Allan Island is a private island bordering

Rosario Strait Rosario Strait is a strait in northern Washington state, separating San Juan County and Skagit and Whatcom Counties. It extends from the Strait of Juan de Fuca about north to the Strait of Georgia. The USGS defines its southern boundary as a ...

, in Skagit County, northwest

Washington (state) Washington (), officially the State of Washington, is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. Named for George Washington—the first U.S. president—the state was formed from the western part of the Washingt ...

. It adjoins Burrows Island, with the nearest city and airport close by at

Anacortes Anacortes ( ) is a city in Skagit County, Washington, United States. The name "Anacortes" is an adaptation of the name of Anne Curtis Bowman, who was the wife of early Fidalgo Island settler Amos Bowman.Fidalgo Island Fidalgo Island is an island in Skagit County, Washington, located about north of Seattle. To the east, it is separated from the mainland by the Swinomish Channel, and from Whidbey Island to the south by Deception Pass. The island is named af ...

. It was named during the 1841

Wilkes expedition The United States Exploring Expedition of 1838–1842 was an exploring and surveying expedition of the Pacific Ocean and surrounding lands conducted by the United States. The original appointed commanding officer was Commodore Thomas ap Catesby ...

in honor of Lt.

William Henry Allen Master Commandant William Henry Allen (October 21, 1784 – August 18, 1813) was an American naval officer during the War of 1812. Early life Allen was born in Providence, Rhode Island and was appointed a midshipman in the United States Navy on ...

, who was killed while commanding the during the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 (18 June 1812 – 17 February 1815) was fought by the United States of America and its indigenous allies against the United Kingdom and its allies in British North America, with limited participation by Spain in Florida. It bega ...

Microsoft Microsoft Corporation is an American multinational technology corporation producing computer software, consumer electronics, personal computers, and related services headquartered at the Microsoft Redmond campus located in Redmond, Washing ...

billionaire

Paul Allen Paul Gardner Allen (January 21, 1953 – October 15, 2018) was an American business magnate, computer programmer, researcher, investor, and philanthropist. He co-founded Microsoft Corporation with childhood friend Bill Gates in 1975, which h ...

purchased the island in 1992. Allen originally intended to build a vacation home on Allan Island, until he bought a separate property in the San Juans in 1996 that he preferred instead. An attempt to sell Allan Island in 2005 for $25 million failed to attract buyers. Allen again tried to sell the island in 2011 for $13.5 million. He finally sold it in December 2013 for $8 million. The current owner of Allen Island is Eric C. Anderson, the co-founder and chairman of

Space Adventures Space Adventures, Inc. is an American space tourism company founded in 1998 by Eric C. Anderson. Its offerings include zero-gravity atmospheric flights, orbital spaceflights (with the option to participate in a spacewalk), and other spacefl ...

, a commercial spaceflight company promoting space tourism. The island has six beaches, and caretaker's quarters but remains largely undeveloped. Access to the island is by small aircraft landing on a grassy airstrip, or by boat or seaplane mooring to a dock. As of 2015 Eric Anderson planned to build a small community on the island, with 10 to 12 homes for family and friends.

References

{{reflist, refs= {{cite news , url=http://realestate.yahoo.com/promo/billionaire-seeks-to-unload-a-private-island.html , title=Billionaire Seeks to Unload a Private Island , first=Morgan , last=Brennan , work=Forbes , publisher=Yahoo , date=September 7, 2011 , access-date=September 10, 2011 , archive-date=September 10, 2011 , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110910113450/http://realestate.yahoo.com/promo/billionaire-seeks-to-unload-a-private-island.html , url-status=dead {{cite book , url=http://ir.library.oregonstate.edu/xmlui/bitstream/handle/1957/9548/Ori_Of_Was_Geo_Nam.pdf?sequence=1 , title=Origin of Washington Geographic Names , first=Edmond S. , last=Meany , page=4 , publisher=University of Washington , location=Seattle , year=1923 {{cite news , url=http://seattletimes.com/html/localnews/2002400429_allen25.html , title=Allen puts San Juans island on market for $25 million , first=Christina , last=Siderius , date=July 25, 2005 , newspaper=The Seattle Times {{Cite web , url=http://old.seattletimes.com/html/businesstechnology/2022516299_allanislandsalexml.html , title=Paul Allen sells Allan Island; buyer plans up to 12 homes | Local News | the Seattle Times , access-date=2016-12-19 , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161222130644/http://old.seattletimes.com/html/businesstechnology/2022516299_allanislandsalexml.html , archive-date=2016-12-22 , url-status=dead Deb Garland
Allan Island - Two Talented Owners , Deb Garland
accessdate: May 10, 2022 {{cite news , url=http://seattletimes.com/html/realestate/2015993690_realbrownbox28.html , title=Paul Allen's island for sale for $13.5 million , date=August 26, 2011 , newspaper=The Seattle Times

External links

Anacortes, Washington Private islands of Washington (state) Islands of Skagit County, Washington

See also

References

External links