Palouse Area Guide: Homes, Prices, and Getting Around

Palouse is a small Whitman County city of 1,015 people at the 2020 census, reached from Pullman on State Route 27 and about 15 miles by road from both Pullman and Moscow, per Rome2rio estimates. Jordan's Palouse search page lists homes and acreage, and the town has a historic downtown with the 1888 St. Elmo hotel, city parks along the Palouse River, and a seasonal public pool. As of October 12, 2026, PACMLS shows 6 active site built homes at a median list price of $447,500 and 20 closed sales with a median sold price of $391,000.

This guide sticks to facts you can act on: where the area is, what homes are like, current prices, everyday amenities, and how it compares to nearby areas. It does not rank schools or make safety or demographic claims.

Location and getting around

• Palouse is a city in Whitman County, Washington, with a population of 1,015 at the 2020 census, per Wikipedia.
• State Route 27 runs through downtown Pullman and northeast to the city of Palouse, then continues northwest through Garfield and Oakesdale; the highway is part of the Palouse Scenic Byway, per Wikipedia.
• Rome2rio lists the road distance from Pullman at about 15 miles, roughly 20 minutes of driving, and from Moscow, Idaho at about 14.6 miles, roughly 19 minutes, as of October 12, 2026. Check a map for your own route and the time of day.
• City Hall is at East 120 Main Street, P.O. Box 248, Palouse, WA 99161, and the city's website is palousewa.gov. Call City Hall for current office hours.
• The Palouse River runs through town, and the city's Palouse Native Plant Walk sits beside the river on Highway 27.

Housing stock and prices

Palouse was incorporated in 1888, and the St. Elmo hotel on East Main Street, built that year, is the city's only three-story building and a reminder of the railroad era. Jordan's Palouse search page lists homes and acreage, with bed, bath, and square-footage details on the featured listings. No fetched page describes the age, size, or style of the town's housing in more detail, so this guide does not add any. The PACMLS pull for October 12, 2026 will show what is for sale and what has closed.

Typical price range: As of October 12, 2026, PACMLS shows 6 active site built homes in Palouse with list prices from $290,000 to $650,000 and a median list price of $447,500. The 20 Palouse homes that closed with closing dates from April 24, 2026 through October 1, 2026 sold for $135,000 to $585,000 with a median sold price of $391,000., as of October 12, 2026. Prices move, so confirm current numbers before you plan around them. See current listings.

Everyday amenities

• Hayton-Greene Park has play equipment, picnic shelters, an elevated gazebo, restrooms, and shade, plus a seasonal public pool that the city lists as free for city residents and open to visitors for a small donation; confirm current terms with the city.
• The Palouse Nature Trail sits across Main Street from Hayton-Greene Park, and the Shady Lane Trail on the south side of the Palouse River is about 1,000 feet long with a 3/4 mile loop.
• Heritage Park sits in downtown Palouse with a restroom the city lists as open 24 hours and the city's first EV charging station.
• The Palouse Native Plant Walk runs beside the Palouse River on Highway 27 with benches and interpretive signs, next to the Lions Club's Ancel Jeffers Memorial RV Park.
• The St. Elmo hotel on East Main Street was the subject of a city feasibility study on renovation funded by a $50,000 CERB grant, per an August 3, 2023 city news item.
• City services listed on palousewa.gov include Fire-EMS, Police, Greenwood Cemetery, recycling information, and online payment of water and sewer bills.

Who tends to look here

• A buyer who works in Pullman or Moscow and wants a small town roughly 15 miles by road from either one, per Rome2rio estimates.
• A buyer who is looking at homes or acreage and wants a smaller market than Colfax or Pullman to compare.
• A buyer who wants a historic downtown, a river trail, and a city park within the town limits.
• A buyer who has seen Colfax and wants to compare it with another small Whitman County city before deciding.

How it compares to nearby areas

As of September 25, 2026, Jordan's weekly Pullman report showed 68 active listings and a median active list price of $497,000. Jordan's Colfax guide showed 18 active residential listings with a median list price of $376,950 as of September 18, 2026, and 31 closings in the six months ending that day with a median sold price of $325,000. Jordan's Moscow, Idaho area guide showed 58 active residential listings with a median list price of $581,500 as of October 5, 2026. Palouse had 6 active site built homes with a median list price of $447,500 as of October 12, 2026, and 20 closings from April 24, 2026 through October 1, 2026 with a median sold price of $391,000. These are separate snapshots taken on different dates and with different filters, so they are not a like for like comparison.

A note on scope

This article is general information, not legal, tax, lending, insurance, inspection, or title advice. For those questions, work with the relevant licensed professional. This guide stays with homes, prices, commute facts, and public amenities. For questions about demographics, school performance, or personal safety, use primary sources and the relevant professionals.

Next step

Want a current price read for Palouse or a tour? Contact Jordan.

About the author

Jordan Vorderbrueggen writes about buying and selling homes in Pullman, Moscow, and across the Palouse with Woodbridge Real Estate. Hard to Spell, Tough to Beat.