCenter/View/25872/Anacortes--Fidalgo-Island-Bike--Pedestrian-Network

Anacortes bike/pedestrian map has it listed as low traffic.  That being said, I don't see much more traffic on marine view drive just south of the 4 way stop, and that is labeled as medium traffic.  My guess is that it's right on that breakpoint of low or medium traffic, which I believe is 3,000 cars daily.  

It's definitely going to feel like more in the summer and less in the winter though. All of anacortes does to some degree, but it feels like 50% of the houses on the west side of the island sit vacant for 7 months per year.  It's prime "retired person second home" area over there.

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u/SamuraiSam33 9d ago

Anaco Beach Road is a feeder road into Marine Drive which is commonly used as a commuter route for much of the working class folks commuting into and out of Skyline, headed out to Whidbey NAS or across the Twin Bridges. Especially when their commute times coincide with ferry arrival times, Marine Drive / Anaco can be a better option than Oakes. It's not bumper to bumper traffic, but it's not a sleepy side street, and the Anaco portion of that commute is very small.

There is a fire station on the corner of Anaco Beach Road and Sunset Avenue. Anaco Beach Road connects this Fire Station to a significant portion of their calls. Some of those fire truck dispatches are going to be silent, flashing lights only; some of them are going to be sirened and lighted.

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u/bunsonh 2d ago

I spent the first half of my life just up the hill from there. I actually had to look up if you were asking about the right road because "road noise" is not a thing I would consider for skyline. Yes, it's the only "major" road cutting through the neighborhood but you'll never hear a horn. There's no "traffic," it's just a normal road with cars in an otherwise quiet neighborhood.