Lynden WA | Lynden Washington History

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Lynden was officially incorporated on March 16, 1891.

It was named by Phoebe Judson after Hohenlinden, a poem by T. 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 the Ideal Home she changed the spelling of Linden so it would look prettier.

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. The region saw significant Dutch immigration in the early and mid 1900s, spurring the growth of dairies. Today, Lynden pays homage to its Dutch heritage through locations such as Front street, which has been made-over with a Dutch theme, complete with its own windmill. Along that street, you'll find a Dutch bakery, Dutch restaurants and numerous antiques stores. Local supermarkets contain Dutch food sections, and Dutch is still spoken by some of the town's residents.

The town is noted for its manicured lawns, cheery gardens, Dutch architecture, and abundance of Reformed churches. A Dutch festival is held each spring complete with a parade, street sweeping, and "klompen" (wooden shoe) dances. In August, the Northwest Washington Fair lures thousands, and allows locals to display their agricultural products, art, and crafts.

Lynden has gained recent renown for its infamous Lynden Drug Tunnel, built by a band of Canadian drug-smugglers in the basement of a residence north of Lynden.

Lynden used to hold the world record for most churches per square mi. and per capita. Lynden is one of the few cities in the world whose main entrance is in between two cemeteries. Also, most stores in Lynden are closed on Sunday for religious reasons. The purchase of alcohol is also not permitted within the city limits on Sundays, nor is dancing in licensed establishments (liquor retailers) at any point during the week. Manifestations of this are obvious to the visitor - bars closing at 2:00 a.m. on Sunday, and the retractable chain link fence locked over the beer and wine in the grocery after last call or on Sundays.

As of the census of 2000, there were 9,020 people, 3,426 households, and 2,500 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,208.8 people per square mile (853.6/km²). There were 3,592 housing units at an average density of 879.6/sq mi (339.9/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 93.07% White, 0.27% African American, 0.45% Native American, 2.26% Asian, 2.51% from other races, and 1.44% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.73% of the population.

There were 3,426 households out of which 34.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 62.8% were married couples living together, 7.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.0% were non-families. 24.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.60 and the average family size was 3.11.

In the city the population was spread out with 28.2% under the age of 18, 8.0% from 18 to 24, 25.5% from 25 to 44, 19.0% from 45 to 64, and 19.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 89.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 84.7 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $42,767, and the median income for a family was $50,449. Males had a median income of $39,597 versus $23,292 for females. The per capita income for the city was $20,639. About 4.1% of families and 6.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 4.5% of those under age 18 and 12.7% of those age 65 or over.