Whatcom County: Lettered Streets
With beer, ice cream, and Bellingham Bay just blocks away, the Lettered Streets neighborhood is one of Whatcom County’s most prized for location. Lisa Kaufman, Todd Eastman, and new four-legged companion Zeke have been enjoying their quaint Lettered Streets house and yard since 2003. It was Bellingham’s accessibility to the outdoors that brought them here, Kaufman said. The couple lived on Bellingham’s outskirts for a year before moving into their current home.
Kaufman staked out the neighborhood by parking in front of the house every day to walk to her job downtown. Then one day, a “For Rent” sign appeared.
“I did everything in my power to get this house,” she said.
As for the neighborhood, the two said they love the community feel developed through neighbors, who spend plenty of time strolling along the blocks and tending their gardens. People take pride in their gardens and homes in the Lettered Streets. With so much activity outside, neighbors get to know each other on an informal basis during a daily dog walk or the route to school.
In the summer, music fills their home from all directions. With open windows, the couple said they enjoy the tunes from Downtown Sounds and the Elizabeth Park Summer Concert Series, as well as any major parade headed down Cornwall Avenue. “You don’t have to plan to go to these events, you can just walk out your front door,” Kaufman said.
While the houses don’t tend to get too big, many are old and full of character. According to a neighbor who had spent her life in the home her father built, Kaufman and Eastman’s lot was once the home of a neighborhood market.
On the Market
$509,000 | MLS# 1103981 2422 F Street, Bellingham
A four-bedroom, 2.5- bath home in Lettered Streets—home to mostly cozy, historic houses—is a rarity. This modernized Colonial has a remodeled kitchen, a peekaboo view of the bay, and an outbuilding roomy enough for storage and even a studio.
STATS
Average Days on Market: 47
Number of Homes: 1,200
Median List Price: $346,500
Schools: Columbia Elementary, Parkview Elementary, Whatcom Middle School, and Bellingham High School
Powered by Jasper Roberts – Blog
