Learn more about relocating to Whatcom County by contacting us today.
While Whatcom County gets to maintain its natural beauty and low cost of living, within just an hour-and-a-half drive are two huge metropolitan cities: Vancouver, BC is 50 miles to the north and Seattle, WA is 90 miles south. This gives your business prime access to more than 8 million consumers within a short drive. Our real estate prices and cost of doing business are also considerably lower than these two cities.
With a deepwater marine port, railway access, an international airport, and quick access to I-5, Whatcom County’s ideal location can help your product or service reach a global market. We’re also home to the Bellingham Cruise Terminal, the southernmost terminal for the Alaska Marine Highway System, along with an Amtrak station that sees more than 64,000 passengers a year.
To learn more about our local infrastructure, contact the Port of Bellingham.
For Canadian business owners, relocating or opening a branch in Whatcom County is one of the smartest business decisions you could make. You can stay close to your Canadian headquarters, while benefiting from a much lower cost of doing business and a much larger consumer market (the US market is nearly 9 times the size of the Canadian market!). Plus, our four border crossings make it easy to go back and forth between BC and Whatcom County. In fact, some of our community’s most successful businesses originated in Canada, and grew substantially after relocating here.
While moving your business can seem intimidating, our business community has it down to a science. From skilled brokers and accountants who specialize in doing Canadian business, to immigration lawyers who streamline the process, to economic specialists at the Port of Bellingham who help businesses make the transition—Whatcom County is highly equipped to bring your product to the American market.
Learn more about the benefits of relocating your Canadian business to Whatcom County.
There are hundreds of Washington State incentives you can take advantage of—some have an average savings of $100,000, while others offer thousands of dollars in tax credits for new hires. For a full list of incentives organized by industry, check out Washington State Tax Incentives. The City of Bellingham also offers specific incentives for urban villages, affordable housing projects, innovative housing types, and historic preservation. Learn more about local incentives, including green building incentives, on our Incentives page.
From downtown storefronts, to office space, to port property, Whatcom County offers a varied landscape with plenty of room to expand. Plus, our real estate prices are considerably lower than our surrounding metropolitan cities, like Vancouver, BC and Seattle. Industrial sites are also available throughout the county.
With Chambers of Commerce across the county, along with other business groups, like the Whatcom Business Alliance and Sustainable Connections, Whatcom County offers plenty of opportunities to connect and learn from local business professionals. See our Resources page to learn more about local business organizations and resources.
