Freeland was founded in 1900 by a utopian group of socialists. They formed a cooperative, the Free Land Association, and each contributed $10 toward five acres of land; the balance was to be paid off through cooperative labor. Their experiment didn’t last long, but the name stuck. Today it is an unassuming little town with a few quiet parks ideal for picnics on the way to the ferry terminal or Oak Harbor [1].
Also worth a stop is the pinprick-small “town” of Greenbank. The turn-of-the-20th-century general store, restaurant, and post office are easy to miss—but you can’t miss the big red barn marking Whidbey Island Greenbank Farm [2], an icon for the entire island.
Ride Island Transit (360/321-6688 or 800/240-8747, www.islandtransit.org [3], free) to Freeland and Greenbank from Clinton [4] on Route 1 and from Langley [4] to Freeland on Route 5.
Links:
[1] http://www.moon.com/destinations/washington/north-puget-sound/whidbey-island/oak-harbor
[2] http://www.moon.com/destinations/washington/north-puget-sound/whidbey-island/freeland-and-greenbank/sights-and-rec/whidbey-island-
[3] http://www.islandtransit.org
[4] http://www.moon.com/destinations/washington/north-puget-sound/whidbey-island/clinton-and-langley