Moving from Seattle to Ellensburg (Yakima, Bellingham: apartment, rentals, home)

[louisa alexandra]

I am looking to move out of Seattle after having lived here for many years. Too crowded, expensive and the vibe is gone. Years ago I spent many day trips in and around Ellensburg and enjoy the area and slower pace. What is the housing/rental$ situation like for retired persons? I am looking to not have a car. How walkable is Ellensburg to easy access to grocery, library etc.? Is there public transportation available? I know greyhound is available. And I am looking for access to Seattle. Greyhound is 2 hrs to and from Seattle - which is about right for commute time in and around Seattle. Information is appreciated.

[Hemlock140]

We looked at property there for the same purpose, future retirement, but after many visits dropped it from the shortlist for several reasons. Not enough rain, lots of dry grass and dirt, too much snow, and every time we went, regardless of time of year, it was windy. We looked it up, and it's averaging 15 mph, all year, but some months have several days at over 40 mph. If you are ok with the weather, home prices are cheap, and if close to downtown you can walk to most of hat you need.

[509]

You don't want to move to Kittitas County until we get a Governor that cares about the environment.

The last TWO Governor's have overturned the County Commissioners and required the building of Industrial Wind Areas covering thousands of acres in Kittitas County.

You don't want to live next to a Industrial Wind Area!!

It looks like if Inslee is re-elected, which is highly likely, even more lands in Kittitias County will have even MORE Industrial Wind Areas.

We do have "the best government money can buy". Looks like the western Washington and Texas energy companies have completed their purchase of Washington Governors.

[poopskooper]

I'm a Central grad but haven't actually lived there since those college days in the late 60s and early 70s when it was still CWSC but I still visit occasionally.

There is a very small transit system, Central Transit, that is run in cooperation with the university and the city. It is a circulator that will accommodate those things you are looking for ...the library, grocery stores, downtown area, etc. You can see the map (which will point those things out) and schedule HERE. Ellensburg is easily walkable as it's flat.

As others have mentioned, it's windy and as I'm sure you know, it will be much hotter in the summer and much colder in the winter than Seattle. Winters back when I was in school were routinely icy but I'm sure the climate is changing where the temperatures are much milder nowadays. I remember the winter of 1969 when there was snow on the ground pretty much the entire winter and the streets and sidewalks were difficult to navigate because of the ice much of the winter.

As far as housing, I'm assuming you are looking to rent rather than to buy? Obviously, both will be substantially less money than it is in the Seattle area. Ellensburg being a college town, will have lots of rentals for students but I'm sure you'll want to be closer to if not inside the downtown area as opposed to be near the college. Many retired folks may not like to be living next to college kids but some may not mind or even prefer it.

Ellensburg is much more "college town oriented" than Bellingham. Even though CWU has just a slightly less enrollment than WWU, Bellingham has almost five times the population as Ellensburg.

As a retiree, hopefully you're in good health but should you be concerned about medical services, E-burg is still a relatively small town. Even though E-burg has a hospital that does surgeries and gets more and more specialists as time passes, you'll still have to travel to Yakima for most specialists and major surgeries.

There is limited bus service run by Yakima Transit between Ellensburg and Yakima. Click here for map and schedule

[louisa alexandra]

Thank you for your reply. I appreciate all feedback.

[louisa alexandra]

Thank you much for your information on Ellensburg, bus schedule, etc. Very helpful.

[louisa alexandra]

Thanks for your input. Still have not decided. The weather on this side of the Cascades is very nice. However, the prices are not.

[Diana Holbrook]

I went to Central WA U in the early 90s and at that time, rental property was really hard to find during the school year. In August, there would literally be a line of students waiting for the paper to come out with any new rentals. They'd be gone in minutes, sight unseen. It was a little crazy.

I don't know the rental market now, but if it's like then, it would be a good town to build and run a student apartment building!

There was a "Ellensburg Wind Gauge" at the local grocery store that was a heavy iron plate on a very heavy chain.

509, are you saying that with wind being the most prevalent natural resource in Kittitas County, we're not supposed to take advantage of wind power? I thought alternative energy was a good thing?

[509]

Originally Posted by Diana Holbrook

I went to Central WA U in the early 90s and at that time, rental property was really hard to find during the school year. In August, there would literally be a line of students waiting for the paper to come out with any new rentals. They'd be gone in minutes, sight unseen. It was a little crazy.

I don't know the rental market now, but if it's like then, it would be a good town to build and run a student apartment building!

There was a "Ellensburg Wind Guage" at the local grocery story that was a heavy iron plate on a very heavy chain.

509, are you saying that with wind being the most prevalent natural resource in Kittitas County, we're not supposed to take advantage of wind power? I thought alternative energy was a good thing?

come and see the environmental destruction caused by Industrial Wind Areas.

[Diana Holbrook]

The sight of the windmills? Or bird damage? Just curious why you are against them.

The first is subjective, and I don't know a lot about the second.