Anderson Island

The only way to get to the island is by water. It’s 20 minutes by car and passenger ferry that you catch in the town of Steilacoom (which is itself a cute place to visit). You can also come via boat or kayak.

• Anderson Island DOES NOT have a town; it’s technically unincorporated Pierce County. There’s no stoplights; heck, there’s only one 4-way stop.
• Around 1/3rd of the island is part of the Riviera Community Club HOA (RCC), aka “the Riv.” Property in the Riv is divided into lots around 7500-9000 sq ft. If any property has more than that, it’s on multiple lots (or it’s outside of the Riv). Member amenities include a marina, campground, parks, and driving range. Amenities open to the public include a restaurant and golf course. It also has property restrictions that properties off-Riv don’t have, but starting at around $10,000 per lot, it’s not a bad investment to have access to the amenities, even if it will be years before you can build on it (no camping on your lot).
• There are no hospitals or urgent care. We do have the amazing Anderson Island Fire/Rescue that has an EMT, in case of emergency. For bigger emergencies, Doc Wagon takes about 25 minutes to get to Anderson Island.

Anderson Island is the southernmost island in Puget Sound and a census-designated place of Pierce County, Washington, United States. It is accessible by boat or a 20-minute ferry ride from Steilacoom. Anderson Island is just south of McNeil Island. To the northwest, Key Peninsula is across Drayton Passage. The south basin of Puget Sound separates the island from the mainland to the southeast, while to the southwest the Nisqually Reach of Puget Sound separates the island from the mainland.

Anderson Island has a land area of 7.75 square miles (20.1 km2), and reported a population of 1,302 people as of the 2020 census, which is up from 1,037 people at the 2010 census. The island has been a retirement destination since the late 1960s, with a median age of 54 years (for comparison, the median age of Washington state as a whole is 37 years). The population booms every summer to approximately 4,000. The Island is also home to a sizable population of deer.

The island was part of the territory of the Steilacoom people, a Coast Salish tribe.

The island was named in 1841 by Charles Wilkes of the United States Exploring Expedition. Given a warm reception at Fort Nisqually by Mr. Anderson and Captain McNeill, and assistance to aid his operations, Wilkes repaid their kindness by naming the two nearby islands after these two men.

In 1870, Andrew N. Christensen, a Dane, and his brother, Christian F. Christensen, were the first European settlers to stay at the island. Andrew's wife had a strong hand in the development of the island community. Christian was the only Christensen brother to reside permanently on Anderson Island. The primary industry was the sale of wood to the wood-burning steamers that came into Amsterdam Bay. Other early industries included brick making, farming and fishing.

The Island Sounder, published by the Anderson Island Association, is the island's monthly newsletter. The News Tribune from Tacoma is available to subscribers.

In the movie WarGames, the scenes where David Lightman and Jennifer Mack meet Dr. Stephen Falken in Goose Island, Oregon were filmed at Anderson Island.