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 Bellingham,
Washington is a college town located on Bellingham Bay and Puget Sound
within an hour north of the Seattle / Everett metropolitan area, within an hour
south of Vancouver B.C., within an hour west of Mount Baker and the North
Cascades National Park and within an hour east of the San Juan Islands.
Recent accolades include:
- 2nd Place in the "15 Best Places to Reinvent Your
Life" according to AARP Magazine in 2003.
- ”Dream Town” Top 10 perfect places to “live big, play hard and work
if you must.” Outside Magazine, 2001.
- ”50 Most Active Places to Live” Modern Maturity, 2000.
- Among top cities for Mountain Biking. Mountain Bike Magazine, 2001.
- One of the Top Cities in the Nation to Live and Retire, Modern Maturity,
2000.
- Best places for business investment among top small metropolitan areas: 14th
place in 2001, 19th place in 2000. Forbes Magazine.
Acting as the county seat to Whatcom
County, Bellingham's population numbered more than 67,000 according to
Census 2000 data. Residents enjoy the remarkable recreational opportunities that
abound in Whatcom County. All the water sports imaginable in a port city are
available here, and the rugged Cascade
Mountains tower just to the east. Bellingham is fifty miles from Mount
Baker, almost 11,000 feet tall, and has one of the best ski resorts in Washington
State. State Road 542 leads from the city to the mountain and is designated
as a US Scenic Byway, following the powerful Nooksack
River as it winds through steep gorges and dazzling waterfalls. Near the end
of the road is a view of Mount
Shuksan reflecting back into Mirror Lake, creating one of the area's most
photographed scenes. These ice volcanoes along the glaciated ridges of the North
Cascades lend themselves to mountain climbing, hiking and hunting through the
jagged landscape. The western portion of Whatcom County ends in the beautiful Cascade
National Forest and Parklands area.
As well as being located on the coast of Puget
Sound, which offers some of the finest salt-water fishing around, Bellingham
is bordered by Lake
Samish, as well as Lake
Whatcom, surrounded by miles of hiking trails. Bellingham received the title
of "Trail Town USA" by the National Park Service for the astounding
amount of hiking and biking trails through and near the city. Residents can
sea-kayak along the San
Juan Islands or go bird-watching
in one of the fifteen designated bird sighting areas through Whatcom County.
Each year, Bellingham's diverse and splendid environment is celebrated with the Ski
to Sea Race, an 85-mile race that includes skiing down Mt Baker, paddling
along the Nooksack River, jogging, biking and ends with sea-kayaking in
Bellingham Bay.
Recreation is not all that Bellingham offers. Both a cultural and educational
center for the region, five different museums
preserve the seaport's history. The Bellingham
Theatre Guild and the Whatcom
Symphony Orchestra provide top-notch entertainment.
 Bellingham's
Squalicum
Harbor remains a bustling and vibrant port. Close to two thousand pleasure
and commercial boats moor here. The shipbuilding industry and salmon canneries
thrive in Bellingham. From this port, ferries take passengers on whale-watching
cruises, tours to Vancouver
and the San Juan Islands. Downtown Bellingham is a shopper's
delight. Antique stores, fine arts and crafts shops abound, and the city boasts
several malls where the finest retail trade names are found. Dining
opportunities will astound even the most selective connoisseur. Bellingham chefs
have turned seafood into a culinary art.
Bellingham, Washington is rich in many ways. Splendid scenery surrounds it on
every side, from the glistening Bay to the towering mountains. Bellingham is a
fine site to locate a business or build a family, or visit repeatedly and still
not experience it all.
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