This weeks neighborhood spotlight is all about the Meridian neighborhood. The Meridian neighborhood is located off of exit 256 on I-5 and reaches to the northern city limits. It is nestled in between the King Mountain and Cordata neighborhoods, and includes one of the largest commercial areas in the city. With the Bellis Fair Mall and other large commercial buildings (Costco, Walmart to name a few), the neighborhood has all your grocery and shopping needs covered.

Meridian Fits all Families

The neighborhood has both single family homes as well as apartments buildings. It is less than two miles away from the Bellingham International Airport. The main road, Meridian Street, get incredibly busy around five o’clock, so avoid those roads if possible.

Jump into Activities

Activities are in no short supply when living in the Meridian neighborhood. In addition the the Bellis Fair Mall, there are numerous small local shops on Meridian Street that fulfill all of your shopping needs. If you’re looking for some unique, physical fun, you might want to try Trampoline Zone. Located in a warehouse north of the Bellis Fair mall, Trampoline Zone is a trampoline gym that has giant wall-to-wall trampolines with foam pits, dodgeball and even a challenging obstacle course. You pay a small hourly fee, and you spend the next couple hours bouncing away! If exciting family fun is what you’re after, Trampoline zone just might be the perfect place for you. Check out Trampoline Zone’s house and rates here. 

Depending on how far north you live, students in the Meridian neighborhood could attend a few different schools. Elementary schoolers attend one of three schools, Birchwood, Parkview or Cordata Elementary. The list narrows to two once reaching middle school, with students attending either Shuksan or Whatcom Middle School. The high school choices are split by I-5, with students living north of I-5 attending Squalicum High School and students on the south attending Bellingham High School.

Interested in living in the Meridian neighborhood? We don’t blame you! Check for local listings at our website here.

This weeks neighborhood spotlight is on the historic Lettered Streets neighborhood. The neighborhood is where the first settlers of Whatcom lived in the 1850’s, and it still remains a popular neighborhood to this day. Amazingly, one brick house on the 1300 block of “E” street still remains from the original settlement period.

Lettered Streets Rebirth

After falling on hard times in the 1960’s, the Lettered Streets was renovated. Community members and the city turned it into the vibrant and beautiful community that you see today. The neighborhood has many different forms of housing, including apartments, single family, as well as business offices in buildings and older homes.

Activities for Everyone

The Lettered Streets is located in a magnificent location for people wanting to be near downtown. With the heart of the city being less than a mile away from the neighborhood, you are never more than a short walk away from delicious food, shopping or a vibrant night life. If you’d prefer to skip the city lights for a more secluded time, there are many different beach parks located north of the neighborhood. One lesser known gem is Locust Beach. The secluded and large beach is a few miles north of the neighborhood. It has the advantage of being lesser known than other parks. So whether you’re looking for a night on the town or for a private gathering with family and friends, the Lettered Streets gives you close access to everything you need.

Parents living in the Lettered Streets need not worry, your kids will be receiving a top-notch education. Elementary schoolers attend Columbia Elementary, which is located in the neighborhood. Once moving on to middle school, the kids attend Whatcom Middle School. High Schoolers attend Bellingham High School, which is located near downtown Bellingham.

Interested in living in the Lettered Streets neighborhood? Check for local listings at our website here.

This week’s neighborhood spotlight is all about the King Mountain neighborhood. Located on King Mountain (go figure) in between the Meridian and Irongate neighborhoods, the area is filled with wetlands and wooded areas. Residents living here have an incredibly beautiful view of the city of Bellingham. The housing in the area consists of scattered single-family homes with large yards, in addition to high-density mobile home parks and apartment complexes. Growth is expected in this neighborhood, so expect more residential housing to be popping up in the future.

Picture courtesy of Cob.org

Best of Both Worlds

Although King Mountain is secluded compared to other neighborhoods in Bellingham, there are plenty of activities if you look closely. If you’re planning on a shopping spree, you are two miles away from the Bellis Fair Mall and Meridian street. Filled with food and retail options, this area has everything you’re looking for when shopping. If you fancy yourself the outdoorsy type, you are only a few blocks away from Van Wyck park, as well as other activities in surrounding neighborhoods.

If you prefer to leave the city for adventures, King Mountain provides access to the highway leading to Mt Baker. Mt Baker provides skiing and snowboarding at one of the most beautiful mountains in the world. It also receives the most snowfall in the country, so it’s not hard to find a great day on the mountain.  If you’re looking for peace and quiet, without being too secluded from the city, King Mountain might be the neighborhood for you.

King Mountain provides top-notch education

Children living in King Mountain receive a quality education. Elementary schoolers attend either Parkview or Cordata Elementary, depending on where you live. Middle schoolers all funnel into one middle school, being Shuksan Middle School. After that, all the students attend Squalicum High School.

Interested in living in the King Mountain neighborhood? Check for local listing at our website here.

This week’s neighborhood spotlight is all about the Irongate neighborhood. The neighborhood was one of the two newly established neighborhoods in Bellingham, along with Barkley. Created in 2010, the neighborhood is located north of Barkley and Sunset Boulevard and reaches up to the northeastern edge of Bellingham. The roughly 900 acres that make up the area are mostly industrial, with over 800 acres dedicated to it. The rest of the land is residential with a small portion being commercial. The large amount of industrial land makes the neighborhood one of the largest employment areas in Bellingham, with UPS and other industrial services located in the neighborhood.

Irongate isn’t all Industrial

While the majority of Irongate is industrial land, there are still fun things to do if you’re living in the neighborhood. For lovers of nature, you can take a walk by Squalicum Creek on the east or Sunset Pond to the west. There’s also Northridge Park, so there is no shortage of beautiful sight in the area. The neighborhood is also conveniently located between three major shopping areas. Sunset Square, Barkley Village and the Bellis Fair Mall are all surrounding the neighborhood, so you have plenty of shopping options. When living in Irongate, you’re just minutes away from all of your shopping needs.

Quality Education for its Students

The Irongate neighborhood provides a quality education for all the children living in the area. Young children in the neighborhood go to Northern Heights Elementary. Once they’re graduated from elementary, students attend Shuksan Middle School. To finish off their schooling, Irongate children attend Squalicum High School. If they wish to continue their education past high school, Bellingham provides an excellent selection of post-high school education. With three different schools, WWU, Whatcom Community College, and Bellingham Technical, there are no shortage of possibilities.

Interested in finding a home in the Irongate neighborhood? Head over to our website to check for local listings here.

This week’s neighborhood spotlight is about the Happy Valley neighborhood. The neighborhood is located just north of the Fairhaven downton on the the south edge of Western Washington University. With Western continuing to expand, the neighborhood has become an incredibly popular location for student housing. More and more apartment buildings are being built in place of single-family housing, but there are still plenty of houses available in the area. Most of the student apartments are on the north edge of the neighborhood, which allows the south side to be for single family houses. It is less than a mile from grocery and shopping at Sehome Village and downtown Bellingham. For students and families, Happy Valley is a great place to live.

Beautiful Sights at Every Corner

In between all the different types of housing, there are pockets of nature. Right in the center of the neighborhood is Connelly Creek Nature Area. The area was established to protect Connelly Creek and the meadowlands that surround it. The Connelly Creek trail runs through the area and provides a tranquil environment to relax and walk through nature. If you’re looking for some outdoor fun with the family, Happy Valley Park has you covered. The park has a playground, a picnic shelter and also an open field for all your family fun. In addition, the Connelly Creek trail runs through the park and ends at Old Fairhaven Parkway.

Happy Valley Supports Their Students

Students living in the neighborhood don’t have to worry about receiving a quality education. Elementary schoolers attend either Lowell or Happy Valley elementary. All middle schoolers attend Fairhaven Middle School, while all high schoolers attend Sehome High School. Happy Valley Elementary and Sehome High School are located in the neighborhood, so getting to school is incredibly easy.

Interested in finding a home in Happy Valley? Head to our website to check for listings here.