‘The Truth is Out There,’ and a new study says you may find it right here in Bellingham
If you believe the “truth is out there” about UFOs and extra terrestrials or believe in paranormal encounters and that ghosts are real, you’ve picked a pretty good place to live.
It’s not like we live near Area 51, and we certainly don’t have a haunted house on every other corner, but Bellingham has had its share of supernatural sightings, according to a new study.
Gambling information website Great Lakes Stakes analyzed which areas have had the most reported UFO and ghost sightings across the U.S., and found Bellingham has had the sixth-most reports of “something spooky” in the state of Washington with 158 reports.
The Evergreen State, as a whole, had the fourth most reported supernatural sightings in the U.S., according to the study, which found 8,011 total reports have been made in Washington.
“From aliens to ghosts, the notion of the supernatural has often been a talking point in the U.S., with many searching for proof that paranormal beings exist,” the report states. “And with reports highlighting the growing potential of non-earth life discovery, where might be the best place to spot a sighting of the supernatural for yourself?”
The state with the most supernatural sightings was California with 22,045, including the nation’s most UFO sightings (15,072) and 6,973 ghost sightings. Texas had the most ghost sightings, with 7,382, and was second in overall supernatural sightings (13,013) with 5,631 UFO sightings reported.
The report collected data from the National UFO Reporting Center and Ghosts of America. It then calculated the odds of seeing a supernatural event in each state, using the state’s population.
Maine ended up being the state where each resident had the best chance to see a supernatural event with odds at +71,900, according to the study, followed by Vermont (+78,600) and Montana (+82,300).
Though Washington had the fourth-most events, it ranked No. 7 in terms of odds to see an event at +98,500. Oregon was eighth at +99,100, while Idaho is 10th at +107,000.
Bellingham’s 158 supernatural sightings rank behind Seattle (820), Spokane (343), Vancouver (257), Tacoma (223) and Everett (172). Yakima (156), Olympia (152), Bremerton (126) and Auburn (125) make up the rest of the top 10 in the state, according to the report.
Using the report’s formula for figuring odds of seeing a supernatural event, The Bellingham Herald found Bellingham residents have odds of +57,900, which ranks third among state’s top 10 cities in terms of total reported sightings, behind only Bremerton (+34,500) and Olympia (+36,600).
So the question now, Bellingham, is do you believe?
This story was originally published March 19, 2022 at 5:00 AM.
