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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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Read the city profile and recent blog posts from local real estate experts. The EPA map shows superfund cleanups in the area and the interactive map provides 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. Check back often 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) |
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| . | Average | Annual Average | Yr-Over-Yr Change | |
| 2010 | . | $290,949 | -5.6% | |
| Mar | $261,662 | . | . | |
| Feb | $361,061 | . | . | |
| Jan | $282,000 | . | . | |
| 2009 | . | $308,138 | -2.9% | |
| 2008 | . | $317,212 | 0.5% | |
| 2007 | . | $315,736 | -0.4% | |
| 2006 | . | $316,976 | 8.7% | |
| 2005 | . | $291,626 | 24.6% | |
Local  Resources: | ||||
| Cost of Living (2010) | |
| 123% | GPTR 99 City Average 127% |
| Home Sales Price Comparison (2010) |
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| . | . | GPTR 99 City Avg |
| Near Large City | Seattle | na |
| Home Sales Price in Seattle | $303,000 | $213,000 |
| Home Sales Price Bargain Index | 96% of Seattle home prices | 155% |
| 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 |
| 2008 | 300 | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| 2007 | 322 | 16 | 0 | 0 |
| 2006 | 354 | 7 | 0 | 0 |
| 2005 | 354 | 11 | 0 | 0 |
| Bellingham Water Quality |
|||
| . | % Good | % Threatened | % Impaired |
| 2006 | na | na | na |
| 2004 | na | na | na |
| 2002 | na | na | na |
| Taxes (2009-2010) |
|||||
| blank | Tax Rate | Days Worked to Pay | State Rank | Tax Rate (99 City Avg) |
Days Worked to Pay (99 City Avg) |
| State and Local Sales Tax | 8.8% | -- | 3* | 6.8% | -- |
| Federal, State and Local Tax | -- | 105 days | 5* | -- | 99 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 |
| 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) |
||
| 2009 | 46 | |
| 2008 | 71 | |
| 2007 | 192 | |
| 2006 | 142 | |
| 2005 | 200 | |
| 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 |
(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)
to pan. Use Pegman for a StreetView.)
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