Bellingham, WA

Other aerial tours:


Seattle (http://skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=215371)
Spokane (http://skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=220709)
Portland (http://skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=223578)
Tacoma (http://skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=225679)
Olympia & Salem (http://skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=227200)
Olympic Peninsula Cities (http://skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=227601)


Bellingham, the gateway to Alaska & British Columbia. Bellingham is a unique city as it has two downtowns; downtown Bellingham & historic Fairhaven, once sperate cities who merged to form Bellingham. It is the largest city in NW Washington & the northernmost continental U.S. city of substantial size. Bellingham is home to roughly 75,000 people in the city limits & 185,000 people in the metro area (& growing fast). Bellingham is home to Western Washington University (http://www.wwu.edu/) (the third largest university in Washington) & the southern terminus of the Alaska Marine Highway Ferry (http://www.dot.state.ak.us/amhs/) system. Bellingham is located 90 miles N. of Seattle & 50 miles S. of Vancouver, BC.


http://www.aerolistphoto.com/images/wa/bellingham/2004/WABHh040430D_143.jpg


Looking NW into Bellingham. I-5 cuts through its highest elevations in Washington State on its way from the Skagit Valley & other places south into Bellingham. Prior to the highway being cut through the Cascade foothills, the way to Bellingham was along winding Chuckanut Drive along the shear cliffs of Chuckanut Mountain over Samish Bay. Bellingham Bay on left, west tip of Lake Whatcom on right:

http://www.aerolistphoto.com/images/wa/bellingham/2004/WABHh040430D_137.jpg


Looking N. into downtown Bellingham. The tree covered hill is the 180 acre natural forest Sehome Hill Arboretum & to the W. of that is Western Washington University:

http://www.aerolistphoto.com/images/wa/bellingham/2004/WABHh040430D_140.jpg


Looking SW into downtown:

http://www.aerolistphoto.com/images/wa/bellingham/2002/bhh2002_055.jpg


Looking W.:

http://www.aerolistphoto.com/images/wa/bellingham/2004/WABHh040430D_062.jpg


Downtown Bellingham:

http://www.aerolistphoto.com/images/wa/bellingham/2004/WABHh040430D_083.jpg

Looking E. towards the 12 mile long Lake Whatcom & 10,778 ft. tall Mt. Baker. Mt. Baker is one of the snowiest places in the world. The nearby Mt. Baker ski area is also noted for its massive quanities of snow:

http://www.aerolistphoto.com/images/wa/bellingham/2004/WABHh040430D_077.jpg

http://www.resortspace.com/mtbaker/maps/trailmap02.jpg


Looking East. Nooksack Valley to the left:

http://www.aerolistphoto.com/images/wa/bellingham/2004/WABHh040430D_072.jpg


Historic Fairhaven, Bellingham's other (& more attractive) downtown. The Amtrak Station & Ferry terminal are located on the bottom right. Fairhaven is the southern terminus of the Alaska Marine Highway Ferry System. Ferry services also availible to the San Juan Islands & Victoria, BC:

http://www.aerolistphoto.com/images/wa/bellingham/2004/WABHh040430D_101.jpg


Fairhaven, looking NE towards downtown Bellingham:

http://www.aerolistphoto.com/images/wa/bellingham/2004/WABHh040430D_114.jpg


Looking W. towards Fairhaven:

http://www.aerolistphoto.com/images/wa/bellingham/2004/WABHh040430D_128.jpg


Western Washington University, home to 12,900 students, is located between downtown Bellingham & Fairhaven in an elevated gap between two hills:

http://www.aerolistphoto.com/images/wa/bellingham/2004/WABHh040430D_107.jpg


Looking E. towards WWU & Sehome Hill:

http://www.aerolistphoto.com/images/wa/bellingham/2004/WABHh040430D_097.jpg


Looking S. towards Fairhaven:

http://www.aerolistphoto.com/images/wa/bellingham/2004/WABHh040430D_108.jpg


Looking S. towards Bellingham. The mall & big box retail section of Bellingham is located just below the freeway:

http://www.aerolistphoto.com/images/wa/bellingham/2002/bhh2002_026.jpg


Looking SE from Bellingham International Airport. The airport is pretty minor but does offer commerical service to Seattle, Las Vegas, & Friday Harbor on San Juan Island:

http://www.aerolistphoto.com/images/wa/bellingham/2004/WABHh040430D_034.jpg


Looking SW:

http://www.aerolistphoto.com/images/wa/bellingham/2002/bhh2002_060.jpg


Ferndale, WA looking E. towards the Cascades. Ferndale is home to 10,000 people & is just NW of Bellingham:

http://www.aerolistphoto.com/images/wa/ferndale/2004/WAFEh040310D_024.jpg


Lynden, WA looking E. up the Nooksack Valley. Lynden, home to 11,000 people is the 2nd largest city in Whatcom County & home to the Northwest Washington Fairgrounds:

http://www.aerolistphoto.com/images/wa/lynden/2004/WALYh040310D_011.jpg


Looking S. from Birch Bay. Bellingham in upper left, San Juan Islands in distance. The front, most prominent hills in the picture are (L to R) Chuckanut Mt. (just south of Fairhaven), Lummi Island (across Bellingham Bay from Bellingham), Cypress Island (of the San Juans, just N. of Anacortes), & Mt. Constitution (on Orcas Island of the San Juans). Due its proximity with Alaska, the area is an important petroleum refining center:

http://www.aerolistphoto.com/images/wa/blaine_birch_bay/2004/WABRh040430D_083.jpg


Birch Bay & Semiahmoo looking S. towards the San Juan Islands. Semiahmoo is a famous golf resort area sometimes refered to as "Monterey North":

http://www.aerolistphoto.com/images/wa/blaine_birch_bay/2004/WABRh040430D_060.jpg


Blaine, WA & Semiahmoo looking SE towards Mt. Baker. Blaine is located on the U.S.-Canada border:

http://www.aerolistphoto.com/images/wa/blaine_birch_bay/2004/WABRh040430D_066.jpg


Blaine looking N. into Canada. The Peace Arch (big white thing in freeway median) marks the international border:

http://www.aerolistphoto.com/images/wa/blaine_birch_bay/2004/WABRh040430D_047.jpg


Blaine from the Canadian side of the border looking S. towards Bellingham:

http://www.globalairphotos.com/images/bc/surrey/2004/syh2004_087.jpg


Semiahmoo looking N. towards Blaine & Vancouver, BC suburb Whiterock:

http://www.aerolistphoto.com/images/wa/blaine_birch_bay/2004/WABRh040430D_070.jpg



Whiterock, BC looking S. towards Blaine:

http://www.globalairphotos.com/images/bc/surrey/2004/syh2004_313.jpg

Looking NW from Blaine towards Whiterock, BC. Greater Vancouver, BC in distance:

http://www.globalairphotos.com/images/bc/surrey/2004/syh2004_086.jpg


Point Roberts, WA with Vancouver, BC in the distance. The Vancouver suburb of Tsawwassen, where the ferry to Swarz Bay (Victoria) is located, is directly across the border.:

http://www.globalairphotos.com/images/wa/point_roberts/2001/prh2001_004.jpg

Point Roberts is a geopolitcal quirk as it is apart of the United States but you have to take a boat, fly, or travel through Canada to get there:

http://magma.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/0408/feature7/images/ft_hdr.7.jpg

A few more:

Looking N. from Lummi just outside of Bellingham. Pt. Roberts on left. Vancouver & Canadian Coast Range in distance:

http://www.aerolistphoto.com/images/wa/lummi/2004/WALUh040430D_015.jpg


Looking NW from Lummi. Nooksack delta in lower right corner, Ferndale is under 'her.' Lower Fraser River Valley in distance:

http://www.aerolistphoto.com/images/wa/lummi/2004/WALUh040430D_001.jpg

http://www.globalairphotos.com/images/bc/surrey/2004/syh2004_313.jpg

You can see where I work in this pic, its the Save On Foods in the mall in the bottom left hand corner by the freeway. Alot of Americans shop there.

nice!