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Discover Bellingham

Back: Bellingham, WA

Introduction

Bellingham is a coastal city in Washington State, near the Canadian border. It’s a port for ferries to Alaska. East is Mount Baker, a huge snow-capped volcano with ski runs. In the city center, the SPARK Museum of Electrical Invention contains hands-on science exhibits. The Whatcom Museum showcases art, nature and regional history across 3 sites, including the Lightcatcher building with its curving, translucent wall. ― Google

Elevation: 72′

Population: 92,289 (2021)

Location and transportation
Weather—temperatures, daylight, snowfall
Unique Character—university, urban centers, city size, neighborhoods, waterfront, puget sound
Bellingham History—coal mining, trade, fishing, pulp mill, boat commerce
Neighborhoods

Interesting Facts

  • The New York Times named North Cascades National Park one of the best National Parks in Washington and a great alternative to Mount Rainier in 2020.
  • Best Ski Town—Mount Baker Ski Area holds the record for the most snowfall in a single season (1998-99) at 1,140 inches (95 feet or 29 meters), and was named one of the Best Early Season North American Ski Resorts.
  • America’s Raspberry Capital—Whatcom County is the largest producer of red-raspberries in the nation, harvesting more than 60 million pounds each year. (75 million pounds in 2016.) This represents almost 65% of the raspberries grown in the nation.
  • Shellfish and Clams—The Taylor Shellfish Farm, located off scenic Chuckanut Drive, is the largest Manila clam producer in the United States and cultivates a greater variety of shellfish than any other shellfish grower in the nation. Taylor Shellfish Farm has been farming the tidelands along Chuckanut Drive since 1890 and sells fresh oysters, clams, mussels, crab, scallops and prawns on site.
  • Best Multi-sport Adventures—1889 Magazine named Bellingham to its Top 5 Multi-sport Destinations in Washington State for its abundance of snow sports, hiking, mountain biking and sea kayaking. 
  • Best Paddling and Adventure Town—Canoe & Kayak magazine named Bellingham to its list of North America’s Best Paddling Towns, with the highest number of surfski paddlers per capita.
  • Best Day Hikes in America—Backpacker Magazine looked at the best day hike in every state and called out the 1.8-mile Winchester Mountain Lookout hike in the Mt. Baker Wilderness as the #1 Best of the Best, which the “most skewed effort-to-reward ratio in the country.
  • Per Capita Brewery—Bellingham is the only Washington State city to rank in the Top 25 for Most Craft Breweries per 50,000 people by C +R Research, ranked #17 in the United States.

Resources

Videos