Goshen was a pioneer town in western Whatcom County

Whatcom County, Washington

Whatcom County is a county located in the U.S. state of Washington. Its name ultimately derives from the Lummi word Xwotʼqom, meaning "noisy water." As of 2010, the population was 201,140. The county seat is at Bellingham, which is also the county's largest city...

 (approximately 5 miles northeast of Bellingham, and 10 miles south of the US

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 border with Canada

Canada

Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

). It was a stop on the rail line of the Bellingham Bay and British Columbia Railroad. It no longer exists. At one point Goshen hoped to compete with Whatcom (now Bellingham

Bellingham, Washington

Bellingham is the largest city in, and the county seat of, Whatcom County in the U.S. state of Washington. It is the twelfth-largest city in the state. Situated on Bellingham Bay, Bellingham is protected by Lummi Island, Portage Island, and the Lummi Peninsula, and opens onto the Strait of Georgia...

) and Seattle for the western depot of the railroad line which was being laid north to Washington State, which would guarantee economic investment and much traffic. Tacoma won the contest. Goshen was a logging and farming community.