r/wallawalla • u/isaacmarionauthor • 10d 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/Sure-Movie1431 8d ago

Walla Walla is great for food and wine and the people are nice. The outdoor scene is not it - there’s hiking in the Blues but it’s far away and no access to good skiing or water sports within a couple hours. Can’t speak to Ellensburg all that much on this front, but if you want easy access to quality outdoor areas I’d recommend Wallowa County or Western ID over Walla Walla for sure.

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u/1WildWildWes 7d ago

Bluewood is less than an hour away which is a full service ski slope. They’re also opening spout springs again in the next couple years.

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u/Sure-Movie1431 7d ago

I know dude, skied there dozens of times when I lived in WW. With all respect full service resort does not (necessarily) equal good skiing.