Whatcom

Whatcom County is a county located in the northwestern part of the U.S. state of Washington. It lies along the Canada–United States border and on the shores of Bellingham Bay and the Strait of Georgia. The county seat and largest city is Bellingham. Other notable communities include Blaine, Ferndale, Lynden, Nooksack, Sumas, and Everson. As of the 2020 census, Whatcom County had a population of about 225,000 people.

Geographically, the county ranges from coastal shorelines and bays to the foothills of the North Cascades. The Nooksack River and Whatcom Creek flow through the region, supporting agriculture and local ecosystems. The area includes portions of the Mount Baker–Snoqualmie National Forest and is connected to Canada via border crossings such as Peace Arch at Blaine and the Sumas crossing to British Columbia.

Whatcom County was created in the mid-19th century as part of the Washington Territory and was named after Whatcom Creek, which runs through Bellingham and into Bellingham Bay. The region has a long history of Indigenous inhabitation, notably by the Lummi and Nooksack peoples, with European-American settlement expanding in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

The county government operates under a three-member board of county commissioners. The economy is diverse, with cross-border trade, education, health care, manufacturing, and agriculture playing major roles. Western Washington University is located in Bellingham, contributing to the region’s economy and culture, while rural areas support dairy farming and berry crops.