GETTING AROUND TOWN
Any supply list for a Central Washington University student needs to contain one particular item — a good pair of shoes.
Whether you’ve got a class to get to or you just want to stroll and take in nature, you’re in luck, because the CWU campus and the surrounding community were made for walking. A compact footprint, flat grading and an abundance of wide pedestrian malls make the Ellensburg campus a breeze to navigate on foot. Ellensburg’s vibrant downtown area — home to numerous and varied local businesses — can be reached on foot from campus in just five or six minutes. Most necessities are within easy walking range for students located on or near campus. The campus also has easy access to the cross-state Palouse to Cascades Trail (what locals still call the John Wayne Trail). Not everything is an easy walk, though. Ellensburg’s southern end can be a bit of a trek. Students looking to take in a movie at Grand Meridian Cinema or partake of the local fast food row, might find themselves with a 30-40 minute one-way excursion on their hands.
Bringing your own vehicle
For a trip like that, a vehicle would come in handy.
KV
Kittitas Valley Healthcare
Your Home for Health
Freshman are allowed to have vehicles, but there’s no guarantee finding parking will be easy. Parking in many lots on campus requires a permit; for students, those run $116 per quarter or $247 for a calendar year. If you live on or near campus, walking will probably get you to your class faster than driving and without the risk of parking in a spot that may get you a ticket. Parking services are fairly effective and efficient in ticketing vehicles parked where they shouldn’t be.
Central Transit
Luckily, having your own car or a friend with a car isn’t the only way to quickly get around town without foot power. The city of Ellensburg operates its own bus system called Central Transit, with four routes that take riders through every part of town, even all the way out west to Love’s truck stop and Interstate-90. Though Central Transit is operated by the city, it stays true to its name, keeping campus at the center of its travels. Central Transit routes have multiple stops on each end of campus, so you can get from campus to anywhere in town without walking. Every bus is wheelchair accessible and have bike racks. Each route departs hourly, Monday through Friday, with weekends routes as well. A full map of each route and stop times is available on the city’s website at https://ci.ellensburg.wa.us/1051/ Ellensburg-Central-Transit. The best part of Central Transit is that every ride is free, so you can hop on and off without worrying about forgetting a bus pass or racking up transfer fees.
Outside Town
Many students bring cars to school not just to get around town but also so they can drive home on weekends. For that, too, there are mass transit options. For students living along Puget Sound or out of state, the Bellair Airporter shuttle offers rides every day to and from Sea-Tac Airport. Flixbus also runs buses through Ellensburg to destinations around the region. The Airporter stops in Ellensburg at the Starbucks near campus five times every day and just this summer opened a second stop at Love’s truck stop. Flixbus stopes near Starubcks as well. Go to www.flixbus.com/bus/ellensburg-wa for pricing and schedules.
Compassionate care, in a space designed for your comfort.
Yakima Commuter
KVH WOMEN’S HEALTH in our Medical Arts Center
KVHEALTHCARE.ORG
509.933.8720
An express bus that runs from the Yakima Airport to Central’s Student Union and Recreation Center with six stops in between, the Yakima Commuter operates Monday through Friday. It runs seven times a day during the school year, with the first bus leaving Yakima at 6:10 a.m. and the last bus arriving back in Yakima at 6:29 p.m. Tickets for the bus are $5 (cash fare) each way or $150 for a monthly pass. If you purchase a one-way ticket you can get a transfer ticket from the driver that can be used on Yakima Transit buses.
6 • 2021 CWU Welcome Guide
