Ferndale

Sister cities

• Minamiboso

History

A Lummi settlement was historically located on a prairie on the east bank of the Ferndale area. Early European settlers call the area near the Nooksack River the "lower crossing" to distinguish it from the principal river crossing at Everson. Billy Clark, a Texan who came to the Northwest during the Gold Rush, was the first European full-time resident of what eventually became the city of Ferndale. He lived here with his wife and family for over a decade. First settled in 1872, Ferndale was given its name because of the ferns that once grew around the original school house. Ferndale was originally called Jam because the town was located next to a log jam on the Nooksack River, but the original schoolteacher decided it needed a more picturesque name. Ferndale was officially incorporated on March 19, 1907.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which is land and is water. Ferndale experiences a mild climate, with no average monthly temperatures above . Although Ferndale has slightly higher average wind speeds for much of the year, average temperatures, cloud cover and rainfall are similar to other lowland communities in western Whatcom County, such as Bellingham and Lynden. Ferndale averages slightly less snow than Lynden.

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• American Crow

  Corvus brachyrhynchos C.L.Brehm, 1822 · Aves
  17,139
• Black-capped Chickadee

  Poecile atricapillus (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  15,457
• Song Sparrow

  Melospiza melodia (A.Wilson, 1810) · Aves
  15,135
• American Robin

  Turdus migratorius Linnaeus, 1766 · Aves
  13,964
• Spotted Towhee

  Pipilo maculatus Swainson, 1827 · Aves
  13,376
• Mallard

  Anas platyrhynchos Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  11,931
• Dark-eyed Junco

  Junco hyemalis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  11,644
• Glaucous-winged Gull

  Larus glaucescens J.F.Naumann, 1840 · Aves
  10,769

Largest nearby schools

• Ferndale High School
  High · Ferndale · 1,323 students · 18.9:1 ratio
• Squalicum High School
  High · Bellingham · 1,280 students · 20:1 ratio
• Bellingham High School
  High · Bellingham · 1,218 students · 21:1 ratio
• Sehome High School
  High · Bellingham · 1,163 students · 21.5:1 ratio
• Irene Reither Elementary School
  Elementary · Everson · 707 students · 15.4:1 ratio
• Whatcom Middle School
  Middle · Bellingham · 600 students · 16.7:1 ratio
• Shuksan Middle School
  Middle · Bellingham · 579 students · 16.1:1 ratio
• Vista Middle School
  Middle · Ferndale · 572 students · 16.3:1 ratio

Most recent

• M 2.56 — 2026-09-12
  2 km ENE of Mount Vernon, Washington
• M 3.8 — 2026-07-02
  2 km E of Oak Harbor, Washington
• M 2.87 — 2026-06-08
  2 km ESE of Oak Harbor, Washington
• M 2.56 — 2026-05-29
  7 km ENE of Ferndale, Washington
• M 2.54 — 2026-05-07
  4 km WSW of Concrete, Washington
• M 2.7 — 2026-04-27
  5 km N of Anacortes, Washington