"Ellensburg - Known for CWU and the Rodeo" Ellensburg by JAFA-Rease

Ellensburg Travel Guide: 11 reviews and 22 photos

A view of Ellensburg from the SouthEast - Ellensburg

Ellensburg is a nice little city nestled in the foothills of the Cascade mountains. It is know primarily for it's annual rodeo and Central Washington University (CWU).

The city has 3 police stations (state, county, city, campus). It is almost always very windy. It also has an almost disgusting number of coffee shops, but hey, it's the Pacific Northwest right ; ) Ellensburg is slowly turning into a commuter town for Seattle.

Ellensburg was considered as a competitor for state capital until the "great fire of eburg". (a whole three buildings burned to the ground) As a result they were pulled from the competition.

- In the early 1900's Eburg decided it needed to make a name for itself. The city had a large portion of land which flooded every year due to mountain water runoff in the spring. So, the town purchased the land (at a very cheap price), all of the residents of the town closed up shop and put things on hold for a weekend, and they diverted the river by hand to keep the land from flooding every spring. They then established the "Ellensburg Rodeo" grounds with the property.

Pros and Cons

Pros:A relatively quiet little city
Cons:WAY too much wind!
In a nutshell:I get to visit occassionally as I have relatives here

Last visit to Ellensburg: Jun 2004
Intro Written Jul 6, 2004
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Reviews (2)

Lion's Rock and surroundings Things to Do (1)

Lion's Rock is located just north of Ellensburg. It's has a nice little camping area, offers lots of hiking... more travel advice

You don't want to be out when this chain flaps ; ) - Ellensburg

Hold onto your hat! Warnings Or Dangers (1)

Ellensburg is nearly always very windy. The sign was setup as a joke which isn't really a joke. In the winter the wind... more travel advice

Travelogues (1)

Written Jul 6, 2004

8 photos

My 2004 Vacation part 1

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Comments (4)

tpal Nov 17, 2004 at 8:04 PM Report Abuse

My friend who lives there tells me Ellensburg is the geographic center of the state. Never would have guessed you could be in Wash. and in the middle of the desert ...Tom
evona Nov 17, 2004 at 3:55 AM Report Abuse

Nice page. The Lion`s Rock looks great :)
Nathalie_B Jul 12, 2004 at 11:02 AM Report Abuse

Liked the travelogue. Wait until mine is ready LOL*** Do you really believe that Gili will help you to plot anything against me??? ha ha ha Good luck ;-))
Gili_S Jul 12, 2004 at 10:54 AM Report Abuse

As more you will travel with your daughter the easier its gets, for sure easier then travel with NAT LOL