Whatcom
County, Washington lies in the
northernmost region of the state, bordering British
Columbia, Canada. The county covers more
than 2,500 square miles of lush natural beauty,
much of it being National Forest and Parkland.
Fifty miles east of the county seat of Bellingham
looms magnificent Mount
Baker. Towering at almost 11,000 feet, this
ice-clad volcano gives Washington
State its longest ski season. The majority
of Whatcom County is mountainous, though its
western section lies along the coastline of Puget
Sound. Bellingham's Squalicum
Harbor, found ninety miles north of Seattle,
is the second largest deep-water port on the
Sound.
The early inhabitants of the region were the Nooksack
Indians, whose reservation lies close to
Bellingham. The tribe earns income today from
its casino,
as well as their marvelous crafts. Whatcom
County was named after one of their Indian
chiefs. Fur trappers and traders settled in the
port area in the late 1700's, and then the
lumber industry began to flourish inland.
Washington incorporated the county in 1854.
Discovery of coal and gold brought brief bursts
of prosperity for the region, but the somewhat
unstable landscape of this volcanic terrain
caused disastrous cave-ins, and prospectors
moved on. Natural resources still play a vital
role in Whatcom County's economy, but
agriculture, salmon canneries and shipbuilding
add to its prosperity
The Census 2000 counted Whatcom County's
population as over 166,000, scattered through
nineteen cities, towns and villages. Four
wonderful institutes of higher learning service
the residents. Western
Washington University, founded in 1893 is
one of six state-funded, four-year schools in
the state. Whatcom
Community College and Bellingham
Technical College offer a variety of
two-year degrees, and the Northwest
Indian College specifically serves the
Native American residents.
The city of Sumas
is one of the border-crossings into Canada. It
is only two minutes from Abbotsford,
BC, one of the fifth-largest cities in British
Columbia, and Vancouver
is less than an hour's drive. The town of Point
Roberts is a bit of a geographic oddity.
Situated on the tip of the Canadian Peninsula,
it remains part of Whatcom County, but the only
way to reach it, except by water, is to enter
Canada and then re-enter the U.S. The 1,300
residents are proud of their 'almost heaven,
almost Canada' town. The Lighthouse
Marine Park on the western shore is
considered one of the best sites to view Orca
whales or magnificent sunsets. Lummi
and Eliza
Islands are tiny jewels of communities in
beautiful Bellingham
Bay. One of the fastest growing towns in
Whatcom County is Birch
Bay, located twenty miles north of
Bellingham, just off Interstate 5. Boasting the
warmest Pacific waters north of California, it
also receives almost 25% less rain than
neighboring Bellingham, making it a beachcombers
Paradise. Crabbing and clamming provide local
restaurants with the finest sea fare available
in Birch Bay's downtown district.
The charming city of Blaine
overlooks Drayton Harbor and draws its share of
tourists each year. It too is a Canadian border
crossing, and home to the Peace
Arch State Park, where a monument stands
with one part on American soil, and the other on
Canadian land. Each year, a Hands Across the
Border celebration is held, honoring the peace
that exists between both nations. Other major
cities in Whatcom County are Everson,
Ferndale,
Lynden
and Nooksack.
To the east of the populated areas lies the
rugged wilderness of the Cascade
National Forest and Parklands area. A rich
haven for wildlife, nature-lovers and sportsmen,
the Cascades remain one of our true national
treasures. Whatcom County, Washington,
stretching across the mountains to the ocean
really does it have it all.
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