Sunnyland

AT A GLANCE

Average age: 29.5

Housing units: 942

Assessed median home value: $92,415

Median home size: 1,088 square feet

Schools: Sunnyland/Parkview/Lowell Elementary, Kulshan/Whatcom Middle School, Bellingham/Sehome High School

Shopping: Red Apple Market, other retail stores and offices line James Street south of Alabama. Sunset Square is nearby

Parks: Sunnyland Park, Memorial Park

Mayor's Advisory Committee member: Sandra Pittsenbarger

City Council members: Gene Knutson, John Watts

Police calls in 2003: 1,580

Residential burglaries: 31

Vehicle prowls: 82

Population of neighborhood: 2,282

NEIGHBORS PROFILE: 'It's the kind of neighborhood where people pull together'

LAURIE COUVELIER

Age: 47

Lives on: Iron Street

Lived here: 28 years

Lives with: Husband, kids, dog and cat

What she does: Works in the office for Leading Edge Gymnastics Academy North and as a substitute teacher in the Bellingham School District

Why do you like the neighborhood? "We really like Sunnyland School. It was small and we knew all the teachers. We know and like our close neighbors around us. There are a lot of older houses in the neighborhood and families that have kids that are my youngest's age."

How has the neighborhood changed? "There are a lot more houses that are rentals so the people don't stay as long, so the neighbors are changing more frequently. The neighborhood had a lot of older families when we first moved here, and now they're not there, so the houses are then rented. People just don't stay in the house as long as they used to."

DIANNE KEYES

Age: 51

Lives on: Franklin Street

Lived here: 17 years

Lives with: Husband and two kids

What do you like about the neighborhood? "I like how centrally located it is. It's so easy to get everywhere in a short period of time. I feel like I'm right in Bellingham."

What makes your neighborhood unique? "I guess the kind of people that live here. It is a lower income neighborhood, but there are all types of people who live here. There's retirees, there's young families, there's students, there's immigrants."

What's the most important thing that's happened in the neighborhood? "The traffic circles on Ellis Street; that changed the neighborhood dramatically. That used to be a really busy street, and when I used to take my kids to Broadway Park, we had to carefully cross that street. Now the traffic has slowed down and it's a lot safer on that street."

DAN PITTSENBARGER

Age: 41

Lives on: East North Street

Lived here: 6 years

Lives with: Wife and two dogs

Why did you pick this neighborhood to live in? "The street that we're on, we're close to Cornwall Park. All the houses had trees between the sidewalk and the street. We liked how the area looked."

Why do you like living there? "A lot of the rentals are being bought. (The neighborhood) is on the upswing - people are buying the houses and fixing them up."

Is there anything special about your neighbors or your neighborhood? "It's the kind of neighborhood where people pull together and do what it takes. A few years ago, we had some problems in the neighborhood, and rather than just Block Watch, we actually had a core of people that actually walked streets with walkie talkies. They did every night for two or three months."