Bellingham

 The name of Bellingham was originally given to the stretch of land along the bay near Boulevard Park. The town of Bellingham, located to the south of Sehome and to the north of Fairhaven was settled in 1853 and platted in 1871 by proprietors A.A. Denny, David Phillips, and Dexter Horten of Seattle. The township spanned the donation land claim originally staked by William Prattle in 1854. The town of Bellingham was never incorporated and failed to prosper alongside its sister bay communities. With the assistance of Fairhaven developer Nelson Bennett, the floundering community incorporated with Fairhaven in 1890. When Fairhaven and Whatcom merged to form the City of Bellingham in 1903, the forgotten town of Bellingham was resurrected to name the new community. After years of competition, neither Fairhaven nor Whatcom were willing to lose its identity to the other and Bellingham seemed a natural compromise.