Sehome

Sehome is where Bellingham began. In May 1858, coal mine manager Edmund C. Fitzhugh founded the settlement on Bellingham Bay and named it for his father-in-law, S’Klallam chief Sehome. The coal mine closed in 1878, but the town grew, incorporated in 1888, and merged into what became Bellingham. That deep history shows in the neighborhood’s bones: tree-lined streets of Craftsman and Victorian homes, many over a century old, climbing the slopes of Sehome Hill with views of the bay and Mount Baker.

Sehome Hill Arboretum

The 175-acre Sehome Hill Arboretum is the neighborhood’s crown jewel — a second-growth forest laced with trails, topped by an 80-foot observation tower offering sweeping views of Bellingham Bay, the San Juan Islands, and the Cascades. The hand-cut rock tunnel from 1923 (originally for car traffic, now a trail feature) is a beloved local curiosity. Multiple trailheads around the neighborhood’s edges mean you are never far from the woods.

The Neighborhood

Sehome’s housing is a study in contrasts. The streets closest to WWU have older rentals and student housing. Move further into the residential core and you find well-maintained Craftsman bungalows and Victorian homes on sloped lots with views. The Sehome Hill Historic District (National Register of Historic Places, 2001) contains over 200 properties mostly built before 1930. The terrain means many homes have elevated views and terraced yards.

Campus and Growth

Western Washington University sits at the neighborhood’s southern edge, bringing student energy and housing demand that shapes the rental market and street life. The Samish Way Urban Village development promises significant new density. Long-term residents value the walkability to downtown, the architecture, and the arboretum, but worry about parking pressure and the neighborhood’s evolving identity.

Who Lives Here

Sehome has more demographic variety than its reputation suggests. Professors and university staff who chose proximity to campus, families who wanted trails out their back door, retirees in the quieter eastern pockets, and young professionals who split the difference between downtown energy and residential calm. The central location is a genuine advantage — downtown is walkable downhill, and the arboretum trails connect through to the south side of town.