Investing in Ellensburg area, pros and cons? (Seattle, Bellevue: for sale, 2013)

[CrazyDonkey]

Originally Posted by mayfair

I agree that Ellensburg is a cow town.

More of a horse town, it seems to me. Lots of horse ranches thereabouts.

For vacation properties, the OP might look at Cle Elum.

https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/3...61119549_zpid/

[rkcarguy]

Originally Posted by Wheatridger

Corrected, thanks.

Overall, the rural/urban divide seems more stark in Washington. In CO, tourism brings urbanites and urban money to all corners of the state. Our Gold Rush towns have more glamour, and ski areas have diversified into year-round attractions. In comparison, WA is so unspoiled- but seems to have far fewer tourist infrastructure. As if most of the weekend warriors escaping Seattle for the weekend really do stay in backpacking tents.

There is a lot of that going on. With the population here having grown + 1 million in the last ~decade, we have a real shortage of campsites, boat launches, parks, and other outdoor recreation places on the west side. My uncle had to get online shortly before midnight 6-9 months in advance to try to book campsites at the places they want, and usually the site bogs way down for 15 minutes and then everything is gone. He ended up getting a private membership for some west side places and then travels to Eastern WA and out of state for the rest.
I like the rural area and smaller population of Ellensburg, but the college town portion of things really messes up the housing and makes that a no for me.
And yes, it's cold in the winter and hot in the summer. A couple years ago, an unusual arctic blast froze several hundred cattle to death in Ellensburg.
I'd suggest Cle Elum as well, or further down the west side into Issaquah if you can afford it.

[pnwguy2]

Ellensburg is very different from Yakima, Tri-Cities, even Spokane. It feels like a country town in every way. There are rodeos that take place there every year. The busiest part of the city is the strip along I-90 that has all the restaurant/gas, etc. That said, there are many homeowners in the area that are perfectly happy with their town. It is also closer to west side of the State than any significant town in Eastern Washington.

Ellensburg is cold in the winter with an average high of 34 in January, quite a bit lower than Yakima or Tri-Cities. It is also cooler than those cities in summer with an averageof 84, which many would consider a plus. Average snowfall is 27 inches.

[Wheatridger]

...for all your tips and advice. My wife did take the job at CWU, so this has progressed slightly beyond the hypothetical. We have every reason to take it slow, however. She's obtained college housing for several months. I haven't even set foot in Ellensburg yet. Time will tell. She likes the area because it looks like Colorado, while I'm looking for something completely different.

[MtnSurfer]

If you like running, they have wind runs through the wind farms.







If you want more rodeo, this is the place.





Derek

[Wheatridger]

I figure running is the one thing you can do anywhere. And you should do it, because I don't. ;>

[MtnSurfer]

Originally Posted by Wheatridger

...for all your tips and advice. My wife did take the job at CWU, so this has progressed slightly beyond the hypothetical. We have every reason to take it slow, however. She's obtained college housing for several months. I haven't even set foot in Ellensburg yet. Time will tell. She likes the area because it looks like Colorado, while I'm looking for something completely different.

That's good to hear the housing situation got worked out for this term. That will give you both a chance to check out the scene. And with winter winding down, it should have nicer weather. You'll be able to get over the pass pretty easily without any snow to deal with to visit your daughter.

Derek

[stevie60]

The wind is good because it blows the stink from the cattle pens near the freeway away.

[pnwguy2]

Also I-90 at Ellensburg is the last exit for major services as you head over Snoqualmie Pass. Yes Cle Elum does offer some services, but you are better off in Ellensburg. Going west take the first exit.

[Wheatridger]

I'm back browsing through Ellensburg real estate again, and planning an recon trip there in three weeks.

Each time I Zillow around the E'Burg area, I see small acreages, old family farms, out on the edge of town. You can get a house, some outbuildings and three to five acres of land for $500-700K. That seems like a deal to me, with all that land included for a small price premium. Is that an illusion? I know you have to mow it and tend it, but I like that kind of work in my semi-retirement.

The mystery to me is that Ellensburg is a tight market with a housing shortage, as I've been told. So why aren't these cheap acreages being snapped up by housing developers? Is that happening already? One tempting alternative to me is to buy five acres, sell off four, and live in the house on the remaining acre. Are there reasons that does't happen there? Restrictions on subdividing rural land? Is there an anti-development mentality locally?

I'm reading the local Daily Record newspaper online, and it does little to answer those questions. Here in Colorado, local paper are dominated by zoning and development case and controversies. In three months of looking, I've seen not one of these stories. Why would that be? It's not the volume of other news happening in Ellensburg. Can anyone fill in the gaps here?