Bellingham, WA (Seattle: live in, vs., moving to)

[NV2TN2AL]

Thanks Lamplighter for the response! I entered several posts asking for info about the Puyallup (or south of Tacoma area) but no one has responded to any of them. I see why you're so valued on this Board!!! Anyway, back to your response, I never would have believed it after living in Nashville for 14 years (having moved there from the desert of Southern NV), that it would be possible for any place to be "stickier and icky-er" than there in the summer, but the Gulf has it beat by "a country mile" !!! It's pretty much like walking outside and trying to breathe in a Sauna!!! EVERYONE keeps telling us (in anticipating a move to WA) "oh, you'll hate it -- it rains all the time there!!" I've had to correct them that the Weather Data states the Puyallup has anywhere from 37 - 40" of annual rainfall; whereas Daphne, AL (Mobile area) logs in (on the same service) as 64" !!!!!! I tell my husband that Hell will not be "smoke and fire"; Hell will be HUMID !!!!!!

[EastMeetsWest7]

Don't be fooled by the rain statistics in the Pacific NW, I just want to let you know. Even though the annual precipitation is less, it rains quite a bit more often. There is a perpetual cloud cover anywhere west of the Cascades for about 7-8 months. Nonetheless, I find the beauty and mountains alone a great reason to live here. Also, the rain is usually soft and you can still perform outdoor activities such as hiking (which is my passion), even in the rain. I would never want to be stuck in a flat, hot, sticky and most likely racist and backward place like Alabama or Tennessee. Many people of my race were chased out of the South by the Klan years ago, including having many of our Temples burned. I will say that no matter how bad or unfriendly I find any place in the Northwest, including Bellingham, it wouldn't compare to how poorly I would be treated and the bigotry I would face in places like a majority of the Deep South. I would never want to be in a place where a guy like David Duke could almost become the elected Governor. Yeah, Bellinghole can be gritty, unfriendly and anti-social, but I don't have to worry about getting beaten to death walking down the street.

BTW.. I live in Seattle now and I have found, despite people being very reserved, they are considerably friendlier and more down to earth than Bellingham. Seattle and Tacoma both seem like friendlier places, despite being so large. I don't know what it is in small Northwestern towns like Bellingham, but everyone acts like they have something to prove and many are sickened by drug/alcohol addiction. It just seems that many people in towns like Bellingham don't really want to do anything productive with themselves. People feel content with their low-end jobs and spending their evenings with their little clique of friends smoking dope and getting drunk.

[Lamplight]

The rain numbers are definitely deceptive. Like EastMeetsWest said, the total numbers aren't very high, but the frequency is. This past winter I hardly ever needed my raincoat, but often times when I'd be out walking (which was almost daily), my regular jacket would be slightly damp from the mist/light drizzle. Very rarely during those walks did I wish for my raincoat (I hate raincoats and my regular jacket was plenty), but I often wished I had some sort of hat to keep that drizzle off my face. Of course, there were lots of days with no noticeable precipitation at all, and even a few sunny ones. But you can bet on most days being cloudy, and many days with very light precipitation. It rains a lot, but it's overcast a lot more.

[rzoe714]

im going to be going to nursing school in Bellingham and i will need to move from Seattle to Bellingham.Im an older student,in my 30's so i dont want to be in a typical college area

Can anyone suggest where i should look.I would something small,relatively inexpensive,since i will not be working while Im in school. i just found out that i made this school so everything seems like such a rush
Thanks

[EastMeetsWest7]

Cordata is your best choice if you don't want a long commute. However, inexpensive will certainly be a challenge. I would suggest Fairhaven, but that is more expensive. You may also consider Sudden Valley, if you want nice scenery, absence of college kids and lower prices. However, it is like a 15 min commute to B'Ham.

[Beenhere4ever]

Originally Posted by Lamplight

The rain numbers are definitely deceptive. Like EastMeetsWest said, the total numbers aren't very high, but the frequency is. This past winter I hardly ever needed my raincoat, but often times when I'd be out walking (which was almost daily), my regular jacket would be slightly damp from the mist/light drizzle. Very rarely during those walks did I wish for my raincoat (I hate raincoats and my regular jacket was plenty), but I often wished I had some sort of hat to keep that drizzle off my face. Of course, there were lots of days with no noticeable precipitation at all, and even a few sunny ones. But you can bet on most days being cloudy, and many days with very light precipitation. It rains a lot, but it's overcast a lot more.

Except in July and August. Came to Bellingham expecting the kind of rainy day I like and it seldom happened. Looked up the rain averages and found I was there in the wrong month. Got, frankly, a little more sun than I really wanted. Suffered on days when I didn't have my sunglasses along. Definitely wasn't an outcome I expected in that region. So don't come in the summer expecting that "fabled PNW rainfall" because it doesn't happen. At least that is clear for me now.

[Lamplight]

Originally Posted by Beenhere4ever

Except in July and August. Came to Bellingham expecting the kind of rainy day I like and it seldom happened. Looked up the rain averages and found I was there in the wrong month. Got, frankly, a little more sun than I really wanted. Suffered on days when I didn't have my sunglasses along. Definitely wasn't an outcome I expected in that region. So don't come in the summer expecting that "fabled PNW rainfall" because it doesn't happen. At least that is clear for me now.

Well yeah, it hardly rains at all during summer. You could probably add half of September to July and August, too.

[Beenhere4ever]

Bummer. But I'm sure a lot of other things I like would be there. I don't know if I didn't do to the right places, but I encountered very few insects. Weird for a person with 40 years experience in Minnesota where insects of every kind show up in March or April and stay till October or November. Did see those huge moths at Haggens. Which kinda freaked me because I didn't see them around any other store. Guess even the moths prefer Haggen's.

[NW-to-SE]

EastMeetsWest... negative much? I agree with some of what you say, but having grown up in Bellingham myself, I certainly wouldn't say the whole town is druggies and drunkards! That sounds like Railroad Avenue, or Alabama Hill, but not the whole city. That's a big too general for me!

I have lived in Bellingham for 30-some years. I've also lived in some other states. I really, REALLY like the PNW. It's beautiful. I like the water. I like the mountains. I like camping, hiking, walking, lack of bugs, and the beautiful summers.

I do NOT like the weather. The constant drizzle/overcast/rain is OPPRESSIVE. So many people suffer from depression in the NW! It really is THAT bad. My husband moved here from California, and he said he always liked rain. But he had never experienced what we have here in the NW. It's a big topic of conversation, for sure!

It is hard to shop around Bellingham. The Canadians come down in droves and shop at the mall and Costco. I have nothing against Canadians, mind you, but there are some who may not be very... friendly? And it makes shopping difficult when 9 out of 10 parking spaces are taken up by British Columbia license plates with their Clubs on their steering wheels.

Are people friendly? Hmmm... not really. A lot of people have a perpetual scowl on their faces. It's probably from the weather- it makes everyone feel gloomy. People are a lot more friendly in the all-too-short summers.

The grass is always greener, of course... but I've spent 30 years in Bellingham, and that's enough for me! I'm moving.

[Beenhere4ever]

Anybody getting depressed should stop blaming the weather. Get some SSRIs. If your chemistry is right, the "depressing weather" can be quite nice and stimulating. Me, I just ate up the gentle rains. Hoped for them. The clear skies and blinding sunlight was what annoyed me, partly because the temperature got out of sync with the averages. I crossed the country for those averages. Hmmm. I wonder if people move here to have something to blame for their depression.