Downtown or The Central
Business District Neighborhood
The Central
Business District is Bellingham’s downtown core neighborhood and
central waterfront area. It is the cultural, civic, financial and service
center of the Whatcom County.
It is is a collection of smaller “neighborhoods,” each having
its own distinct flavor. Old Town was was the old center of Bellingham,
while the Commercial Core Area has a long-standing tradition of general
retail. Railroad Avenue has its own unique identity as well, coming
from the very wide street that is the remnants of a rail line earlier
in the City’s history.
The Civic Center is on the northern edge of downtown and adjoins Whatcom
Creek. City and County offices as well as a variety of other governmental
services including the Post Office and Public Library are also a part
of this area. The cultural district include historic buildings containing
the Whatcom Museum of History and Art and the Mt. Baker Theater. The
Hillclimb, a ceremonial stairway leading from Holly Street to the Civic
Center and Cultural District also serves as an outdoor amphitheater
in Maritime Heritage Park on Whatcom Creek. Whatcom Creek Trail and
Greenway runs along the northern border of the neighborhood and provides
a pedestrian connector from the waterfront to adjacent neighborhoods.
New condos have sprung up in the neighborhood as well as Depot market
Square, the new home of Bellingham's Farmers Market.
The central waterfront includes Squalicum Harbor Marina, Zuanich Point
Park and commercial/industrial areas primarily managed by the Port of
Bellingham. The City and the Port have recently joined forces to create
a redevelopment plan for 137 industrial waterfront acres acquired by
the Port on the former Georgia Pacific site. New condos, shops, offices
and light industry, as well as parks and promenades, a healthy shoreline
habitat along Bellingham Bay, and a new marina will be coming to this
area soon.
This new downtown waterfront has the potential to radically change the
city of Bellingham, let's hope they get it right.
