Located 17 miles south of the Canadian border, Bellingham is in Whatcom County, Washington, the most northwestern county in the continental United States. The area is home to distinct cities and neighborhoods, including the Fairhaven historic district, where the Bellingham Herald began in 1890 as the Fairhaven Herald. Located between the San Juan Islands and North Cascade Mountains, Bellingham offers miles of city hiking trails and is the gateway to Mount Baker, the spiritual home of snowboarding. A growing market with an active, tree-lined downtown, the area has a diverse economy. Bellingham is also home to the 12,000-student Western Washington University.

In 2020, McClatchy transitioned to private ownership when it was acquired by Chatham Asset Management. The Chatham acquisition marked the beginning of a new era of opportunity for McClatchy, strengthening the Company's financial position and enabling it to build on its 150-plus year history of independent, community-focused journalism by investing in local newsrooms.