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There's no need to explain the good neighborhoods, as I have seen them. I didn't pick whatcom county off from a map to move here, it's because of proximity to family I settled here. Are you offended of "bummy homeless", what else should I say. The locals here aren't nearly as hardcore as the criminals on the east coast, and bellingham is obsessed with rainbow flags so that's how I describe them.
If you’re going to make ridiculous generalizations and paint a picture of Bellingham as sketchy and too dangerous at night to walk around, then YES, it bears explaining that you’re well aware that there are plenty of good neighborhoods and that you’re only referring to small areas of the city.
It’s not a matter of being offended by the term “bummy homeless” - though it’s a bit insensitive, especially since you and others simultaneously gripe about high real estate prices and people who are displaced as a result- and yet insult those without homes, some of whom have lost their homes because they couldn’t afford it.
My point about the rainbow flags is that there is community- wide support for the gay community, and you see flags throughout the city- at businesses and in all neighborhoods, many of which are out of your price range. Support is certainly not limited to a small group of people you consider to be a threat. Are you just trying to insult everyone in town with your posts? If so, you’re off to a good start by making broad, negative remarks that aren’t remotely accurate.
If you’re going to make ridiculous generalizations and paint a picture of Bellingham as sketchy and too dangerous at night to walk around, then YES, it bears explaining that you’re well aware that there are plenty of good neighborhoods and that you’re only referring to small areas of the city.
It’s not a matter of being offended by the term “bummy homeless” - though it’s a bit insensitive, especially since you and others simultaneously gripe about high real estate prices and people who are displaced as a result- and yet insult those without homes, some of whom have lost their homes because they couldn’t afford it.
My point about the rainbow flags is that there is community- wide support for the gay community, and you see flags throughout the city- at businesses and in all neighborhoods, many of which are out of your price range. Support is certainly not limited to a small group of people you consider to be a threat. Are you just trying to insult everyone in town with your posts? If so, you’re off to a good start by making broad, negative remarks that aren’t remotely accurate.
IMO, which I'm entitled to, Bellingham is not safe to walk at night. There are good neighborhoods, but they're within walking distance of sketchy areas, and believe it or not, crazy people also live in good neighborhoods. I see them and also work with them. I don't need a lecture about rainbow flags, my original point is that people here are soft, not gay, though many are also gay. I expect the real estate here to correct itself in the next year. As nice as it is I don't think Bellingham is wonderful enough to pay 1 million for an average house. This city does have a homeless problem. If you can't walk through the main commercial streets without smelling a stench or grocery shop without panhandlers standing in your way it's a problem. I'm still on the fence of whether or not this city is suitable for raising a child. There are many benefits and beautiful things, people visit from miles, the police seem to do a good job. I believe there's enough to do here for a city this size, contrary to what the one couple said with a small child. The selection of homes aren't very attractive with the exception of the many condos, IMO. This city is very white as well, so except for the gay patronage it's not as diverse or "accepting" as people say.
kynight - look at it this way. If Bellingham doesn't have massive homeless people living on it's streets, it's that much more of a livable city. If someone can't house themself, you ought not to let them live in a tent on the city's streets somewhere. And take a dump outside and pee in to the wind outside. Seattle's civic leaders have lost their collective minds.
Selfish desire to return it to 1985? No not at all....anything but. My clock has been counting down for a year now and I might as well go ahead and post that I'm out. No McMansion for me, neither buying nor selling one, wouldn't want one. But it's safe to say I've had enough, my time living in Bellingham is coming to an end, and happily so. You can have it.
rkcarguy, Since you started this thread many years ago and you are getting ready to leave Bellingham, I am curious whether you are moving elsewhere in WA or have found another state that better suits you.
I am staying within the state for now. In the long run, where I end up retiring, will probably not be in Washington. It's just too expensive here and the "perks" are just too over-crowded with people to be perks anymore.
"kynight - look at it this way. If Bellingham doesn't have massive homeless people living on it's streets, it's that much more of a livable city. If someone can't house themself, you ought not to let them live in a tent on the city's streets somewhere. And take a dump outside and pee in to the wind outside. Seattle's civic leaders have lost their collective minds."
This is what is happening in Bellingham on a smaller scale, and being it's a much smaller town, it's easy to map the crime relative to the known homeless camp areas. One of the offenders in the police report was listed multiple times as being cited/arrested using meth and leaving needles, urinating in public, passed out in the bushes, etc, in Maritime Heritage park.
Sorry I didn't sort out the remedial reports for the nitpickers, and screwed things up for the realtors promoting Bellingham here on CD.
Even on this very city data forum in the Bellingham statistics and comments section, there is a lot of people who moved here only to turn around and move back out, some that even lost everything (moving costs and 1st/last/deposits are expensive!) and had to move back in with their parents back where they came from. Realtors sugar coat everything, "see the eagles, bay, and mountains from your homes picture window", and show ads of people zipping through the countryside in a convertible, wine tasting, not another car in sight. Reality, for most, is far from this as can be read in my posts here. Housing costs are just so far out of touch with the job opportunities I don't know how 90% of the working residents make ends meet. Bellingham is going down a path to big problems if they don't start dealing with the homeless/mentally ill, and the resulting crime/drugs. I had a neighbor that was a policeman that quit and left down, and a relative with a business in downtown that is right in the middle of it all, and has been since the late 60's, and they'd both never seen it so bad. If this post saved ONE family from moving here to experience this, then it served it's purpose.
I invite you to come and visit the memorials under the Lincoln street overpass and on the Whatcom creek trail, ask those people how "avoiding the homeless and mentally ill worked for them"?
Selfish desire to return it to 1985? No not at all....anything but. My clock has been counting down for a year now and I might as well go ahead and post that I'm out. No McMansion for me, neither buying nor selling one, wouldn't want one. But it's safe to say I've had enough, my time living in Bellingham is coming to an end, and happily so. You can have it.
I don't disagree one bit that people need to be financially prepared when considering a move to a new location, especially if the location has a fairly high cost of living. That advice would apply to ANYONE moving ANYWHERE. To be honest, I actually agree with quite a few of your comments and observations, with the exception being a) comments that either seem to make new residents feel bad for being here and/or guilty for being proud of Bellingham and b) comments that seem to ignore state, regional, and national trends to make it look like Bellingham is unusually bad, when the opposite is true. FWIW, In the four or five years I've lived here, the city has gotten much nicer (and more expensive) while the homeless issue has improved (as even you've pointed out).
As I've said before, it sounds like you need a change of scenery, and there's nothing wrong with that. Anyway, I'm glad to see you're exploring greener pastures, though if you're moving to a city in WA you'll soon find out that the things you rant about occur everywhere, and are often quite a bit worse. Whether you're planning on moving to Spokane or a Seattle suburb, you're likely in for a surprise. Anyway, good luck- and please make sure you report back about how Bellingham compares to your new home.
We also found out that a couple of our friends are also leaving, but they are leaving the state. They want to have kids and have been sharing an apartment for several years now trying to save for a house. As a diesel mechanic and medical billing specialist they both make pretty good money, but their rent has been increasing and home prices are still going up-up-up. They are getting no closer to owning a place then they were when they moved here, and are seeing the writing on the wall that apartment life is going to be all there is if they were to stay.
I don't disagree one bit that people need to be financially prepared when considering a move to a new location, especially if the location has a fairly high cost of living. That advice would apply to ANYONE moving ANYWHERE. To be honest, I actually agree with quite a few of your comments and observations, with the exception being threads like this that ignore state, regional, and national trends to make it look like Bellingham look unusually bad. In the four or five years I've lived here, the city has gotten much nicer (and more expensive) while the homeless issue has improved (as even you've pointed out).
As I've said before, it sounds like you need a change of scenery, and there's nothing wrong with that. Anyway, I'm glad to see you're exploring greener pastures, though if you're moving to a city in WA you'll soon find out that the things you rant about occur everywhere, and are often quite a bit worse. Whether you're planning on moving to Spokane or a Seattle suburb, you're likely in for a surprise. Anyway, good luck- and please make sure you report back about how Bellingham compares to your new home.
That's my major point of this thread bartonizer. People are seeing good jobs up for grabs here but I think many don't understand they aren't living wages directly due to the cost of housing. Many may say just rent, but as we've seen in California rents can be raised at any time and price you right out of your place. I was watching a documentary where a family in Cali had to move four times because their rent went from $1,800 and ended up at $4,500 at their last place. They were also interviewing some people from Seattle that had been booted out of 3 places by rising rents. I wouldn't want to live that way or even try to raise a family in such a place where you have no security of an affordable place to live. It is true that housing affordability is a nationwide issue, but the income/housing cost ratio is abnormally high here, on a level with that of San Francisco in the 9:1 range+. Even Seattle, with it's high costs of living, has much better average income that earn it a 6.5:1 Income/Housing Cost ratio which makes it a much better "deal". As a closing comment, if your an average to above average wage earner, you need around $150K or more to put down to be able to "play" in the housing market here, otherwise you are priced out.
As for me, I've traveled a lot around the state so there isn't much exploring to do. I know what I'm getting into, it's just matter of getting everything all lined up and making the transition.
That's my major point of this thread bartonizer. People are seeing good jobs up for grabs here but I think many don't understand they aren't living wages directly due to the cost of housing. Many may say just rent, but as we've seen in California rents can be raised at any time and price you right out of your place. I was watching a documentary where a family in Cali had to move four times because their rent went from $1,800 and ended up at $4,500 at their last place. They were also interviewing some people from Seattle that had been booted out of 3 places by rising rents. I wouldn't want to live that way or even try to raise a family in such a place where you have no security of an affordable place to live. It is true that housing affordability is a nationwide issue, but the income/housing cost ratio is abnormally high here, on a level with that of San Francisco in the 9:1 range+. Even Seattle, with it's high costs of living, has much better average income that earn it a 6.5:1 Income/Housing Cost ratio which makes it a much better "deal". As a closing comment, if your an average to above average wage earner, you need around $150K or more to put down to be able to "play" in the housing market here, otherwise you are priced out.
As for me, I've traveled a lot around the state so there isn't much exploring to do. I know what I'm getting into, it's just matter of getting everything all lined up and making the transition.
You keep talking about Seattle's income/housing cost ration without even mentioning that there are significant tradeoffs that include other things that you complain about- traffic, crime, skyrocketing real estate to name a few. All of those things contribute to quality of living. If you're moving to the Seattle area for higher income, remember that it's predominantly in several fields, and that the cost of housing is much higher in the metro area than it is in Bellingham. AND remember that most of the high paying jobs are located in Bellevue and Seattle, and that any housing that is remotely affordable would almost certainly require a lengthy commute north, east, or south of town. So I seriously doubt you'd feel relieved by by what you encounter there, and your higher income job would almost certainly come with a substantial amount of your day spent in horrendous traffic in areas far more dangerous and populated than Bellingham. Literally, all the things you complain about you'd run into on a much larger scale. Oddly, you never seem to bring up or grasp that point, but it's a huge one. Would you suddenly not care about crime, traffic, or high real estate prices if you moved to the big city?
As I've mentioned numerous times, Bellingham is similar to other desirable destination cities of similar size, and has similar challenges, namely a lack of high paying jobs and affordable housing. And to answer your question, many of the people living here work by remote, or bring businesses with them. To a lot of people Bellingham is a great deal, and gives them exactly what they're looking for.
Finally, I think it's a little weird that you won't mention the city you're looking at in WA. Are you looking for a quaint town? A generic suburb? A big city? A small city? I trust that you've looked into it, but you're going to run into a lack of high paying jobs and affordable homes anywhere in the west. I'm not saying that it's perfect in Bellingham- I want people to afford to live and play where they want to, and I absolutely don't want to see people or businesses priced out of here. But to keep posting one-sided comments that lack any context is misleading, especially when I know from experience that the grass isn't as green on the other side as some posters seem to think that it is.
That's my major point of this thread bartonizer. People are seeing good jobs up for grabs here but I think many don't understand they aren't living wages directly due to the cost of housing. Many may say just rent, but as we've seen in California rents can be raised at any time and price you right out of your place. I was watching a documentary where a family in Cali had to move four times because their rent went from $1,800 and ended up at $4,500 at their last place. They were also interviewing some people from Seattle that had been booted out of 3 places by rising rents. I wouldn't want to live that way or even try to raise a family in such a place where you have no security of an affordable place to live. It is true that housing affordability is a nationwide issue, but the income/housing cost ratio is abnormally high here, on a level with that of San Francisco in the 9:1 range+. Even Seattle, with it's high costs of living, has much better average income that earn it a 6.5:1 Income/Housing Cost ratio which makes it a much better "deal". As a closing comment, if your an average to above average wage earner, you need around $150K or more to put down to be able to "play" in the housing market here, otherwise you are priced out.
As for me, I've traveled a lot around the state so there isn't much exploring to do. I know what I'm getting into, it's just matter of getting everything all lined up and making the transition.
Wow, you started this thread 12 years ago and still going strong. I pretty much agree with you that Bellingham wages don't pay what the average person needs to buy a house but this is also true in most desirable university towns unless you have a good career there are a professional. It'd certainly a beautiful area but it's still just a pretty small city a non commutable distance to the major industries in the Seattle metro.
Statistically Bellingham has low murder rate but has significant petty theft likely attributable to the drug addicted homeless population.
As an in state location, I would seriously consider Bellingham as a retirement location as it's not as hectic and crowded as King County, less expensive and still a short commute on a weekend to see grandkids in Bellevue but I like Olympia better due to lower cost.
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