Emergency Biohazard Cleanup Near Custer Historic District Custer, WA

Custer is an unincorporated census-designated place in Whatcom County, Washington, named in 1886 for Albert W. Custer, an early settler who was the town's first storekeeper and postmaster, rather than for the famous general associated with Custers in other states.

The town originally stood at the intersection of today's Valley View and Bay Roads, and moved to its present location in 1890-1892 with the coming of the railroad.

The 2020 census counted 518 residents in Custer, a jump of about 41.5 percent from 366 in 2010; in 2000 it had 299 residents in 108 households.

The CDP covers 1.8 square miles, all of it land.

Country singer Loretta Lynn lived in Custer in the 1950s and early 1960s, as a young wife and mother at the start of her career.

In December 2020, a train derailment in Custer spilled roughly 30,000 gallons of crude oil; most of the oil burned or evaporated, though up to about 8,000 gallons could not be recovered and groundwater cleanup was expected to take years.

Custer is served by the Ferndale School District.