Bellingham, Washington

Bellingham is the largest city in, and the county seat of, Whatcom County in the State of Washington. It is the thirteenth-largest city in the state, with 80,885 residents at the 2010 Census, or sixth-largest by metropolitan area after Seattle-Tacoma, the northern side of the Portland metropolitan area, Spokane metro area, the Tri-Cities, and Yakima. The boundaries of the city encompass the former towns of Fairhaven, Whatcom, Sehome, and Bellingham.

Bellingham is the northernmost city in the contiguous United States with more than 50,000 people and like other places in the continental United States at high latitude, it experiences only a few hours of complete night during part of summer.

Bellingham is acclaimed for its easy access to outdoor opportunities in the San Juan Islands and North Cascades as well as proximity to the cities of Vancouver and Seattle. It is also famous for the large quantities of Canadian tourists and shoppers that flood in daily to take advantage of relatively cheap gasoline, airfare and other products. Most consumer products and restaurant meals are significantly more pricey in Bellingham than elsewhere in the United States, but still often cheaper than in Canada.