Custer is a small census-designated place in northern Whatcom County, Washington, set in flat-to-gently-rolling farmland a few miles south of the Canadian border. It lies between the cities of Ferndale to the south, Blaine to the northwest, and Lynden to the northeast, with Bellingham a short drive away. The 2020 census counted 518 residents. The community takes its name from Albert W. Custer, its first postmaster. In its early years Custer was known as a shingle-manufacturing town, reflecting the timber economy of the Pacific Northwest coast. The original settlement stood along present-day Valley View and Bay Roads; between 1890 and 1892 it relocated when the Great Northern Railroad came through, shaping the community's modern site. Today Custer is a quiet, rural residential and agricultural place. Dairy and crop farms, berry fields, and small acreages surround the crossroads, and local landmarks include the Cascade Blueberry Farm and craft studios such as Whimsy Art Glass. The community's scale is deliberately small, with most services concentrated in nearby Ferndale and Blaine. Custer's location is its main asset. It sits near Birch Bay, a sheltered cove on the Strait of Georgia, and Birch Bay State Park lies a few miles west. The 18-hole Grandview Golf Course serves as the community's central recreation space. To the south, Bellingham provides employment, medical care, higher education, and shopping, while the U.S.-Canada border crossing at Blaine is minutes to the northwest. For residents, Custer offers rural quiet, farmland, and proximity to both the coast and the larger Whatcom County economy. Its students attend the Ferndale School District.