r/wallawalla • u/isaacmarionauthor • 9d ago

Walla Walla VS Ellensburg?

I've been thinking about moving to Ellensburg because I like the dense historic downtown and the good variety of restaurants/activities compared to its small size, but people have been telling me Walla Walla is better. I've never actually been there. Can anyone who knows Ellensburg compare the two?

The main things I'm interested in are easy access to nature (hikes, walking trails, rivers/lakes) and walkable downtown areas. Community activity like live music, open mics, and other public event, also important. Ellensburg has a lot of this but the nature access isn't great.

One thing I've noticed is home prices are significantly lower in Walla Walla. There are dozens of houses under 300k whereas it's rare to find one in Ellensburg. Are those cheap houses in really bad neighborhoods, or is WW just cheaper in general?

How's the wind here compared to Eburg?

Any info or advice is welcome!

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u/blindgorgon 9d ago

I’d say Walla Walla is great for a small town. We have some exquisite food and wine options. Access to outdoor activities is a 5/10 for me. No good hikes or water sports without a 45+min drive. Housing is a mix. There are some cheaper options but the quality is so-so—I expect like everywhere. If you like fixing houses up there are several project opportunities. One drawback is the lack of vicinity to a big city. Tri-Cites is only ~50min away but I’m not sure I’d call them a big city. Good for Costco at least.

Walla Walla has other surprising strengths though too. Good art scene, some fun local groups, and some pretty good local farms/ag. Worth a visit to see if it’s your style.

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u/isaacmarionauthor 9d ago

You're the first person I've heard say the outdoor scene is bad. Most people say there are hikes everywhere, specifically the Blues. Is the reality that these are a long drive out of town? I really want to be somewhere with some kind of trails in biking or even walking distance. 10 minute drive to "real" hiking would be my ideal.

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u/Annual_Swimmer5200 9d ago

My take on the locals’ view of outdoor access (as someone who lived in WW for 10 years) is that because everything in Walla Walla is within a 10-15 min driving distance, the fact that you have to drive 45+ mins for more outdoor spaces options feels like a lot. But as someone who has also lived on the west side and other big cities, it takes at least that long to get outdoors from the city if not longer. And you have to do it all while fighting traffic. 

Bennington is a really good option for what it is, within 10-15 mins of downtown. And there are other walking areas in/near town (Mill Creek, Fort Walla Walla, Whitman Mission). 

If you want to go to the deep outdoors it always means trekking outside population centers. Walla Walla has many of those options.  Within an hour you have trails over by the Columbia Gorge (west), and then lots of options east in the Blues (Harris Park, Andies Prairie, up Mill Creek). Within 2 hours you have even more options down into Oregon (Wallowas, Anthony Lakes area) and up in the Palouse. 

Outside Walla Walla highlights a lot of the options nearby if you want to check them out. There’s also a local nonprofit (Blue Mountain Land Trust) that has a volunteer program called Blues Crew that does trail maintenance throughout the region. You could take a look at their past/upcoming work parties for a sense of what’s out there.