Sunnyland, a residential neighborhood in Bellingham, WA with homes selling in the low $200′s to the high $300′s.  Populated with colorful craftsman and bungalow’s, this neighborhood is seeing a transformation. “Within walking distance to Trader Joe’s” and my favorite SPOT , The Garden Spot, it is centrally located within minutes to I-5, downtown and the university, and Lake Whatcom is just about 1 mile to the east.   It is an older neighborhood that had fallen victim to the landlord and many of these homes were rentals, but with the down market in the last couple of years, this community has caught the eye of many 1st time home buyers and  those that love to restore older homes and along with Trader Joes, is now a very walkable community and largely an owner-occupied neighborhood, as the photos will show. People who take pride in their homes and community.

To the south is a light commercial section with a large number of small businesses including some well-known favorites such asTrader Joes, Garden Spot, Avenue Bread and Deli, and Hardware Sales, to name a few.  For those of you not familiar to Bellingham, Hardware Sales is a landmark here, a family owned biz since 1962 giving Lowe’s  and Home Depot a run for their money!!  They carry everything from general tools to logging equipment to cabinetry.

To the north, St. Joseph Hospital is just a hop skip and a jump from this area and there are two schools in the Sunnyland district, Bellingham High on the south end on Cornwall Ave. and Sunnyland elementary, on the north end on James St.   Right next to Sunnyland Elementary is a small community park, Memorial Park, with park benches, trails and a grassy area for that afternoon soccer game or just lie there and watch the clouds float by.

Here, step on in and take a look…..

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kopg4o5MrpM[/youtube]

The Sunnyland Neighborhood is centrally located in Bellingham and is within close proximity to many downtown public facilities. The neighborhood has a diverse mix of commercial, industrial and residential areas. The northern section of the neighborhood is primarily residential with lower densities in the north and higher density housing to the west. There are many well maintained single-family homes on small lots in the northern area. Many of these homes belong to residents who have lived in the neighborhood for years. Other homes, however, are showing signs of aging and disrepair.

The Commercial and industrial areas of the Sunnyland neighborhood are to the south along Ohio Street and north of Whatcom Creek.