Living on Lummi - what's it like? (Seattle, Vancouver: for sale, real estate market)

[swim-bike-hike]

Hi - I'm pondering a possible move to the San Juan Islands and have seen recommendations on here that a few of the islands are more accessible to the mainland than others. I'm curious about Lummi - what's it like living there full time? How easy is the commute to Bellingham (I mean occasionally - not daily for work)? How much of a sense of community is there among the residents? Anything I should definitely know? Thanks!

[poopskooper]

I'm not here to answer your inquiry as to what it's like to live there as I've never lived there.

But I too will be interested in the responses you'll get in this thread just out of curiosity as it seems it would be a nice place to live ...not that we're interested in ever moving there but just from a standpoint of interest.

We've visited a few times strictly as tourists. It's an artsy community and I'd have to believe that there'd be a VERY strong sense of community. The last time we visited was about four years ago on a day trip.

The ferry is run by Whatcom county so it's not part of the state ferry system. It's a small ferry with an open car deck and will make the trip in less than ten minutes ...it's between 5 and 10 minutes for the crossing. It has a pretty robust schedule, however, but can get delayed if the weather is bad and the water gets rough. We've been told that there can be back-ups at times especially during the tourist season. The terminal on the mainland is on Lummi Nation tribal land and it's less than a half hour from Bellingham. Photo of ferry (I believe it's called The Whatcom Chief ...?)

A few things we learned from the residents we talked with:

Year around population is less than 1,000 but lots of seasonal residents and tourists.

There's one school on the island and it's an elementary school. We drove by and it's a quaint school house. Students have to attend secondary school on the mainland (Ferndale School District)

One realty office on the island

No public gas stations

I think they said that there are two churches

No medical facilities but emergencies are supposedly handled efficiently and the ferry crew responds accordingly

One thing a store owner told us about the ferry that we found interesting is that once a year, the ferry goes in for maintenance or dry docked for a few weeks and a passenger only boat is used. So residents have to plan accordingly for that event.
~amanda

[poopskooper]

One additional comment that may have been implied when mentioning the school district, Lummi Island is in Whatcom county with the county seat being Bellingham. So even though considered in the San Juan archipelago, it's sometimes not always associated with the San Juan Islands as it's in a different county. The San Juan Islands are in San Juan county with the county seat being Friday Harbor on "the" San Juan Island.

Therefore, Lummi Island politics and other ties may be more closely aligned with Bellingham/Ferndale/Whatcom county probably more so than the islands usually associated with the San Juan Islands or those in San Juan County.

[swim-bike-hike]

Hey - thanks for this info. Much appreciated!

[momma4evr]

I'd like to revive this thread and get some more information regarding Lummi. I'm looking at a home for sale - wonderful setting - felt like we went back in time. Peaceful. Quiet. Friendly people from the ferry dock to the neighborhood. We drove to Gooseberry Pt. to catch the passenger only ferry (currently ferry is in dry dock).

My questions:

1) Is it true there is NO medical facility on the island? We heard emergencies are handled via airlift to Bellingham. Kind of scary considering how many "older" people inhabit the island (I'm thinking about the critical period of time to assist with strokes, heart attacks, etc.). Kind of scary if you have kids, too, in the event of an emergency.

2) What is the ferry commute like in the a.m.'s with workers who need to take the ferry to get to work in Ferndale or Bellingham? Are there times when it's more crowded or when it can't accommodate everyone? Do people sometimes have to wait to catch the next ferry? I would think this could be a problem for those who need to get to work or possibly college on time.

3) The WTA bus system at Gooseberry Pt. - convenient, right by the ferry dock... But it runs every 85 minutes? We calc'd the commute time for a student to go from Lummi Island to Whatcom Community College. It would end up being close to 4 hours travel time a day...! Ugh! Not easy for a full time student. If someone knows of a faster way to do this, please pass any tips on!

4) Does the ferry (some people refer to it as a "raft" vs. a ferry due to the size!) get delayed or stop operating often during the winter months? What's it like when the water is choppy? I'd like someone's perspective on how this affects their work, school, etc.

5) I need to do some research, but someone also mentioned there is a law suit pending regarding water rights on the island. The home we're interested in has well water. Is this going to be an issue?

6) As this area's housing prices continue to escalate, we keep telling ourselves that we should grab this opportunity now. I wonder, however, if it would be a wise investment. Unless the commute time / medical availability changes in the future (and I hope not, as that would definitely change the lure of this island community and the home prices), I'm concerned that it might be difficult to sell the property down the road when the time arises.

We loved the house we looked at. We love the beauty, community and atmosphere of the island... but the challenges for immediate medical care and commuting might have to bring us back to reality in making this decision. We've gotten various opinions from life-long Bellingham natives... they all say how great the island is, but they wouldn't want to live there and deal with the commute. I keep telling myself the challenge might very well be worth it in exchange for the chance to own an affordable home we really love in a less-populated area. I don't want to regret not taking the risk, but would hate to take the risk and be miserable as well. I know - only we can make this decision - but we could definitely use some information / advice from those who might be familiar with Lummi Island living. How do you make it work for you and your family? Thanks!

[Ruth4Truth]

Hi, momma. I've had some of the same concerns as you, when looking at other parts of the Puget Sound region, that connect by ferry, and have limited med facilities. One thing I discovered when I was visiting, is that there's no guarantee the ferry will be running when you need it. This is due to the tidal factor. If it's low tide in the mornings when you need to get to work, you can be out of luck. A friend of mine who lives in the San Juans cautioned me about living in a ferry-dependent community, saying that ferries are a hassle!

RE: the airlifting to Bellingham--yup. I had the same question: what about strokes? Now, in some parts of Puget sound, and this may be the case with Lummi, since it's so close to B'ham, they say the helicopter flight gets to the hospital in Seattle or B'ham faster than an ambulance fighting traffic in Seattle.

RE: infrequent bus service: your (hypothetical?) student commuter could get a bike, regular or electric. That might be tough during rainstorms, though. And speaking of rainstorms, the ferries that connect the islands off Seattle with the city sometimes are not able to run during unusually heavy storms. That happens rarely, not even once/year. I hear the Lummi Island ferry service can be curtailed during heavy storms, too.

Also, regarding your water rights question, AFAIK the only water rights question in the area pertains to groundwater use on the Lummi reservation. Lummi Island isn't part of the reservation, so I don't think you need to worry. HOWEVER, issues regarding the ferry service from the island to tribal land on the mainland do arise. You should read these:
http://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-...ferry-service/

https://lummiislandferryforum.wordpr...seberry-point/

If you're looking for affordable property, I wonder if Point Roberts might be a good place to look. Lummi Island is cheap for a reason, remember that. I would also be concerned about what could happen to the groundwater supply as sea levels continue to rise. How long were you planning to live there? Is this a retirement home?

[Clydebailey]

I grew up in Ferndale - Lummi is def part of Whatcom County and Bellingham is the county seat.
Beautiful country - however, I haven't been there in a number of years. I live about 90 minutes south in Kirkland, WA now...

[perigee]

Lummi is beautiful, but I wouldn't want to live there, the hassles and the lack of medical care should not be underestimated. I know people that have a secondary home there and that is fine, but having to live there full time would be problematic, not to mention expensive.

Momma, I would continue to look around Whatcom county, post your budget and what you would like in term of housing.

[Ruth4Truth]

I took a look at the real estate on the island, after last posting. It's a mix of simple vacation cabins and a few nicer, year-round quality homes. The scenario reminds me of some of the small islands off of Vancouver, Canada, where people have rustic cabins, and there are a few nicer vacation homes. I don't think Lummi Island is a real estate development that was intended for year-round use. IMO the fact that some people are living there year round is a symptom of real estate markets run amok in the region.

[bartonizer]

Originally Posted by Ruth4Truth

I took a look at the real estate on the island, after last posting. It's a mix of simple vacation cabins and a few nicer, year-round quality homes. The scenario reminds me of some of the small islands off of Vancouver, Canada, where people have rustic cabins, and there are a few nicer vacation homes. I don't think Lummi Island is a real estate development that was intended for year-round use. IMO the fact that some people are living there year round is a symptom of real estate markets run amok in the region.

It does kind of remind me of some of the small islands off of Vancouver, now that you mention it. There are certainly people that have ended up there as a result of the real estate market, and I imagine that number is probably growing. Heck, before buying in Bellingham we (not very seriously) looked on Lummi, because there are smaller cabins and houses that are reasonably priced, and the location is gorgeous. I suspect some people have tried it and it just doesn't work for them or feels too remote.

But... many people there have lived on the island for a while, and I have to say, everyone we've talked to over there is doing so very intentionally, not because they're forced to by high mainland prices. Again, I would agree that the number of people considering it due to the crazy real estate market is growing. But as other remote, inhabited islands in the area prove-Washingtonians are an interesting breed, and a minimally commercialized scenic island with hourly ferries and city amenities less than half an hour away has held allure and provided a more convenient San Juan-ish experience that pre-dates the recent market escalation.