Bellingham or Port Townsend for the fam? (Seattle, Bremerton: crime rate, how much) - Washington (WA) - City-Data Forum

LillyMySweet · 12-22-2006, 06:24 PM

Which location would be a better place to raise a family? I know that it's all relative and it's all a matter of opinion, but I would love to hear your opinion! Bellingham has better schools than Port Townsend but PT is a break from the rat race. Is one place better to live in and the other just best to visit? If so, which fits in which slot?

Mark S. · 12-23-2006, 12:16 AM

Port Townsend is better in every respect. It's one of my favorite towns in the whole state.

Bellingham has a surprisingly high crime rate for such a small town. I suspect it is a combination of being a college town and a border town, but crime there is really high. I'd think twice before moving there. It's not like there are murder sprees or gangs seizing the streets, but property crime is really high, and drug use is rampant.

Barina · 12-26-2006, 06:24 AM

I was raised in P. Town, and loved it! The schools are great and the people are so very nice. There is not one place in Port Townsend that is scary, no back streets to steer clear of. There is always something to do on the weekends weather its doing the Art Walk downtown, the Farmers Market, Various theater activities, music festivals....etc....The best part is the mountains are only 45min away to go hiking in or site seeing, Seattle is 2 Hr and that includes the ferry ride, The Sound is a walk away, the ocean 3Hr away, Now that I am married and living various places with my Navy husband and am starting to think about children there is no other place I would want to raise them. There is a great website that you should check out and compare both PT and Bellingham at its www.familywatchdog.com it will show you how much crime is in the city, it was started by John Walsh from Americas Most Wanted. The site will show you where the offender lives and what they where convicted of. Anyways that's just an opinion of a girl raised in PT.....

jennien13 · 12-27-2006, 06:14 PM

I feel the need to stick up for Bellingham after those comments!

I lived there for about 12 years and absolutely loved it. I believe there to be more crime because there are more people, just like anywhere. You should visit both cities to see for yourself which you like better. The first step is getting to Washington so you're already in the the right direction!

jsmill · 12-28-2006, 11:17 AM

I too want to stand up for Bellingham. It is difficult to compare PT (population under 10,000) with Bellingham (population 67,000). PT is a small town, a lovely town, but 45 minutes from just about anything not generally associated with tourism. Locals tells me that to go to department store with any kind of selection, you need to drive to Silverdate, outside Bremerton. Bellingham has the cultural advantages of having WWU there, which was an important factor in our decision to select it as a place to live. For kids and adults, there is just more to do in Bellingham. I will agree that PT has less crime than Bellingham. Bellingham, being on I-5, and the first major town south of the border and a college town, is going to have more crime and drug problems. But compared to Seattle or even smaller cities in Washington, the crime rate is not excessive.

Screenial · 12-28-2006, 03:15 PM

Everyone has their own opinions, but I have to agree that the crime in Bellingham is bad. MY children were born and raised in Bellingham. I saw my two daughters change a lot when we got away from Bellingham. The change was for the better. I hate to think of what they would have become if we had stayed there.Yes, the schools are good, and there is quite a bit of parental participation within the schools, but the pressure to keep up with the Jones' is severe. I felt like my girls expected to live like Paris Hilton, and their exposure to drugs and alcohol was on a daily basis. My older daughter just went back recently to Bellingham to visit her dad. Most of her friends are now in jail, she is SO glad she got out when she did.

Larry_K · 12-31-2006, 11:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LillyMySweet

Which location would be a better place to raise a family? I know that it's all relative and it's all a matter of opinion, but I would love to hear your opinion! Bellingham has better schools than Port Townsend but PT is a break from the rat race. Is one place better to live in and the other just best to visit? If so, which fits in which slot?

If you move to the Olympic Peninsula you give up the fast lane. As a father and grandfather I have serious questions regarding the quality of education. For a better feel for crime, etc. you might want to visit; http://www.jeffersonsheriff.org/crime_reports.html (broken link)
While you are at it you may want to look into county government, building codes and land use issues.

jennien13 · 01-03-2007, 04:58 PM

Still, I think that a lot of the choices you are confronted with depend on who you decide to hang out with, how you are raised and what your surroundings are. I lived there during High School and College and sure, there were drugs and other things going on, but I chose not to hang with those groups and had no problems. Drugs and crime are everywhere, doesn't mean you are going to dive in. All teenagers want to have the brand labels and dream of having it all like some of today's young celebrities, you get that no matter where you live. All my friends graduated and went on to college or careers but all come home to BHam because that's where there hearts are, myself included. None of my friends ended up in jail there. I still think Bellingham is a wonderful city with lots of opportunites for all ages and is growing like crazy.

Screenial · 01-04-2007, 10:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jennien13

All teenagers want to have the brand labels and dream of having it all like some of today's young celebrities, you get that no matter where you live.

Unfortunately, the superficial lifestyle for teens is extreme in many of places, but not all. I do feel that it is extreme in Bellingham .

"...Bellingham is a wonderful city with lots of opportunites for all ages..."

Bellingham does not offer lots of opportunity for people of all ages. Much of the minimum wage jobs are eaten up by college students. Meaning the over educated are taking up the low wage jobs. Many WWU graduates set roots and decide to stay in Bellingham, which leads to highly qualified people all fighting for the few jobs that exist. I had a friend that has a masters in education, and never had a problem finding a job where ever she has lived. She moved to Bellingham, and after a year of unemployment had to take a minimum wage job.

There are many great things about Bellingham; the many trails, lakes, mountains. The downtown area is quaint and fun to window shop. The Farmers Market is awesome. But personally I would never move back, and neither would my children.Bellingham is an expensive place to live, and has a serious problem with petty crime and drugs. Bellingham cannot expand their jail fast enough. The city growth has caused all kinds of traffic problems. Just search prior articles in the Bellingham Herald about these problems, and you will find many stories about these issues.

blackm3 · 01-04-2007, 11:07 AM

We moved back to Bellingham in 02. Since I grew up in the area, I thought it would be a neat thing for my kids to experience the friendliness and the beautiful scenery. While the above still exist, what surprised me the most is the housing cost. Average home price is at 350k. Cost of living, gas price is even higher than Seattle!! If you're a techie, forget about it...there is no jobs for you. I think it's great if you have a family with young children because it offer alot of kid activities but I feel sorry for the teenagers here...there is NOTHING for them to do other than the outdoor activities.

That said, planning to move back to Austin, TX where the sunshine is and the local breweries are plentiful!