Bellingham named the drunkest city in Washington, and the brewery scene proves it
Whether you’re a Bellingham local or grew up a few counties away, most people associate Bellingham with its brewery and beer scene.
But now, Bellingham has a new title, being named the drunkest city in Washington state according to a recent report by 24/7 Wall Street, a financial news and opinion website.
The report ranked cities by compiling data on reported percentages of people over 18 who reported heavy or binge drinking in the area, along with a report of county health rankings and the umber of alcohol-related driving deaths.
The report found Bellingham to be the drunkest city in the state, the 22.9% of adults reporting to drink excessively, compared to 18% statewide. The report also found that Whatcom County had the 13th highest percentage of countywide driving deaths involving alcohol in the state.
The report follows Bellingham’s ranking as the 17th city with most breweries per capita in the United States in 2019 by Food & Wine magazine.
In 2021, Bellingham had one brewery for every 6,153 residents, according to the Visit Bellingham Whatcom County website.
Bellingham has 13 breweries, although some have multiple locations: Boundary Bay Brewery, Structures Brewing, Stemma Brewing Company, Kulshan Brewing Company, El Sueñito Brewing Company, Aslan Brewing Co., Twin Sisters Brewing Company, Wander Brewing, Gruff Brewing Co., Stones Throw Brewing Co., Menace Brewing Co., Otherlands Beer and Larrabee Lager Company.
Whatcom County is also home to other breweries, distilleries and cideries, such as Fringe Brewing, Bellingham Cider Company, Chuckanut Bay Distillery, Bellewood Farms distillery and North Fork Brewery.
