What is the deal with the insane Bellingham housing market?? (renters, insurance)

[StealthRabbit]

Originally Posted by mayfair

...Bellingham, now discovered, attracts people who have a dream of living in a certain kind of place. There's a mystique, a hope of this beautiful (it is beautiful) town and a certain kind of life they imagine can be found there. Those who can pay for it will, and those who can't, will be pushed out. (Or, as seems to happen on the west coast, live in a van down by the river).

The demographics, politics, QoL is changed forever. Uncle and cousins owned a very profitable and helpful full service Hardware store in an Oregon destination town that was 'discovered' in 2008+. Their 70 yr old business was loved in the community, but the newcomers only shop at Home Depot and Lowes (as they did back in their previous home). Thus the foundational businesses and people who built the very desirable community to go along with the desirable location are no longer able to survive (Property taxes or customer base). Eventually the desirable place becomes the very place many left because they wanted a 'special place.'

Bend and Ashland Oregon are examples for Bellingham to observe and learn from. They will never be the friendly, local enclaves they once were. Idaho has seen it since Covid, life as they knew it is over Adapt or leave.

Probably Canada or a foreign nation is the most practical choice to relocate (if able). Otherwise... just further out (and away from the community you built). Less Healthcare and services is a given in the USA (whether in city or rural). Bit concerning for the thousands of seniors we displace every year in WA. We gleaned their benefit from their lifetime of contributions of the communities we can now enjoy all to ourselves (temporarily).

live in a van down by the river - or under a bridge "River View", no property taxes! the PNW lifestyle of choice (or necessity).

[saturno_v]

Originally Posted by StealthRabbit

Probably Canada or a foreign nation is the most practical choice to relocate (if able).

Canada CoL is horrendous especially RE, many Canadians are thinking about retiring abroad. A couple, friends of mine, for example is considering moving from Vancouver to Panama.

[CrazyDonkey]

Originally Posted by CalWorth

I REALLY hope that Bellingham doesn’t go the direction that San Diego did, there is no coming back.

Go back 60 years or so, Bellingham and Aberdeen/Hoquiam were very comparable: both with populations around 35,000. Both had post-secondary education (Western, an ex-Normal school, in Bellingham and Grays Harbor JC, "Go Chokers!", in Aberdeen) and "downtown" pulp mills spewing toxic fumes.

Since then, Bellingham has grown to 94,000 (114,000 Metro), while Aberdeen/Hoquiam have lost population to about 26,000 (77,000 Metro), or a 50,000 to 70,000 difference.

So, while Bellingham certainly has some very real issues, primarily with population-increase outpacing growth in services, housing, jobs, and infrastructure, I'd take that any day of the week over the path that Aberdeen/Hoquiam followed, down the rabbit hole of a resource-based economy predicated on collapsing supplies of trees, fish, and clams (and whores). (A big contributor to this was Weyerhaeuser realizing that it was more profitable to export raw logs rather than supplying local saw mills and "cottage" wood-products industries.)

So, what "saved" Bellingham? What lifted them with the rising tide, while Aberdeen/Hoquiam drowned in the waves?

[StealthRabbit]

Originally Posted by saturno_v

Canada CoL is horrendous especially RE, many Canadians are thinking about retiring abroad. A couple, friends of mine, for example is considering moving from Vancouver to Panama.

Yes, of course... CoL in Canada is higher.

We're talking QoL here. (Regardless of cost!) Just looking for a nice and peaceful place to live for my last years, and then die.

WA State has made that impossible for many lifelong residents.

Thus we must exit, and leave this behind us.

[saturno_v]

Originally Posted by StealthRabbit

Yes, of course... CoL in Canada is higher.

We're talking QoL here. (Regardless of cost!)

I would not qualify Canada QoL stellar either, I lived there for 3 years in Vancouver and I even got Canadian citizenship. It's not all it's cracked up to be (IMHO obviously).

[CalWorth]

Originally Posted by saturno_v

I did put a foot in the water in July in San Diego ("tasting the water") and it was enough...no thanks!

These San Diegans disagree with you

https://www.reddit.com/r/surfing/com...diego_in_july/

Occasionally you may not need a wetsuit, or quick dips.

Under 70 F water is not comfortably swimmable. Olympic swimming official guidelines mandate a minimum of 80 F water. San Diego does not cut it. I LOVE San Diego but ocean swimming is not its forte.

Can you swim in it?? Sure you can, again, some people swim in San Francisco or even in the Puget Sound in summer....

Water Temperature Safety Guide

https://www.coldwatersafety.org/wate...e-safety-guide

"60-70F (15-21C) Dangerous
Controlling your breathing and holding your breath becomes progressively more difficult as water temperature falls from 70°F to 60°F (21°C to 15°C)."

​

Oh, I guess MtnSurfer & I never lived there. You must know better.

I have to hand to you, you got some action going on a dying forum, mission accomplished in that realm.

[CalWorth]

Originally Posted by CrazyDonkey

So, what "saved" Bellingham? What lifted them with the rising tide, while Aberdeen/Hoquiam drowned in the waves?

I would actually like to know the answer to this, as I wasn’t around Washington then.

I do know that things happened at a later, slower pace in areas of Washington beyond Seattle, or at least they used to. The propane delivery person is probably in his late 40’s or early 50’s & told me that, growing up in Port Hadlock, his family phone was a “party line”. Wow! I had to share that!

[MtnSurfer]

Originally Posted by CalWorth

Oh, I guess MtnSurfer & I never lived there. You must know better.

I have to hand to you, you got some action going on a dying forum, mission accomplished in that realm.

Hey, at least we're not arguing about politics or other boring topics. Let ole' saturno_v believe what he wants about SD ocean temps. There are some who need tropical water temps before going in the ocean. I was just surfing in Florida last week with only trunks where the water was 68 and I never got cold once. Upper 60s is always fine for me to not need a wetsuit. And I wasn't the only one surfing or swimming out there either.

Growing up in SoCal living walking distance from the beach, I know for a fact that's the small, 'sensitive' minority who need a wetsuit during summer. They always made us laugh as kids. Now outside of summer is another thing. In spring and fall most surfers and swimmers wear spring suits and then during winter full wetsuits. With millions of residents and hundreds of thousand who swim in the ocean in SoCal, no one needs convincing to go in the water if you actually live there. That's a lot different than here in the PNW where I go in anyway, but with a lot more gear. Heck, I go out even when there is the snow. But you need to wear the right stuff for the conditions.





Derek

[CalWorth]

^^I met some one here who swims in the Strait, so I tried it, nope! So, good for you, the water up here is COLD!

OTOH, I remember one Xmas in SoCal we were having a Santa Ana, the family went to Tamarack Beach in Carlsbad & dove on in! Riptides were the big concern.

[MtnSurfer]

Originally Posted by CalWorth

^^I met some one here who swims in the Strait, so I tried it, nope! So, good for you, the water up here is COLD!

OTOH, I remember one Xmas in SoCal we were having a Santa Ana, the family went to Tamarack Beach in Carlsbad & dove on in! Riptides were the big concern.

But the beaches are so uncrowded in the PNW by comparison! haha

Here's a shot of my kids along with with some locals out in PNW ocean during summer. Who are the wimpy ones here? haha









Derek