Whatcom County, Washington

Whatcom County, Washington
Whatcom County, Washington
County
	Whatcom County Courthouse in Bellingham
	Seal
	Location within the U.S. state of Washington
	Coordinates: 48°50′34″N 121°50′11″W / 48.84278°N 121.83639°W
Country	United States
State	Washington
Founded	March 9, 1854
Named for	Chief Whatcom
Seat	Bellingham
Largest city	Bellingham
Area
• Total	2,503 sq mi (6,480 km2)
• Land	2,107 sq mi (5,460 km2)
• Water	397 sq mi (1,030 km2) 16%
Population (2020)
• Total	226,847
• Estimate (2025)	236,392
• Density	103/sq mi (40/km2)
Time zone	UTC−8 (Pacific)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−7 (PDT)
Congressional district	2nd
Website	whatcomcounty.us

Preview warning: Page using Template:Infobox U.S. county with deprecated parameter flag. Replace with image_flag.

Preview warning: Page using Template:Infobox U.S. county with deprecated parameter ex image size. Replace with image_size.

Preview warning: Page using Template:Infobox U.S. county with deprecated parameter named for. Replace with named_for.

Preview warning: Page using Template:Infobox U.S. county with deprecated parameter ex image cap. Replace with caption.

Preview warning: Page using Template:Infobox U.S. county with deprecated parameter time zone. Replace with time_zone1.

Preview warning: Page using Template:Infobox U.S. county with deprecated parameter ex image. Replace with image.

Preview warning: Page using Template:Infobox U.S. county with deprecated parameter founded date. Replace with founded_date.

Preview warning: Page using Template:Infobox U.S. county with deprecated parameter seal. Replace with image_seal.

Preview warning: Page using Template:Infobox U.S. county with deprecated parameter density_sq_mi. Replace with population_density_sq_mi.

Preview warning: Page using Template:Infobox U.S. county with multiple other deprecated parameters. Fix those above and preview again.

Sheriff's Department vehicle in Bellingham

Whatcom County (/ˈwɒtkəm/, /ˈhwɒtkəm/) is a county located in the northwestern corner of the U.S. state of Washington, bordered by the Lower Mainland (the Metro Vancouver and Fraser Valley Regional Districts) of the Canadian province of British Columbia to the north, Okanogan County to the east, Skagit County to the south, San Juan County across Rosario Strait to the southwest, and the Strait of Georgia to the west. Its county seat and largest population center is the coastal city of Bellingham. Whatcom County is coterminous with the Bellingham Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of the 2020 census, the county's population was 226,847.

The county was created from Island County by the Washington Territorial Legislature in March 1854. It originally included the territory of present-day San Juan and Skagit counties, which were later independently organized after additional settlement. Its name derives from the Lummi word Xwotʼqom, also spelled [x̣ʷátqʷəm], perhaps meaning 'noisy' or 'noisy water' and referring to a waterfall. Whatcom County has a diversified economy with a significant agricultural base, including approximately 60% of the nation's annual production of raspberries.