Is Bellingham anything like Seattle?

[RotseCherut]

Originally Posted by west seattle gal

I agree, jobs are by far more scarce in Bham. But for families who have them, and there are many, it can be a great place to grow up. We plan to buy a home in Sudden Valley in the 200's, so though our salaries are expected to be a little less than in Seattle, our mortgage will be 50% less. Home prices in the nicest parts of Bham, such as Fairhaven, are priced similarly to Seattle. We are personally solidly middle class, but feel that a smaller town like Bham will afford our family a higher quality of life than in Seattle. This is probably not true for most families.

Sudden Valley is a great choice and much more affordable than living in Bellingham proper.. One day I wouldn't mind retiring in Sudden Valley myself.. It's like being away from it all, but not too far from it all. I love big trees and the lake. Living on the Oregon Coast for so many years, the Sudden Valley would feel more like home to me.

[Trigger-f]

Originally Posted by RotseCherut

Sudden Valley is a great choice and much more affordable than living in Bellingham proper.. One day I wouldn't mind retiring in Sudden Valley myself.. It's like being away from it all, but not too far from it all. I love big trees and the lake. Living on the Oregon Coast for so many years, the Sudden Valley would feel more like home to me.

Only thing with Sudden Valley is that it's very close to Mt Baker which is an active volcano.

If I lived up there I would rather live by Birch Bay somewhere or by Chukanut drive(but like most pointed here, houses are a bit pricey). Some beautiful views all around B'ham though. It's not a bad city and I don't think it's anything like Seattle. Traffic is a breeze, it's a small town by Seattle standards(which is a good thing).

[IHitTheHighNotes]

Originally Posted by RotseCherut

Thank G-d, Bellingham did not become the state's major city. It would have turned into a hellhole, with hordes of Canadians doubling/tripling the traffic for shopping, entertainment, etc.

Seattle is far enough of a way where it prevents the Canadians from invading the city and driving up prices and congesting the roads.

Bellingham is backwater enough were Canadians will just go there to stock up on chain store products and leave.

I actually do know some people who live in Bellingham and commute to Vancouver for work. A lot of Canadians have their second vacation homes in Bellingham as well and this is also driving up property prices. A lot of Canadians prefer to retire in the US.

Do most Americans stores that are close to the border accept Canadian money and visa-versa?

[RotseCherut]

Originally Posted by IHitTheHighNotes

Do most Americans stores that are close to the border accept Canadian money and visa-versa?

Not on the American side! I am still trying to get rid of $15 Canadian cash.. Do you want to exchange with me?

In Canada, almost any business in Vancouver that I have been will accept American cash, as most Canadians know how much more American cash is worth.. However, if you use American cash prepare to pay a premium. You are better off using a credit card in Canada that has a 3% transaction fee. If you have one of those credit cards that have cash back, you will end up spending less with the card then the cash. That is what I do when I go to Canada and I end up even end up still getting discounted purchases on restaurants, bars, coffeeshops, because it's in my 5% category. If you subtract 5 - 3 % , I end getting 2% cash back on most of my food, restaurant category purchases in Canada. Whereas if I paid with cash I would be paying 3%-4% more than the normal price. There are also some Credit cards that don't charge foreign currency fees.

Also, if you use an ATM in Canada or vice versa with your Debit Card, you usually end up spending less if you use a Forex bureau to exchange as well. Usually it is just $3-5 ATM fee plus 3% foreign currency transaction fee. ForEx Bureaus are the biggest rip-offs and will gouge you bad.

[IHitTheHighNotes]

Originally Posted by RotseCherut

Not on the American side! I am still trying to get rid of $15 Canadian cash.. Do you want to exchange with me?

In Canada, almost any business in Vancouver that I have been will accept American cash, as most Canadians know how much more American cash is worth.. However, if you use American cash prepare to pay a premium. You are better off using a credit card in Canada that has a 3% transaction fee. If you have one of those credit cards that have cash back, you will end up spending less with the card then the cash. That is what I do when I go to Canada and I end up even end up still getting discounted purchases on restaurants, bars, coffeeshops, because it's in my 5% category. If you subtract 5 - 3 % , I end getting 2% cash back on most of my food, restaurant category purchases in Canada. Whereas if I paid with cash I would be paying 3%-4% more than the normal price. There are also some Credit cards that don't charge foreign currency fees.

Also, if you use an ATM in Canada or vice versa with your Debit Card, you usually end up spending less if you use a Forex bureau to exchange as well. Usually it is just $3-5 ATM fee plus 3% foreign currency transaction fee. ForEx Bureaus are the biggest rip-offs and will gouge you bad.

Thanks for the lesson in international finance Can't wait to get back up to the PNW. I miss the weather and the food.

[Pahn]

Bellingham isn't much like Seattle. But it's a pretty awesome place to live. The drugs and such are mostly downtown, as in any city. I've felt plenty safe walking around downtown at night, largely because there are so many college kids around.

Houses can be expensive, but not unobtainable. Consider condos or living in a smaller house. There may be a basement that can be finished, or an attic that can be converted. Also consider the area around Ferndale or even Blaine. You can save a LOT of money on a house buying outside of Bham and commuting. Sudden Valley is not my style, and there are plenty that agree with me. There are just as many that disagree.

For the 55+ crowd, buy a cheap trailer in a senior community and you'll spend very little on a place to live.

Bellingham jobs can be tough to come by, though you can make good money waiting tables, if that's your thing. Professional jobs tend to require above average experience and education for below average pay. If you just want to live cheaply, get an apartment and a production job at any of the local manufacturers that are ALWAYS hiring.

[CrazyDonkey]

Originally Posted by mkarch

It has a relatively small economy, so most of the things Seattle has that built up around a larger economy aren't there.

The major employers are mostly government related. It's not an area that attracts a whole lot of business investment.

One of the oddities of Bellingham is that despite the much smaller economy, homes are relatively expensive. Seattle is considered a somewhat high cost of living area, yet the home price to income ratio in Bellingham is nearly identical to Seattle. Some of it is due to the university (IE: money made elsewhere is spent in Bellingham on housing) but it's not isolated to the kinds of apartments and homes students live in. There's some other wealth effect going on up there that causes the cost of living to be higher than you'd expect for a small, isolated city.

Population has increased 25,000 since 1990, to 80,000. At one time it was less than 40,000. Some of that has come from the influx of Canadians.

You also can't discount the underground economy. Think of Whatcom as Humbolt North or BC South...

[folkguitarist555]

Bellingham Is a little paradise to me, but the home prices are ridiculous and similar to the outskirts of Seattle....imo