The Semiahmoo band of Straits Salish people called the site Tsan-wuch, or Say-wak, the latter meaning “people saved from a flood by building a raft." I suspect they named it ...

• 2,235–3,383 square feet • 3–4 bedrooms • 2.75–3 baths • Rambler and 2-story homes • 2- and 3-car garages • Priced from the high $900,000s ...

Birch Bay has its gated communities and a luxury resort just a few miles north called Semiahmoo, but the town proper really happens along a stretch of Birch Bay Drive that's little more than a mile.