The turn of the century saw a large migration of Hollanders to the Lynden area. The region experienced most of the Dutch immigration in the early and mid 1900's, spurring the growth of dairies. The Dutch heritage remains a large part of the town's image. Today, Lynden pays homage to its Dutch heritage through locations such as Front Street, which has been made-over with a Dutch theme, complete with its own windmill. Along that street, you'll find a Dutch bakery, Dutch restaurants and numerous antiques stores. Local supermarkets contain Dutch food sections, and Dutch is still spoken by some of the town's residents.

The town lies in a broad valley along the winding path of the Nooksack River, which empties into nearby Bellingham Bay. The surrounding area is filled with dairy, raspberry, strawberry, and blueberry farms.  The Lynden area is one of the most fertile areas of the country with it's sandy-loam soils, perfect for growing raspberries and other bramble crops.  Whatcom County in fact leads the nation in the production of the nation's red raspberry crop.