Artists in Cle Elum / Roslyn Area? (Seattle, Snoqualmie: houses, living in, shops)

[michelesuz]

Hello,

My husband and I are considering moving to Cle Elum / Roslyn area. We are still familiarizing ourselves with the community and we love what we've seen so far. We are especially excited about the small-town feel and all of the outdoor activites. My husband designs bicycles for a living and is an avid mountain biker. I'm an artist and I'm curious if there are many artists living in the area. If anyone has any information about local arts, I would greatly appreciate the info. Also, I know it snows quite a bit, but does the snow tend to stay on the ground throughout most of the winter? I'm just curious. I love the snow!

Thanks,
Michele

[odiebear]

Hi Michele - I don't live there but I believe the snow DOES stay all winter. In fact, they get a lot of it. Don't know if you were a Northern Exposure fan (filmed in Roslyn), but Joel's cabin collapsed from the weight of the snow. As for artists making a living, I would imagine with the influx of visitors/residents from the new development in the area, an artist would do well. I envy you your move to the area! Good luck!

[Transitioner]

Can anyone tell me where 7th hilll is?

[bjorker]

Wow, Odiebear, I didn't know that about Joel's cabin! That's sad. Yeah, I'm a big geeky Northern Exposure fan. :P

Still, that's what brought me to Roslyn the few times I've been there, and regardless of my fandom... I love that place. Last time, I actually drove through some of the side streets and just fell in love with the houses and the feeling I got from the neighbourhood. I just don't get that feeling where I live (Seattle suburbia). I started thinking about how cool it would be to be able to live out there... though granted I don't know what that would involve or how we would make a living (hubby is a Microsoft geek). So I guess what I am saying is that I'm jealous.

[happygardengirl]

Michele: I've lived in Roslyn for about 7 years. Although there are people who call themselves artists and would like to believe they are artists, in fact, there aren't really artists here. Mostly, Roslyn is a pretty, quiet little town, but you can't expect too much. And, yes, the snow is on the ground all winter. From about November until around March. Last winter (2006-2007) was especially hard. Temperatures below zero, or hovering right around it, about 5 feet of snow on the ground, wind, sleet, ice, darkness, power outages...everything you can think of. It gets on your nerves after a while. You can't get by without all-wheel drive, snow tires and a good home heating system. Oh, and the city snow plow that piles the snow and ice from the street into the driveways, so you can't get in or out without your own plow...But, if you can make it through, the summers are glorious...hot, sunny, daylight from 5 a.m. until 10 p.m., hiking, swimming, gardening, riding bikes, taking walks. Butterflies, birds singing, bees buzzing. It's wonderful. By the way, if your husband is in the mountain bike business he should be ok. There's a small but dedicated biking community here. He'll make lots of contacts just by hanging out at the bike shops. It's taken me all this time to get used to Roslyn, but now I find I can't imagine living anywhere else. And, I work on the other side of the mountains! So, I drive Snoqualmie Pass every day, in every kind of weather...my commute is about 75 minutes, one way. But, even that can't make me move.