The city has added 7,000 residents since the early 1980s, many of them transplants from Seattle and the Eastside who discovered they could buy homes for 20 percent less in Enumclaw than in more heavily populated Puget Sound cities. How to balance Enumclaw's quality of life with increasing population pressure is the subject of continuing debate.
Some residents think the retail scene needs a boost.
The city's J.C. Penney Co. outlet was one of many small-city stores the company closed in a recent downsizing move, and the Sears outlet burned to the ground a few months ago. Shoppers complain about a lack of a complete line of men's clothing, and drive to malls in Puyallup , Tacoma or even to a few small outlets along Route 410 in Bonney Lake to shop. Longtimers say some new residents shop out of town based on previous habits and don't patronize local businesses, complicating Enumclaw's efforts to keep a strong business base. The city has a three-pronged approach to boost itself. The first is to end a two-year building moratorium brought on by a lack of water.