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Western Washington University: Old Main
Western Washington University: Old Main Old Main, Western Washington University, Bellingham, Washington.

Bellingham

Washington, United States
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Football: Soccer-Tuchel wants Bellingham to be a little more disciplined • Mar. 22, 2025, 10:07 PM ET (The Star)

Bellingham, city, seat (1854) of Whatcom county, northwestern Washington, U.S. Located 18 miles (29 km) south of the Canadian border, it is situated along Bellingham Bay (named in 1792 by Captain George Vancouver for Sir William Bellingham) on the northern edge of Puget Sound. The site was settled in 1852, when Captain Henry Roeder built a sawmill at the lower Whatcom Falls. Coal-mining operations began in 1854, and the bay was a temporary “staging area” for the ill-fated Fraser River gold rush (1857–58). Four communities (Whatcom, New Whatcom, Sehome, and Fairhaven) known as the Bellingham Bay Settlements were established by the 1880s. In 1904 they had merged to form the present city of Bellingham.

With railroad connections and improved harbour facilities, Bellingham’s timber-pulp operations, fish canneries, and pleasure-boat building industries developed. Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest is near Bellingham, which is also a gateway to the San Juan Islands. Western Washington University was founded in Bellingham in 1893 and Whatcom Community College in 1967. The Whatcom Museum of History and Art, housed in four buildings, contains documents and artifacts relating to area history. The Lummi Indian Reservation is 5 miles (8 km) northwest of the city. Pop. (2000) 67,171; Bellingham Metro Area, 166,814; (2010) 80,885; Bellingham Metro Area, 201,140.

This article was most recently revised and updated by Kathy Nakamura.
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Western Washington University: Old Main
Western Washington University: Old Main Old Main, Western Washington University, Bellingham, Washington.

Western Washington University

university, Bellingham, Washington, United States
Also known as: New Whatcom State Normal School
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Western Washington University, public, coeducational institution of higher learning in Bellingham, Washington, U.S. It comprises Fairhaven College (an interdisciplinary studies program); Woodring College of Education; Huxley College of Environmental Studies; colleges of business and economics, fine and performing arts, and arts and sciences; and a graduate school. In addition to undergraduate studies, the university offers a range of master’s degree programs in business, sciences, humanities, fine arts, and education. The university’s Shannon Point Marine Center is an 87-acre (35-hectare) research area located at Anacortes; its equipment includes a fleet of research vessels. Other research facilities include the Institute for Watershed Studies, the Vehicle Research Institute, and the Small Business Institute. Total enrollment is approximately 12,000.

Western Washington University was founded in 1893 as New Whatcom State Normal (teacher training) School. Instruction did not begin until 1899. The school began granting degrees in 1933, and in 1937 it became one of Washington’s three colleges of education. It became a state college in 1961 and a university in 1977.

This article was most recently revised and updated by Amy Tikkanen.
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