Should I move from Poulsbo to Cle elum? (Kirkland, Ellensburg: schools, college)

[Marcidee]

I was born and raised here in Poulsbo. My husband moved here from a small town in Iowa when he was 10. Now that he has a job in Kirkland that he only needs to commute to 7 days per month, he would like to move to the cle elum area (it reminds him of his small town up bringing). He is a hunter/fisherman and loves the area and all that it offers in recreation. This does sound appealing to me, because I love to ski and hike, anything outdoors. From what my research is showing this area does offer a lot of these things that are close at hand.

However we have three small children (6, 4, and 1 yr). And all of my family live in the surrounding area's of Poulsbo. I have a fear of moving away from everything so familiar to me, and yet, so many people do this already, so it must not be so bad. I also wonder about moving to an area I don't know a lot about as far as schooling for my children. If we move, I would like it to be before they become rooted in the schools here.

If anyone could give me any information as to what is near cle elum, such as pediatricians, dentists, schools, shopping, etc. that would be much appreciated.

Thank you,
Marci

[Ira500]

Cle Elum is a real nice town, but has only a couple of thousand people in it. There's no pediatrician in Cle elum, but there are a few family practice physicians in town. And Cle Elum has some good restaurants( a really good Italian place!), as does Roslyn next door. A bigger town with shopping and a real hospital is Ellensburg, half an hour away.

[allforcats]

Cle Elum happens to be my favorite place in Washington state! I don't live there, though, because besides the eminently photographable animals and countryside, there isn't much else there.

Besides what Ira500 said, another thought I had is that for a few months in the winter, driving from Cle Elum to anywhere could be out of the question for days at a time because of snowfalls. Winters vary in intensity and temperatures, as well as in precipitation, but at that elevation in these Cascades, there is always the possibility that you might not be able to get out for a day or two or more, and that WSDOT will close I-90 to do avalanche control which can take hours or, in extreme conditions, days.

[genericbus]

I was in Poulsbo from '74 to '86. I now live in Ellensburg, just east of Cle Elum. YES, you should make the move! My wife and have family on 'the west side' and it is a very simple drive most of the time. There will be the occasional issue with snow on the pass, but there has to be quite a storm before the road gets closed.
The region is wild and naturally beautiful, all four seasons have their charm (yes, four seasons!).
The locals are warm and fuzzy most of the time.
Ellensburg is a college town, so there is a mixture of rancher types and educated types.
Don't forget to check out Rosilyn and Suncadia, too!

[Marcidee]

Thank you very much for your reply. Since I posted my first question, my husband and I have been continueing to look all around that area, lately I have been eyeing the ellensburg area, because there is more in the town. Maybe I won't feel so secluded, like I might in Cle elum. Mostly I want the best place for my kids to grow up. It seems that ellensburg is a nice area for that. My husbands coworker lives in ellensburg and loves it.

[genericbus]

Originally Posted by genericbus

I was in Poulsbo from '74 to '86. I now live in Ellensburg, just east of Cle Elum. YES, you should make the move! My wife and have family on 'the west side' and it is a very simple drive most of the time. There will be the occasional issue with snow on the pass, but there has to be quite a storm before the road gets closed.
The region is wild and naturally beautiful, all four seasons have their charm (yes, four seasons!).
The locals are warm and fuzzy most of the time.
Ellensburg is a college town, so there is a mixture of rancher types and educated types.
Don't forget to check out Rosilyn and Suncadia, too!

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