About Fairhaven
Fairhaven History
From Early Beginnings
Long before Fairhaven was a part of the city of Bellingham, it was one of four settlements surrounding the Bellingham Bay. It was first settled in 1853 as a pioneer settlement, and years later was founded as the town of Fairhaven by Daniel J. Harris (Dirty Dan Harris) in 1883. Fairhaven continued to grow rapidly over the next several years, but by 1903 it became a part of Bellingham. Because of Fairhaven's location on the waterfront, it became a prime location for manufacturing, including the manufacturing of salmon, lumber, and coal. However, after WWII, the manufacturing shifted to downtown Bellingham, causing Fairhaven's population to decline. Several buildings were demolished after this decline, but in 1977, Fairhaven was designated as a historic district, and has since maintained 17 historic buildings.
Fairhaven has had a number of other noteworthy events throughout its history, including the construction of the Fairhaven Hotel. It was known as the symbol of the Imperial City of Fairhaven, and was very grand and modern for its time. However, the hotel saw its end in 1953 when an electrical fire destroyed a large portion of it. It was torn down over the next few years, but as of 2018, a new building known as Fairhaven Towers has been constructed to honor the old hotel. The Fairhaven hotel was once visited by Mark Twain as a guest of C.X. Larrabee and his wife Frances Payne Larrabee who lived in the hotel. He went on to entertain a crowd of 700 that evening in the town of New Whatcom (just north of Fairhaven and now a part of Bellingham).
Fairhaven at one time was also known as the center of Bellingham's "Hippie Mecca", which was said to be one of the highest ranked in the Pacific Northwest on a per-capita basis. Visit fairhavenhistory.com to learn more about Fairhaven's rich history and the buildings and landmarks that still stand today to represent its history.
FairhavenHistory.com
1883
Fairhaven was first established in 1883 by Dirty Dan Harris
93
The annual Ski to Sea race spans 93 miles, ending in Fairhaven
1953
The Fairhaven Hotel, symbol of the imperial city, caught fire in 1953
17
To this day, Fairhaven has 17 historic buildings still standing
Fairhaven Today
As a historic district, Fairhaven will always maintain its old time charm, but there have been plenty of additions made to bring Fairhaven into modern times. The community has a number of new condos, apartments, and homes to support the growing population and the demand for residential real estate in the area. It also has a wide variety of new businesses to satisfy the shopping, dining, and entertainment needs of visitors and locals. Despite all the new additions, as soon as you arrive and walk the cobblestone streets amongst all the brick buildings, and wander the surrounding neighborhoods with old Victorian homes, you're taken back to a time in history that will forever be preserved in Fairhaven.
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