Bellingham (Seattle: crime, how much, house)

[ladyflyfsh]

I am considering a move from SW Montana to Bellingham. I lived many years ago in Seattle and have read some about the Bellingham area but would like to hear from those who know it well or live there. How much rain DO you get? Do you get snow? Is gardening good there in the summer? How are housing costs? Other costs of living? Good quality of life? How about mushroom hunting???

I am self employed so that won't play much of a factor but I would like to live a little closer to civilization without the harsh winters of Montana.

Any help and info would be greatly appreciated.

[Screenial]

I moved away from Bellingham 3 years ago, I lived there 20 years.I've written previous posts about Bellingham, you may want to look at those.
Depending on the soil where you live ( it can vary greatly), the gardening is very good. It does occasionally snow, rarely sticking for more than a day. Bellingham has had the infrequent heavy snowfall, so be prepared to stay home if this happens, they don't have many snowplows to clean the roads. I'd say the harshest part of winter is the occasional northeast wind, which can be a very bitter cold. Bellingham does get it's share of rain, but also keep in mind more than anything, there are many days of low cloudcover in the winter. The summers are wonderful, flowers and vines grow like crazy, and wild blackberries are easy pickens.
The people of Bellingham are diverse, different parts of Whatcom County collect different people. I'd say it's a family oriented town, not the greatest night-life eventhough it's a college town. Bellingham has plenty of good food the choose from, and the farmers market is great.
I have heard of friends picking mushrooms, you should have no problems finding the right areas if you call the Extension Service.
Bellingham is great for outdoor sports, lots of hiking and biking trails everywhere.
The housing market is like everywhere it seems, the prices used to be good, then the influx of Californians and the Microsoft boom made housing prices out of control. The house I sold 3 years ago is already worth $150,000 more than what I sold it for ( and I made a lot of money off that house too). If you live out in the county, it is slightly better, but then you are stuck in traffic getting into town. I'd say 250-300K will buy you a decent home, nothing too fancy.
Like I said, see my previous posts about crime in Bellingham. Good luck in your decision.