A Little About Alabama Hill Bellingham

The Alabama Hill neighborhood, as the name suggests, is along Alabama Street and is just minutes away from Downtown Bellingham! With Downtown  Bellingham right down the street, you have many exciting choices of entertainment, such as: museums, restaurants, shops and events! Downtown Bellingham has many events throughout the year, including: Art walks, Farmer’s Markets, parades, Sky to Sea and many others! There are also several brewery’s in Bellingham, near the Alabama Hill neighborhood! Boundary Bay Brewery & Bistro, Chuckanut Brewery, Kulshan Brewery and the new Aslan Brewing Company and Wander Brewing are all just minutes away!  

There a several unique museums in Downtown Bellingham, such as: Mindport which is a hands-on museum to investigate sculptures and science, the Spark Museum which displays inventions and innovations that changed the course of human history, the Whatcom Museum which portrays a more traditional art museum and Bellingham Railway Museum.

Let’s not forget all of the amazing outdoor activities that are at your fingertips when you live in the Alabama Hill neighborhood. At the top of the hill lies Lake Whatcom! Lake Whatcom is about 14 miles long and over 85,000 Whatcom County residents rely on Lake Whatcom for drinking water. However, locals know Lake Whatcom to be mostly a popular recreational site for activities such as: boating, swimming, fishing, kayaking, days at the park and much more! There are parks surrounding the lake, as well as other neighborhoods, trails and the popular The Fork at Agate Bay restaurant that uses local ingredients!

At the bottom of Alabama Hill, before you reach downtown, there is a shopping center which includes Trader Joe’s for groceries and other small shops including a popular Bellingham women’s consignment store, Labels and restaurants! Blocks away from the neighborhood is a new shopping center, Barkley Village, that offers a variety of new restaurant options, a movie theater, shops and a Haggen grocery store! Many of the restaurants are small local chain restaurants, including: Bob’s Burgers and Brews, Jalapenos and Scotty Browns.

Schools Nearby

The neighborhood is a part of the Bellingham School District and is near several schools for children of all ages including: Roosevelt Elementary School, Kulshan Middle School, Whatcom Middle School, Squalicum High School and Bellingham High School. If you are looking for a quieter neighborhood that still offers access to shops, restaurants, events, beautiful views and a great location, the Alabama Hill neighborhood is the place for you!

Alabama Hill Homes

Real estate in the Alabama Hill neighborhood feature homes and condos for sale in the that range from small (studio to 2 bedroom) to medium (3 or 4 bedroom) family homes. Many of the homes for sale in this neighborhood offer a great place for a family to get their first starter home or condo, as well as homes for sale that are more established! The median real estate price in the Alabama Hill neighborhood is around $242,222, according to NeighborhoodScout. Many of the homes for sale were built between 1970- 1999, with some built from 1940- 1969. This neighborhood also offers great opportunities for families who do not use a car as their primary form of transportation, with a bus line, bike trails and bike lanes! If you do drive your car regularly, there is not just one way to get places, but several! There is also access to the I-5 Freeway just minutes away! If you are looking for a place with access to so many options there is a home or condo for sale for you in the Alabama Hill neighborhood.

Neighborhood Pictures

The Real Estate Market

Many of the homes for sale on Alabama Hill have expansive views of Bellingham Bay, the San Juan Islands, Downtown Bellingham and the surrounding area! This neighborhood is  perfect for catching a beautiful sunset over the bay in the evening or an early sunrise to the east. The Alabama Street hill seen in the picture above, has a steep incline which makes it easy to just float down the hill on your bike, cruise in your car or stroll down the sidewalk to enjoy the view on your way downtown or wherever your day takes you in the beautiful City of Bellingham. There are also several bus stops along Alabama Street to take you wherever you want to go. Alabama Hill is just one of many locations to catch a gorgeous view of the Pacific Northwest in Bellingham!

Alabama Street leads to many connecting streets to take you all over the City of Bellingham, including popular areas, such as back roads to the Bellis Fair Mall for a shopping day and the Meridian area, Barkley Village for dinner and a movie, the Lettered Streets neighborhood, Downtown Bellingham for a night on the town or a morning Farmer’s Market and Lakeway for more dining and shopping areas as well as a sports field and Bellingham Aquatic Center! The location of the Alabama Hill neighborhood is perfect for reaching all areas of Bellingham no matter your interests, hobbies or work!

Sky Bridge

A new feature recently added to the area was a skybridge, known as the Alabama Street Overpass, welcoming guests to the Alabama Hill Neighborhood. Before the bridge, the Railroad Trail connected several neighborhoods, two elementary schools, a major shopping area, four different parks and one natural area. As the name suggests, the trail is built on an old railroad line and was very accessible, until it reached Alabama Street.This bridge now makes it safer when crossing busy Alabama Street traffic when using the connecting Railroad Trail to surrounding areas. The Railroad Trail now safely connects pedestrians to Whatcom Falls Park, the Barkley Village Area, Memorial Park or several different location entrances in the Alabama Hill neighborhood. The bridge also provides views of Bellingham Bay and the City of Bellingham downtown area.

Alabama Hill Houses

The Alabama Hill neighborhood is classified as an urban neighborhood and is right in between the downtown excitement and a relaxing day at the park or lake. Home to approximately 2,300 residents, there are approximately 1,200 houses that are predominantly of a more contemporary design and oriented toward views of the Bellingham Bay and City of Bellingham. With most of the houses built in the area in the 70's and 80's, the Alabama Hill neighborhood has more of an established presence, compared to some of the newer surrounding areas like Barkley Village, but not as established as neighborhoods such as the York District, Lettered Streets or the Columbia neighborhoods. While many of the houses for sale do not have extreme updates on the outside of the homes, many have new and updated features inside the home or backyard!

Some of the updated features that can be seen in Alabama Hill houses for sale include: dual shower heads, new flooring or carpeting, new paint, updated counter tops in the kitchen and bathroom or appliances. Home interiors also include vaulted ceilings, fireplaces or open floorplans. While several houses have new and updated features, all of the houses for sale are waiting for your personal touch and style!

Some of the exterior features of houses for sale in the Alabama Hill neighborhood comprise large decks or patios to enjoy your own backyard, view of Bellingham Bay or entertaining, landscaping, greenhouse or the unique feature of a bocce ball court! There is something for every family in the Alabama Hill neighborhood, whether you are searching for a starter house  for sale to make your own or a more established place to sit back and enjoy the view and watch your family grow.

Parks & Trails Nearby

The Alabama Hill neighborhood is surrounded by parks, including: Whatcom Falls Park, St. Clair Park, Bloedel Donovan Park and Roosevelt Park. Whatcom Falls park is a very popular park that has a history of over a century! The park has over 241 acres of land and includes several features for the whole family, including: the Derby Pond for children 14 and under seasonal fishing, BBQ Grills, play areas, fish hatchery, multipurpose fields, basketball court, picnic areas, tennis courts, several trails and of course beautiful waterfalls! All of the parks have unique features: Roosevelt Park has a small skate element, Bloedel Donovan Park has a boat launch and St. Clair Park has trails that lead into and through Whatcom Falls Park. Parks have some much to offer families of all ages, having access to several in one area with all different features is rare and treasured by Alabama Hill!

There are many running, jogging, biking and walking trails near the Alabama Hill neighborhood that connect through Whatcom Falls park, Downtown Bellingham, surrounding neighborhoods, four parks or to Barkley Village, perfect for a quick morning jog or an afternoon stroll. Trails such as the Railroad Trail connect to many other trails that lead to Whatcom Falls Park all the way to Barkley Village or Memorial Park which connects you to sidewalks, through beautiful neighborhoods that lead downtown. There are many beautiful trails that connect and lead the way through Bellingham and the surrounding areas. Bellingham is proud of all of the trails that are maintained and used, therefor there are trail maps available online!?

Resources;

• Alabama Hill Zoning Map
• City of Bellingham Neighborhood Profile
• Areal Photo