OT: Tell me about Washington (Spokane)

[goldilocks]

My hubby might get offered a job in Spokane. Please give me any details you can about this city. Is is close to Seattle? What is the cost of living like, the town, the grocery stores? Any information you can provide would help me. As a point of reference I live in the San Francisco area currently. How would it compare? Thanks!

[KValley]

Hi goldilocks,

First off, in my mind, nothing compares to San Francisco- one of my favorite places on earth! To compare Spokane to San Francisco would be so unfair to Spokane!

I live in Central Washington State, about 2 hours west of Spokane. My father grew up in Coeur d'Alene, ID, about 15 miles from Spokane and I have a lot of family in the area.

Spokane is about a 4-4.5 hour drive from Seattle. It is the capitol of the so-called "Inland Empire" - that part of Washington State that is east of the Cascade Mountains and north of the Columbia River. THere is a very different culture, geography, economy, climate, and social and political temperament between Eastern and Western Washington. The Eastern half of the state (and I am making major generalities here, because I don't fit into this assumption myself) tends to be more politically, socially conservative. The climate is dry- hot, dry summers, cold, snowy winters.

Spokane is a medium-sized city that fell on pretty hard economic times in the 70s and 80s. It is a city dependent upon the surrounding agricultural regions for its economy- I'm not certain how diversified the economy is in terms of other industries (technology, health care, etc). The city had worked hard to get past its industrial image and has spruced up the downtown and riverfront areas- really lovely. There are two universities (Whitworth- private liberal arts and Eastern Washington University- small state school). Washington State University- which is fantastic and quite large (for its location) is about 80 miles south in Pullman.

The cost of living is excellent- it would be another world for you after living in San Francisco.

If you like the outdoors, Spokane and the surrounding regions on into Idaho are magnificent. Hiking, skiing, fishing, lake and river water sports, mountain biking are all in easy reach. Spokane is just south of the Selkirk Mountains, west of Coeur d'Alene Lake, not far from the Rockies (day's drive)- it can't be beat. The Palouse region is about 80 miles south, in and around Pullman and is one of the most beautiful but underrated, undiscovered parts of Washington State (IMHO).

When DH and I decided last year to return to the Pacific Northwest, we seriously considered Spokane, but ultimately decided against it because it is too far from Seattle and Portland- where our families live- and too far from a major airport for me, as I travel a lot on business (there is an airport, but most flights are routed through Seattle). We were also concerned about the economy and job opportunities for us.

Whew! Good luck to you and your husband in making this important decision and congratulations to him on his job offer.

Julie
m4star The BB finally let me read your post- I needn't have bothered responding on my own- you said it all !!! LOL
Where did you go to school?



[This message has been edited by KValley (edited 05-10-2001).]

[KValley]

Grr- the BB is making me crazy today- sorry for the double post :mad

[This message has been edited by KValley (edited 05-09-2001).]

[m4star]

KValley- I went to school both at WSU and Univ. of Idaho in Moscow. You are totally right about the Palouse! It is overwhelmingly beautiful. I totally recommend the area to anyone adventurous enough to travel off the beaten path.

[goldilocks]

thanks julie and m4star for posting. i will print and go over with my hubby. please elaborate for me on the weather a bit. is it rainy all the time, does it get sun and seasons? also, i was under the impression that seattle was closer than 4 hours away. the town i live in now is a nice suburban city with it's own little downtown area filled with quant restaurants and shops. i am looking for this type of environment. do any cities up there fit this description? also, i figured the cost of living is better up there, i can't imagine what a house costs though, as i am used to looking in the paper and seeing the ones listed here for $500k!!

[Janet K]

goldilocks,

Hi, I lived in Spokane from 1994 - 2000. We just moved to CO last summer but I could tell you a lot about Spokane and what it has to offer etc., where to live and that kind of stuff. I won't take up a whole lot of room on here, but feel free to email me if you like. My email is Keeports@aol.com.

I see you asked about the weather - the summers are just beautiful. It rarely rains in the summer and gets hot but not unbearable or anything. Of course it's very dry - not humid at all either. The fall and spring can be pretty rainy. As far as snow - some years you don't get much, some you get quite a bit - it really varies. But I don't think the 6 years we were there we had any tremendous amounts of snow either.

Hope this helps, like I said, feel free to email anytime,

Janet

[browneye]

Goldilocks,
I am a Spokane native. I lived in Spokane for 27 years!! My entire growing up years were there. I now live near Seattle, in Redmond, since 1988.
All of my family still lives in Spokane, so I am there 12 times a year minimum, plus I travel over there from Seattle on business all the time. (6 times a year, minimum)
All of the above comments are accurate about Spokane.
The weather is very beautiful in the summer. There are mountains and lakes, streams, woods, all very breathtaking. Couer d'alene is just a hop, skip and jump, which offers a beautiful lake and more fun stuff.
Fall is rainy, winters usually quite cold. Usually, the high temps in Jan-Feb are 20's to 30's. In the early years that I lived in Spokane, you could count on snow every year, usually between October 30 and Christmas sometime. In recent years, the weather patterns have been dry, with less snow.
Winter can be rather cold, sometimes gray, and sometimes foggy. However, when the sun comes out on the snow, it couldn't be more perfect. There are several ski resorts within driving distance, for downhill. Some are very well-kept secrets.
When there is a good snowfall, the public golf courses offer up there areas for cross-country skiing.
The cost of living is quite reasonable compared to Seattle and San Fran.
One major difference you would note right away in Spokane vs. the Bay area is the traffic. What they call traffic in Spokane is laughable. It is just not traffic!! Also, the people are just more down-to-earth. Spokane also has an older population, demographically.
Life moves at a slightly slower pace in Spokane than it does in Seattle or San Fran. (I also travel frequently to the Bay area for business)
One of the really nice things about Spokane, is the older style architecture. They are really into restoring old buildings, therefore have not torn down the old ones to rebuild as much as I have seen in some other cities. Also, if you are into older homes, there are some absolutely beautiful older homes in Spokane that can be family treasures.
It kinda depends on what kinds of lifestyles you like.
The drawbacks of Spokane are that it is smaller, and doesn't offer all of the cultural diversity and opportunities that a place like SFO or Seattle do. The dining opportunities are more limited. The economy does not typically boom there like it does in some other areas of the Northwest, however, it seems to be steady. My sister is in a major position at the Economic Development Council in Spokane, and they have some great things going on there to develop and attract business.
I do not know if you are interested in schools, and things of that nature, but there are several very excellent school districts in the area, some better than others.
You really have to visit the place to see what it is. Of course, I personally have the fondest place in my heart for the town and would move back in an instant!!

[m4star]

goldilocks- I went to college not far from Spokane. I haven't been there since 1999, but here is what I know. It's not a very large city (pop. 189,200 with about 400,000 in suburbs around the city) but it's consistantly ranked as having some of the best air-quality in the country. It does have good grocery stores and LOADS of farmer's markets and the like. There is lots of farming in that area of Washington and Idaho (18 miles away), so expect lots of fresh foods in season (potatoes, legumes, apples). The crime rate is low, but also it is not very culturally diverse. It is also very close to Canada (118 miles).

Contrary to popular belief, Eastern Washington and Northern Idaho are really mountainous and not flat like Southern Washington or Idaho. There is great skiing there (Mount Spokane), and in Canada or Montana (which is relatively close by). It does get very cold and snow or rain considerably (although not as much as on the coast like Seattle or Olympia).

Seattle is approximately 4 hours by car, as is Portland, Oregon. Olympia, Washington is also not much further- nor is Bellingham, Washington (both I recommend you visit). I also highly recommend you check out Sandpoint, Idaho and Coeur d'Alene, Idaho because they both are extremely gorgeous. There are also wonderful hot springs to check out in Stanley, Idaho.

Cost of living is FAR CHEAPER than San Francisco, although there is less to do than in a city of SF's size. Still there is a great little sense of community there. Things move much slower, and you get used to the fact that there is only one real mall. There has been a push recently to modernize the downtown area and little boutiques and cafes and pedestrian areas have moved in making it very quaint. The airport is still really tiny but it is served by Southwest Airlines and they usually run great deals to/from Salt Lake City (great skiing), Seattle, San Fran., and Boise.

I have loads more information. You can post if you need more or email me (littlegurl@chickmail.com) if you have any questions.