The area was first settled in the mid-19th century by pioneers who established the town as a seaport for the west coast logging and fishing industries, and as a jumping off point for prospectors heading to British Columbia's gold fields.

Several saw mills once operated on Blaine's waterfront, and much of the lumber was transported from its wharves and docks to help rebuild San Francisco following the 1906 fire there.

Into the 1970s Blaine was home to hundreds of commercial purse seiners and gillnetters plying the waters offshore of British Columbia, between Washington state and southeast Alaska.

Nature lovers have always appreciated Blaine's coastal location, its accessible bike and walking trails, and view of mountains and water.

On May 9, 1970, approximately 450 Canadian protestors demonstrating against the Cambodian campaign of the Vietnam War crossed the border and conducted a "symbolic invasion" of Blaine.

[9] Several buildings' windows were smashed, flags were torn down, and the Peace Arch was vandalized before police officers and vigilantes pushed the protestors back to the Canadian side of the border.

[12] Blaine's motto is "Where America Begins": the community is also known as "The Gateway to the Pacific Northwest", and the "Peace Arch City".

Blaine has a borderline climate between mediterranean (Csb) and maritime (Cfb), which provides fairly mild weather from the rest of the Pacific Northwest.

[citation needed] Blaine is home to two main West Coast ports of entry between the United States and Canada.

The art piece is a "blank space" in the shape of a billboard sign, surrounded by a mass of twisted metal rods.

[17] It was built partly to reduce delays for travelers coming to the 2010 Winter Olympics which were held in Vancouver and Whistler February 12–28, 2010.

Rum-running and border jumping thrived along Blaine's shared coastline with British Columbia, due in part to the area's largest whiskey still[19] being located on Texada Island, which is located in the northern Strait of Georgia offshore from the city of Powell River, British Columbia.

In subsequent decades, the situation was reversed due to restrictive drinking and entertainment laws in British Columbia, notably a ban on Sunday drinking, which led to Blaine and its sister border towns of Point Roberts and Sumas booming with taverns and adult entertainment of various kinds.

In the 1990s, smuggling again reached a zenith with exports of high grade marijuana from neighboring British Columbia, and corresponding flow of cocaine and handguns from the United States into Canada.

As the production of 'BC Bud' grew across British Columbia, a sometimes dangerous game of cat and mouse played out along Blaine's border with Canada.

Smugglers used every technique, from backpacks to helicopter aerial drops to bring tons of the marijuana crop into the U.S., while a growing phalanx of local, state, provincial and federal law enforcement from both sides of the border sought ways to stem the tide.

Following the terrorist attacks of 2001, the addition of hundreds of federal agents and millions of dollars in enforcement technology have pushed much of the smuggling activity into the rugged interior of Washington.

Hundreds of Scouts from the U.S. and Canada are in attendance and the highways and Ports of Entry on both sides of the border are closed for several hours for the event.

Speeches are made by honored Scouts from Washington and British Columbia, and State, Provincial and local dignitaries attend.

The eastern side of the city accommodates a number of import/export warehouses, freight and courier services and gas stations serving long-haul cargo trucks.

The Blaine Sector Headquarters of the US Border Patrol employs hundreds of federal law enforcement officers and support staff in the community.

The Port of Bellingham operates a large marina in Blaine, serving a variety of pleasure craft and fishing vessels.

[24] The local industry grew during the rise of e-commerce in the early 2000s and the city set up a sales tax that earns $1.7 million in annual revenue.

[31] Students from the small nearby exclave of Point Roberts above 3rd grade are bused through the border to Blaine to attend school.

[36][37] The Great Northern Railway opened a passenger and freight depot serving Blaine in 1909, shortly after completing construction of its waterfront railroad.