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Written by theBlacks on 07 Nov, 2003
I first saw the little hamlet nestled among the firs at the foot of the nation's number one "most scenic" national highway (the Mather Memorial) in 1983. The name – Enumclaw -- comes from the Indians and describes a magical, spiritual force. Truly…Read More
I first saw the little hamlet nestled among the firs at the foot of the nation's number one "most scenic" national highway (the Mather Memorial) in 1983. The name – Enumclaw -- comes from the Indians and describes a magical, spiritual force. Truly it still applies. Only seven years after my first acquaintance with the town, which is the gateway to Mount Rainier National Park, I moved here. I teach school. My eight children are involved in sports, community projects, church, and youth clubs. This town has it all: small size, low prices, 3 theatre companies, an orchestra, the 61st best hospital in America, a quaint "touristy" 4-block downtown, 3 annual arts and crafts fairs, an annual log show, rodeo, county fair and antique auto show, the state bluegrass finals, the national Scottish games day, 21 restaurants, one hotel, murals painted on the buildings, 4 art galleries, 6 homes on the national register, 3 beds and breakfast, church bells pealing every Sunday morning, city parks every 8 blocks, farms, the finest state park in the state (2 miles), 2 country markets, the National Park (15 miles) and views of powerful, magnificent Mt. Rainier from every single street and corner in the town. At 35 miles (55 minutes) from downtown Seattle, it is the bedroom community of choice for the city -- and has long been favored by pilots from all major airlines. (In fact, we have 3 private airports.) But real estate is still 1/6 of Seattle's prices and 1/10 of what Vail, Whistler, or Jackson Hole command. But not for long. Enumclaw is being discovered. The downtown was just remodeled, with inlaid sidewalks, lighting, and other decor. The Seattle suburbs have reached their growth caps. The property values here have been climbing, even as the state as a whole is in the worst recession in the nation. So there has never been a better time to visit, or even move to, the finest, friendliest, undiscovered cultural, family, retirement town in America. Close