Living in South Cle Elum, WA
South Cle Elum is a tiny town of 579 people in Kittitas County, Washington. It's about 34 miles from Wenatchee, WA and 72 miles from Seattle, WA, the nearest major city. Summer highs average 81°F and winter highs 35°F, with about 51 inches of snow a year. The typical home is valued around $374k and rent runs about $2k a month.
579people
$374kTypical home
$1,661/moRent
81° / 35°Summer / winter
51"Snow
203Sunny days
134Rain/snow days
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Size & setting
- Tiny town of 579
- A standalone small town, not a suburb
- About 1,440 people per sq mi
- 72 mi to Seattle, WA
- 34 mi to Wenatchee, WA
- 23 mi to the nearest town of 10k+
Money
- Typical home $374k (≈$2,360/mo)
- Median rent $1,661/mo
- Median household income $67k
- Property tax about 0.5% of value
- 3.0% unemployment
Weather
- Summer highs around 81°F
- Winter highs around 35°F
- Dry summers (dew point 46°F)
- 203 sunny days a year (74 totally clear)
- 162 cloudy days a year
- 57 of 90 winter days are gray
- 134 days a year with rain or snow
- 51" of snow a year
- 15 days a year with 1"+ of snow
- Rarely hits 100°F
- 9 nights a year below 10°F
- Usually calm
Safety
- Very low violent crime (129 per 100k), county-wide
- Low property crime (1,028 per 100k), county-wide
People
- Median age 47
- 21% of households have kids
- 22% are 65 or older
- 30% have a college degree
- Mixed community
- 8% of residents are college students
Getting around & homes
- Average commute 26 min
- 4% walk or take transit to work
- 38 mi to EAT airport
- 66 mi to SEA (major hub)
- 69 mi to the nearest Amtrak station
- 78% single-family homes
- Typical home built around 1969
- 91% of homes have broadband
Outdoors
- Hilly terrain
- Elevation 1,929 ft
- 66 mi to the ocean
- 61 mi to a big lake
- Trailhead in town
- 25 mi to the nearest ski area
- Campground in town
- 5 golf courses within 25 mi
Things to do
- 21 sit-down restaurants within 25 mi
- Few or no bars within 25 mi
- 5 coffee shops within 25 mi
- No music venues & clubs within 25 mi
- 9 museums within 25 mi
- 3 breweries & distilleries within 25 mi
- 31 mi to the nearest farmers market
Everyday
- Schools in the bottom 46% of Washington districts (reading)
- Grocery store in town
- 31 mi to the nearest ER hospital
- 56 mi to a 4–5★ hospital
- 2 mi to the nearest vet
- 22 mi to the nearest dog park
- 6 congregations per 10k people
- 23 mi to the nearest college
Politics
- Kittitas County: R+15 in 2024
- Washington: D+18 in 2024
Natural hazards
- Very low hurricane risk
- Very low tornado risk
- High wildfire risk
- High earthquake risk
- Very low flood risk
- Low drought risk
- High winter storm risk
- Low heat wave risk
- High volcano risk