As prices increased in Bellingham and other cities in Whatcom County through the 80's and 90's, people began to look for less expensive homes and land outside of cities. The graph below shows housing starts in unincorporated Whatcom County (dark blue) compared to Bellingham (light blue/green) and other cities in Whatcom County (red). Notice that at the peak of housing starts in 2005, there were over 1000 starts in Whatcom County vs around 400 in Bellingham, and 200 in other cities in Whatcom County. Also notice the plumit in housing starts in 2009. New construction has essentially gone to zero in Whatcom County.