English Graduate Programs

Population: 85,000
Geographic Location/Features: Pacific Northwest, located on the Puget Sound.
Climate: Mild, typical of the Pacific Northwest.

About Bellingham: Bellingham is located approximately a two hour drive or a cheap Bolt bus ticket from Seattle, Washington, and Vancouver, Canada. Its proximity to geographic features such as the Puget Sound, Mount Baker Wilderness, and the Chuckanut Mountains makes it ideal for those who love to hike, bike, ski, kayak, or backpack. Average temperatures range from 44-59 Fahrenheit with winter lows seldom dipping beneath 15F during winter and rarely exceeding 90F in summer. Within Bellingham, trails and parkland interweave through commercial districts and neighborhoods with historic Victorian homes. The town features features two main town centers, Fairhaven and Downtown, and both within walking distance from Western’s main campus. It has numerous cafes, restaurants, independent cinemas and bookstores, small museums, breweries, boutiques, nonprofits, and local businesses. Activities include Downtown Sounds and the Concert in the Park series and Western’s Bellingham Concerts, Friday night art walks and the summer Friday night markets, the Ski-to-Sea marathon, and the Farmers’ Market. Please see the City of Bellingham for more information about the town’s features and activities.

Please view the Western Washington University Flikr for more images of life at Western and in the Pacific Northwest.