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The tall ships Lady Washington and Hawaiian Chieftain are back in Whatcom County,offering walking and sailing tours and mock battles.
They will arrive in Drayton Harbor Wednesday, July 23, for a five-day visit. Both ships will then set sail for Bellingham Bay, arriving Monday, July 28, for a seven-day stay.
Self-guided tours of the 18th-century replicas are available in port, and a variety of three-hour sailing tours aboard the ships are also available.
And if you really want to experience a tall ship battle of the past, the ships will be staging a mock battles with visitors aboard, several times during their stay here in town. The ships crews will be dressed in 18th century costume.
The Lady Washington was used in the film the "Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl," and "Star Trek: Generations." and was just recently named the new official boat of Washington state. The ships are owned by The Grays Harbor Historical Seaport Authority. For more info you can contact them at (800) 200-5239.
photo courtesty of flickr.com by Marshall Astor
Bellingham moves up Inc.com's list of best places to do business. Bellingham is now number 18 on the list of all cities up from number 37 last year and siits at number 14 for small cities up from number 21 on lst years list.
Inc. says "The list focuses on short- and long-term job growth. It tells us precisely not just where jobs are being created -- a sure sign of economic vitality -- but where the momentum is shifting. For entrepreneurs, this suggests what may be the best places to locate or expand your business."
Forget the big cities, Inc. says, with beautiful scenery, skilled workers, and affordable housing, smaller cities are luring companies in droves.
Thinking about relocating your company to one of these smaller cities? Take a look at Bellingham.
A delegation of 15 visitors from Japan will be in Bellingham next week to commemorate the 50th Anniversary of Bellingham's Sister City relationship with the City of Tateyama, Japan. Tateyama is unknown to tourists, but very well known to citizens of Tokyo, where they escape to in the summer to splash in Tokyo Bay, and stop in the winter to soak in onsen (hot springs) .
Visiting dignitaries include, Mayor of Tateyama, Tateyama City Council President, President of Tateyama Sister Cities Board, Chiba Prefectural Council Memberand other officials, city staff members, business leaders and citizens of Tateyama.
Bellingham Mayor Dan Pike said he is proud of Bellingham's long and successful partnership with Tateyama, and believes international diplomacy on a local, personal level is vitally important to global harmony.
Bellingham Mayor Dan Pike said "Our similarities bond us and our differences make our shared experiences richer, Sister City programs incrementally but surely lay the foundation for a more peaceful world."
Bellingham's relationship with it's sister city Tateyama, Japan, is the second oldest in the State of Washington - after Seattle and Kobe - and one of the longest running in the United States. Exchanges between the cities have included students, musicians, artists, athletes, government officials, medical personnel and business people.
Tateyama is located on the east coast of Japan, about two hours from Tokyo on the southern tip of the Boso Peninsula. Tateyama population is approximately 50,000 and major industries include fishing, strawberry and flower farming, and high-tech industries such as a semi-conductor plant.
The Sister Cities program was created by President Eisenhower in 1956 to create and strengthen partnerships between U.S. and the international community.
Bellingham also has sister city relationships with Punta Arenas, Chile; Port Stephens, Australia; and Nahodka, Russia. Cheongju, Korea and Vaasa, Finlandare slated to become our next sister cities.
Imagine aworld filled with sister cities bringing goodwill to all, maybe we should be striving for a few in the middle east.
Image courtesy of flicr.com by Masashige MOTOE
The road to Artist point will be opened for the season today Friday, July 18.
Road crews have been working this month to clear up to 20 feet of snow from the final few miles so people can get to the end of the road and the beautiful views and hiking trials that are available there. Artist point is 5400 feet of elevation and provides some spectacular views of Mt Baker and Mt Shuksan. It is covered in snow most of the year and has been closed since Friday, Sept. 28, 2007.
The annual effort to clear snow from the last 2.7-mile's of the highway started June 23, after a delaye of one week, by a snow storm. Snow depth ranged from 6 feet at the start of the road clearing project to more than 20 feet at the end, with an average depth of approxiamately 17 feet.

Fairhaven is the one of the southside neighborhoods of Bellingham, It was founded in 1880. It is one of Bellinghams most desireable neighborhoods, with its proximity to the water and it's quaint historic district. It features Marine Park with access to the Bay for kayakers and awesome views of the San Juan Islands.
Fairhaven is also the site of the Bellingham Cruise Terminal which is home to the Alaska Ferry, and considered the southern end of the Alaska Marine Highway System. The Cruise terminal is also the departure point for summer passenger ferry service to the San Juan Islands and Victoria, British Columbia. Nearby Fairhaven Station is home to the Amtack Cascade that runs between Seattle and Vancouver and Greyhound bus terminal.
Fairhaven's beginngs are linked to the legendary "Dirty Dan Harris" who is said to have platted Fairhaven in 1883 and given it a name. At the end of the 1800's, Fairhaven was a booming city where the small town was working growing itiself into the next hub city of the west, hoping to become the nortwest terminus for the railroad . Building was really booming, railroad tracks, commercial buildings, and hotels were all pupping up. When Seattle became the main transportation hub, the residents of Fairhaven were crushed and the city went into a depression for a short period of time. Within 10 years the Pacific American Fisheries, would build the largest structure in the state, a huge cannery to process the area's bountiful salmon. Fairhaven was booming again.
Fairhaven was once an independent town, along with Whatcom & Sehome, they all merged with Bellingham in 1903 to become. the city we know today. Fairhaven has blossomed in recent years with growth of new retail space and businessess as well as lots of condos and the beautiful Village Green in its center where many local events are held as well as a Wednesday Farmer's Market from June through September and the Fairhaven Outdoor Cinema on summer Saturday nights.
Fairhaven'sold charm comes from it's many old brick buildings remaining from the 1800's. Many of them have been restored and the newer building in the historical district have been built of brick keeping the oldtime character.
There are lots of walking trails and FairhavenPark close by as well as the northern end of the scenic Chuckanut Drive, with it's access to Larabee State Park.
Fairhaven is close to Western Washington University and home to many students live in the area. Padden Creek meanders through the neighborhood.

Real Estate Market Report/Conditions for Skagit County, WA for June, 2008
The following is a quick analysis of the Residential Skagit County real estate market.
- Currently Active Listings: 1238
- Price range of active listings - $49,000 - $19,500,000
- Average List Price $453,473 Days on the Market: 132
- Median List Price: $329,970 Days on the Market: 91
- Sold in June: 119
- Average List Price: $335,177
- Average Sales Price: $326,555 Days on the Market: 93
- Median List Price: $265,000
- Median Sales Price: $260,000 Days on the Market: 57
- Pending Sales Last Week: 43
Condo Analysis for Skagit County
- Currently Active Listings: 136
- Price range of active listings - $70,000 - $949,000
- Average List Price $348,411 Days on the Market: 183
- Median List Price $328,250 Days on the Market: 156
- Sold in June: 2
- Average List Price: $294,750
- Average Sales Price: $292,500 Days on the Market: 117
- Median List Price: $294,750
- Median Sales Price: $292,500 Days on the Market: 116
- Pending Sales Last Week: 4
Buyers: Interest rates are still low making now is a good time to get in the market. There are still plenty of homes to choose from and lots have been on the market a long time so there are some motivated sellers out there who need to sell their homes. More homes will most likely be coming on the market in the coming months as spring and summer arrive.
Sellers: There is still a lot of competition right now and if you don't want your home to sit on the market without an offer here are a few bits of advise:
- The most important thing you can do is price your home right, have your real estate agent do a CMA and price your home aggressively, that is in the lower range of similar homes if you want a quick sale
- Have a pre-inspection done to your home and fix any problems
- Give your home curb appeal
- Offer a Home Warranty if it is an older home
- Get rid of clutter, start clearing out your things, even if you have to put them in storage.
- Think about staging your home, get advise from a staging professional or at least your agent.
If you would like some info about Skagit County or Skagit County real estate or living in Skagit County visit my website at BellinghamProperty.com or give me a call.

Here is a graphic look at the Whatcom County Condo Market for May.
Looks like the condo market didn't faired as wellas the residential market.
The average sales price is down 1.2% compared to last year, the median price went down 6.9% compared to last June.
The average price is up 7.9% from May 2008 while the median is down 4.5% from April 2008.
The number of sales is only down by 29 compared to last year and days on market about the same as last year.
For more information about Whatcom County Real Estate or Whatcom County Real Estate statistics visit my website at BellinghamProperty.com

The market is still looking a bit better in terms of price this month in the Whatcom County Residential Real Estate Market, but the number of sales is down considerably.
The average sales price is up 3.7% compared to last year, the median price went up 1.5% compared to last June. The average price is up 17.1% and median up 10.6% from last month.
The number of sales is down considerably by 122 compared to last year which translates to 39% and days on market average and median times on the market are about the same.
or more information about Whatcom County Real Estate or Whatcom County Real Estate statistics visit my website at BellinghamProperty.com
Real Estate Market Report/Conditions for Whatcom County,WA for June, 2008
The following is a quick analysis of the Residential Whatcom County real estate market.
- Currently Active Listings: 1797
- Average List Price $454,525 Days on the Market: 110
- Median List Price: $349,900 Days on the Market: 74
- Sold in June: 190
- Average List Price: $361,272
- Average Sales Price: $351,727
- Ratio of List to Price: 97.4% Days on the Market: 87
- Median ListPrice: $299,950
- Median Sales Price: $292,000 Days on the Market: 58
- Ratio of List to Price: 97.7%
- Pending Sales Last Week: 71
Condo Analysis for Whatcom County
- Currently Active Listings: 502
- Average List Price $283,467 Days on the Market: 176
- Median List Price $219,500 Days on the Market: 104
- Sold in June: 40
- Average List Price: $232,650
- Average Sales Price: $223,620 Days on the Market: 133
- Ratio of List to Price: 96.9%
- Median List Price: $189,450
- Median Sales Price: $188,950 Days on the Market: 75
- Ratio of List to Price: 94.2%
- Pending Sales Last Week: 9
Buyers:Interest rates are still low making now is a good time to get in the market. There are still plenty of homes to choose from and lots have been on the market a long time so there are some motivated sellers out there who need to sell their homes. More homes will most likely be coming on the market in the coming months as spring and summer arrive.
Sellers: There is still a lot of competition right now and if you don't want your home to sit on the market without an offer here are a few bits of advise:
- The most important thing you can do is price your home right, have your real estate agent do a CMA and price your home aggressively, that is in the lower range of similar homes if you want a quick sale
- Have a pre-inspection done to your home and fix any problems
- Give your home curb appeal
- Offer a Home Warranty if it is an older home
- Get rid of clutter, start clearing out your things, even if you have to put them in storage.
- Think about staging your home, get advise from a staging professional or at least your agent.
If you would like some info about Whatcom County or Bellingham real estate or living in Whatcom County or Bellingham visit my website at BellinghamProperty.com or give me a call.
Lynden Real Estate Market Report for J:une, 2008
The following is a quick analysis of the Lynden real estate market.
- There are currently 164 homes for sale.
- Homes are priced from $179,000 - $1,440,000
- Average Asking Price is $403,019 Days on Market are 103 days
- Median Asking Price is $359,450 Days on Market are 77 days
- Homes sold in June: 20
- Average Listing Price $326,873
- Average Sold Price $320,048 Days on the Market 142
- Median Listing Price $324,450
- Median Sold Price $324,450 Days on Market 85
- Homes Pending last week: 4
Condo Analysis for Lynden
- There are currently 36 condos for sale.
- Condos are priced from $134,900 - $409,950
- Average List Price $234,875 Days on the Market: 128
- Median List Price $228,475 Days on the Market: 81
- Condos Sold in June: 2
- Average List Price: $194,900
- Average Sales Price: $194,450 Days on the Market: 53
- Median List Price: $194,900
- Median Sales Price: $194,450 Days on the Market: 53
- Pending Sales Last Week: 3
Buyers: Interest rates are still low making now is a good time to get in the market. There are still plenty of homes to choose from and lots have been on the market a long time so there are some motivated sellers out there who need to sell their homes. More homes will most likely be coming on the market in the coming months as spring and summer arrive.
Sellers: There is still a lot of competition right now and if you don't want your home to sit on the market without an offer here are a few bits of advise:
- The most important thing you can do is price your home right, have your real estate agent do a CMA and price your home aggressively, that is in the lower range of similar homes if you want a quick sale
- Have a pre-inspection done to your home and fix any problems
- Give your home curb appeal
- Offer a Home Warranty if it is an older home
- Get rid of clutter, start clearing out your things, even if you have to put them in storage.
- Think about staging your home, get advise from a staging professional or at least your agent.
If you would like some info about Lynden real estate or living in Lynden visit my website at BellinghamProperty.com or give me a call.
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Michael Eisenberg, Bellingham Realtor
Bellingham, WA
More about me
Fairhaven Realty
Office Phone: (360) 676-8990
Cell Phone: (360) 739-6981
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