COMMENT BY
Nikki from Bellingham, WA
COMMENT ABOUT PLACE
Bellingham, WA
COMMENT
Never Get Used to the Weather
I was born in Bellingham, and I've lived here for about 30 years of my life. It's a beautiful city- lots of parks, mountains, BEAUTIFUL scenery. You're close to the bay, you're close to mountains. You're within 2 hours of Canada AND Seattle. The traffic is pretty good- you can get all over town in just a short amount of time. It's idyllic!
Except it's not. Because the weather is terrible. And I say that with 30+ years of experience.
The rain isn't so bad- you get used to the rain. I have never owned an umbrella, and I don't mind getting rained on. It's the OVERCAST that's terrible. It feels like an oppressive blanket over you, always bearing down. I miss the sun so much in the winter. And the summers are all-too-short. You get maybe 3 months of summer if you're lucky. Last summer lasted about 3 weeks. And that was "summer". It never got very warm, and then the clouds were back.
I love snow, but we don't get much of that. It gets cold, yes- and freezing- but rarely snows at the same time. We'll get random sunny weather in the winter, and it will be 17 degrees outside, so you still can't go out and enjoy the sun.
Honestly, I can't wait to get out. I'm an outdoors person. I love hiking. I love camping. I walk for exercise. I love swimming. It's very beautiful here when it's sunny- you just don't get sun enough to make it worthwhile.
I have kids, and I want them to grow up healthy and active. I don't want them to deal with the debilitating Seasonal Affective Disorder I've had to deal with for years.
You never know how much sunshine means to you until you've lived without it for years.
Bellingham is a beautiful city. I bet it's one of the prettiest cities in the country. But you can't get out and enjoy it- or even enjoy it through a blanket of clouds- enough to make it worth living here.