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Yes, your balance is greatly appreciated by those who understand the modern day problems that seem to be impacting a great deal of the American landscape. Most cities have their warts. And most small cities have their squads of native sons proclaiming special rights to the place, but, Bellingham is just one in ten thousand or more cities that are growing beyond their historic parameters, socially and, economically. Partisan politics plays into so much of a person's views these days, and that fact allows us a far different take on certain posters frame of mind, blaming one's political enemies is essentially the real complaint hiding behind the ostensible "cause" postured by partisan posters. A posters history is there for all to read, it fills out the loose ends when trying to understand the posters perspective.
Posing as the town criers, with dire warnings of certain mayhem, murder, governmental neglect, and ultimately-- charges of conspiracy by media to hide Bellingham's truth, leads one to pause and reflect on all that fear and loathing by--Yes, those who aren't going anywhere too soon. Staying for the pain, for the rage and ranting that sustains them.. Meanwhile, more are coming to Bellingham, and the problems will be taken on by them, and hopefully find their way once again as a people who ACT, who Participate, become involved, offer solutions, and realize that problems are our collective challenge, they make up the community to do list, and, as they say down at the Possum Lodge, we're all in this together..
Thanks, likewise I appreciate your observations and level-headedness. You make good points, and this well-written post is no exception. Ultimately, it's a shame that partisan politics plays such a role in many of these posts. The problems in this city are, unfortunately, not unique to cities, and neither is the phenomenon of locals in an area expressing disdain at change or blaming newcomers for what they believe to have ruined "their" hometown.
That said, I certainly do understand some of the frustrations- and as I've mentioned, I've experienced it myself in other locations- though the sentiment here, at least among some locals online, is a little more negative than I've experienced elsewhere.
"If only this town could remain as I remember it forever" is an unrealistic expectation held by some. I'm fine with honest discussions on how we face challenges as a community, but there are several here who aren't interested in conversation, they're simply poisoned by rhetoric and looking for scapegoats. Like you said, we're all in this together. And it makes it even harder to address issues together when some members of the community think new(er) faces are the enemy simply for being here, or for having different perspectives.
In all fairness, the issues related to growth (property crime, lack of health care options, expensive housing, feeling unsafe around erratic homeless people) become more of a problem for older people who may need health care, have a limited income and maybe not as great eyesight etc. It sounds like rkcarguy is helping care for elder relatives of advancing age who might be in these situations. I've seen it with my own aging relatives who struggle in places without enough services. They do fine until health issues crop up. The ones who do well are close to good health care and services.
Perceptions of a place vary greatly on who you are and what your needs are. Different things come to the forefront as bigger issues at different life stages, different income levels etc.
That doesn't mean either side is completely wrong. Bellingham can be a great place for some, and a stressful one for others. People looking to move can weigh the issues according to what they prefer in a place.
Fair point, but considering that there's a fifteen year old thread full of posts that you can go back and review, I'd say you're being very generous to assert that concern for aging family members is the reason for rk's perspective. I DO, however, think that many side of the things he brings up are worth being discussed, though I take issue with people generically framing everything through the lens of "Bellingham is terrible, people who move here are the problem, and crime is the Democrats fault".
I also don't think it's about "sides" or right and wrong. I wholeheartedly agree, however, that perspectives vary depending on what station you're at in life, and that's precisely the reason that I've participated in these threads. Any time the topic of Bellingham is brought up on City-Data, no matter what the context, a group of curmudgeons makes sure that they take it over and turn it to how horrible the city is because it encounters societal problems. I've mentioned too many times to count that it's not for everyone, but clearly it's appealing to a lot of people.
Last edited by bartonizer; 10-24-2022 at 06:26 PM..
B u said you worked hard to get here. Is Bellingham the Beverly Hills of Washington? Where I come from there are several towns like this - overpriced old and dangerous with too many liberals to have hope in the future. Bellingham is too remote to be a Beverly Hills yet still expensive. This is the kind of place someone is born into but moves out if they're lucky.
Bellingham has a lot of drug dealers lately. I see them everywhere like on a bicycle pretending to blend in, at the store standing near the entrance, in the staircase of apartments. It really reminds me of my old days in Newark. It has grown into more of a big city with all the perks and costs.
I know a HSI employee who told me that one of those arrested had began construction on a mega mansion in Snohomish County and had already purchased luxury furnishings. This is not some street dealer; this is cartel level.
“Night shift BPD officer arrests drug dealer and seizes 2,000 suspected fentanyl pills, $16,894 cash, other drugs and a handgun. Suspect is a convicted felon, not supposed to have firearms, and had warrant for drug dealing from 2020.”
This is NOT the Whatcom County that I grew up in. Rampant drugs, thefts and acres of homeless encampments are not normal. These drug arrests have developed in the last two weeks!
B u said you worked hard to get here. Is Bellingham the Beverly Hills of Washington? Where I come from there are several towns like this - overpriced old and dangerous with too many liberals to have hope in the future. Bellingham is too remote to be a Beverly Hills yet still expensive. This is the kind of place someone is born into but moves out if they're lucky.
I'm trying hard to figure out what your question is here, and what you're having a tough time comprehending. Who's claiming that this is the Beverly Hills of Washington? We've saved up money over decades and moved around before coming to Bellingham and buying a house. We wanted to live in a non-cookie cutter city of this size, with an active arts scene, a sense of community, and easy access to many recreational opportunities. Plus, we wanted to find a bikeable, walkable layout and Bellingham is a great fit for us.
The prices have gotten much higher in the last 5+ years, but they are higher everywhere in the PNW, as well as (relatively) the rest of the country. Have you looked at prices anywhere in the region lately? It's a bit silly to just point out Bellingham as it it's an outrageous anomaly. But, yes, it is a little higher than surrounding cities because people like the culture and the setting.
As to where you come from, if you're referring to Western NC, I completely disagree with your assessment, and spent 15+ years there myself, so I'm very familiar with that area. In fact, Asheville was the inspiration for our city hunt in the west. You probably don't like it there, but to insinuate that it's not desirable to others would be laughable. The old mill towns you've mentioned- Lenoir, Morganton, Marion, are places that are cheap (for a reason) because they had cratered economies, decimated by their main industries leaving town. Morganton is a bit of a exception in that it resurrected itself with a vibrant downtown, but a big reason that I left the Unifour area was due to how financially and socially depressed it was to live there.
In terms of safety, there's a tradeoff. There's more property crime here, but FAR less violent crime. Also, it's much more urban and industrial in the PNW. but in the south there are whole areas that you'd never even drive through, let along go there on foot or bike. The worst thing you're likely to encounter here would be a neighborhood area with some run down apartment complexes, and maybe a couple homeless people on the street (not ignoring homeless encampments, but for most people you're much more likely to encounter them in discussions on social media sites than in your daily life).
Finally, I want to say something about being lucky to be born here, and to that I'd agree. But, being born here for some means that they seem to take things for granted, as well. And if the curmudgeons were wise or lucky enough to be born here and own property - and want to leave - dollars to donuts they'd have no problem cashing out their equity in a part of the country with a lower cost of living and becoming the same people they claim to dislike on these threads.
I'm trying hard to figure out what your question is here, and what you're having a tough time comprehending. Who's claiming that this is the Beverly Hills of Washington? We've saved up money over decades and moved around before coming to Bellingham and buying a house. We wanted to live in a non-cookie cutter city of this size, with an active arts scene, a sense of community, and easy access to many recreational opportunities. Plus, we wanted to find a bikeable, walkable layout and Bellingham is a great fit for us.
The prices have gotten much higher in the last 5+ years, but they are higher everywhere in the PNW, as well as (relatively) the rest of the country. Have you looked at prices anywhere in the region lately? It's a bit silly to just point out Bellingham as it it's an outrageous anomaly. But, yes, it is a little higher than surrounding cities because people like the culture and the setting.
As to where you come from, if you're referring to Western NC, I completely disagree with your assessment, and spent 15+ years there myself, so I'm very familiar with that area. In fact, Asheville was the inspiration for our city hunt in the west. You probably don't like it there, but to insinuate that it's not desirable to others would be laughable. The old mill towns you've mentioned- Lenoir, Morganton, Marion, are places that are cheap (for a reason) because they had cratered economies, decimated by their main industries leaving town. Morganton is a bit of a exception in that it resurrected itself with a vibrant downtown, but a big reason that I left the Unifour area was due to how financially and socially depressed it was to live there.
In terms of safety, there's a tradeoff. There's more property crime here, but FAR less violent crime. Also, it's much more urban and industrial in the PNW. but in the south there are whole areas that you'd never even drive through, let along go there on foot or bike. The worst thing you're likely to encounter here would be a neighborhood area with some run down apartment complexes, and maybe a couple homeless people on the street (not ignoring homeless encampments, but for most people you're much more likely to encounter them in discussions on social media sites than in your daily life).
Finally, I want to say something about being lucky to be born here, and to that I'd agree. But, being born here for some means that they seem to take things for granted, as well. And if the curmudgeons were wise or lucky enough to be born here and own property - and want to leave - dollars to donuts they'd have no problem cashing out their equity in a part of the country with a lower cost of living and becoming the same people they claim to dislike on these threads.
Oh I mean New Jersey towns, not NC. People are leaving NJ because the similar characteristics of Bellingham.
A couple homeless people? How far from your home do you venture? This Halloween I'm taking my family for a ride through Bellingham.
I never met a natively born Bellingham person who said they're proud to be here. They seem to remember better days. Are you proud to be from North Carolina?
Oh I mean New Jersey towns, not NC. People are leaving NJ because the similar characteristics of Bellingham.
A couple homeless people? How far from your home do you venture? This Halloween I'm taking my family for a ride through Bellingham.
I never met a natively born Bellingham person who said they're proud to be here. They seem to remember better days. Are you proud to be from North Carolina?
SMH. You're rather difficult to communicate with, and it's not made any easier by the fact that you're ignoring or won't actually address most of what I'm saying. As a result, I'll return the favor and disregard your last comments.
So, what are we actually arguing about? I don't disagree that there are problems that we need to work on. The disagreement seems to be over whether we like Bellingham or not, or more broadly, whether one can be satisfied living in a place even if it has flaws. I do, and I'm sorry that you don't like it. I hope you find a place that suits you better, and I'll continue to post my perspective on living in this city.
Last edited by bartonizer; 10-26-2022 at 06:27 AM..
I know a HSI employee who told me that one of those arrested had began construction on a mega mansion in Snohomish County and had already purchased luxury furnishings. This is not some street dealer; this is cartel level.
“Night shift BPD officer arrests drug dealer and seizes 2,000 suspected fentanyl pills, $16,894 cash, other drugs and a handgun. Suspect is a convicted felon, not supposed to have firearms, and had warrant for drug dealing from 2020.”
This is NOT the Whatcom County that I grew up in. Rampant drugs, thefts and acres of homeless encampments are not normal. These drug arrests have developed in the last two weeks!
Guy was arrested in Wilmington NC. These cartel like dealers are operating big in whatcom county. Seems like an attractive place for them because of the big appetite and few consequences.
SMH. You're rather difficult to communicate with, and it's not made any easier by the fact that you're ignoring or won't actually address most of what I'm saying. As a result, I'll return the favor and disregard your last comments.
So, what are we actually arguing about? I don't disagree that there are problems that we need to work on. The disagreement seems to be over whether we like Bellingham or not, or more broadly, whether one can be satisfied living in a place even if it has flaws. I do, and I'm sorry that you don't like it. I hope you find a place that suits you better, and I'll continue to post my perspective on living in this city.
Man, the attitude of people I've encountered here is like trying to describe a unicorn that swooped down and spun me around, dropped fairy dust and passed gas. I can give a laundry list of details and u won't know half of it. It's unlike anywhere I been. The characters are out of a movie but from real life scenes that u can't make up. I'm not arguing, I hope u freaks are happy with the city it's become.
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