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To those who are familiar with them, which of these two quintessential PNW towns is more vibrant and interesting?
Both are college towns, but also offer more. Both have spectacular natural beauty within and in their surroundings (although, Bellingham a bit moreso probably). Both have nice commercial districts. Neither are very diverse. I know Eugene's population is nearly twice Bellingham's (155,000 to 80,000) and has a larger downtown in area, but I still think they are very comparable in terms of feel.
So focusing on the "city" aspects (albeit, for relatively small towns)--nightlife, culture, walkability, vibrancy, etc, which one do you prefer?
I choose Bellingham because it feels more lively and clustered to me. The historical buildings add a nice urban charm, and there are two primary commercial districts, Downtown and Fairhaven. Eugene is bigger, more modern, and has taller buildings.
Bellingham seems to have a lot more bars per capita than Eugene, as well. There must be at least 30 bars in the downtown area, and 6 or 7 more in Fairhaven. Eugene probably has that many too (if not more), but they are spread out over a greater area.
Bellingham, WA
Eugene:
Last edited by atlantagreg30127; 02-21-2010 at 08:43 PM..
I like Bellingham's atmosphere better. It is way more clustered in terms of bars, cafes, restaurants, etc. And it has the Fairhaven district, which is separate from downtown and offers a different scene. Eugene doesnt have anything like that (it has other districts, but nothing that can compete with downtown). However, Eugene definitely feels like a bigger city in downtown (and is part of a significantly larger metro area), and like you said, it's very walkable but a bit more spaced out.
One thing I will add is Bellingham felt a lot more cliquey and scenester-ish than Eugene. Eugene had that vibe too, but people were more friendly and welcoming.
On the other hand, Bellingham's architecture and cityscape blow Eugene's out of the water, IMO. Eugene feels like planned new urbanism, while Bellingham feels like restored historical urbanism.
Eugene probably offers more overall, but I like Bellingham's atmosphere better. It is a bit more vibrant.
BTW-Youre right that neither is strictly a college town, but Bellingham definitely feels more like one than Eugene.
As for the college comparison, the UofO is significantly bigger than W. WA univiserity, but then again the Eugene metro is almost three times the size of the Bellingham metro.
That having been said, Bellingham is less than an hour from one of the worlds premiere cities, Vancouver, Canada. Eugene is about an hour and 45 minutes from a medium-sized U.S. city, Portand.
Bellingham is also quite close to Seattle, moreso than Eugene is to Portland. One one can reach the northern suburbs of Seattle in just over an hour.
Both cities are somewhat liberal, both offer a lot of "green" thinking, bike paths, etc.
Bellingham is colder in the winter and tends to get more snow, and cooler in the summer.
Both have easy access to coastal areas. Both offer scenic beauty.
The economy is not great right now in either area, however Bellingham will probably come out of it more quikicly with its proximity to Seattle and Vancouver.
As for the college comparison, the UofO is significantly bigger than W. WA univiserity, but then again the Eugene metro is almost three times the size of the Bellingham metro.
That having been said, Bellingham is less than an hour from one of the worlds premiere cities, Vancouver, Canada. Eugene is about an hour and 45 minutes from a medium-sized U.S. city, Portand.
Bellingham is also quite close to Seattle, moreso than Eugene is to Portland. One one can reach the northern suburbs of Seattle in just over an hour.
Both cities are somewhat liberal, both offer a lot of "green" thinking, bike paths, etc.
Bellingham is colder in the winter and tends to get more snow, and cooler in the summer.
Both have easy access to coastal areas. Both offer scenic beauty.
The economy is not great right now in either area, however Bellingham will probably come out of it more quikicly with its proximity to Seattle and Vancouver.
I personally like both.
PW72, what do you think in terms of vibrancy, nightlife, architecture, walkability, etc?
PW72, what do you think in terms of vibrancy, nightlife, architecture, walkability, etc?
Both cities are quite walkable. Bikepaths are practically a religion in Eugene. Bellingham probably has preserved more of the older architecture. Nightlife similar, but the edge probably to Eugene since the number of college students is larger. Vibrancy? Neither particularly, both can be on the quiet side, with the exception of Duck gameday in Eugene! (Duck football is HUGE.)
Nightlife similar, but the edge probably to Eugene since the number of college students is larger. (Duck football is HUGE.)
I assumed that as well, but was surprised to find that Bellingham seemed to have the more active nightlife
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