Seven Reasons Why You Should Live in Bellingham

Let’s start out simple: Is Bellingham, WA a good place to live? My short answer is yes. I wish all my friends who live in Seattle would move here — Thought, there are some cons to living here too. I’ve lived here since 2013 and I started to say I was from here after year two. Bellingham is a great place to live for the following seven reasons:

1. Location

2. Community

3. The Arts

4. Events

5. Food & Drink

6. Shopping

7. Lifestyle

1. The Location

We have a trifecta of features built into the landscape that draws people to this town and further north like Ferndale, Blaine, and Lynden. We have the ocean, mountains, and are close to Seattle and Canada. The location of Bellingham puts you close to everything and tucked into your own community.

This trifecta did cause a huge influx of remote workers with high-paying salaries to flood into the town and truthfully, Bellingham probably was underpriced for awhile – Someone tell 2019 renters this. I work in real estate doing marketing and I do feel everything has settled this year. We will see how long that lasts but the crazy escalations have ceased and I’ve even seen rental units drop in prices here and there.

2. The Community

The community in Bellingham and all of Whatcom County are delightfully proud of the place they call home and I constantly see them putting in the time and effort to protect, plan, and preserve the areas and create spaces that can be utilized well by the community. 

I think this is an exceptional trait of this area that the people here recognize the bounty of nature around them and work to be stewards of the land.

3. The Arts

I do a lot of theatre and I am crazy impressed by the talent and history of the arts and culture in this town. From Bellingham Arts Academy of Youth (BAAY) which invites young creators to start at earlier ages to the powerhouse of Mount Baker Theatre this tiny town has a bit of everything in between. Singers, dancers, performers, filmmakers, technical side of the arts, galleries, museums, there is seriously a touch of everything here.

4. Events

This leads me to the next bit that makes Bellingham and the surrounding towns a great place to live. The events! One that comes to mind first is Bellingham’s Ski to Sea Race. Every year it’s this huge weekend long event that brings in so many athletes and is truly a hoot.

But there is also a whole cluster of small businesses and community members who put on weekly events from trivia nights to productions that really keep the town engaging for all ages, kids, college, adults, and older.

5. Food and Drink

So, I’ve lived here since 2013, and one of my favorite activities is going out to eat with my husband and friends and to this day there are still so many local places we haven’t had a chance to discover because there are so many options! Yet, there are favorites here that just pull you to them when you think, “mm, pizza sounds good for dinner.” 

While in recent times some of the greats have closed shop due to their owners retiring – which is worth celebrating, but does leave a little crack in our hearts. Nevertheless, I’ve been constantly impressed by the new places that spring up to take their place.

6. Shopping

Oh my sheesh, the shopping in Bellingham is certainly a reason worth a visit if not a full commitment. So, there is Fairhaven which is this sweet little brick and vintage spot with bookstores, toystores, and local shops to just melt your heart.

But truthfully the proximity to Canada and Seattle also make it a great home-base for shoppers who like to go into shops. Our Mall leaves something to be desired, but a hop-skip-and-a-jump to the Seattle Outlet mall and you’ll find everything you need.

7. The Lifestyle

I’m throwing “Lifestyle” on the list because this town really lets you create whatever lifestyle you want. From nature and outdoorsy thrill seeker, to homebody creative, to commuter-extraordinate. I feel like I’ve met a little bit of everyone from everywhere here.

There are plenty of options of homes, styles, and life choices available to people who choose to make Bellingham their home.

That said I’d like to take a second and answer some questions I see pop up a lot for Bellingham, which also includes some of the cons of living in Bellingham.

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Q&A

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Q&A ◾

Q: Why is Bellingham Real Estate so Expensive?

A: For a while we had a limited housing supply. Mix that with Bellingham’s desirability of a strong economy, community, and location which put it near Seattle and Canada plus the ability for high-salary remote workers eyeing it, what was once a good price (if not underpriced) home skyrocketed. Bellingham being expensive is certainly a con to moving here and you’ll hear many people complain that it’s all these rich-remote-workers or rich-retired workers moving in and buying houses.

Q: What is Bellingham Known For?

A: Depends on who you ask! Across the board Bellingham is known for it’s culture, outdoor recreation, craft beer assortment, food, and natural beauty. Bellingham lends itself to people who enjoy hiking, kayaking, mountain biking, or the calmer side, whale watching, visiting parks or waterfronts. While some people might say Bellingham is just a college town, when you really live here you’ll find a community that values locally-sourced food, local talent and productions, and one-of-a-kind experiences that are rooted in the town itself.

Q: What Part of Bellingham is the best to live?

A: This is a great question and one that more depends on what you’re looking for. There are not many places in Bellingham that are bad. They are each just different. If you like mature trees, nature, don’t mind being a little nature drive away from Downtown than Sudden Valley is a great place. If you want to be in town with a view, Edgemoor or South Hill neighborhoods are amazing. Don’t mind college kids? Sehome neighborhood. Want more family oriented? Sunnyland is a great place to live in Bellingham. The best place to live in Bellingham is the one that fits your needs and I’m always impressed by the diversity of folks who appear in each neighborhood.

Why are people moving to Bellingham?

People are moving to Bellingham because it’s a great place to live that is developing more and more. It’s still on the smaller side for now, and I’ve heard people say Bellingham could be the next Seattle but I don’t think we’ll ever get that big and fancy. We don’t have the room and so many people are focused on maintaining and preserving the area that I don’t see that kind of development happening. The combination of the landscape of waterfront, mountains, trees, while only being a drive away from big cities like Seattle and Vancouver is just the perfect escape to call home.

Is Bellingham or Seattle more Expensive?

Seattle is more expensive than Bellingham — If we’re talking buying houses, which I assume is what people are asking when they toss this question out there. According to the NWMLS if I look at the last 180 days of home sales, 2,778 Residential homes have sold in Seattle and 414 have sold in Bellingham. Price-wise the median home sale price in Seattle is $925,750 while Bellingham’s median home sale price is $678,500. However, I would like to note that Bellingham’s smaller pool of homes for sale makes writing offers on house very critical to actually getting your offer accepted. I’m a marketing director for real estate and I’ve seen it happen time and time again of multiple offers that if one tiny adjustment had been made to an offer it would’ve won. If you want to move to Bellingham I‘d be happy to connect you with some stellar agents in town — Ones that truly care, take the time, and won’t pester and call you over and over again like you’re some number on a list. You can book a call and we can chat!

In Summary - Bellingham is the best!

Bellingham is such a good place to live that you’ll often see people making jokes to convince people not to move here. We all love it and want to protect it. It has it’s short-comings and growing pains as the town and landscape continue to develop. At the end of the day, I think the community of people here is what makes it home and makes it special.