If there was ever a town with momentum it is Bellingham Washington. It was rated the #2 City & Metropolitan area in the country in "Cities Ranked and Rated". Kiplinger's called Bellingham one of the top retirement communities in the U.S. Located on the northwestern coast of Washington, this city of 79,000 (180,000 in the Metro area) has several colleges and Western Washington University with 14,000 students. Bellingham has unbelievable natural scenery from Puget Sound on the west and Mount Baker to the east. Bellis Fair Mall is a large mall that attracts many shoppers from Canada. There is a functional downtown and an active redevelopment plan for the waterfront. Picture of the Waterfront Boulevard Park courtesy of Wikipedia and Nick Kelly.
For a list of profiles of over 900 cities and towns go to retirement community reviews, or for more information on taxes and what it is like to retire in Washington State. Here are our reviews of Walla Walla, and San Juan Islands.
The Fairhaven neighborhood near the ferry has many lovely Victorian homes. Many new developments are being built to accommodate active adults. Seattle is just 78 miles away.
Real estate is starting to get higher than the state average but lower than Seattle and the rest of the west coast. Zillow.com reports the median home value has been rising the past several years and was at $409,200 in mid-2018, up over 10% from the previous year.
• College town • Evergreen forests and Mount Baker ski resort • Puget Sound • Sea to Ski Race • Whatcom Museum of History and Art • Whatcom Falls Park • Village Books (independent bookstore) • Bellingham Farmers Market • Sea Race ends here, Bellingham Bay, Short train ride to Seattle or Vancouver, Very close to Canadian border. Nice parks.
Crime (particularly property crime) is somewhat high. It rains a lot in winter. Transportion to other parts of the US can be expensive.
Bellingham attracts a community of who would like to live in a college town. Recreational opportunities provided by being adjacent to Puget Sound and the Mountains make this to one of the world's great outdoor environments. Bellingham offers significant diversity with many native Americans, aging hippies, and college students thrown into the mix.
Bellingham has an active music scene that attracts many from the university. Bellingham is home to the Bellingham Theatre Guild. Whatcom Museum of History and Art sponsors art exhibitions. Western Washington University provides some university arts programs. There are 4 two year colleges in town. Restaurants from upscale to inexpensive college fare. Pickford Cinema is the place to see film, while current movies can be seen at Barkley village.
Crime index is about average.
Bellingham is the maritime gateway to the San Juan Islands and Alaska. Bellingham International Airport is about 5 miles north of downtown. Amtrak has a station in Bellingham.