Olympia's art and music scene is unusually large and active for a town of its size, and its identity as a city remains distinct despite strong influences from Seattle and Tacoma to the North and from Portland/Vancouver to the South. Olympia is a breeding ground for Pacific Northwest alternative culture, and has spawned or influenced many of the   More...

The City of Bellingham formed in 1903 when the cities of New Whatcom and Fairhaven consolidated from what were once four separate settlements (Fairhaven, Whatcom, Sehome, and Bellingham). The local economy got its start in resource extraction, notably coal and timber. The Georgia-Pacific mill on the waterfront, whose site is now   More...