Lettered Streets

Lettered Streets is the neighborhood that makes people fall in love with Bellingham. Its grid of alphabetically named streets — A through J — climbs the bluffs north of downtown, lined with century-old Craftsman houses, mature street trees, and the kind of neighborhood texture that takes a hundred years to develop. You can walk to downtown in ten minutes, grab coffee at the Lettered Streets Coffeehouse (housed in a building from 1890 that was once Ahlfords Grocery), and be back on your porch before the morning chill lifts off the bay.

Deep History

The neighborhood’s history runs deep. The Pickett House, built in 1856 for U.S. Army Captain George Pickett (yes, that Pickett, of Gettysburg fame, during his Pacific Northwest posting), is the oldest wooden building on its original site in all of Washington. Maritime Heritage Park, on Whatcom Creek at the neighborhood’s southern edge, preserves both the ecological and economic history of the area — sawmills first drew settlers here in the 1850s, and the park now hosts a fish hatchery and native plant trail.

Walkability

This is arguably the most walkable residential neighborhood in Bellingham. Downtown is a 5-10 minute walk downhill. The Community Food Co-op is right on the edge. Sehome Hill Arboretum is a short climb to the east. WWU’s campus borders the south end. If you want to live car-free or car-light in Bellingham, the Lettered Streets is where you do it.

Who Lives Here

The density and proximity to WWU means there is a strong student presence, but the neighborhood is more diverse than people assume. Long-time homeowners who have been here for decades live alongside young families in starter homes, remote workers who chose walkability over square footage, and the occasional artist collective in a subdivided Victorian. The Lettered Streets Neighborhood Association keeps the community engaged with picnics, ice cream socials, and planning discussions.

The Vibe

The tradeoffs are typical of historic urban neighborhoods: homes are close together, lots are small, parking can be tight, and prices reflect the desirability. The neighborhood became rundown in the 1960s but was thoroughly renovated with new streets, sidewalks, sewers, and home retrofits via Community Development Block Grants. Today it has an unpretentious, slightly scrappy energy. Yards are small but expressive — garden art, little free libraries, political yard signs, and vegetables growing in every available patch of sunlight.