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Well, yes forestry....but beyond that, anything from a stop on the trail to the BC gold rush in the late 1850's, to several huge land speculation efforts (Bellingham pinned much of its late 19th/early 20th century hopes to becoming the western terminus of Canadian and American transcontinental railroads) to coal mining to being the salmon cannery capitol of the world, to WWII and post WWII shipbuilding and associated manufacturing industries to massive chemical laden wood product and tissue processing. After a huge gas pipeline explosion in 1999, the city has taken a much more green trajectory, trying to figure out her identity as a post-industrial city. Turns out, the city is quite an appealing place when not smelling like a pulp mill, belching out tons of smoke, or dumping chemicals in the bay!
Wow! With a history like that, I can see why it's never grown much, until recently.
I made an alarming discovery, when exploring Vancouver BC, for living. (Dreaming, I know). There are defunct mines in West Van, on the other side of the mountain from the main part of the city, in the fjord, there. They're leaching mercury, among other toxic things. Turns out, this is true up and down the BC coast, and inland, as well. Who knew? I'm shocked; there are children's summer camps on some of the islands in the area; kids swim in that, and local residents may be venturing for a brisk swim in the summers, too.
We don't have that in the US on the West Coast. It gives me a whole different view of Canada, suddenly.
That's even more of a reason why smart, well thought-out planning and growth is even more important- to properly accommodate the new people.
This, we also simply don't have, and haven't for some time. Bellingham, from roads to housing, is well beyond capacity on it's EXISTING infrastructure. Attitudes on opening up more areas for development, road improvements more housing seem to say "no", but then on the other hand people and magazines are raving how wonderful it is here. The two issues combine and as a result 87% of the working families can't afford the average listed home price. That is my major gripe, as unless you'd like to join the homeless camp or are rich, the cost of housing here really trumps the rest it has to offer. I mean if you can't afford to live here, it's kind of a dead end. People *do* come here and find they can't afford housing here, after going through all the expenses of moving, the changes of a new job, and so on. Why not be honest about it? Bellingham only has two stars on " starlings best places", most of the reviewers citing overpriced housing as the downfall, many of which ended up moving away again due to that.
On "another forum", I also messaged back and forth with the spokesperson for HomesNow!, who has setup and is currently managing a homeless camp behind city hall. It background checks the residents, and doesn't allow druggies drunks or sex offenders into the camp. I asked her "who is in the camp then?"....and was told that it is almost full, and is comprised of a full time student, several workers, and several disabled people. None of which can afford ANY housing here. That is some broken **** right there.
One thing that is sure is the population isn't going to stop growing here. They are projecting another 60% increase over the coming years! This can go one of two ways. We can accommodate the growth with more homes and infrastructure, or do nothing and our town will turn into a mini-version of Vancouver BC. $3 million required to get your feet wet in the housing market. Teachers, Nurses, Firemen, Construction jobs, Auto repair, all go un-filled because none of those professions can afford a place to live there. Maybe you think you'll be ok because you got in before the massive increase in housing and/or own your home? Nope, because the demand will yield $3+ million, you'll be property taxed for $3+ million. Can't afford it? Too bad, pack your bags. This is already happening...you could be next.
Ruth, there used to be a large sawmill on lake Whatcom. Logs were dumped into the lake and floated west and then processed. The problem is that tree's naturally suck up and collect mercury with the water and other nutrients they pull out of the ground over their years and it leeches out when they are processed. I'm not sure this had even come to light while the mill existed. As a result though, the crawdad's, bass, and other bottom foraging critters and fish in the lake are on WDFW's do not eat/eat sparingly list (no thanks lol) for high mercury levels. Bummer that our drinking water comes from this same lake.
The same thing goes for the old Georgia Pacific site on the waterfront, it was, and still is contaminated with mercury from years of pulp making for paper. So sorry to say, yes we have mercury too.
Ruth, there used to be a large sawmill on lake Whatcom. Logs were dumped into the lake and floated west and then processed. The problem is that tree's naturally suck up and collect mercury with the water and other nutrients they pull out of the ground over their years and it leeches out when they are processed. I'm not sure this had even come to light while the mill existed. As a result though, the crawdad's, bass, and other bottom foraging critters and fish in the lake are on WDFW's do not eat/eat sparingly list (no thanks lol) for high mercury levels. Bummer that our drinking water comes from this same lake.
The same thing goes for the old Georgia Pacific site on the waterfront, it was, and still is contaminated with mercury from years of pulp making for paper. So sorry to say, yes we have mercury too.
This, we also simply don't have, and haven't for some time. Bellingham, from roads to housing, is well beyond capacity on it's EXISTING infrastructure. Attitudes on opening up more areas for development, road improvements more housing seem to say "no", but then on the other hand people and magazines are raving how wonderful it is here. The two issues combine and as a result 87% of the working families can't afford the average listed home price. That is my major gripe, as unless you'd like to join the homeless camp or are rich, the cost of housing here really trumps the rest it has to offer. I mean if you can't afford to live here, it's kind of a dead end. People *do* come here and find they can't afford housing here, after going through all the expenses of moving, the changes of a new job, and so on. Why not be honest about it? Bellingham only has two stars on " starlings best places", most of the reviewers citing overpriced housing as the downfall, many of which ended up moving away again due to that.
On "another forum", I also messaged back and forth with the spokesperson for HomesNow!, who has setup and is currently managing a homeless camp behind city hall. It background checks the residents, and doesn't allow druggies drunks or sex offenders into the camp. I asked her "who is in the camp then?"....and was told that it is almost full, and is comprised of a full time student, several workers, and several disabled people. None of which can afford ANY housing here. That is some broken **** right there.
One thing that is sure is the population isn't going to stop growing here. They are projecting another 60% increase over the coming years! This can go one of two ways. We can accommodate the growth with more homes and infrastructure, or do nothing and our town will turn into a mini-version of Vancouver BC. $3 million required to get your feet wet in the housing market. Teachers, Nurses, Firemen, Construction jobs, Auto repair, all go un-filled because none of those professions can afford a place to live there. Maybe you think you'll be ok because you got in before the massive increase in housing and/or own your home? Nope, because the demand will yield $3+ million, you'll be property taxed for $3+ million. Can't afford it? Too bad, pack your bags. This is already happening...you could be next.
Again, maybe you need to test your luck elsewhere. For the 475th time, the problems that you constantly talk about are occurring in many other places within Washington, and nationally. You simply don't seem to understand that fact, and continue to make it sound like Bellingham is some sort of anomaly, which it is not.
Seriously, this same conversation is playing out all across the country. Homelessness, housing, wage stagnation- are all national issues. There are exceptions, of course. As I mentioned, your dollar can stretch much further for housing in parts of the midwest and rust belt- though those areas are frequently substantially more economically depressed than here, and often have a surplus of old housing, as many were once larger cities and are hemorrhaging their population. But many desirable locations and cities are going through the same thing as we are here in Bellingham, and in much of the country.
Again, I've lived and experienced what you describe on a much more severe level in multiple locations. It's frustrating and concerning, I agree- I've been priced out of several other markets where I've lived. But it's not unique to Bellingham in the slightest, and it's not even remotely on the level or scale as other places like Seattle that are unrecognizable compared to their past. Citing a busy grocery parking lot (in a border city known for retail) or heavy traffic near the mall as a major detractor for someone curious about the area just shows a lack of perspective and experience. It doesn't even paint an accurate picture of traffic in Bellingham, most of which is light most of the time and in most areas.
Again, there are differing perspectives on Bellingham, mostly relating to one's own experiences. But I also think that there are a lot of mischaracterizations about this city in particular on C-D, and several of these threads are clearly put up by locals to scare others away from considering moving to the area. I'll stick to my claim that Bellingham is a great place, and the proof is that many people want to be here, which is causing some problems- which are mostly the same problems experienced by other places experiencing significant growth (not enough reasonable housing inventory to meet demand, etc.- a very real and often under discussed post-recession nationwide phenomenon). Again, I encourage you to actually check out another area. In Seattle, you may be able to procure a higher paying job, even with prices dropping you'll pay twice as much per square foot for a house that's far, far away from your work. And even cities that were in relatively low demand until late- Boise, Spokane, even the Tri-Cities- are going through the same thing. Your incessant suggestion that the grass is so much greener in other places would quickly be met by the reality of the bigger situation.
I see both of your points. I've lived in 3 states and this is a pattern all over the country, just fill in the blank of several cities big and small. Bellingham is one of the extreme examples of becoming so expensive in a short period that people have to leave or go on food stamps. Basically this is the nature of supply and demand. There are enough fools to pay these home prices so that becomes the market. As a result people move further out to Maple Falls or Lynden, Burlington. If your income is average you have to live in an average priced city. Apparently Bellingham is now above-average, even if homeless roam the charming streets. I moved here from a much more affordable city in the south. I live in an apartment that I appreciate even though the rent is higher than where I moved from. My dreams of buying a home will be postponed by several years, but that's the trade-off for the reasons I moved here.
I see both of your points. I've lived in 3 states and this is a pattern all over the country, just fill in the blank of several cities big and small. Bellingham is one of the extreme examples of becoming so expensive in a short period that people have to leave or go on food stamps. Basically this is the nature of supply and demand. There are enough fools to pay these home prices so that becomes the market. As a result people move further out to Maple Falls or Lynden, Burlington. If your income is average you have to live in an average priced city. Apparently Bellingham is now above-average, even if homeless roam the charming streets. I moved here from a much more affordable city in the south. I live in an apartment that I appreciate even though the rent is higher than where I moved from. My dreams of buying a home will be postponed by several years, but that's the trade-off for the reasons I moved here.
You moved from the South? Would you mind sharing with us, how you like it, so far? Weather? Location/scenery? Social climate? Entertainment options? Amenities? Was there any adjustment process at first (aside from the short daylight hours in winter), or were you happy to be in the NW?
An average home requires 9 years of an average households income in Bellingham, right up there with San Francisco and some of the most expensive places to live in the country. Seattle, Vancouver, WA, Boise, ID, and Spokane all run around 5-6 years of an average households income for a home. It's still expensive considering 3-1/2 times is the typical loan amount from a responsible lender and while its a national issue, 9 times is very extreme especially for an area that HAS room to grow.
I see there is still a lot of "wowsing going on in America over the fact of our burgeoning population situation. As has been mentioned here on the plentiful side, this growing populace, and it's inconvenient sidekick, a high cost of living, is truly a national blight of staggering proportions.
I live in SW Washington, the building boom here is happening on a scale I've never seen before in my over seventy years in the Pacific NW. Home prices are rocketing into the unfathomable range for young families, and even when they reduce the lot sizes to the minimum they still want nearly four hundred thousand for what looks like the next gen slum housing.
Looking at south Texas home prices this AM made me realize just how far we'd come in the NW with regard to out of range housing prices, I grew up north of Seattle, in the fifties and sixties Seattle was a paradise compared to the latter day situation there, it's a real shame that America has been over populated to the extent that nobody feels as though they still recognize their towns and cities, we had a ton of open space and few people, but that's our history, not the current dynamic for sure.
You moved from the South? Would you mind sharing with us, how you like it, so far? Weather? Location/scenery? Social climate? Entertainment options? Amenities? Was there any adjustment process at first (aside from the short daylight hours in winter), or were you happy to be in the NW?
Temperature-wise the winters are similar - mild. South is much hotter through most of the year. The south has many sunny days during the winter, and also colder nights than NW Washington. I lived outside of Charlotte in a blue collar city, which looks similar to Bellingham, except Bellingham has a larger downtown with a lot more going on. The south is much older with more history. Many jobs have been offshored, making it resemble the rust belt. The east coast is different. The social climate is much less politically correct in the east. I found it funny how carefully people chose their words here in Washington, which happens to be one of the whitest states I've ever been in. We always had plenty of entertainment in the east verses here, but Bellingham is also an isolated city, it's not in the backyard of Vancouver or Charlotte or Seattle for ex. The only adjustment process was paying 5 cents for a grocery bag and trying to understand why people are so particular about organic food and where they grocery shop. My cousin tells me it's a west coast thing and some people call it the "left coast". I must say I never seen so many homeless people before coming to Washington. Every big city has them, but here even the not so big cities have them all over. This is one of the only years I didn't stay up for New Years Eve, it seems 9pm is when the new year starts nationwide. I don't at all mind how the east coast is asleep before I am. I'm happy to be here.
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People *do* come here and find they can't afford housing here, after going through all the expenses of moving, the changes of a new job, and so on. Why not be honest about it? Bellingham only has two stars on " starlings best places", most of the reviewers citing overpriced housing as the downfall, many of which ended up moving away again due to that.
