Best area in Spokane to raise a family (Vancouver, Liberty Lake: homes, neighborhoods)

[Deena160]

Spokane looks comparable to Everett in the sex offender ratios. If you research the City-Data site for Spokane(and I've spent hours doing that and charting it all), you can find out which areas are the worst. Zip code 99201 is the highest with 69 of them, but it is also 73% renters. Most places that have about 30% renters have less then 10 registered sex offenders. Of course, that's still too many, but unless they make it a capital offence it's something you have to live with if you're going to live somewhere with any large population and jobs to be had. Same goes with the meth!
EDIT: Just read Shiggity's last comment and the article. So what? Yeah they elected him as mayor and then they ousted him for being a creep and a hypocrite. Does that mean the city is crawling with sex offenders?
And let's get real here--sex offenders is a pretty broad term. That can mean anything from someone who was caught downloading kiddie-porn to someone who is a repeat rapist. I wouldn't want any of them as a neighbor, but we're talking the difference of someone who is basically just gross and disgusting, to someone who is really, really dangerous. Don't ask me what the site is, but I know there's several out there where you can find out exactly where these people are before you go and buy a house. :~/ D

[kena]

Originally Posted by Shiggity

I know, a whole seven years is practically from a different era. Don't like that one? How about this one?

Or this one?

Or this one?

Or this one?

Or is September 2007 too out of date for you?

Okay. You might note the first article you linked (though from the Spokesman-Review) noted that it was a STATEWIDE meth operation and only 4 of the 28 arrests were made in Spokane. One of the articles is about an individual who was pulled over in a traffic stop and was found with ecstacy. The last link only goes to KREM's homepage. Look, if you want to troll the internet all day looking for articles about meth related goings on in Spokane you'll surely find some. I could no doubt find articles about drug problems in every city of any size in the country. What it doesn't prove is that Spokane has some type of terrible meth problem. Is there meth in Spokane? Of course. Unfortunately, the same is true for just about every city in the country. You obvioulsy have some beef with Spokane and you're entitled to your opinion. I'm just trying to let others who are investigating the city that your claims should not be accepted as gospel.

[kena]

Originally Posted by Shiggity

It's probably just a myth.

Yes folks, the citizens of Spokane elected this man mayor.

The article or the election of Jim West is not remotely relevant to the sex offender ratio in Spokane. I'll stick with the actual sex offender ratios posted in this thread.

[scirocco22]

You're making some excellent points, kena. I concur wholeheartedly.

[Deena160]

Gotta love it! You mention sex offender sites and the Google links pop up with the exact sort of sites that I was thinking of. Oh, the miracle of modern technology!!! :~) D

[Deena160]

So how are you all enjoying your snow here on the "wet side"? I'm so thankful that it's been on the weekend. They cancel school at a drop of a hat here when it snows. That's something I won't miss if we get to Spokane.
Last year, we ended up with so many snow and bad weather days that had to be made up that we were in school until the end of June. Of course, if we didn't have so many days off during the school year we wouldn't have school calendered until the 20-somethingth of June.
I was looking at the calender for District 81 (I think...) and they didn't have nearly the days off we do during the year like teacher work days every month or the RIDICULOUS Mid-Winter break they started here a few years ago. Yahoo! I'd much rather get a few extra days of summer vacation then time off in the middle of February when all there is for my kids to do is stay at home, inside, fighting with each other.
Getting out so late also makes it very hard when you are trying to organize family vacations/reunions with people from all over the country and most of their kids get out the end of May or beginning of June. They send out the invitations not even thinking that your family still has 2-3 weeks of school left. :~) D

[WendyK]

As of right now, our snow is getting washed away and melting already....just last night it was coming down and the roads were covered and white - today it's all slush or just gone. There's more snow in the forecast for this week but also temps up in the high 30's in town. The folks at the ski mountains are happy to be up and running.
My kids have never had a full snow day off since we moved here in 1998. There have been a couple mornings with a late start to give time for roads to be plowed and let the buses do their routes, but that's it.

[googie]

Deena, It's a deal! We'll switch! As for the Mead district, I haven't had a direct experience with it yet (my oldest daughter will go there next year) but all of my neighbors love it. The only criticism I've heard is that it could be more diverse.

I have been to the web site for Spokane Democrats, but haven't yet gotten to one of the meetings (two little ones at home). I hope to get there soon.

I haven't noticed that LDS was that much more prominent here than the other places I've been out west. I see more of the bible churches that don't appear to be affiliated with any particular denomination. We did have a "Big Love" moment (I know... I know... LDS is different from what is practiced by polygamists but the discussion made me think of it) at the Big R on Route 2, however. It was really funny, because we had just finished watching season one on Netflix.

[Deena160]

My son's elementary special-ed teacher put me in touch with one of her teachers from Gonzaga. I emailed him and let him know about the wide variety of needs of my children and he gave me back this response:
"From what I know of the districts here, either Mead or Spokane Public Schools[District 81]. If I were looking for a wide variety of programs it would be Spokane Public Schools."
I was afraid of that. I was hoping he'd elaborate a bit more and tell me what might be wrong with the others, but I'm sure he's a very busy man. I would like someone to tell me what's wrong with some of the others like Central Valley. There are still a couple of other people who told me they might be able to find some information. Just today my daughters pre-school teacher got back to me and me she's going to forward my letter to someone she knows in Spokane. Fingers crossed! :~/ D

[Shiggity]

Originally Posted by kena

You obvioulsy have some beef with Spokane

The only "beef" I have with it is after having lived there for 24 years, I ended up hating it and finally leaving. As far as you trying to defend Spokane's reputation, I submit you are looking at it with rose colored glasses. Spokanites generally agree there is a meth problem. I should know, I was just there. I never did it, but I knew plenty of friends-of-friends who ran their own labs.

And with Jim West, I'm merely pointing out a practical, pragmatic example of one sex offender; the mayor. Rather than some statistics coming from anyone knows where, his is a well-publicized example of sex offenders living in the area. The Annex Building near the Courthouse is full of them. I know, because I used to work there.

But if despite my warnings, you choose to move there, I would recommend the South Hill or way up north, way past the city limits. Although, even on Hwy 2 there are still carjackings (I was familiar with someone whose friends pulled that stunt) and murder on Mt. Spokane (indeed, I also knew that family) so living in the boonies doesn't always help either.