Lynden

Lynden is a city of almost 15,000 people (2018) in the Northwest Washington region of Washington State. Lynden pays homage to its Dutch heritage.

Understand

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.

History

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:

“ On Linden, when the sun was low,
all bloodless lay the untrodden snow;
and dark as winter was the flow
of Iser rolling rapidly. ”

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.

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. 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.

Climate

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).

Get in

By car

State Route 539 (WA-539) travels north and south, connecting with the Canadian border to the north and Bellingham to the south.

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

From Canada

Travelers from Canada can cross the border into the US at the Aldergrove checkpoint, then go south for 5 miles towards the city center. See the Get in – By car section of the Northwest Washington article for details.

• 1 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 windmill facade of Dutch Village Inn on the corner of Front and 9th Streets.

By plane

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 International Airport in Canada.

Get around

By foot

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

By public transport

2 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.

By taxi

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)

See

Lynden has a strong Dutch immigrant heritage which is reflected in many of the festivals, buildings, shops and eating establishments. The downtown area begins from 9th St to 1st St, at around Grover and Front St.

• 1 Jansen Art Center, 321 Front St, ☏ +1 360 354-3600. W Sa Su 10AM-5PM; Th F 10AM-8PM. A community art center featuring exhibits and performances by local artists. (updated Jul 2017)
• 2 Pioneer Museum, 217 Front St, ☏ +1 360 354-3675. M-Sa 10AM-4PM. A museum containing a real replica of old downtown Lynden, with full-fledged shops and intricate interiors that tells the history of the town. Also features memorabilia from the World War II's Pacific Theater. Adults $7, seniors & students $4, kids 6 and under free. 

Do

Just like the Netherlands, Lynden is notorious for its farm and dairy produce, some of which you can pick up by yourself.

• 1 Bellewood Farms, 6140 Guide Meridian Rd, ☏ +1 360 318-7720. Distillery daily 10AM-5PM, cafe & store daily 8AM-5PM. In the fall, pick your own apples from the orchard of 25,000 trees or pumpkin from the patch. The distilleries are available for tasting tour on weekends, while the shop sells produce from the farm and the cafe serves comfort food as well as alcohol distilled from apples. Distilleries tour $10/person. Restaurant food $5-10. (updated Jul 2017)
• 2 Lynden City Park, 8460 Depot Rd, ☏ +1 360 354-6717. 8AM to dusk. A park with a huge playground, separated between younger and older kids. It has a small and moderately shallow creek where locals sometimes attempt to catch fish. free. (updated Jul 2017)
• 3 Nooksack Northwood Casino, 9750 Northwood Road, toll-free: +1-877-777-9847. Su-Th 9AM to 2AM, F Sa 9AM to 3AM. (updated Oct 2016)
• 4 Kamm Creek Farm, 850 Hampton Rd, ☏ +1 360 433-7616. M W F Sa 10AM-4PM. A variety of berries that you can pick from the bushes during the summer. (updated Jul 2017)

Buy

Be aware that most, if not all, shops and restaurants in the downtown corridor close on Sunday. Your best bet for finding what you need to buy on that day would be a Safeway or Food Pavilion grocery store at Guide Meridian Road.

• 1 Edaleen Dairy Store, 1011 E Grover St, ☏ +1 360 746-8664. M-Sa 8AM-9PM. A favorite local fare for milk, cheese, sandwiches, and ice cream, though it also houses some convenience store items. Don't miss the ice cream bar, which is their main attraction. (updated Jul 2017)

Eat

• 1 Lynden Dutch Bakery, 421 Front St, ☏ +1 360-354-3911. M-Th 7AM-5PM, F Sa 7AM-6PM. Assortment of Dutch and American style and pastries in this highly adorned bakery. Also features a small seating area with cafe menus. Cafe entrees $5-10, pastries & sandwiches $2-$8. (updated Jul 2017)
• 2 Chandara House, 655 Front St (Access from inside the Dutch Village Mall), ☏ +1 360-393-3068. M-Sa 11AM-9PM. Authentic Thai restaurant run by Thai spouses. Be aware that you can choose the spiciness level for your ordered dish. $7-12. (updated Jul 2017)

Sleep

There are few hotels in Lynden. Visitors can stay at Bellingham, 30 minutes away south of the town.

• 1 Homestead Resort, 109 E Homestead Blvd. A hotel by the golf course, with condo style rooms and steakhouse restaurant. From $80 per night. (updated Jul 2017)
• 2 The Inn at Lynden, 100 5th St, ☏ +1 360-746-8597. Old school building with modern interior. Every overnight stay includes complimentary Dutch bike rental. From $110 per night. (updated Jul 2017)

Go next

• Langley, Canada is 5 miles north across the border, or continue on to Vancouver.
• Bellingham is 20 miles south, or continue on towards Mount Vernon, Everett, and Seattle.

Routes through Lynden

END ← Langley ← becomes ← (cars / trucks) ←	N  S	→ Bellingham → END
ENDS at ←	W  E	→ Sumas → Abbotsford via