Bellingham is a larger medium-sized coastal city (ie. on the ocean or tidally-influenced rivers) located in the state of Washington. With a population of 66,815 people and 14 constituent neighborhoods, Bellingham is the tenth largest community in Washington.

Unlike some cities, Bellingham isn't mainly white- or blue-collar. Instead, the most prevalent occupations for people in Bellingham are a mix of both white- and blue-collar jobs. Overall, Bellingham is a city of sales and office workers, professionals, and service providers. There are especially a lot of people living in Bellingham who work in office and administrative support jobs (15.43%), sales jobs (12.93%), and management occupations (7.78%).

Bellingham is also a major college town with a large number of people who are 18 years or older and attending college. As is often the case in college towns, the many students that live in Bellingham have a strong influence on the local culture and entertainment scene, which may seem dormant by comparison in the summer months when much of the student population is away. In the fall, the return of students has a reinvigorating effect on the community. Because colleges are lasting institutions, they have a stabilizing effect on the economy by providing direct local benefits such as jobs for faculty and staff and spending by students. Bellingham's economy is one such example of this.

Not only is Bellingham a city with many college students, but it also retains many recent graduates who are looking to start new careers, shaping the character of the city into a place that is geared toward, and considered attractive to, many single, educated people. Many singles consider Bellingham a good place to live without being in a really big city, with opportunities for friendships and fun with others like themselves.

One of the nice things about Bellingham is that is it nautical, meaning that parts of the city are somewhat historic and on the ocean, or touch tidal bodies of water, such as inlets and tidal rivers. Because of this, visitors and locals will often go to these areas to take in the scenery or to enjoy waterfront activities.

Residents of the city have the good fortune of having one of the shortest daily commutes compared to the rest of the country. On average, they spend only 17.75 minutes getting to work every day.

Bellingham Information and Demographics

The citizens of Bellingham are very well educated compared to the average community in the nation: 33.03% of adults in Bellingham have a bachelor's degree or even advanced degree.

The per capita income in Bellingham in 2000 was $19,483, which is middle income relative to Washington, and upper middle income relative to the rest of the US. This equates to an annual income of $77,932 for a family of four.

The people who call Bellingham home come from a variety of different races and ancestries. The most prevalent race in Bellingham is White, followed by Asian. Important ancestries of people in Bellingham include German, English, Irish, Norwegian, Scottish, Swedish, Italian, Dutch, and European.

The most common language spoken in Bellingham is English. Some people also speak Spanish.