Bellingham, Washington

Bellingham is the county seat of Whatcom County in the U.S. state of Washington. It is situated on Bellingham Bay, which is protected by Lummi Island, Portage Island, and the Lummi Peninsula, and opens onto the Strait of Georgia. It lies west of Mount Baker and Lake Whatcom (from which it gets its drinking water), north of the Chuckanut Mountain and Skagit Valley, and Whatcom Creek runs through the center of the city. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 67,171, although a recent calculation places the city's population at 73,469 http://www.world-gazetteer.com/wg.php?x=1122670315&men=gpro&lng=en&gln=xx&dat=32&srt=pnan&col=aohdq&geo=499469753.

Notable people from Bellingham

• Doug Pederson- former NFL quarterback -- he actually attended Ferndale High School
• Hilary Swank- Academy Award winning actress
• Ryan Stiles- actor / comedian
• Death Cab for Cutie- indie band
• Idiot Pilot- hardcore/techno band
• Penelope Houston- musician -- member of The Avengers
• Michael Waters- author
• Amy Clas- artist
• Marissa Mattys- artist
• Joel Connolly - Seattle P-I newspaper columnist
• Steve Martini- Author of several law thrillers including "Critical Mass"