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GreatPlacesToRetire |
Retire To Bellingham, WA
City Report
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Bellingham, Washington is one of the great places in the U.S. for that retirement or second home. Find city facts on home sales prices, air quality, water quality, medical care, cost of living, weather and other demographics. | |
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Check the EPA map for superfund cleanups in the area or the interactive map for a birds-eye view of the city. Links in the data below provide a list of cities similar to Bellingham in that certain data category. Bookmark this page and check back monthly for home price updates. 
Mount Shuksan at Bellingham, Washington (photo courtesy of James Burke at Midnight Storm Productions) |
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Bellingham, Washington
| Population | |||
| . | 1990 | 2000 | 2007 |
| Bellingham Metro Area | blank | 166,814 | blank |
| Bellingham | 52,179 | 67,171 | 77,503 |
| Bellingham Home Sales Prices (new & existing homes) |
||||
| . | Average | Annual Average | Yr-Over-Yr Change | |
| 2009 | . | $308,138 | -2.9% | |
| Dec | $303,723 | . | . | |
| Nov | $265,917 | . | . | |
| Oct | $292,899 | . | . | |
| Sep | $329,775 | . | . | |
| Aug | $328,887 | . | . | |
| Jul | $311,704 | . | . | |
| Jun | $315,631 | . | . | |
| May | $316,825 | . | . | |
| Apr | $310,390 | . | . | |
| Mar | $291,608 | . | . | |
| Feb | $302,368 | . | . | |
| Jan | $269,333 | . | . | |
| 2008 | . | $317,212 | 0.5% | |
| 2007 | . | $315,736 | -0.4% | |
| 2006 | . | $316,976 | 8.7% | |
| 2005 | . | $291,626 | 24.6% | |
| 2004 | . | $234,025 | 22.8% | |
| 2003 | . | $190,642 | 15.3% | |
| 2002 | . | $165,370 | 6.1% | |
| 2001 | . | $155,876 | na | |
Local  Resources: | ||||
| Cost of Living (2009) | |
| 116% | GPTR 99 City Average 121% |
| Home Sales Price Comparison (2009) |
||
| . | . | GPTR 99 City Avg |
| Near Large City | Seattle | na |
| Home Sales Price in Seattle | $322,000 | $220,000 |
| Home Sales Price Bargain Index | 96% of Seattle home prices | 145% |
| Bellingham Distance to Nearest Large City (pop. > 200,000) |
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| 89 miles | to Seattle | GPTR 99 City Average 97 miles |
| Air Quality |
||||
| . | Good Days | Moderate Days | Unhealthy for Sensitive Persons Days | Unhealthy Days |
| 2007 | 322 | 16 | 0 | 0 |
| 2006 | 354 | 7 | 0 | 0 |
| 2005 | 354 | 11 | 0 | 0 |
| 2004 | 360 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 2003 | 350 | 13 | 0 | 0 |
| 2002 | 258 | 27 | 0 | 0 |
| 2001 | 224 | 6 | 0 | 0 |
| Bellingham Water Quality |
|||
| . | % Good | % Threatened | % Impaired |
| 2006 | na | na | na |
| 2004 | na | na | na |
| 2002 | na | na | na |
| Taxes (2008) |
|||||
| blank | % of Income | Days Worked to Pay | State Rank | % of Income (99 City Avg) |
Days Worked to Pay (99 City Avg) |
| State and Local Tax | 8.9% | -- | 35* | 9.3% | -- |
| Federal, State and Local Tax | -- | 119 days | 5* | -- | 112 days |
| * State rank of 1 pays the highest taxes | |||||
| Bellingham Recreation |
||
| . | # of Parks | # of Parks (99 City Avg) |
| National Parks, Historic Sites, etc. (managed by National Park Service) |
Olympic National Park, North Cascades National Park plus 5 more | 7 |
| National Campgrounds, Lodges, etc. (other federal agency-managed sites) |
30 | 26 |
| State Parks, Sites, etc. | 7 | 11 |
| Crime Report (crimes per 10,000 population) |
|||
| . | Total Crimes | Violent Crimes | Property Crimes |
| 2008 | 576 | 23 | 553 |
| 2007 | 683 | 25 | 658 |
| 2006 | 729 | 26 | 703 |
| 2005 | 777 | 24 | 753 |
| 2004 | 840 | 25 | 815 |
| 2003 | 747 | 25 | 722 |
| 2002 | 743 | 24 | 719 |
| 2001 | 715 | 22 | 693 |
| Bellingham Climate (1971-2000) |
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| . | . | 99 City Avg | January - Avg Low Temp | 35 F | 27 F |
| January - Avg Daily Temp | 41 F | 37 F |
| July - Avg Daily Temp | 63 F | 74 F |
| July - Avg High Temp | 73 F | 86 F |
| Avg Annual Precipitation | 35 in | 35 in |
| Elevation | |
| 15 feet | GPTR 99 City Average 1,660 feet |
| Bellingham Natural Hazards |
||
| . | Risk Level | 99 City Average |
| Total Hazard Risk | Higher | Moderate |
| Earthquake | 30% | .6% |
| Tsunami | No Risk | No Risk |
| Hurricane | 0 | 0 |
| Flood | Very High | Very High |
| Tornado | Very Low | Low |
| Volcano | High Ash Fall | No Risk |
| Wildfire | Low | Low |
| Demographics (2006) |
||
| . | . | 99 City Avg |
| White | 88.4% | 83.3% |
| Black | 0.9% | 6.9% |
| Native American | 1.6% | 0.8% |
| Asian | 5.8% | 3.2% |
| Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander | 0.0% | 0.2% |
| Other | 0.9% | 3.3% |
| Multiple Races | 2.4% | 2.4% |
| Hispanic (of any race) | 6.1% | 8.7% |
| Bellingham Median Age (2006) |
|
| 35 years | GPTR 99 City Average 36 years |
| Family Income & Housing (2006) |
||
| . | . | 99 City Average |
| Total Housing Units | 29,474 | 26,131 |
| Occupied Housing Units | 95% | 86% |
| Vacant Housing Units (seasonal or recreational use) | 5% | 14% |
| Home Ownership Rate | 48% | 54% |
| Median Family Income | $47,196 | $55,423 |
| Average Family Size | 2.83 | 2.91 |
| Bellingham Medical Care (2009) |
||||
| Hospital/Medical Center | City | Distance from City | Accredited - Dept. of HHS, AOA or JCAHO | GPTR 99 City Average |
| St Joseph's Hospital | Belllingham | In the city | Yes | 4 accredited hospitals within 10 miles of city |
| Population Density (2007) |
||
| . | . | 99 City Avg |
| Land Area (sq mi) | 26 | 31 |
| People Per Square Mile | 2,981 | 2,035 |
| Bellingham Building Permits (single family homes) |
||
| 2008 | 71 | |
| 2007 | 192 | |
| 2006 | 142 | |
| 2005 | 200 | |
| 2004 | 333 | |
| 2003 | 245 | |
| 2002 | 206 | |
| 2001 | na | |
| 2000 | na | |
| Heating and Cooling Degree Days (avg annual) |
||
| . | . | 99 City Avg |
| Total Degree Days | 5,048 | 5,926 |
| HDD | 4,980 | 4,677 |
| CDD | 68 | 1,249 |
EPA Hazardous Material Cleanup Sites
(Bellingham Area)
Legend: Small green circles (older style maps) or multi-colored circles (newer style maps: click here
for legend) indicate 1)Superfund Sites 2)Federal Facilities 3)RCRA Corrective Action Sites
and 4)Brownfields Properties
(EPA hazardous material cleanup sites defined at Environment link)
Bellingham Area Interactive Maps
(Click map icons to Zoom In/Out or change map format. Click map and drag mouse to pan.)
(Above: Click Street View icons to Zoom In/Out or Rotate view. Click street arrows to navigate.)
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