Anacortes · WA
Cap Sante, Anacortes: The Headland Over the Marina
The Cap Sante headland above the marina, east of Old Town on the east side of downtown Anacortes.
Where Cap Sante sits in Anacortes
Cap Sante is the rocky headland east of Old Town, on the east edge of downtown Anacortes, and the neighborhood is the streets that climb it: the east end of the low-numbered streets from about 4th Street up, between Commercial Avenue and the water. The Cap Sante Marina, the Port of Anacortes boat haven, sits at its base on Fidalgo Bay, and Cap Sante Park, a 37-acre forested promontory, is the top of the hill. The City describes the park as "primarily a viewpoint," and, as I wrote in my ten things to do in Anacortes, locals come up here for sunrise.
It is the one neighborhood in Anacortes where the wooded hilltop, the marina, and downtown are all within a walk of each other.
Talk with DiAnn about Cap Sante
Homes in Cap Sante, Anacortes
Cap Sante homes are a mix of the old grid at the bottom and view homes higher on the slope. The home I sold on 4th Street here in 2023 is the bottom of the hill exactly: a 1912 house on lots from the original "Map of the City of Anacortes" plat, on 0.08 acre, an easy walk to the boat haven. Higher up, the terrain steepens toward the park at the top, and the homes go with it.
The hillside is rock, and the lots on it can be a puzzle: stairs, retaining walls, and driveways that make sense only once you are standing on them. Cap Sante Park's viewpoint looks over the marina, the city, Fidalgo Bay, and the Cascades; how much of that a specific home shares is lot by lot. A view home on Cap Sante is priced on its view line and its access, and I confirm both in person before I put a number on it.
Getting around from Cap Sante
Commercial Avenue is at the bottom of the hill, and from there it is a straight run south, as the state highway spur, to Highway 20 and the mainland, or a few blocks to anything downtown. The Guemes Island ferry leaves from 500 I Avenue nearby, and the Washington State Ferries terminal for the San Juans is across town by way of 12th Street and Oakes Avenue. From 4th Street, V Avenue and W Avenue climb to Cap Sante Lookout and the park. Rotary Park at 701 T Avenue, a 1.5-acre linear park at the base of the headland on the edge of the boat haven, has a paved trail out to the Cap Sante breakwater, a picnic shelter, and a disc golf course.
What is nearby, by name
The Cap Sante Marina is run by the Port of Anacortes: uncovered permanent slips from 26 to 66 feet on a first-come basis, guest and liveaboard moorage, a fuel dock, and a trailer launch, with a waitlist that in August 2026 ran from a few weeks for a 26-foot slip to four or five years for the largest. Cap Sante Park at 1000 W Avenue is the viewpoint over the marina, the city, Fidalgo Bay, and the Cascades. The Tommy Thompson Parkway, 3.3 paved miles along Fidalgo Bay, begins at 11th Street just south of the neighborhood. Cap Sante High School, at 1600 20th Street, carries the headland's name; the federal school directory lists it as the district's alternative high school. The Anacortes School District serves the city, and it is a non-boundary district: the district itself assigns each elementary student to Fidalgo, Island View, or Mount Erie on class size, sibling placement, parent preference, and transportation, not on street address, and sends the assignment by email in the summer. Anacortes Middle School, Anacortes High School, and Cap Sante High School serve the whole city, so no address on this page comes with a guaranteed elementary school, and I do not pretend otherwise.
How I work Cap Sante
Selling on Cap Sante means marketing the view and the walk together, and being honest about the hill. The photos get taken from the rooms that have the view, the marina story gets told to the boaters it is for, and the price comes from the real downtown and view-home sales, which I follow closely. Start with selling your home and the free EPIC™ Home-Selling Report. Life-transition and estate sales are work I handle with care.
Buyers, start with buying a home, or relocation if the marina is what is bringing you, and see my current listings. The neighbor page is Old Town. DiAnn Sager, RE/MAX Gateway, 914 15th Street, Anacortes. Ask me about Cap Sante.
By the road from Cap Sante
By the road from the middle of Cap Sante, it is 4.0 miles to the Anacortes ferry terminal, 0.3 to 10th and Commercial, 17 to the Burlington I-5 exit, 41 to downtown Bellingham. These are road miles from OpenStreetMap routing, measured September 2026, by road and not by ferry.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Cap Sante?
The rocky headland on the east side of downtown Anacortes. Cap Sante Park, a 37-acre forested promontory, is the top of it, and the Cap Sante Marina sits at its base on Fidalgo Bay. The neighborhood is the streets that climb between them.
Can I walk from Cap Sante to the marina and downtown?
Yes. That is the neighborhood's whole appeal: the boat haven, Commercial Avenue, and the park viewpoint are all within a walk of the lower streets.
How hard is it to get a slip at the Cap Sante Marina?
The Port of Anacortes offers permanent slips from 26 to 66 feet on a first-come basis. In August 2026 the waitlist ran from a few weeks for a 26-foot slip to four or five years for the largest. Guest moorage is separate.
Do Cap Sante homes have views?
The park at the top looks over the marina, Fidalgo Bay, and the Cascades; the homes higher on the slope can share some of that, and the lower streets are about the walk, not the view. It is lot by lot, and I confirm it from inside before we price or offer.
Buying in Cap Sante
Selling in Cap Sante
The method
How we do it in Cap Sante
Explore more of the North Puget Sound
Ready to make your move with DiAnn Sager?