Bellingham vs. Bend (live, best, better, places)

[Westrivers]

Which city is better for quality of life and outdoor recreation? I love fishing, hiking, skiing, camping, etc. so it seems that both places offer plenty of outdoors stuff. I've visited both in the summer and Bend during the winter. From my understanding the weather in Bend is probably better than Bellingham.

Does anyone have a better opinion on which place is best to move for overall year around activities and quality of life?

[ctr88]

I personally like Bham better. Much less isolated then Bend being 1 hr to Vancouver BC and 1.5 hr to Seattle. Also I think Bham is prettier being on Puget Sound and right next to the North Cascades and Canada. Bham feels more like a real city with an established university, whereas Bend feels more like a resort boomtown with a lot of CA retirees. Bend has more of a high desert feel. Bham a more green PAC NW feel. Bham winters can be gloomy though, Bend will get more sun.

[Westrivers]

Any other opinions?

[Bees46]

Bellingham, for all the reasons ctr listed.

[survivingearth]

Bend, for all the reasons above plus way better weather

[JackLonsdale]

You probably need to visit both if you're considering moving to one or the other. Bellingham wins if you prioritize the coastal location. Bend gets the nod for weather and a more laid-back vibe. However, Bend is pretty isolated, especially in the winter. Both downtowns are pretty impressive in terms of vibrancy, restaurants, etc.

[BMI]

Originally Posted by survivingearth

Bend, for all the reasons above plus way better weather

Way better weather?

I know weather preference is somewhat subjective but I'm not so sure about Bend having better weather then Bellingham.

Bend winters are colder, especially those frosty lows.
Usually for most Americans, colder winter means worse.
Heck, some Americans write off an entire country because of cold winters.
Right here on C-D, I've read posts, "Canada, nice country but I'd never live there, it's too cold".
But some how on this thread, Bend is considered to have way better weather, interesting.

I'd like to point out the extremely cold average low temps that Bend has in summer,
July ...the warmest month....the average low in Bend is a chilly 47.5 F
That is pretty cool to me, also the average april low temp in Bend is only 30.4 F (below freezing).
Only summer average summer high temps are warmer in Bend.

Bellingham is in a gardening zone 8b to 9a....cold hardy palms can grow there.
Bend is zone 6a to 6b, maybe one zone higher than Chicago at best.

Also some will point out more sunshine in Bend, yes that's true but
Bellingham has decent sunshine and is dry and sunny in summer, when it really counts.

Both are in close proximity to mountains but Bellingham is much less isolated,
close to Vancouver and Seattle.....and the ocean!!

Bonus....Bellingham is on the doorstep of North Cascades National Park,
known as Americas Alps....stunning! ....and Mt. Baker.