Hi Bellingham is nice. I went to highschool in White Rock, B.C and we used to go to bellingham to get gas and cheese all the time. That area and the Juan De Fuca Islands  are beautiful!  

Is this ranking positive or negative?  Yes, we know B'ham is an outstanding part of the country, but do we really want more and more folks around the world to come here?  Personally, I think the recognition is great, but leaders surely need to plan with the utmost care for our current growth and any spur in growth lists like this one cause. 

 Bellingham and Gainesville:  both college towns (UF is certainly a lot bigger than WWU).  I'm sure Gainesville is also a progressive, cultural haven in that region, much like Bellingham is.  When I think of outstanding college towns, I think of Madison, Boulder, Austin, Eugene, Berkeley, etc.  Pullman, too.  Go Cougs!

Thanks for the comment. Obviously, it was a "best" list and not a worst. Since the mayor was talking about it, he seems pretty aware of the importance of planning. He said, as did you, that such lists make an awful lot of people take a serious look at moving to an area.

My Local is So Cal. My Friends Dave and Cathy own a home which is for sale in Bellingham. So hos is the the residential Market , I always like to here a positive comment from a Mayor. I monitor the comments of our mayors quite often.

val Rensink Exit Desert Ocean Realty

The market in Bellingham is pretty good compared to many parts of the country. Of course it depends on the house, location, price.