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If there's no jobs, retirees moving here...they're not taking the jobs.
Look. Bellingham was dysfunctional for a long time. People came to Western, decided they liked the place and stayed. There was a statistic in a magazine a few years back that B'ham had the highest concentration of university graduates working minimum-wage type jobs anywhere in the world.
It's not sustainable.
The fact is that this area has been undervalued for a long time. It's correcting itself. If you're 31, you had plenty of opportunity to buy in for years when your mortgage would have been just $500 a month for something really nice. The fact that things are now selling for what they're worth is not wrong or evil.
Most of the things you complain about are greedy locals who cashed in on the inflation upswing. Bellingham is still comparatively a bargain. If the jobs are a problem, blame all of the lazy people who just "took some job" instead of using their education and self-determination to make opportunities for themselves and other people.
Really, it's shameful that so many qualified people are content to do jobs that just pay enough to get them by. Who do you expect to create the jobs to pay enough to support the proper cost of living for Western Washington?
I mean you yourself are talking about the modest jobs/income you have, which is fine. But nothing is preventing you from improving your skills and joining the "cost of living increase" by charging a proper fee for your services.
What's wrong aren't prices now. What was wrong is how prices were, which were artificially low. Now that it's a rapid correction instead of gradual as it should have been, you find yourself holding the bag.
And think, you could be me, who missed out on $10-15k land in Point Roberts with water and septic permits in that is now going for $150k+ for the same land, plus a building cost DOUBLE B'ham's well over $100 sq ft.
This isn't like California where it's just fake Real Estate wealth. This is real value and you get what you pay for.
I am moving out to this area soon. I read a post where someone said stay away from a certain area in Bellingham. Could someone tell me where that might be?
I am moving out to this area soon. I read a post where someone said stay away from a certain area in Bellingham. Could someone tell me where that might be?
The lower Alabama Hill area is not good, especially around Texas St. Also the lettered streets are coming around, but still has some crime. If you want sunshine, the Geneva area off of Lakeway drive has thick trees which doesn't allow much sun in.
There are great family neighborhoods in Bellingham, but hard to find rentals in them as they are basically owner occupied. Because of the infill and density requirements of Growth Management, most new building is apartments or condos.
It is hard to have a neighborhood identity in apartments, since permitting requires adequate parking, so the "yard" is a parking lot, and the population is transient. It is sad to see so many kids growing up without play space, but apartments are about the only affordable rental option here. If you can afford to buy a single family house here, it has good schools and nice family neighborhoods.
If you don't have a family, though, downtown and especially the area around the farmer's market on Railroad are fun and interesting. I think there is some overbuilding going on which should open up some condo rentals. Fairhaven is charming and upscale, way out of my budget though.
It would be fun to be a student here as there are rental houses to share and many lively student ghettos around the university and Happy Valley. Nonstudents should avoid them though.
Lower Alabama Hill has become rather slummy, but along Alabama north of James Street is nice and will benefit from the new Trader Joe's going in at Alabama and James. I have noticed out north in the Bakerview area, Starbucks and some more boutiquey places are springing up to serve the large apt. complexes going in there. Bellingham is a shopping paradise out that way if you like that sort of thing. It is not pedestrian or bike friendly in the least though and bus service is poor there too, so it's car culture all the way. That is hard for us old time 'hamsters to grasp as we are losing our sense of identity about what the town is. But Bellingham citizens, especially the hippie element overwhelmingly supported the Growth Management Act, not realizing its unintended consequences.
[[I]QUOTE=AZ N8IV;658196]There is a nice new neighborhood in Birch Bay near the water. DB Johnson is the builder and the homes start in the 220's. You can probably get what you're looking for for around 240. The lot sizes are not too bad either. It's 5 minutes from the Peace Arch and Truck crossings, 15 minutes to Lynden and 25 minutes to Sumas.
Birch Bay is a nicer, safer community than Maple Falls. Sunnier, drier, and closer to I-5.[/quote][/i]
Be careful with DB Johnson homes. Read your contract really carefully. I heard he is added ammendments to the contracts that specify when you sell your home, you pay him a share. Dont get ripped off.
I didn't mean to imply in my previous post that Bellingham is a car town--that is only on the outskirts. Close in, bus transportation is good and it is very pedestrian friendly. Lots of bicycles, though the hills and main streets make that tougher. There are lots of parks and trail systems.
I lived here back in the 1970s. We old timers tend to reflect on losses and forget about the gains. (What we remember most is the loss of our youth and the "irrational exuberance" that went with it.) Compared to then, there are more jobs, nice restaurants, a variety of housing, a good airport. It is acquiring a more upscale, urban feel. With the apartment boom, renters have tipped the majority from owner occupied to about 51% renters.
Lucky for us the Chuckanut mountains and distance protects us from becoming part of the Seattle-Tacoma megapolis and the border shields us from becoming a satellite of Vancouver, so B'ham has been able to develop its own flavor and economy.
Some of that flavor includes an ultraliberal bent, sort of a more rural version of San Francisco or Berkeley. Gays are very comfortable here. Lively but not rowdy bars, music, art and culture are thriving here. Strong family neighborhoods temper the mix and churches have enjoyed a surge. If this sounds good to you, you will be happy here (but probably not feel welcomed by the locals.)
I have been reading the posts here with amazement. I have lived here for 43 years. What has been posted here for the most part is not exactly the "truth". First of all, just because something is negative, doesn't make it the "truth". I sort of stumbled onto this site when googling the name of a person in Bellingham. I thought it would be interesting to read some of the posts. I couldn't believe a lot of the people were talking about the same place I live.
Yes, taxes are high. A lot of that comes from a very liberal Seattle and Bellingham is a mini Seattle in a lot of ways. Anytime there is an election, you will see conservative views for the most part outside of the large metro areas of Seattle. The exception is Bellingham. But, this area is still a great place to live. I have lived in Blaine, Ferndale, Bellingham and now Birch Bay. Sure housing has gone up. It's a case of supply and demand. It's like the fellow that moved here from San Francisco, then moved back. He wanted to come, but was disappointed with the development here. What did he expect? People moving to an area cause development. Housing costs rise because governments now require impact fees for things such as sewer, water, schools, fire protection and it goes on and on.
The simple truth is, if you asked the average person on the street if they like this area, I suspect 80% or so of them would say yes! So, don't take the negative comments a lot of people are so gleefully posting as the "truth". I seems that people tend to take negative as truth and positive as lies anymore. That shouldn't be the case.
Whatcom county has something to offer for everyone. The fact is, that in most areas of Whatcom County, you can walk in your neighborhood and not fear crime. The fact is we have very few, if any, smog alerts here. The fact is, our schools have been nationally awarded a number of times. The fact is, our emergency services have been nationally awarded several times. The fact is, Whatcom County Parks have been nationally awarded a number of times. The fact is, this area has been listed most desirable lists a number of times. I could keep going on, but I am not. I hope you see my point.
Bellingham and Whatcom County are great places to live. Yes, it changes, as do all places. Change is the one constant that we all live with.
I live here by choice. I considered Maui at one time, but after careful examination of the things I like, I stayed here. I suggest a lot of you that are negative do the same thing. If you would truly be happier somewhere else, then for goodness sakes move there. That is still one thing about our country. We have the freedom to move. I love the weather in San Diego. Do I love it enough to pay the price of the traffic, smog, and population? Nope. So, for those of you thinking of relocating here, look at your options. It might not be for you. But, if you don't like it, just pack up and move. The vast majority of us living here like it, or we wouldn't live here.
I hope that people that assume negative attitudes are "truth" learn to actually look at all sides of an issue. And, as for you Californians that some people are bashing here. With a population of 35 million people, you are bound to have a lot of people moving to other areas. I think most of us here accept you for who you are. If you are a good person, you will be liked. If not, then you will not be welcomed here or anywhere else for that matter. So, don't worry about the negative attitudes some display here.
i grew up up and down the west coast. born in SF, California; raised in southern Oregon; a couple of years in central California; and a couple of years in SW Washington. right outta high school i joined the military which landed me in El Paso, TX. so, i went from Washington to West Texas. it is a hot, dry, brown, barren, boring, ugly area. i was in the Army for 10 years. i got out and joined the Border Patrol in 2004. this landed me in an even worse place than El Paso. alot worse.
so i now have a choice of where to move. my first choice was Bellingham - green, clean, lot's of outdoor stuff to do. and it is off the Border - if you dont have kids in public school you may not appreciate the significance. my son is not in school yet but he will be in a couple of years. plus i saw it in a bunch of "best places" lists. then i started looking houses online. major problem there. i didnt even know that 1 bedroom houses or places with only 1 bathroom still existed. i had also never seen a quarter million dollar + mobile home. i scratched B'ham off the list and put in for Corpus Christi, TX. not my ideal place to live, but you could apparently get new 2500+ sqft homes for around 200K. and it at least has the beach.
so i went down to Corpus and looked around. a realtor took me to look at a few houses. as it turns out, the property taxes are so high in Corpus, that it is actually cheaper in Bellingham. y'all say that property taxes are high in Whatcom Co. how does 4-500 dollars a month sound? plus HOA dues for many of around 200-250 a month. plus due to the hot, humid weather central air conditioning is required for most of the year, which leads to 3 and 4 hundred dollar monthly electric bills. so, overall the cost of living seems roughly equal. Bellingham, WA and Corpus Christi, TX are two of the very few locations in my profession that would broadly be considered "nice places to live." so since i'm sick of Texas anyway, plus sick of the heat, sick of it being 75 degrees and sunny on Christmas day, and Corpus was more or less a compromise that didnt turn out to have the benifit of lower cost of housing - yeah i'm going back to Washington baby.
At last! The voice of reason and actual experience!!
Trillogy, I am Soooo glad you came into C-D to post this. I've been reading along, too, but have said nothing because I don't live in Bellingham, but do go there sometimes for shopping, etc.
I just knew that a very skewed picture was emerging because of what some malcontents were posting. So again, Thanks, T. and welcome to a fun cyber place.
I read all your posts with interest and wondered what you would decide. I think you made the right choice and I'm happy for you and your family.
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Bellingham is nice.
What Trillogy said....
