Bellingham
Sehome
Wooded hill blocks between the university and downtown.
On the map
Boundary is approximate — refined per neighborhood over time.
Pacific Relocation's take
The in-between hill — campus on one side, downtown at the bottom.
Sehome occupies the wooded hill between Western Washington University and downtown, and that location is its whole pitch: clients can walk to campus, drop to State Street and downtown in ten minutes, and still have the 180-acre Sehome Hill Arboretum out the back door. We place visiting faculty, PeaceHealth staff and graduate students here, plus the occasional family chasing the Sehome High catchment, which is the strongest public secondary in our Bellingham set. The honest caveat is that this is a university neighborhood: the blocks closest to campus are dense with student rentals, turn over every September, and lean toward no-pet apartment stock. We steer families and quieter professionals to the lower-hill streets toward State and Lakeway, where detached houses, better dog odds and less party noise live. Parking on the hill is steep and tight, and winter ice on the cross-streets is real. Inventory is plentiful but seasonal — the best non-student houses surface in spring, well before the August rush.
Lifestyle figures
Best of Sehome for you
Outdoors / hiking / parks
- Sehome Hill Arboretum0.4 km
180 wooded acres of trails and a lookout tower wrapping the hilltop between the neighborhood and WWU.
Directions ↗Pinned on map - Connelly Creek Nature Area1.2 km
Boardwalk wetland trail linking the south hill toward Fairhaven through restored creek habitat.
Directions ↗Pinned on map
Cultural / arts
- Western Washington University0.3 km
The campus and its Western Gallery and outdoor sculpture collection sit at the neighborhood's south edge.
- WWU Performing Arts Center0.5 km
Concert hall and theaters on campus, open to the public for a full season of music and dance.
Cafés
- The Woods Coffee — Bay & Holly0.8 km
Whatcom County's homegrown coffee chain, the closest sit-down cafe at the foot of the hill.
- Avenue Bread — State Street0.7 km
Local bakery-cafe on the State Street corridor between the hill and downtown.
- Mallard Ice Cream1.0 km
Bellingham's beloved scratch ice cream maker with creative flavors like ube and strawberry-basil pie.
- Makeworth Coffee Roasters0.9 km
Specialty roaster near campus students and locals cite among the best WWU-area coffee.
To buy (USD)
| Type | Low | Median | High |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 BR | 320,000 | 390,000 | 500,000 |
| 2 BR | 400,000 | 490,000 | 625,000 |
| 3 BR | 525,000 | 640,000 | 820,000 |
Estimated from local rents — placeholder, pending verified sale data.
Rent ranges (USD)
| Type | Low | Median | High | Δ 12mo |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 BR | 1,450 | 1,700 | 1,950 | ↑ 2.4% |
| 2 BR | 1,800 | 2,150 | 2,600 | ↑ 2.1% |
| 3 BR | 2,300 | 2,800 | 3,300 | ↑ 1.8% |
Source: Rentals.ca + Zumper Q1 2026, refreshed weekly via our rent worker.
Our advice
Before you sign a lease
- Blocks near campus are dominated by student leases that run September–August and reprice every fall — confirm the term and whether you are signing into a by-the-room or whole-unit lease
- The hill is steep and many older units have tuck-under parking or long stair climbs — check winter access and off-street parking before a cold-season move-in
- Washington's 2025 rent-stabilization law caps most increases at 7% plus inflation (max 10%) with 90-day notice — verify any proposed bump against it
Pacific Relocation
Want our help finding a place here?
Book a free 30-min Discovery Call with Pacific Relocation.
Last reviewed 2026-06-11.