[1] Whatcom County is coterminous with the Bellingham, WA Metropolitan Statistical Area.

It originally included the territory of present-day San Juan and Skagit counties, which were later independently organized after additional settlement.

[3] Its name derives from the Lummi word Xwotʼqom, also spelled [x̣ʷátqʷəm], perhaps meaning 'noisy' or 'noisy water' and referring to a waterfall.

[4][5][6] Whatcom County has a diversified economy with a significant agricultural base, including approximately 60% of the nation's annual production of raspberries.

At least three aboriginal tribes have been identified in the area: Lummi (San Juan Islands, between Point Whitehorn and Chuckanut Bay), Nooksack (between Lynden and Maple Falls) and Semiahmoo (the northern portion, near Blaine).

This area was part of the Oregon Country at the start of the nineteenth century, inhabited both by fur prospectors from Canada and Americans seeking land for agricultural and mineral-extraction opportunities.

[9] During its existence, that provisional government formed the area north of the Columbia River first into the Washington Territory, and then (December 19, 1845) into two vast counties: Clark and Lewis.

In 1855 the settlers erected a blockhouse west of Whatcom Creek, to protect against forays from the aboriginal inhabitants who were attempting to defend their homelands.

That year the Treaty of Point Elliott was signed, which assigned the Lummi and Semiahmoo peoples a greatly-restricted reserved area.

[8] The short-lived Fraser Canyon Gold Rush (1857–58) caused a short-term increase in the county's population, which briefly swelled to over 10,000 before the bubble burst.

[8] In 1857 the federal government began the field work necessary to establish the national border between the United States and Canada, which had been agreed on as the forty-ninth parallel in this area, and which would also mark the north line of Whatcom County.

As the work moved east, several of the workers chose to remain in the area as settlers.

Adjoining the county on the north (from west to east) are the Metro Vancouver suburbs of Delta, Surrey, Langley, the central Fraser Valley city of Abbotsford and the rural Fraser Valley Regional District.

[citation needed] The remainder of Whatcom County is in the Cascade Range, including Mount Baker.

A small part of the county, Point Roberts, about 5 square miles (13 km2), is an extension of the Tsawwassen Peninsula, which is bisected by the Canada–US border along the 49th parallel.

The highest point in the county is the peak of the active volcano Mount Baker at 10,778 feet (3,285 m) above sea level.

In terms of ancestry, 20.8% were German, 12.8% were Irish, 12.6% were English, 8.0% were Dutch, 6.9% were Norwegian, and 4.4% were American.

[23] Local government is split between the county, incorporated cities and towns, and special-purpose districts.

The assessor, auditor, prosecuting attorney, sheriff, and treasurer are elected independently from the county executive and council.

[25][28] Superior court hears civil cases exceeding $75,000 or requesting non-monetary remedies.

District and superior court judges are elected by the county voters for a term of four years.

In the 2020 election, Joe Biden handily won the county with just over 60% of the vote, as did Kamala Harris four years later.

Additional dispatching locations provide backup capacity to answer emergency calls.

[32][33] The first sheriff was Ellis "Yankee" Barnes who was sworn into office in 1854, during a period in which the border between the United States and British Columbia along Whatcom County had not been fully delineated.

Kavanaugh, who married Princess Tol Sol of the Swinomish tribe, had previously served as the first United States Marshal in the Pacific Northwest.

Pacific American Fisheries organized in 1899 in Fairhaven, and became the world's largest canning operation, employing over 5,500 residents.

The Fairhaven Shipyard constructed fleets of fishing ships, and also produced freighters during World War I.

[8] Whatcom County has a large agricultural industry that dates back to the late 19th century, when communities transitioned from logging after the removal of forests in the Nooksack Valley.

Whatcom County residents are served by public and private schools, providing preschool, primary (K-5), and secondary (6–12) education.

Western offers bachelor's and master's degrees through seven colleges and enrolls more than 15,000 students.