Located on Bellingham Bay with Mount Baker as its backdrop, Bellingham is the last major city before the Washington coastline meets the Canadian border. It’s 85 miles north of Seattle and 50 miles south of Vancouver, B.C.
Named a “Best Place To Play Year Round” and “Adventure Town USA," Bellingham is best known for its outdoor recreation (from the Cascade Mountains to the Salish Sea), world-class brews, and a community that favors locally sourced entertainment, food, and experiences.
Bellingham has an active waterfront port that supports fishing, charter cruises, leisure boating, boatbuilding, shipping and marina operations. It’s also big with paddlers.
Squalicum Harbor is the second largest in Puget Sound, with 1,900 pleasure and commercial boats moored.
From Bellingham’s ports, passenger ferries leave for cruises around Bellingham and Chuckanut Bays to the San Juan Islands, either for whale watching or beer, wine, history and/or sunset cruises.
Bellingham is home to Western Washington University! For 25 years in a row, it has been ranked as one of the top public, master’s granting universities in the Pacific Northwest, ranking second in 2024.
Western's campus features a sweeping view across the bay to the San Juan Islands, a highly regarded outdoor art and sculpture collection, and nearby trails at Sehome Hill Arboretum.
