What's your view on Blaine, WA? (Seattle, Vancouver: new home, buying, school)

[rkcarguy]

Originally Posted by pnwguy2

Canadians know the lowest gas prices are further south in Bellingham. So are the lowest prices at Wal-Mart, etc. The area continues to be a bargain center for Canadians.

I ran the #'s a few years back, the average SUV packed with gas cans and all the groceries and milk they can fit in it, subtract fuel cost getting there and back, nets a family of 4 about $3/hour in savings. So if your time is only worth $3 an hour, knock yourself out.
But they still come in droves. I went to Costco to get a pizza and a car battery at 10:45 am on a normal non-holiday Thursday. Already, no parking, deli to standing room only, and checkout lines backed up into the aisles.

[musicfamly5]

Originally Posted by rkcarguy

I ran the #'s a few years back, the average SUV packed with gas cans and all the groceries and milk they can fit in it, subtract fuel cost getting there and back, nets a family of 4 about $3/hour in savings. So if your time is only worth $3 an hour, knock yourself out.
But they still come in droves. I went to Costco to get a pizza and a car battery at 10:45 am on a normal non-holiday Thursday. Already, no parking, deli to standing room only, and checkout lines backed up into the aisles.

I think it's less about the everyday necessities and more about the name brand stuff and electronics. I've lived near Tulalip and Bellingham where the Canadians come down on weekends to grab higher end clothing and accessories. A lot are international University students who come down to officially visit the states and get stuff for the incoming school year.

[JackLonsdale]

Actually, the Costco moved to its new location to the north end of Bellingham in order to better accommodate Canadian shoppers. There is a plan in place by Costco to extend Arctic Way to the arterials that extend north to the Canadian border. So don't blame Canadians - blame Costco!

But you can thank Canadians in part for Bellingham's attractive airport. Canadians drive a huge part of the flight traffic demand out of there ... particularly to the sunshine destinations. Unfortunately, the airport's business has dropped lately thanks to fewer Canadians coming down. The sluggish loonie is a big reason why.

As for Blaine - it's an attractive border town in my opinion. Have you seen the housing developments at Semiahmoo? But it IS a border town. Also, the downtown has a ton of potential, and the same folks who fixed up Fairhaven in Bellingham apparently are working on building projects in Blaine. However, it is definitely NOT White Rock-south (White Rock is just heavily built up in a positive way with a ton of parks and waterfront amenities and shopping); and it is most certainly not a mini-Bellingham (the vibe and politics are so different). As for Canadian shoppers IN Blaine? I suspect there aren't that many. Canadians in Blaine are either: a) buying gas; b) buying beer; c) going to the post office or parcel service; or d) they are lost. They also love the new Edaleen Dairy store downtown (and who doesn't?).

However, you are not going to find a Niagara Falls or Detroit/Windsor dynamic at Blaine/White Rock. Vancouver just has too much of a gravitational pull for activities, and Seattle requires a day-trip.

[slowlanes]

Originally Posted by rkcarguy

I had a co-worker that lived in Birch Bay, hated it... Furthermore it brings a negative aspect to much of life..
biggest pet peeves .."Paradise" turns to hell real quick ..there is nothing to get excited about here.

apparently you really dislike where you live.

[rkcarguy]

Originally Posted by slowlanes

apparently you really dislike where you live.

I think the reason I dislike it so much here is that for the most part, we've got the same infrastructure and fun-to-do things we've had for the last 25 years and triple the people in the same period. Even much larger cities function better and offer more to do on a "per capita basis" if that makes any sense.

I am well aware that Costco moved, and disappointed that the new location isn't twice the size it is. All they did was move the problem. This year I did not renew my membership, no reason to pay for a poke in the eye. The thing is, I really doubt it was Costco's fault. The city, for example, wouldn't let Walmart expand to a "Super center" even through they have the space and it would be a welcome upgrade. They just don't seem to be looking beyond the tip of their nose. God knows what it's going to be like when the estimated +60% growth occurs over the next 20 years. Gridlock, no homes under $1million, water shortages, sewage overflowing into the sound, who knows....

[PartIrish]

rkcarguy, the numbers I see (from U.S. census) show that the population for Bellingham since 1995 (almost 25 years) has gone from 58,000 to 89,000. An increase to be sure, but not even doubled, let alone tripled. Most other desirable cities have grown at about the same rate. If you are referring to Whatcom County, the 1995 to 2019 numbers have grown from 149,000 to 221,000. Again, an increase but not a doubling. The U.S. population has increased from 250M to 330M over that time period, with a higher rate of growth occurring in the most desirable cities.

My point is that most cities in the U.S. are growing, and most desirable cities are showing growing pains with housing, traffic, infrastructure, etc. Places that are static or declining are places most of us wouldn't want to be, because there is no opportunity, or they have few redeeming qualities.

I do agree with you that infrastructure updates and improvements are necessary to keep up with growth, and I'm hopeful that will happen.

[rkcarguy]

It sure feels like more than that. I started a job in Bellingham in 1996 that my drive crossed Meridian St @ Bakerview in the morning, and often there wasn't a single car to be seen in either direction. Can you imagine that now?

[slowlanes]

no different in Bellingham area then just about everywhere else, a convergence of population growth and increased mobility of the population.
These days it seems everyone has a car and they are using them, as being out and about is much more ingrained in our culture these days.
What used to be a $100,000 home with a working dad and raising the kids mom with family dinners has morphed into a $500,000 home with two bread winners racing out the door each morning, coming home too tired to cook, and piling the family into the car for a quick bite out.
Kids who used to run around in packs all day on their bikes are now picked up and shuttled by parents after school and on weekends to activities that were far less common twenty years ago.
Bellingham, Port Townsend, Olympia, Spokane, all blowing up with more people, more cars, increasingly expensive homes, new breweries, new go to places...and Seattle speaks for itself.
I traveled a lot in the last 10 years of my working career, both domestically and internationally. No matter where I went, be it overland Park Kansas or Copenhagen Denmark, the constant refrain was how much more expensive, busy, and congested it had become. What happens with 7.5 billion folks on an increasingly small planet.

All we can do is pick a place, accept it is what it is, and do our best to find as much peace and enjoyment there as we can, keeping in mind that the only thing in life we can control is how we react to it.

[JackLonsdale]

I don't think the situation is as bad as you make it out to be, rkcarguy, but I do get where you are coming from when you mention the crowding and congestion along Meridian and Bakerview. North Bellingham is feeling most of the pressure of a growing Bellingham. Young people are moving there for the more affordable prices. Out-of-towners and retirees from Seattle, California, etc. are moving there for the new housing developments. The big box retail developments like Costco and Walmart bring in traffic from folks across the county as well as from B.C. You can definitely notice this just by how busy the I-5 can get... really from Lakeway all the way north to the Bakerview exit. And then you notice congestion/lines at the Ferndale and Birch Bay exits. The growth can be manageable, but long term the state and county need to stay on top of road building and development, as well as public transit. By comparison, South Bellingham seems much more sedate.

[kynight]

Originally Posted by rkcarguy

I had a co-worker that lived in Birch Bay, hated it. The train traffic that serves the refinery blocks the main roads at several grade crossings and made her late getting their kids to school as well as to work many times. Then in the summer when the tourist season is in full swing the place is neck deep in them. Prices did a big upward swing last year and they took advantage and sold, moved to Ferndale.
FYI most of the homes in Birch Bay were in the low $200's in 2016, so people are looking to cash in while it's hot. When the next recession comes they'll be back down there again.

kynight, the area I was searching had "sold" listings starting at 400K, the only place actually still for sale under that was one modular home on 2 acres for $339K. The rest were $600K to over $1M.

People, at least locals are a little smarter after 2008. When our dollar was so weak, there was so many Canadian shoppers that border wait line would back up through Blaine in the evening blocking the intersections. Furthermore it brings a negative aspect to much of life....we pay more because the retailers and grocery stores can get more due to the additional Canadian demand, and in some cases go to the stores to find only empty shelves for some items. We end up waiting in lines to get gas, and one of the biggest pet peeves for most of us is they swing illegal U-turns all over the place and lollygag in the fast lane. "Paradise" turns to hell real quick when you go wait to get gas, go to get milk and fresh bread and it's all gone except skim milk, overpay for what groceries are there, go to a restaurant and there's a 45+ minute wait to get seated, and then have it take forever to go home and/or have one....or several attempts... at your life by bad drivers. Then "pretend" that that's a typical Saturday, and then couple that with the overpriced homes and low wage potential in the area and there is nothing to get excited about here.

Blaine could work if you shop groceries in Bellingham, which I bet most Blaine'ers visit regularly. I still think Canadian traffic wouldn't be a bad thing, unless you live right near the pier area near the border entrance. I don't think White Rock residents complain about traffic, even though they have more.