Moving, relocating, starting over, this makes the top 10 stressful life events on a lot of lists. Moving to a whole different state, or a whole new city, makes relocating far more stressful than just switching homes. Bellingham seems to be a magnet for those of us that want different things in life, a restart shall we say. I have met a lot of people since I moved to the Bellingham area, and many of the recently relocated people came here for a fresh start.
I haven’t moved around a lot. I grew up in Hawaii, relocated to Arizona for college, then met my ex husband who is an Arizona native, and stayed. I stayed for 30 years, my entire adult life, until I moved to Bellingham.
I chose Bellingham out of all the places in the world I could have chosen. Why? The water, the mountains, the climate, the charming homes and neighborhoods, the politics. I also liked that it was a smaller city than where I lived in Arizona.
I am used to doing things on my own, but relocating to a new state is scary. You can find tons of information online, but to get a feel of the area it is really difficult. I didn’t want the bare facts, I wanted the kind of stuff that someone LIKE ME would tell me. Someone that was new to the area. Someone that had experienced the unique and interesting traits of the Bellingham area for them self.
So now I am going to try to tell you the things that surprised me this first year here in Bellingham. The things all of my research didn’t prepare me for, the things that I didn’t even know to research.
Cell phone service isn’t guaranteed. Your cell phone won’t work everywhere. I have traveled a bit, but I haven’t experienced my cell phone losing service ….ever. Here in Bellingham you might want to make sure you’re not in a contract because another provider may be necessary. I live in Sudden Valley. Where I live Verizon doesn’t work at all, but AT&T is fine. Other areas in this same neighborhood Verizon works fine. If you use GPS every time you leave the house, this might be an issue for you.
2. SLOW DOWN while driving. The speed limit is usually 25 miles an hour. Sometimes it is 15 miles an hour, and rarely it is 35 miles an hour. But mostly you will not be driving quickly unless you get on the freeway. I almost want to get a new car with less power because there is never a reason to step on the gas here.
3. Beware of the parking rules! Parking tickets happen here, A LOT. I got 5 parking tickets in my first year. 5. A couple for expired meters in the City of Bellingham. One because I forgot to hang my Discover Pass when I went to a trail that required it. One on Western’s campus because I paid for parking on the wrong car, and another for parking too close to a driveway when I went to the neighborhood bar Twin Sisters. Be extra careful that you know the parking guidelines, or you will drop a pretty penny on parking tickets!
4. The Roundabouts. There are roundabouts kind of everywhere. Be sure you understand how to navigate them, it is the only time I see Bellingham drivers get really irritated.
5. I don’t think we are in Bellingham anymore Toto. Bellingham “proper” is the actual city of Bellingham. Geneva, Sudden Valley, and lots of other neighborhoods on the perimeter of Bellingham are actually not in the city, but instead are in the county. City and county services are different, so it is important to pay attention. Bellingham’s perimeter isn’t intuitive, you will most likely need a map to identify it for some time.
6. No street lights? One way to know if you are out of Bellingham proper is there are no more street lights. The streets are DARK outside of Bellingham, and for those of us that aren’t young anymore, seeing at night can be a real issue. The positive side of this is the night skies. Without light pollution there are a lot more stars! I haven’t seen such beautiful night skies, ever.
7. DARKNESS in the winter. Speaking of dark, I can’t slide by the early darkness that we experience in the winter. And I mean DARKNESS. In December it is pitch black outside, like it was midnight, by 4pm. That I honestly hated, but on the positive side, it is amazing how quickly that changes. Right now in April sunset on the 1st of the month is at 7:40pm, and by the end of the month it is at 8:23pm. Also the LONG summer days where it stays light until 10pm are just delightful for doing stuff, and there is SO much to do all summer.
8. There are a plethora of red haired people. I have no idea why this is the case, but I have two gingers, and in Hawaii and Arizona that is really unique. In Bellingham, not so much.
9. The gorgeous Whatcom county farms. Once you leave Bellingham proper, heading east, you will see the most story book appearing farms. Green rolling hills, red barns, silos, old wood that has so much character and age that I am constantly surprised that every photographer in the world isn’t here taking photos of the HUNDREDS of farm buildings. It is SO different that being “in town” it is actually a little disconcerting. It feels like you have taken a wrong turn and are now on the moon. If you happen to see lots of white birds in the fields, they might be trumpeter swans. Seriously. Check out this photo I took.
10. There are FEEDS. This might be a silly thing, but if there is ever a community event that involves food, they might call it a FEED. I have gone to community events in other places, when there is an event with food it is not called a CHILI FEED, or a PANCAKE FEED. To me, that sounds like we are animals that are being fed. I don’t know, this one might be just me, but I laugh every time I see signs for another feed.
11. There is something that happens to your brain when you move here. Maybe when you move anywhere that is really different than what you are used to…I don’t know. But it definitely happens here. I know that it isn’t just me, because when I mention it to people that have moved here in the last several years, I hear the “me too” cry of those of us that have been seriously worried about our brains. There is so much to learn about this place, and everything is so different than what we are used to, so it seems our brains stop processing. I mentioned this to my doctor here. He gave a sports analogy that made sense to me, (someone that knows nothing about sports). He said when quarterbacks are drafted to the pro league from college, they usually are terrible for their first year or two. Then they say the “game slows down” for them and they are able to see what needs to be done to win the game. That first year or two, when so much is new and your brain is spending time on trying to find places you need to go, wondering where one goes for certain things, and trying to make new friends and integrate into the community…it stops being able to learn. Once those things stop taking up so much brain space your brain will be freed up to learn like you’re used to….so don’t panic. It happens to all of us.
12. There is so much to do, you may never actually do it all. I know this sounds trite, but I couldn’t be more serious. It was my goal to learn the area by living the area. I have actively tried to walk all of the trails in Bellingham. I’m not even close. I have tried to see the parks, and the schools, the neighborhoods. All of them. I am not even close. When driving around town I am moved to tears probably once a week by the beauty of the area. I pull over when driving all of the time, just to grab a photo. There is ALWAYS another trail that I haven’t taken. There is always an experience that others do that I haven’t even HEARD of, and I basically made it my job to hear about and participate in as much as possible since I moved here.
What surprised YOU when you moved here? What has been the most difficult to get used to, and what has been the most pleasant surprise? Leave a comment and your experiences may be used in part 2 of this blog. HERE IS PART TWO!
If you are ready to make Bellingham your home town too, start your new home search HERE. I would love to help you out!
Very good and precise read 🙂
I moved here from Florida, on 4 medications, of which in 15 months I take none. I am healthier every day.
Pleasant surprise? Saint Sophia’s Greek Orthodox church on Sunset near I-5. Where as a Greek, I am a member for the past year. I reside in Custer, 10 miles north of Bellingham, but ‘live’ in Bellingham… if that makes any sense.
It absolutely makes sense. I live in Sudden Valley, but I live in Bellingham too. I feel healthier here too, mentally and physically!
What a fantastic read! Are there any tours of Bellingham and surrounding areas that you know of? Unfortunately Im fearful of venturing out on my own until I’m very familiar with an area.
Kristin there are lots of tours around the town, my favorite are with the Good Time Girls!
I have lived in Bellingham since moving from Montana in 1992. As an old timer I have a tradition for any new friend that has recently moved here. On their birthday I get a van load of friends and take this person on a girl friend tour. It works like this, every person in the car has to pick one favorite place in Whatcom county. Then we take the day to go to every one of those places. It is always a really fun time and usually everyone in the car learns about a new place. Usually we all become great friends too, something that can be a bit difficult in Bellingham.
I’m going to have to get to know you. I’m moving here in about a month.
Join Bellingham Living on Facebook! You can meet me and lots of other Bellingham peeps in there!
Oh heavens that means I have to start a facebook page. I guess in the spirit of things it would be valuable since I know about 2 people, the new landlord and the coffee shop lady I got acquainted with.
Somewhat surprised by the amount of dogs haha. I am a dog lover myself but also a neat freak and I don’t really like the messes that any animal makes so I prefer to love from a distance. I did have one friend who swore she couldn’t leave her dog to come an hang out and I didn’t think it would be a big deal so I let her dog into my home. Well long story short the dog had an accident…I did find a great small carpet cleaning business that got the urine stain and odor out of the house. Still not going to get a dog myself, but I am pleasantly surprised by the amounts of dogs and related services in our wonderful town.
Hi! Great article! My partner and I are in the process of buying property in Sudden Valley to ultimately make the move from California (we loathe this concrete smog infested cynical city) Are there any major dealbreakers with living in Sudden Valley versus Bellingham ‘proper’ or reasons we may consider buying in Bellingham proper instead of Sudden Valley? Thank you for your thoughts!
Hi Denise! Sudden Valley is really different than living in Bellingham proper. I wrote another blog about Sudden Valley, HERE
The HOA is a deal breaker for a lot of people. You should really do your research about the HOA before buying in Sudden Valley. Since you’re in the process of buying I assume you have a real estate agent, they should be able to help you. If they don’t know, research more. If you don’t have a real estate agent I would love to help you out!
Having moved from Hawaii and Arizona, how’s the weather for you? I’m in the Bay Area and considering a move up your way. I’m glad you mentioned the darkness, but is it as grey and rainy as rumored?
Hi Shannon,
I really don’t think it is that gray and rainy…maybe it’s climate change, or maybe I was just really sick of the sun, but there are so many sunny days mixed into the whole year that I never feel like I haven’t see the sun for any real length of time. Also, it is important to know that living here you don’t cancel your plans due to rain, you just dress differently. The rain here is usually very light, a drizzle, so you can continue your day as normal. I’d love to help you find your new home if you decide to relocate here, feel free to call or text me any time! 360-325-9076
Bellingham Washington offers access to great outdoor beauty. The town is mid-sized to small depending on your prospective. Traffic is light. Moved here from the mid-west in 2008.
People are very closed minded however believe they are very diverse. It feels very much like your living in a cult. There are hardly any ethnic minorities. Much of the community engages in ideologies. You can’t get away from politics here. There were some parts of the mid-west that were extremely religious. Bellingham is extremely religious also, just a different god.
People are rude. They will not say hello or wave. They look away from you on the street. They are mostly white, yet they hate white people, mostly hate white men.
They teach gender studies at the public school even in the science classes. I am not conservative however I wonder why they talk about transgender topics in 6th grade math class? Reminds me of growing up in the mid-west and having to pray at assemblies. The school system is well funded however the support for the students is nonexistent and the student performance suffers.
The outlying areas are beautiful however the town is poorly maintained and dirty. People rarely maintain their yards or their homes. Housing is extremely expensive. A $600,000 home here would cost you $80,000 in the mid-west. You are paying a substantial price for the location. Homes are poorly cared for and contractors are pathological in their dealings. A friend of mine lost $120,000 and had to hire an attorney to deal with a shady contractor. This seems more of the norm as one of my main functions is dealing with projects and contracts. I think this is endemic of how people behave here. Property theft is another example…extremely high here. No respect for property or possessions.
Homelessness is growing along with drug use. Outside the gym there was a person violently screaming at imaginary forces all around them. The same week we had a different person behaving the same way in front of my office. Law enforcement let us know neither situation was actionable until the violence spilled over to involve others. Another one of our offices experienced individuals shooting up outside their doors and another time engaging is sexual intercourse on the sidewalk. This makes the downtown unusable from a family perspective in my mind.
The weather is what I refer to as perpetually spring and mostly fall. No winter and no summer. You can travel to the mountains to access snow however the ski resorts are extremely wet, and the snow is typically heavy or ice. The winters are long in the extreme, suicidally dark, and dreary.
The ocean is beautiful, and the islands look amazing. The water is ice cold and completely unusable in terms of swimming or water recreation outside of fishing.
There are pros and cons to Bellingham Washington however I look very much forward to leaving.
I’m so sorry that this is your experience in Bellingham. I suppose it can be different for each of us, and we see what we focus on. I hope you find happiness in your new place you live. Best to you.
I’m sorry, you sound depressed and extremely cynical. I’ve lived here for 8 years and I have not found ANY of the things you mention. The town is extremely clean, we usually get a touch of snow in the winter, and maybe you find it so dark because it’s not the big city with reflected light, and does not take long to get to rural areas. Politics are liberal (noted a snippet on Chrome that it’s conservative??), a college town, so it’s rather lighthearted, and the new mayor is working on the homeless problem, yet I’ve NEVER seen what you state. If you want to get to know people, it takes an effort and just not expecting others to do all the work. There are so many activities and areas to see which are beautiful. I do hope you find happiness.
Where does the drinking water come from and do they have septic tanks or city sewers in Sudden Valley?
The drinking water comes from Lake Whatcom for Sudden Valley and Bellingham. Sudden Valley has sewer throughout.
Great write up. we currently live in Bremerton, came to Bellingham for a running race, and wow, so many trails!!! I have a service dog, and was surprised how everywhere was dog welcoming. I was stationed in hawaii for 20 years before leaving, if you pay attention to politics it’s going to eat 3/4’s of your day and 70% of your mental health. we found Bellingham an great mix. My wife is from Laos, and she loved the mix. the waterfront had a left to right (people, not party) types of people, some are friendly, some are just want to be left alone and not be bothered. I’m from Boston originally and like to ask where people are from, what brought them to the area, our experience, was 1 out of 5 were born and raised. Most we met, came from (insert place). The demography is definitely new start-more outdoors. I was highly surprised how many islander from hawaii are up here, the opportunities were big. the day we were leaving we met a family that lived down from us in Pearl City, they said they hadn’t seen us in —so long, and what a tiny planet, to run into people “LEAVING” hawaii…if your thinking of visiting, may I recommend Saipan or Okinawa, the ocean is more sexy, and you won’t get beat by a crack zombie….so I applied for a job, and looks like starting in Jan…can’t wait for the new start…
Your complaints about the circumstances of your parking tickets are not unique to Bellingham, and are actually a result of you not following simple common sense rules, like feeding parking meters and hanging your Discover Pass on your mirror. And having to drive slow on city streets? Are you kidding me? Isn’t that safer for children, pedestrians, and other drivers – not to mention yourself? If you want to drive fast, get on I-5 and let it fly.
Hello Alisande,
I’m sorry that my surprises after my first year of living in Bellingham were frustrating for you. Yes, I didn’t follow the rules and I got parking tickets that first year. I relocated from a suburb of Phoenix Arizona where parking tickets were basically unheard of as there is a plethora of free parking there. You’ll be pleased to know I have not received another parking ticket in the 3.5 years since I wrote that blog. I did learn my lesson. Also, I don’t notice the speed limits as much as I did that first year I lived in Bellingham. I have gotten used to them and they don’t seem so surprising anymore. But this blog was written for people relocating here that might find the speed limits surprising as I did. I agree it is safer for everyone involved to drive more slowly, but when coming from a large metro area like Phoenix, it is surprising. I hope this makes sense.
Oh how wonderful.
Thanks for driving up the cost of living.
Stop moving here would be just Fab.
People aren’t going to stop moving here as there are so many reasons Bellingham is hitting the radars of people from all over the country. From climate change refugees to political refugees there would continue to be growth in Bellingham whether I wrote these blogs or not. I’m sorry that the growth of Bellingham has frustrated you. I suggest you get involved with City Council and help shape Bellingham’s future.
Thank you for your advice (commiseration) on finding a house rental. Sheila and I found a nice place with a great owner landlord.
That is so wonderful! I’m thrilled for you both!