E-Mail
Print
tool name
close
tool goes here
LETTERED STREETS: A place where history runs deep
 |
| The Lettered Streets area features Battersby Park and Whatcom Middle School. MAME BURNS HERALD PHOTO
|
Kira Millage
To live in the Lettered Streets neighborhood, it helps to memorize which direction the many one-way streets run. Located in the valley between the Columbia neighborhood and downtown, the Lettered Streets neighborhood was one of the first areas people settled in Bellingham.
Many of the homes in the area were built in the late 1800s and early 1900s for people working at a sawmill at the mouth of Whatcom Creek, now the site of Maritime Heritage Park. Now a mixture of residential and commercial lots, the Lettered Streets tends to attract single people and families on a budget. Many of the homes have been turned into duplexes or are rentals, and most are on small lots on quiet, tree-lined streets.
A number of businesses and restaurants line Holly Street, Dupont Street, Girard Street and Broadway, and the neighborhood offers easy access to downtown, the harbor and local schools. The Bellingham Theatre Guild has its playhouse here.
The most unique part of the neighborhood is Maritime Heritage Park. Home to a salmon hatchery, the park is used for concerts, battle re-enactments, carnivals and other public events. New to the park is an information booth, as well as bathrooms and fountains.
Average age: 35.7 Housing units: 1,165 Assessed median home value: $97,165 Median home size: 1,211 square feet Schools: Parkview Elementary, Whatcom Middle School, Bellingham High School Shopping: Close to downtown and shops, restaurants and offices on Meridian Street. Nearest major grocers are Albertson's on Northwest Avenue and Haggen on Meridian Street Parks: Maritime Heritage Park, Battersby Field, Faut's Park, Ferenia Johnson Cornwall Tot Lot, Glen Gossage Plaza Mayor's Advisory Committee member: Michael McAuley City Council members: Gene Knutson, John Watts Police calls in 2003: 2,852 Residential burglaries: 22 Vehicle prowls: 87 Population of neighborhood: 2,713
JUDY BUCHANAN Age: 50
Lives on: D Street
Lived here: From age 10 to 19 and since 1989
Lives with: Husband Barry, two cats and a dog
What she does: Now retired from most volunteer work, such as maintaining Gossage Garden (at Glen Gossage Plaza, a small city park)
Why do you like the neighborhood? "I love the neighborhood. When I was a kid, I wanted to buy all the homes and fix them up because they needed fixing. Now, people are doing that and it's so exciting to me. People love the quaintness of it and they love the historical element."
What's your favorite neighborhood moment? "The lighting of the 120-foot Christmas tree that is in Chris Koch's yard. He climbed up there himself and lit it."
What's the biggest thing that's happened there? "Block grant money. We refurbished the homes - mine was one of them. That ... really helped the pride go back in the neighborhood."
- MARY LANE GALLAGHER
DIANE MARSH Age: 42
Lives on: G Street
Lived here: 6 years
Lives with: Husband Jim and kids Zack, 14, Olivia, 9, and James, 3
What she does: Stay-at-home mom, formerly a secretary at Bellingham High School
Why do you like the neighborhood? "I just like that it's centrally located to everything. We spend a lot of time driving kids around and it's just close to everything and I like that."
What's your favorite neighborhood moment? "I get excited about seeing people moving into this area, young couples buying houses in this area and fixing them up. That is a good feeling - not letting the neighborhood go."
What neighborhood amenities do you take advantage of? "We like to get out and walk. There's just a lot of places to walk around here. You just feel safe walking around the streets and seeing people out there, always friendly."
- MARY LANE GALLAGHER
ANDY WICKSTRAND Age: 35
Lives on: I Street
Lived here: 1 year
Lives with: A young professional who rents a room in his house
What he does: Outreach director at Kulshan Community Land Trust and board member for the Bellingham City Club
Why did you move there? "Primarily because the homes are relatively affordable there still. I really enjoy the diversity of the neighborhood I think it is one of the few neighborhoods in the city of Bellingham that would be deemed affordable to hard-working folks who are trying to get into their first home.
What do you like about your neighborhood? "Probably more than anything else, I love the fact that I can walk to work. Probably one of the single most important aspects to my quality of life is, I don't have to get in my car on a daily basis."
- MARY LANE GALLAGHER
AT A GLANCE
NEIGHBORS PROFILE: 'You just feel safe walking around the streets'
CareerBuilder.com Quick Job Search