AT A GLANCE

Average age: 44

Housing units: 1,155

Assessed median home value: $152,133

Median home size: 1,782 square feet

Schools: Roosevelt Elementary, Kulshan/Whatcom Middle School, Squalicum/Bellingham High School

Shopping: Yew Street Center mini-mall, Barkley Village to the northwest

Parks: Bloedel-Donovan and Whatcom Falls parks border the neighborhood; smaller parks are Highland Heights, St. Clair, Big Rock Garden and Railroad Trail

Mayor's Advisory Committee member: Vacant

On the Web: www.geocities.com/alabamahill

City Council member: Grant Deger

Police calls in 2003: 296

Residential burglaries: 9

Vehicle prowls: 39

Population of neighborhood: 2,833

NEIGHBORS PROFILE: 'Feels like people really do know their neighbors'

JEFF BRAIMES

Age: 39

Lives on: Niagara Drive

Lived here: 4 years

Lives with: Wife, two kids and cat

What he does: President of the Alabama Hill Association

What do you like about this neighborhood? "The best thing about Alabama Hill is the trail system. It really allows you to go anywhere in the neighborhood."

Is there anything special about your neighborhood? "Feels like people really do know their neighbors. I think that comes from being a friendly neighborhood to walk in. Also, it takes a close community to get over the Olympic pipeline explosion in 1999."

What's your favorite neighborhood moment? "I would say our Alabama Hill barbecues. The neighborhood gets together the first Tuesday of August. It's a great time to get together with people in an informal setting, have a bite, and sort of be neighbors all together."

DEAN HASKINS

Age: 47

Lives on: Huron Street

Lived here: 15 years (he's also lived on St. Clair Street from 1959-1967 and Erie Street from 1967-1975)

Lives with: Wife, two sons and daughter

What he does: Business development manager for Trans-Ocean Products, Inc.

Why have you stayed in the neighborhood so long? "It's the neighbors I think we're blessed with that keep us there."

Why do you like this neighborhood? "Whatcom Falls Park. You can walk through on the trail (and) St. Clair Park was just redone two months ago."

How has the neighborhood changed? "The speed of traffic, a lot as the result of Wintree and newer developments over the last five years. It used to be people only coming up my road that lived there and now it's a throughway to zip through."

ROBERT THOMAS

Age: 67

Lives on: Huron Street

Lived here: 7 years

Lives with: Wife and dog Kirby

What he does: Alabama Hill Block Watch Captain for the St. Clair area

Why do you like the neighborhood? "The park is right there near us; there are lots of opportunities to hike and do walks in the park. It's just very convenient to town."

What makes your neighborhood unique? "National Night Out (an anti-crime initiative), we had 80-plus people. The better you know neighbors, the more you know your neighbors, the better it's going to be against crime."

What's your favorite neighborhood moment? "One thing that I really did feel real good about is when the pipeline exploded down there, the neighbors all got together; we took care of what we had to do over here, from directing traffic, searching for neighborhood kids, to helping elderly people."