BELLINGHAM - location, temperature, location

Bellingham, WA, 48°45′19.12″N 122°28′43.54″W / 48.7553111°N 122.4787611°W / 48.7553111; -122.4787611 (Bellingham City Hall) --> the northernmost city of more than 50,000 residents of the 48 contiguous states. Further north than all of Maine.

It is a misconception that Maine has the most northernmost point in the Lower 48. However, this is due to the type of map it is. A Lambert Equal-area conic projection, for example, appears to say that the western tip of Washington state is aligned with the northernmost tip of Maine. If you look at a cylindrical projection, you will see that the states bordering Canada west of the Great Lakes are well above the latitude that Maine sits on, and Minnesota has a small triangular tip at the border of Manitoba.

• Northwest Angle/Angle Township in Lake of the Woods, Minnesota 49°23′04″N 95°09′12″W / 49.384358°N 95.153314°W / 49.384358; -95.153314 (Northwest Angle) — northernmost point in the 48 contiguous states
• Sumas, Washington 49°00′09″N 122°15′06″W / 49.00249°N 122.25162°W / 49.00249; -122.25162 (Sumas, WA) — northernmost incorporated place in the 48 contiguous states (Because of a 19th century surveying inaccuracy, the international border lies slightly north of the 49th parallel here.)

Bellingham temperature range:
      Winter  32/51
      Spring  40/67
      Summer  48/71
      Fall  33/58
      Annual Precipitation  36.17"
      Annual Snowfall  8.60"

Monday, 27 Sept. 2010 - CNNMoney/Editors of Money Magazine say Bellingham is #5 of top-25 places to retire:

1. Durham, North Carolina
2. Hanover, New Hampshire
3. Lexington, Kentucky
4. Prescott, Arizona
5. Bellingham, WA

Thursday, 23 Sept. 2010 - National Geographic identifies Bellingham as an adventure town.