Port Townsend vs. Bellingham
 

I always appreciate the great feedback I get from board members here. In my continuing research for a new near-retirement (low-tax) home, I now have received a suggestion from a friend that, in addition to Port Townsend (which he thinks is very nice), my wife and I consider living in Bellingham somewhere not too far from Western Washington University -- for the feel of the area and all the events that are going on with some frequency. The friend acknowledges that rainfall there would be about 150% of the rain in PT. I welcome feedback on his thoughts.

The advantages of Bellingham are that you don't have to depend on ferries or very long drives to get places - Seattle is around 90 min, Vancouver (on a good border day) an hour or so. There's an airport with scheduled flights (most via Seattle), a university that keeps things lively, quick access to beautiful countryside (water, skiing at Mt. Baker), and there are some cute parts of the city too - Fairhaven is a national historic district with much of the same charm that people like in Port Townsend.

The downside, I suppose, is that it does rain more, although I doubt if it's 150%, and the winters can be a little colder and it can snow more often, as a spillover effect of the cold air that comes down the Fraser Canyon in BC hitting the wet air coming in straight off the Strait of Juan de Fuca.

That said, it's not that noticeably different from the Seattle/Vancouver areas, and most years the weather will be quite similar.

Check it out - nice town.

Thanks Gardyloo -- I always appreciate your informative and candid feedback!

I had a fine Townsend port with my Belling ham at dinner the other night. #-O

we checked out Bellingham with the idea it might be a good place to retire. I found the downtown depressing and the atmosphere less of what I was expecting from a college town. I was way underwhelmed.

On the other hand, I find Port Townsend charming.

If you will seldom or never visit Seattle or Vancouver, Port Townsend is a good choice.

Downtown Bellingham is indeed not the main attraction - needs a lick of paint, shall we say. But Fairhaven (which is also closer to the university) is within the city limits and is quite a nice area. But if you want big city, you're looking in the wrong places.

I note on www.worldclimate.com that average rainfall in Port Townsend is about 19 inches, versus about 36 inches in Bellingham.

The same site reports that average rainfall on Whidbey Island is about 20 inches. If that is correct, the Coupeville area might be a worth a look.

I do like the Port Townsend rainfall number -- and my sense is that Coupeville is at a similar rainfall level, but that as you go South to Langley, the amount goes up some. But here's another question: my friend who was pushing Port Townsend or Bellingham says there's not much to do in Langley or Coupeville if you both live and work there (compared to PT or Bellingham) -- I welcome thoughts on his thinking.

It's three apples and a lambchop - Coupeville, Port Townsend, Langley - all are small (to very small) towns with extremely limited local economies and set at considerable distances from other places of any size. Bellingham is not that small, it's not that far from larger places, plus you don't need to keep a ferry schedule memorized to live there. If you want small town life, then Langley or Coupeville or Port Townsend will all be fine; PT will have a few more art gallery, bar and restaurant options, but not signifcantly different from Whidbey Island. Langley is on the edge of the Everett commuter zone, albeit ferry-based.

I really think you should be planning a week or two in each of these places, preferably in winter, so that you can get a feel of them as a resident rather than a tourist. I'm sure you know in your own experience that those are two very different ways of seeing places.

Also, in Port Townsend you would have easy access to whatever Port Angeles has to offer--movie multiplex, WalMart, restaurants, etc. Whereas, Coupeville isn't far from Oak Harbor, which didn't impress me much when I drove through it recently.