Housing in Ronald is modest and small in scale, reflecting its origins as a mining-era settlement. The stock includes older cabins and cottages, simple single-family homes, and a growing number of recreational and vacation properties tied to Cle Elum Lake and the surrounding outdoor recreation economy. Lots tend to be wooded and irregular, set within a forested mountain landscape. The community offers a more rustic, unpolished alternative to the larger resort-style development at nearby Suncadia, appealing to buyers seeking a cabin, a base for seasonal recreation, or a quiet mountain residence.

Ronald is not organized into formal subdivisions; instead, it reads as a small, dispersed mountain hamlet along the roads leading toward Cle Elum Lake. Homes and cabins are scattered among forested lots, with the lake shoreline and the Cle Elum River valley shaping the local geography. The community's historic core reflects its mining past, while newer recreational homes cluster near the water and the access roads. Its unincorporated character means it lacks a defined downtown, with residents relying on nearby Roslyn and Cle Elum for services.

Life in Ronald revolves around the outdoors and the seasons. Cle Elum Lake supports boating, fishing, kayaking, and paddle sports in warmer months, while winter brings snowmobiling and access to Cascade recreation. The nearby Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest offers hiking, camping, and forest access, and the Suncadia resort adds golf, dining, and amenities close by. The community has a quiet, rustic pace, drawing weekend visitors, second-home owners, and year-round residents drawn to the mountain setting rather than a conventional town center.

Students in Ronald attend the Cle Elum-Roslyn School District, which serves the upper Kittitas County communities of Cle Elum, Roslyn, and the surrounding area. The district operates schools in Cle Elum serving students from kindergarten through high school. Its small size supports close connections across the valley's communities, and families in Ronald travel a short distance into Cle Elum for classes, athletics, and school activities.

Ronald is reached by the county and state roads that climb northwest from Cle Elum toward Cle Elum Lake, a route that passes through Roslyn. Interstate 90 runs through Cle Elum a few miles to the southeast, providing the community's link to Ellensburg and central Washington to the east and, across Snoqualmie Pass, to the Seattle metropolitan area to the west. The mountain location means residents rely primarily on private vehicles, with services concentrated in Cle Elum and Roslyn.

Cle Elum Lake is the centerpiece of recreation near Ronald, offering boating, fishing, kayaking, paddle boarding, and jet skiing, with watercraft rentals available locally. In winter, the surrounding forest roads and terrain support snowmobiling. The Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest provides hiking, camping, hunting, and wildlife viewing, and the Salmon la Sac area to the north offers river and forest access. The Suncadia resort and the historic towns of Roslyn and Cle Elum add golf, dining, and cultural amenities within a short drive.