City guide: Bellingham
Bellingham, Washington is the county seat of Whatcom County in the U.S. state of Washington. It is the largest city in Whatcom County and tenth largest in
Washington. It is situated on Bellingham Bay, which is protected by Lummi Island, Portage Island, and the Lummi Peninsula, and opens onto the Strait of
Georgia. It lies west of Mount Baker and Lake Whatcom (from which it gets its drinking water) and north of the Chuckanut Mountains and Skagit Valley.
Whatcom Creek runs through the center of the city.
Census Bureau estimate placed Bellingham's 2003 population at 71,289, and a recent calculation pushes it to 74,770. Bellingham has recently experienced an
increase in real estate prices. As of Spring 2007, real estate prices seem to be leveling out as the market decreases.
The boundaries of the city encompass the former towns of Fairhaven (now home to the southern ferry terminus of the Alaska Marine Highway System), New
Whatcom, and others. Bellingham is home to Whatcom Community College; Bellingham Technical College; and Western Washington University, which includes,
among others, Fairhaven College, Huxley College, and the Woodring College of Education.
Bellingham's climate can generally be described as "mild." The average yearly high and low temperatures are 57 and 41 degrees Fahrenheit (14 and 5 °C),
respectively. Although the rainy season can last as long as eight months or more, it is usually about six months long, leaving Bellingham with a
picturesque late spring and mild, pleasant summer. Bellingham receives an average annual rainfall of 34.8 inches (884 mm).
Bellingham's location and geography occasionally subject it to an unusual and harsh weather pattern known locally as a "Nor'Easter." Effectively, an
'inverted' jet stream can drive down cold sub-arctic air from the Canadian interior, usually through the Fraser River Canyon. This cold air mass can
collide with a Gulf of Alaska cold front and create high winds, road ice, snow, or heavy rains. A "Silver Thaw" can result and wind chill equivalents can
slide well under 0 °F. Such an event was recorded on November 28, 2006. Outside air temperatures of 12 °F (-11 °C) were accompanied by 30 to 48 mph
(48 to 77 km/h) winds with humidity as high as 61%. Wind chill equivalents reached -10 °F (-23 °C) according to NOAA.
Another weather phenomenon, known as the "Chinook wind," happens in the autumn. For most of a day an unusually warm and steady wind comes out of the south.
It is essentially a reverse "Nor'Easter"...........
Adopted from and read more at:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bellingham_Washington
For Bellingham Travel Guide, please click here.
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