Bellingham, Washington
Bellingham, Washington | |
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Aerial view of Bellingham | |
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Seal | |
| Nickname: City of Subdued Excitement | |
Location in Whatcom County and the state of Washington | |
Bellingham Location in the United States | |
| Coordinates: 48°45′N 122°29′W / 48.750°N 122.483°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Washington |
| County | Whatcom |
| Incorporated | December 28, 1903 |
| Named after | Sir William Bellingham, 1st Baronet |
| Government | |
| • Type | Mayor–council |
| • Mayor | Kim Lund |
| Area | |
• City | 30.511 sq mi (79.023 km2) |
| • Land | 28.198 sq mi (73.033 km2) |
| • Water | 2.313 sq mi (5.991 km2) |
| Elevation | 66 ft (20 m) |
| Population (2020) | |
• City | 91,482 |
• Estimate (2024) | 95,860 |
| • Rank | US: 360th WA: 12th |
| • Density | 3,330/sq mi (1,286/km2) |
| • Urban | 128,979 (US: 259th) |
| • Urban density | 2,573/sq mi (993.4/km2) |
| • Metro | 234,954 (US: 204th) |
| • Metro density | 109.4/sq mi (42.25/km2) |
| Demonym | Bellinghamster |
| GDP | |
| • Bellingham (MSA) | $19.6 billion (2022) |
| Time zone | UTC–8 (Pacific (PST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC–7 (PDT) |
| ZIP Codes | 98225, 98226, 98227, 98228, 98229 |
| Area codes | 360, 564 |
| FIPS code | 53-05280 |
| GNIS feature ID | 2409823 |
| Website | cob.org |
Bellingham (/ˈbɛlɪŋhæm/ BEL-ing-ham) is a city in and the county seat of Whatcom County in the U.S. state of Washington. It lies 21 miles (34 km) south of the Canada–United States border, between Vancouver, British Columbia, 52 miles (84 km) to the northwest and Seattle 90 miles (140 km) to the south.
The population was 91,482 at the 2020 census, and estimated to be 94,720 in 2023. It is the site of Western Washington University, Bellingham International Airport, and the southern terminus of the Alaska Marine Highway. Bellingham is the northernmost city with a population of more than 90,000 people in the contiguous United States.
The area around Bellingham Bay, named in 1792 by George Vancouver, is the ancestral home of several Coast Salish groups. European settlement in modern-day Bellingham began in the 1850s and several coal mining towns grew in later years. The city of Bellingham was incorporated in 1903 through the consolidation of several settlements, among them Fairhaven. Local industries shifted away from coal in the mid-20th century; the industrial areas on the Bellingham waterfront have undergone redevelopment into a mixed-use neighborhood since the 2000s.