Moving to Bellingham (Vancouver, Mount Vernon: house, buying, construction)

[jac0978]

I know. We are going to get out of here while we can. I hate it here and already it is in the 70's, it will be one hot summer.

[Loriandrandy]

I could not ever live in Arizona, because I can't stand parched, dry climates. Bellingham's 9 months or so of dreary weather definitely gets a person down (I'm a mental health counselor and depression goes way up during the dreary weather). My main gripe about Bellingham is that for a city with such a great location, it really has not got much to offer. Similar cities of this size have much better shopping (food and otherwise), more things to do, better restaurants, more parks. Just look at the stats on this site! There are 40-something registered sex offenders here! 23% of the people are living at poverty level yet the cost of living index is 107 (nat'l avg. is 100)! When you drive around, there are so many run down homes and/or neighborhoods. Drive downtown on the weekend and the streets are overrun with puking, screaming college kids, homeless people and druggie types. They literally OWN the downtown on weekend nights! After eight years here, THAT is what has me soured on Bellingham. Go to the Bellis Fair mall some Friday night; it's downright scary. I don't know what's happened, or why - it's completely illogical because the location of this little city is absolutely stellar. Bellingham just has a sad, dreary, depressed but yet, for some reason, self-impressed, vibe. Need a job? Good luck, unless you just want minimum-wage retail. Want to buy a home? Plan on paying top dollar. Need to get groceries? It'll cost you more here than just about anywhere else. It just makes no sense whatsoever. And then there's the bizaare, stark contrast between dreadlocks-and-Birkenstocks Bellingham, and the surrounding communities of Lynden and Ferndale, the former where you aren't allowed to mow your lawn on Sunday because you are supposed to be in church! But yeah, it's waaaay better than Phoenix.

[Foreverking]

Originally Posted by Loriandrandy

I could not ever live in Arizona, because I can't stand parched, dry climates. Bellingham's 9 months or so of dreary weather definitely gets a person down (I'm a mental health counselor and depression goes way up during the dreary weather). My main gripe about Bellingham is that for a city with such a great location, it really has not got much to offer. Similar cities of this size have much better shopping (food and otherwise), more things to do, better restaurants, more parks. Just look at the stats on this site! There are 40-something registered sex offenders here! 23% of the people are living at poverty level yet the cost of living index is 107 (nat'l avg. is 100)! When you drive around, there are so many run down homes and/or neighborhoods. Drive downtown on the weekend and the streets are overrun with puking, screaming college kids, homeless people and druggie types. They literally OWN the downtown on weekend nights! After eight years here, THAT is what has me soured on Bellingham. Go to the Bellis Fair mall some Friday night; it's downright scary. I don't know what's happened, or why - it's completely illogical because the location of this little city is absolutely stellar. Bellingham just has a sad, dreary, depressed but yet, for some reason, self-impressed, vibe. Need a job? Good luck, unless you just want minimum-wage retail. Want to buy a home? Plan on paying top dollar. Need to get groceries? It'll cost you more here than just about anywhere else. It just makes no sense whatsoever. And then there's the bizaare, stark contrast between dreadlocks-and-Birkenstocks Bellingham, and the surrounding communities of Lynden and Ferndale, the former where you aren't allowed to mow your lawn on Sunday because you are supposed to be in church! But yeah, it's waaaay better than Phoenix.

trade ya

[jac0978]

Come and live in South Phoenix and then you will quickly change your negative tone about Bellingham.

[StealthRabbit]

There are 40-something registered sex offenders here!

in a town that size that is nothing, and remember you are a registered sex offender for life if you got caught taking a leak behind a tree at the High School keggar... (tho not to slight the real criminals, the true Sex Offenders should be 'operated' on)

Originally Posted by Loriandrandy

... ....and the surrounding communities of Lynden and Ferndale, the former where you aren't allowed to mow your lawn on Sunday because you are supposed to be in church! But yeah, it's waaaay better than Phoenix.

What a blessing no stinky screaming lawn mowers for one WHOLE day / week (not that this is true... which it is NOT). Now if they could just get the stores, theaters, and gas stations to close one day / week, like they were when I was a kid... (We all got along much better then ... we were often at a church 'potluck' to discuss such difficult issues over a good ole 'hot-dish' )

[Comedy]

Originally Posted by jac0978

Great thank you so much, I appreciate it. Also, what area of Bellingham is really nice to live? I am nervous about the move, I have two children and I just want to give them the best life. Would you recommend a realtor or know of any rental houses by chance? Thanks for your imput.

I would recommend Lorena Foster of the Mulijat Group. Other than Joan Pike in Scottsdale, Lorena is one of the best realtors I know.

[Comedy]

Originally Posted by Loriandrandy

I could not ever live in Arizona, because I can't stand parched, dry climates. Bellingham's 9 months or so of dreary weather definitely gets a person down (I'm a mental health counselor and depression goes way up during the dreary weather). My main gripe about Bellingham is that for a city with such a great location, it really has not got much to offer. Similar cities of this size have much better shopping (food and otherwise), more things to do, better restaurants, more parks. Just look at the stats on this site! There are 40-something registered sex offenders here! 23% of the people are living at poverty level yet the cost of living index is 107 (nat'l avg. is 100)! When you drive around, there are so many run down homes and/or neighborhoods. Drive downtown on the weekend and the streets are overrun with puking, screaming college kids, homeless people and druggie types. They literally OWN the downtown on weekend nights! After eight years here, THAT is what has me soured on Bellingham. Go to the Bellis Fair mall some Friday night; it's downright scary. I don't know what's happened, or why - it's completely illogical because the location of this little city is absolutely stellar. Bellingham just has a sad, dreary, depressed but yet, for some reason, self-impressed, vibe. Need a job? Good luck, unless you just want minimum-wage retail. Want to buy a home? Plan on paying top dollar. Need to get groceries? It'll cost you more here than just about anywhere else. It just makes no sense whatsoever. And then there's the bizaare, stark contrast between dreadlocks-and-Birkenstocks Bellingham, and the surrounding communities of Lynden and Ferndale, the former where you aren't allowed to mow your lawn on Sunday because you are supposed to be in church! But yeah, it's waaaay better than Phoenix.

For a Mental Health Counselor, you sure don't take a Sociological Scientific approach to B'Ham. What are you shopping for? In Longmont, we have probably 10,000 more people, and Twin Peaks Mall pales in comparison to Bellis Fair mall. Our mall here is so bad that they are shutting it down store by store. They say they are going to build a new one, but havent even come up with a plan. Longmont also has a prime location. We have the best view of the Rockies, plus were 40 minutes to an hour and a half from great fun. Plus who cares about shopping in B'Ham? You have Bellingham Bay, Lake Whatcom, Mount Baker. Great outdoor activities. Bring an umbrella and enjoy nature. Plus there is more than a block of fun antique shopping, and small town shops all around. I lived in North Scottsdale. I know what shopping is, and I also know what great food is. Scottsdale has some of the best restaurants in the world. Atleast thats what they advertise and all the foreigners say. Have you ever eaten at Anthony's on the waterfront? Hello, its yummy! Or have you eaten at the greek restaurant, I forget its name. Or howabout the sandwich shop accross from the pizza place? The restaurants are better here than in the Longmont Boulder area.

40 some registered sex offenders. Did you not take a stats class? So your trying to show concern that out of 65000 people, 40 of them are sex offenders? What kind of sex offenders? Rapists? Child molesters? People who sit in their homes and look at child porn? You should be thankful those 40 registered. Because in all cities in the country I am sure there are more than 40 who are not registered and who havent been caught.

I've spent plenty of days and evenings driving around WWU, and didn't see druggies, and puking, screaming college kids. But I did see college kids. Kids in college experiment with drugs, drink a lot, and have a good time. You should go doen to Tempe for St Patty's, that will change your mind about the WWU kids.

You also said your a Mental Health Counselor, but said if you move here you'll have a retail job. How about explaining, that if you move here you should have a job lined up or have experience. That Bellingham is not for people who are starting their career, which the Bellingham Herald has done multiple articles on.

Here was a laugher. If you want to buy a home in Bellingham, you'll have to pay top dollar. You can buy a nice single family home anywhere between $275k to $315K. That may seem top dollar to you, but the median price of a house in Boulder for the same size, which has CU, will cost you around $500k. Now thats top dollar. Plus the homes are not run down, there old, some historical. Its good to see you know what your talking about.

If you think Bellingham is so poor, why don't you go hangout around 25th and Van Buren in Phoneix, and if you survive, you can write us and let us know what a run down house looks like, and what someone who is abusing drugs looks like. Those people struggle daily, and one of your complaints about B'Ham is the shopping and the restaurants are not good. The only thing you can buy on Van Buren is a Hooker and a Hogie from the gas station. You need to get your priorities straight.

[Foreverking]

I lived in Longmont, bellingham, and now live in Gilbert. Seems like we should have some of the same friends by now.

[lovingpnw]

jac0978 You're probably here in Bellingham already. Hope you're enjoying it. It's a beautiful place to live. My husband and I have been here for almost two years. We enjoy every season. It's much better than being in a place like Tucson, AZ where we've both lived (before knowing each other) for many years. You sure do get tired of the oppressive heat there. And the constant sunshine. Every day is the same. You don't want to be outdoors at all. Even the night time is too hot. The annual rainfall is 34 inches, lower than most cities in the East and South. It's just that you get more cloudy days here. But you'll get a burst of sunshine sometime during the day even though it might start off rainy or cloudy, which is a pleasant surprise. No matter how you look at it, it's beautiful whether it's rainy or sunny. Rainy weather can't take away the beauty that a place beholds. In fact it adds to it. And as far as crime here in Bellingham; there's no truly bad place to live.....Just remember, you're leaving the kidnapping capital (Phoenix) of the US. Bellingham is a much better place to raise your children. Don't let another person's negativity get you down or try to sway you. Some people are just negative in every aspect of their lives. And being in a sunny place doesn't necessarily give one a sunny disposition. The people in Tucson we're not very friendly, that's for sure. I believe the same goes for Phoenix. We have found Bellingham to be very friendly and have that small town atmosphere. But don't tell anyone how great it is.....we want to keep it a secret so it doesn't get too big.

[softmachine23]

Loriandrandy: No offense, but you strike me as somebody who would eventually learn to hate any location.