10/17/2025
From the Wall Street Journal:
“In central Washington, roughly 80 miles southeast of Seattle in the Cascade Mountains, are the Kittitas County communities of Cle Elum and Roslyn.
“These cities, each under 5 square miles and with full-time populations in the low thousands, were once bustling coal mining hubs.
“Today, the area is popular with high-end home buyers, including tech professionals from Amazon and Microsoft, seeking mountain retreats that offer a sunny escape from Seattle’s gray weather.”
🔗 https://on.wsj.com/46UMzu3
Although I don’t doubt that it’s happening, I don’t think I’ve ever MET a “tech professional from Amazon or Microsoft” who has bought a home here!
(The new WSJ article about Cle Elum and Roslyn focuses largely on the Suncadia resort area that sits between the towns of Cle Elum and Roslyn.)
In Cle Elum and Roslyn, you are much more likely to meet a firefighter, a yoga teacher, an artist, restaurant worker or a small business owner serving the community.
Or perhaps, couples or families coming for a weekend of recreation (camping, fishing, kayaking, hunting, hiking, snowmobiling) or a destination wedding. 💕
You’ll also meet retirees who couldn’t wait to settle down here after years (or decades) of weekend getaways.
Some resisents have fled the urban areas for a small town and slower pace.
Some have been here for years and welcome the business that newcomers bring to thw area.
Some are “old timers” who resent the influx of new people.
But most of the time, everyone gets along surprisingly well… hippies and hunters, young ones who can’t wait to leave the small town they grew up in, and older folks moving here to write their next chapter of life.
What’s your experience of Cle Elum?
What do you enjoy about it?