The American Towns You Can Only Reach Through Canada

Point Roberts, Washington is part of the United States, but the only road to the rest of the country runs through Canada: about 25 miles and two border crossings. This map-driven video explains why America has towns like this, from the 49th parallel and a wrong 1755 map to a surveying error that left a library with the border on its floor. We visit Point Roberts, the Northwest Angle in Minnesota, and Derby Line, Vermont and Haskell Free Library, then ask what the 2020-21 border closure did to them, and why nobody ever fixed any of it. Chapters: 0:00 1. The Notch 2:07 2. A Line Drawn With a Ruler 4:31 3. Life on the Peninsula 7:15 4. The Angle 11:53 5. The Line That Wasn't Straight 15:21 6. When the Gates Shut 17:57 7. Why Nobody Fixes Them Sources: Wikipedia (Point Roberts, Washington; Oregon Treaty; Mitchell Map; Treaty of Paris 1783; Anglo-American Convention of 1818; Webster-Ashburton Treaty; Northwest Angle; Lake of the Woods; Derby Line, Vermont; Haskell Free Library and Opera House; Canada-United States border; International Boundary Commission); https://www.citynews1130.com/2020/06/... ; https://washingtonstatestandard.com/2... ; https://kvia.com/news/regional-news/2... ; https://www.grandforksherald.com/news... ; https://infodocket.com/2025/03/21/rep... #mapsodic #PointRoberts #NorthwestAngle #Geography #Borders