Bellingham, Washington
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Bellingham, Washington | |
| Nickname: "City of Subdued Excitement" | |
 | |
| Coordinates: | |
|---|---|
| Country | United States |
| State | Washington |
| County | Whatcom County |
| Mayor | Tim Douglas* |
| Area | |
| - City | 82.2 km² (31.7 sq mi) |
| - Land | 66.4 km² (25.6 sq mi) |
| - Water | 15.8 km² (6.1 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 0 m |
| Population | |
| - City (2003) | 71,289 |
| - Density | 1,011.5/km² |
| Time zone | PST (UTC-8) |
| - Summer (DST) | PDT (UTC-7) |
| *Mayor Douglas (who had previously served as Mayor of Bellingham from 1984-1996) was chosen by the Bellingham City Council to serve the remainder of the current mayoral term, expiring in 2008. Former Mayor Mark Asmundson stepped down as Mayor of Bellingham on November 1, 2006 to pursue another position. | |
| Website: www.cob.org | |
Bellingham, Washington is the county seat of Whatcom County in the U.S. state of 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<ref>State and County Quickfacts. U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved on 2006-11-10.</ref>, and a recent calculation pushes it to 74,770.[1] Bellingham has recently experience an increase in real estate prices. As of Fall 2006, real estate prices seem to be leveling out.
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.
The Bellingham International Airport serves regularly scheduled commuter flights to and from Seattle, Salt Lake City, Utah and Las Vegas, Nevada and now Palm Springs, CA. As of August, 2004, the airport is home of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's first Air and Marine Operations Center, to assist with border surveillance. Amtrak Cascades provides Bellingham with regularly scheduled passenger rail service to Seattle and Vancouver, BC.
Contents |
[edit] History
The name of Bellingham is derived from the bay which the city is situated on. George Vancouver, who visited the area in June 1792, named the bay for Sir William Bellingham, the controller of the storekeeper's account of the Royal Navy. (Hitchman, Robert (1985). Place Names of Washington. Washington State Historical Society, 18. ISBN 0-917048-57-1.)
The first white settlers reached the area in 1854. Local history and legend credit one "Blanket" Bill Jarman as the first white man to reside in the area[citation needed]. The original settlement was named Whatcom, located where Whatcom Creek empties into the bay. In 1858, the Fraser Canyon Gold Rush caused thousands of miners, storekeepers, and scalawags to head north from California. Whatcom grew overnight from a small northwest mill town to a bustling seaport, the basetown for the Whatcom Trail, which led to the Fraser Canyon goldfields, used in open defiance of colonial Governor James Douglas's edict that all entry to the gold colony be made via Victoria, British Columbia. The first brick building in Washington was built at this time, the T.G. Richards brick warehouse. The first newspaper in Whatcom County, the Northern Light, was published by William Bausman during the boom. Just as soon as it started, the boom went bust with the miners being forced to stop at Victoria, B.C. for a permit before heading to the mining fields. Whatcom's population dropped almost as quickly as it had grown, and the sleepy little town on the bay returned.
Coal mining was commonplace near town, with the Blue Canyon mine at Lake Whatcom being the site of Washington's worst industrial accident, which occurred April 8, 1895. In time, the mines were closed down and sealed off.
Bellingham was officially incorporated on November 4, 1903. It was the result of the consolidation of four towns initially situated around Bellingham Bay: Whatcom, Sehome, Bellingham, and Fairhaven. A fictionalized account of the history of Bellingham in this era is "The Living" by Annie Dillard.
In the early 1890s, three railroad lines arrived, connecting the bay cities to a nationwide market of builders. The foothills around Bellingham were clearcut after the 1906 San Francisco earthquake to help provide the lumber for the rebuilding of San Francisco. In time, lumber and shingle mills sprang up all over the county to accommodate the byproduct of their work.
The Bellingham Riots occurred on September 5, 1907. A group of 400-500 white men with intentions to exclude East Indian immigrants from the local work force mobbed waterfront barracks.
Fishing has also played an important part in the development of the region. By 1925, eight salmon canneries were doing business in Whatcom County - two on Bellingham Bay, the rest at Lummi Island, Semiahmoo and Chuckanut Bay. Together, they packed nearly a half-million cases of salmon one year[citation needed].
Increased efficiency in the canneries, combined with the cold efficiency of the fish traps, decimated the area's salmon runs. Traps were banned in the 1930s, prompting canneries to move their fish-catching operations to Alaska, where salmon were still abundant and traps were still legal.
Bellingham's proximity to the Strait of Juan de Fuca and to the Inside Passage to Alaska helped keep some cannery operations here. P.A.F., for example, shipped empty cans to Alaska, where they were packed with fish and shipped back for storage.
[edit] Pipeline Disaster
On June 10, 1999, the Olympic Pipeline ruptured in Whatcom Falls Park near Whatcom Creek, leaking 237,000 US gallons (897 m³) of gasoline into the creek. [2] The NTSB determined that the probable cause of the accident was the damage done by an IMCO construction crew while conducting modifications to a water treatment plant, but not reported to Olympic or any agency authorities. The pipeline carries gasoline, diesel and jet fuel from refineries near Ferndale to locations as far south as Portland, Oregon, including all the fuel for Seattle-Tacoma International Airport.
The vapor layer from the spill overcame an 18 year old man who was fishing in the creek; he fell into the creek and subsequently drowned. An explosion was set off by two young boys playing with fireworks and burned over a mile (1.6 km) of the creek bed and sent a black smoke cloud over 30,000 feet (10 km) into the air. The two young boys died the next day due to extensive burns from proximity to the blast. Although some buildings were destroyed, due to road closures and evacuations around the creek, there were no further fatalities. The explosion resulted in over $45 million in property damage. Several years later, the families of the pipeline victims sued Olympic Pipeline Company and settled for around $100 million in damages, which they pledged would help support pipeline safety and provide legal representation for pipeline accident victims.
[edit] Local culture
[edit] Events
- The Ski to Sea Race - This longstanding Bellingham tradition, first held in 1973, but traceable to the 1911 Mt. Baker Marathon, is a relay race made up of seven legs: Cross country skiing, downhill skiing, running, biking, canoeing, mountain biking, and kayaking. The racers begin at the Mount Baker Ski Area and make their way down to the finish line on Bellingham Bay. The Race attracts participants from all over the world. In 2005, the Ski to Sea Race was featured nationally on the "Fox Sports Northwest" network, reaching 3.2 million households.
[edit] Local attractions
Popular locations for both residents and visitors include:
- Whatcom Museum of History & Art - The museum sponsors art, natural and local history exhibits, fund-raising events, gallery walks, walking tours of the historic buildings of the city, history and art lessons for local schools and adult groups, and historic cruises on Bellingham Bay.
- American Museum of Radio and Electricity, which provides interactive dioramas, featuring a working Tesla coil.
- Bellingham Farmers Market - Open weekends in the downtown parking lot on Railroad street at Chestnut, now located under a newly constructed weatherproof pavilion at the same site.
- Whatcom Falls Park - The 241 acre crown jewel of the city's excellent park system featuring four sets of waterfalls and several well maintained walking trails. During the summer "The Whirlpool" falls is a popular place for locals to jump off cliffs as high as 60' into the pool below the falls.
- Boulevard Park
- Lake Padden
- Village Books - An independent bookstore located in the Historic Fairhaven district.
- Pickford Cinema (named for Mary Pickford) - Bellingham's own independent cinema, located in the heart of the downtown area. Recognized within the community as the finest forum for independent film, including contemporary art films, documentaries and foreign films.
- Bellis Fair Mall - The region's largest mall, Bellis Fair attracts a steady stream of Canadian shoppers.<ref>Hartline, Jack (March 14]], 2006). Bellingham's hidden treasures. The Vancouver Sun. Retrieved on 2006-11-17.</ref>
- Mount Baker Ski Area - The ski area holds the world record for the greatest amount of snowfall in one season (winter 1998-1999).
- Whale watching tours
- Chuckanut Drive - Be sure to make a stop at beautiful Larrabee State Park.
- Lake Samish
[edit] Future development
In March 2005, Kiplinger's Personal Finance named Bellingham one of the top retirement cities in the nation.<ref>Esswein, Pat Mertz; Franklin, Mary Beth; Rheault, Magali. 12 Great Places to Retir. Kiplinger.com. Retrieved on 2006-11-10.</ref> Purchase price of homes has risen, however rent has remained relatively stable. Many of the condominiums recently built as a result of the demand for affordable housing have subsequently become rental units.
Bellingham has seen a resurgence of real-estate development as house prices climb, caused in part by new residents moving in to the community. In order to accommodate this growth, new properties have sprung up all over the city, including the Downtown, Fairhaven, Happy Valley, Cordata, and Barkley neighborhoods. The city has reiterated their commitment to developing a wide range of housing options for all income categories, while retaining the integrity of existing communities. Annexation of surrounding farmland and county wilderness has been kept to a minimum due to public concern for environmental preservation, but several controversies have risen over the city's decisions to counteract the loss of land by allowing taller buildings in the city core, major new development on previously undeveloped land, and a lack of parks and open spaces in some of the more recently developed areas.
[edit] Waterfront redevelopment
The Bellingham waterfront has served as an industrial center for the past century, most notably the area encompassing the former Georgia-Pacific mill. G-P purchased the Puget Sound Pulp and Timber Company in 1963 and operated a pulp mill on the central downtown waterfront until 2001. In 1965, G-P built a Chlor-Alkali facility, which became a source of mercury contamination in the Whatcom Waterway and on the uplands of the site for decades. The site has since been purchased by the Port of Bellingham chiefly to create a marina in the 37-acre wastewater lagoon. The Port of Bellingham purchased the G-P site for $10 with the understanding they would assume liability for the contamination. The City of Bellingham and the Port of Bellingham entered into several interlocal agreements in which the City agreed to pay for all infrastructure costs, and the Port would create a marina, clean up the site, and retain all zoning.
Prior to the purchase, the Bellingham Bay Demonstration Pilot (a group of 14 tribes, community leaders, and agencies) created an Environmental Impact Statement that recommended the dredging of contaminants from the Whatcom Waterway. However, the Port of Bellingham continues to insist that the area slated for deposition of contaminants be used for a mega-yacht marina (http://www.retec.com/industries/documents/PD-32_Bellingham_WhatcomMarina_Jan2006.pdf). Despite growing concerns over the presence of mercury in the Whatcom Waterway and the uplands of the site, the Port plans to leave the mercury behind (capping rather than following the recommendation of the Bellingham Bay Demonstration Pilot). The Port has received unilateral support from the City of Bellingham, the Whatcom Chamber of Commerce, the Bellingham Yacht Club, and the Bellingham Herald.
The City and Port have entered into a partnership to redevelop the property, which has been unofficially renamed New Whatcom after the township of which the area was originally a part. A general plan for the city's waterfront was developed by the Waterfront Futures Group, and the new Waterfront Advisory Group has been convening to develop a more detailed plan focused on this particular site.
The draft plan includes "a new city neighborhood with homes, shops, offices and light industry, as well as parks and promenades, a healthy shoreline habitat along Bellingham Bay..." Concern over the fast pace, vague approach, and worry over a lack of substantive public participation in the redevelopment of the waterfront led to the formation of the Bellingham Bay Foundation in 2005 (http://www.bbayf.org/). During the summer of 2006, the Bellingham Bay Foundation formed People for a Healthy Bay (http://www.ahealthybay.org/) over a concern that many of the areas slated for development contained high mercury levels (as high as 12,500ppm) in the soil under the former Chlor-Alkali facility. People for a Healthy Bay launched an initiative that would have required the City of Bellingham to advocate for removal of mercury to the highest practical level. Despite 6400 signatures gathered in 20 days and overwhelming public support for the initative, the City successfully sued to keep the initiative off the ballot. The intiative reflected polling data performed by the Foundation that the citizens of Bellingham care most that their waterfront is clean and safe. The Board of the Bellingham Bay Foundation is made up of environmental leaders, business owners, developers, authors, and scientists, and it includes an area-wide membership of doctors, teachers, realtors, and artists.
ReSources (http://www.re-sources.org/) is another organization in Bellingham focused on the cleanup of Bellingham Bay. They are the stewards of the Baykeeper program. They are currently advocating for the full removal of all mercury contamination present in the nearshore areas of Bellingham Bay.
The Washington State Department of Ecology is currently reviewing public comment for the Port's cleanup documents of the Whatcom Waterway. The Bellingham Bay Foundation, through a Public Particpation Grant of the Department of Ecology, is working toward public education and outreach about the issues surrounding cleanup.
Ecology will host a second public comment period for the Cleanup Action Plan, at which time the specifics of the cleanup will be discussed and decided. The City of Bellingham and the Port of Bellingham will develop a Master Plan and implement tax-increment financing for the City's portion of funding of infrastructure. Infrastructure alone is expected to cost roughly $200 million. Whatcom County has declined participation in the financing, citing unmet gaps in funding, a lack of benefit to the County, and the need for County taxes to go toward emergency, jail, and mental health services. The County Council also had many concerns about the City and Port's desire to develop contaminated property without a plan to remediate it effectively before construction, as well as the need for tax-increment financing given that the Port profits directly from all development on the former mill site.
[edit] Geography
The city is located at (48.750178, -122.474975)GR1. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 82.2 km² (31.7 mi²). 66.4 km² (25.6 mi²) of it is land and 15.8 km² (6.1 mi²) of it (19.19%) is water.
[edit] Demographics
As of the censusGR2 of 2000, there were 67,171 people, 27,999 households, and 13,999 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,011.5/km² (2,619.3/mi²). There were 29,474 housing units at an average density of 443.8/km² (1,149.3/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 87.88% White, 0.98% Black or African American, 1.48% Native American, 4.25% Asian, 0.17% Pacific Islander, 2.16% from other races, and 3.08% from two or more races. 4.63% of the population is Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 27,999 households out of which 23.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 37.5% were married couples living together, 9.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 50.0% were non-families. 33.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.24 and the average family size was 2.83.
In the city the population was spread out with 17.7% under the age of 18, 23.8% from 18 to 24, 26.5% from 25 to 44, 19.6% from 45 to 64, and 12.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 30 years. For every 100 females there were 92.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.6 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $32,530, and the median income for a family was $47,196. Males had a median income of $35,288 versus $25,971 for females. The per capita income for the city was $19,483. About 9.4% of families and 20.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 17.2% of those under age 18 and 9.0% of those age 65 or over.
In the 2004 US presidential election, Bellingham cast 67.44% of its vote for Democrat John Kerry.
[edit] Weather
Bellingham's climate can generally be described as "mild". 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's location and geography 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-artic air from the Canadian interior, usually through the Fraser River Canyon. This cold air mass can collide with an 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 Farenheit. Such an event was recorded on November 28, 2006. Outside air temperatures of 12 F were accompanied by 30 - 48 mph winds with humidity as high as 61%. Wind chill equivalents reached -10 Farenheit according to NOAA.
[edit] Sports
The people of Bellingham pursue a diverse range of amateur sports, with skiing and snowboarding at the Mount Baker Ski Area popular in the winter and kayaking and cycling in the summer. Mt. Baker claims an unofficial world record for seasonal snowfall, with 1140 inches recorded in the 1998-1999 season.<ref>Climate-Watch, May 1999. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved on 2006-11-10.</ref>
Western Washington University, located in Bellingham, is home to NCAA Division II National Women's Rowing Champions. Although always nationally ranked, the Lady Vikings waited until 2005 to be Western's very first NCAA champion team. The won again with a perfect score in 2006, and are working hard towards another successful season in 2007.
Western Washington University also operates a successful collegiate road cycling program that took top-5 positions nationwide at the 2006 nationals.
[edit] Media
[edit] Newspapers
The Bellingham Herald is published daily in Bellingham. Other newspapers include The Cascadia Weekly, The Western Front, Whatcom Watch, the Whatcom Independent, the AS Review, and The Bellingham Business Journal.
[edit] Television
KVOS is an independent television station licensed in Bellingham. The station broadcasts on channel 12.
[edit] Magazines
Frequency The Snowboarder's Journal is an independent snowboarding magazine based in Bellingham. Published quarterly.
What's Up! is a weekly music magazine focused on local music. It covers live shows, band bios and new artist releases.
[edit] AM Radio
| Frequency (kHz) | Call Sign | kW (day) | kW (night) | Owner |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 790 | KGMI | 5 | 1 | Saga Broadcasting, L.L.C. |
| 930 | KBAI | 1 | 0.5 | Saga Broadcasting, L.L.C. |
| 1170 | KPUG | 10 | 5 | Saga Broadcasting, L.L.C. |
[edit] FM Radio
| Frequency (mHz) | Call Sign | kW | Owner |
|---|---|---|---|
| 89.3 | KUGS | 0.1 | Western Washington University |
| 91.7 | KZAZ | 0.12 | Washington State University |
| 92.9 | KISM | 50 | Saga Broadcasting, L.L.C. |
| 102.3 | KMRE | 0.1 | American Museum of Radio and Electricity |
| 104.3 | KAFE | 60 | Saga Broadcasting, L.L.C. |
[edit] Notable people from Bellingham or with ties to Bellingham
- Bob Arbogast - Radio broadcaster, voice actor, and television host. Born in Bellingham.
- Kenneth Bianchi - One of the Hillside strangler serial killers, born in Rochester, N.Y.
- Billy Burke - Actor best known for his roles in television shows like Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Party of Five, and 24.
- Joel Connolly - Seattle P-I newspaper columnist
- Death Cab for Cutie - band
- Trey Azagthoth, guitarist of Death Metal band Morbid Angel, born in Bellingham
- Art Chantry - Graphic designer, WWU alum
- George Dyson - Author and science historian
- Penelope Houston - Musician — member of The Avengers
- Idiot Pilot - Electronic/Post-hardcore band
- Michael Koenen - Ferndale native, WWU alum, kicker for the Atlanta Falcons, NFL
- Steve Martini - Author of several law thrillers including "Critical Mass"
- John Allen Muhammad and Lee Boyd Malvo - Carried out the Beltway sniper attacks, lived in Bellingham for less than a year between 2001 and 2002
- The Pale Pacific - Indie rock band
- Doug Pederson - Former NFL quarterback — attended Ferndale High School
- The Posies - Pop band
- Timothy Budd - Computer scientist at Oregon State University, born in Bellingham
- Ben Santarris - Business editor for The Oregonian
- Harry Everett Smith - Legendary anthropologist/musicologist and compiler of the Anthology of American Folk Music
- Ryan Stiles - Actor / comedian currently living just south of Bellingham on Lake Samish
- Geoff Stradling - Rock and Jazz keyboards musician, arranger and composer who recorded with Jane's Addiction on Ritual de lo Habitual, grew up on the southside of Bellingham
- Hilary Swank - Academy Award winning actress born in Lincoln, Nebraska
- General George Pickett - General in the Civil War
- Alma Alexander - fantasy author
[edit] Sister Cities
Bellingham has the following sister city relationships: <ref>Bellingham Sister Cities. Bellingham Sister Cities Association. Retrieved on 2006-11-10.</ref><ref>Online Directory: Washington, USA. Sister Cities International. Retrieved on 2006-11-10.</ref>
- Image:Flag of Australia.svg Port Stephens, New South Wales, Australia
- Image:Flag of Chile (bordered).svg Punta Arenas, Chile
- Image:Flag of Japan (bordered).svg Tateyama, Chiba, Japan
- Image:Flag of Russia (bordered).svg Nakhodka, Russia
[edit] References
<references />
[edit] External links
- City of Bellingham Website
- Bellingham School District
- Bellingham Events and Activities
- Whatcom County Website
- Bellingham Whatcom County Tourism
- Bellingham Bay WebCam
- Bellingham Region Culture and Arts
- Bellingham - Whatcom Chamber of Commerce
- Downtown Bellingham Renaissance Network
- Bellingham Mt. Baker Region Outdoor Adventure
- Bellingham Farmers Market
- Aerial photos from Planning Department
- Fairhaven Website
- Association of Bellingham Neighborhoods (ABN) wiki
- Fairhaven Neighbors Website
- Whatcom County Historical Society and Whatcom County History
- Whatcom Museum of History & Art
- Blue Canyon Coal Mine
- Maritime Heritage Network, an online directory of maritime history resources in the Puget Sound region, including Bellingham and the north Sound area.
- Pictures from the Olympic Pipeline explosion
- Maps and aerial photos
- Street map from Google Maps, or Yahoo! Maps, or Windows Live Local
- Satellite image from Google Maps, Windows Live Local, WikiMapia
- Topographic map from TopoZone
- Aerial image or topographic map from TerraServer-USA
