Lynden

Lynden was begun in 1871 and established in 1874 by Holden and Phoebe Judson near the site of the Nooksack Indian village Squahalish (Nooksack: Sqwehálich). It was named by Phoebe Judson after the riverside town in Hohenlinden, a poem by Thomas Campbell, stating:

According to her book, A Pioneer's Search for an Ideal Home, she changed the spelling to "Lynden" to be more visually appealing. Lynden was incorporated as a town on March 16, 1891.

The town lies in a broad valley along the winding path of the Nooksack River, which empties into nearby Bellingham Bay. The surrounding area is filled with dairy, raspberry, strawberry, and blueberry farms. Even though not founded by them, the region saw significant Dutch immigration in the early and mid-1900s, spurring the growth of dairies. Today, Lynden pays homage to some of its Dutch heritage through locations such as buildings on Front Street, where some businesses have been made-over with a Dutch theme, complete with a windmill. Along that street, you'll find the Lynden Dutch Bakery, Dutch Mother's Restaurant, and numerous local businesses. Some local supermarkets contain Dutch food sections, but Dutch is spoken by very few of the town's residents today. The population has grown substantially, with Dutch being more predominate than other ethnic ancestry.

Lynden has perhaps some of the coolest weather in Western Washington, due to its far north location.

The winter temperatures commonly range between the upper 20s (about -3°C) to mid 40s (nearly 10°C). During a cold outbreak however, bitter and dry winds whip from the Fraser River north of the border, dropping temperatures to the teens(below -10°C). As a result, snow can be worse in this area compared to the rest of the Western Washington lowlands, though occurrence is on average only 2 or 3 annually.

Summer temperatures are cool with temperatures ranging from the lower 50s F (10°C) to the lower 70s (around 20°C).

From Interstate 5, take the Exit 270 towards eastbound Birch Bay Lynden Road or Exit 256 towards northbound Meridian St (Washington Route 539), both of which will take you straight towards Lynden.

Travelers from Canada can cross the border into the US from Aldergrove checkpoint, in which they can go straight for 5 miles towards the city center.

Lynden has a small municipal airport (38W) that can be used for private aircraft. Commercial flights may land at Bellingham and Seattle in the United States, as well as Vancouver in Canada.

These taxi companies serve Lynden and the rest of Whatcom and Skagit Counties. As the number of taxi cars are scarce while serving two counties, it is advised that you call ahead in case you need one.

• Yellow Cab Inc., ☏ +1 360 733-8294, toll-free: +1 877 766-8294. Pick-up $2.50, each 1/9 mile $0.30. (updated Jul 2017)
• Your Cab Company, ☏ +1 360 746-4943. Their taxis can fit up to 6 people. (updated Jul 2017)

Uber and Lyft reaches out to passengers from both Whatcom and Skagit County, including from Oak Harbor and Camano & Whidbey Islands.

Highway WA-539 travels north and south, connecting with the Canadian border to the north and Bellingham to the south.

• 🌍 Aldergrove - Lynden (Aldergrove, BC (Highway 13) - Lynden, WA (WA-539, the Guide Meridian)). Daily 8AM to midnight. NEXUS lane to United States only. Open to all vehicles. (updated Aug 2023)

The downtown area is compact enough to be explored on foot.

🌍 Whatcom Transportation Authority (WTA), ☏ +1 360-676-7433. Operates public transit bus service in Whatcom County including Bellingham, Blaine, Ferndale, Lynden, and Sumas. Also operates bus route 80X traveling north from Burlington and Mount Vernon in Skagit County to Bellingham. (updated Sep 2022)

• Route 26 travels between Bellingham and Lynden. Within Lynden, the route makes a counterclockwise loop around the city. The bus runs every 90 minutes on all days. The bus runs from 6:30AM to dusk on weekdays and 8AM to dusk on weekends.