Columbia Eldridge is a many faceted community with local businesses set amongst old and new residential architecture as well as beautiful old churches, and a few community parks.
One of the many attributes enjoyed by not only the residents but other visitors to Columbia is how walkable it is. So many enjoy walking the different blocks and viewing all of the different homes, colors and gardens.

Take a walk to Elizabeth Park  with walking paths, playground and tennis courts, not to mention its own set of ” residents” -  the local squirrel family.  Carl Lobe Park is a small park on Eldridge Ave. with a small grassy area and newly remodeled playground.  To the north is the Squalicum  Creek Park and Baseball Diamond, a great place, of course, to take in a ball game, or a great place to take the dog for a walk with its large bowl set back away from the road.

As I stated earlier, there are also quite a few local businesses that sit on the eastern border of Columbia on Meridian St.
To name a few, Cascade Pizza, Coffee Bean, The newly opened The Fountain, a coffee and wine bistro and of course, ReStore, a home remodeling center filled with architectural details from local teardowns or donations.  You name it you can find it at ReStore, from cabinetry to glass door knobs to paint to bath fixtures, Very cool place.

Columbia elementary school,  a highly rated public school, is here in this neighborhood, hence the namesake.

Click on the link to view the  photo tour of this wonderful community.

http://picasaweb.google.com/Roberta1318/ColumbiaEldridgeAPhotoEssay02#

The historical Columbia district is the second oldest neighborhood in Bellingham. The community is mostly made up of turn of the century single-family homes, tree-lined streets, and parks. The selection of older, well-kept character homes gives the neighborhood an established Northwest feeling, and the number of parks in the neighborhood, the largest being Elizabeth Park, makes the community very child friendly. Columbia also has a “neighborhood” elementary school in the middle of the neighborhood, Columbia Elementary, reputable for the students’ high WASL scores