Best area in Spokane to raise a family (Orchards, Veradale: crime rates, safest area)

[WendyK]

Sarah - I think you're going to find many types of churches all over Spokane, not just in the Valley. I live in Nine Mile Falls which is NW of Spokane but I drive into town to go to Life Center church.

And Spokane is extremely dog friendly -- people are very much into walking their dogs in parks and in their neighborhoods. I wouldn't say that south hill is the only area with "neighborhoods" -- there are neighborhoods everywhere -- it just depends on what you're looking for. Personally, I don't go out to the valley very often - it always seems like traffic is worse there than the north or south side, but that might just be because I'm more used to driving in more familiar areas.

The best restaurants are probably downtown or south hill. One of my favs, Twigs, has locations on the north side and the south hill. There's also the Downriver Grill and several authentic Mexican restaurants on the north side.

If your hubby is going to work in Millwood, you might want to look at some of the older neighborhoods in that area. There are some very charming older homes in Millwood and plenty of shopping on Argonne & Trent. Like mkeller said though, the valley does have a lot of industrial areas close to homes, which is okay once you get used to it, but not that aesthetically pleasing.

[fy10fyr]

Originally Posted by sarah j.

Sorry for so many questions but I'm really trying to get a feel for the valley- especially Veradale area. Are there any areas that would be similar to a "town" type of atmosphere in the valley? LIke little coffee shops and/or boutiques? Or is it more like strip malls and chain restaurants?

Think of Federal Way...thats the valley.

[fy10fyr]

Originally Posted by mkeller

The south hill is the only part of the city that has "neighborhoods". It is the only part of Spokane that is not dominated by arterials that count into the dozens like in the Valley and Northside.

I would say that's not entirely accurate. There are neighborhoods on the North Side,and nice ones at that, Corbin Park, Audubon and Downriver are just a couple that come to mind. The South Hill may have fewer arterials, but that's mainly a function of being a fairly small geographical area.

[mkeller]

]

Yes, it is accurate. Corbin Park is only the area of Waverly, East & West Oval along with Park Place...everything else is ugh! Audubon and Downriver area's are divided by NW Blvd and the sewer plant...oppps next time it blows it's top.

[Deena160]

Quote from SarahJ: Which ones of your post were lower South Hill, and middle and upper? Moran Prairie, Comstock?

Moran Prairie is Northern South Hill and Comstock is Southern.

Anyone out there know anything about the Shadle Park area? I know it's hardly South Hill, but I'm seeing my local comps go down and I'm not sure what we're going to be able to afford. We were hoping to sell our house for the $340's, but someone a block from us just sold their house for $310K two weeks ago. It was a little smaller and only had a single car garage, but it had a bigger, flatter backyard. argh. Makes me wanna cry. If we had to sell for that kind of a price, it'd be hardly worth moving. :~/ D

[WendyK]

Shadle Park is a pretty spread out area - it's mostly based on which neighborhoods go to Shadle High School. There are smaller homes from 600 sq. ft. on up to sprawling brick ranchers with full basements. This would also include the Audubon & Downriver neighborhoods of craftsman bungalows and older style homes.
There is also an area north of Francis (Pacific Heights) that encompasses the homes between Five Mile Rd. and Nine Mile Road with many homes built in the 50's - 60's (a few newer scattered in there, too) that are priced from $190-300,000, with most being in the low-mid $200's. There are also neighborhoods up off of Indian Trail - there are nice homes in the Woodridge area and Pacific Park areas.

[fy10fyr]

Originally Posted by Deena160

Quote from SarahJ: Which ones of your post were lower South Hill, and middle and upper? Moran Prairie, Comstock?

Moran Prairie is Northern South Hill and Comstock is Southern.

Actually the Moran Prairie area would be on the Eastern edge of the South Hill, and Comstock on the Western edge. Both would be considered Upper SH due both being above 29th.

[Deena160]

fy10fyr, Thanks for the clarification. I was basing my areas according to a zip-code map. The way I regularly give directions(which is not very well) I would probably say that one area is up and the other is down--drives my husband nuts! :~) D

[Deena160]

WendyK, thanks for the Shadle Park info. It seems like that area and in the Valley are where we'd concentrate our search. A 1950-70's sprawling rambler with a basement and not too small of a yard seems to be more readily available at a good price (low $200's) in those areas. Meanwhile, I have a sprawling rambler to get rid of in this area! :~) D

[Darko]

I've been reading through the thread and I've noticed that some people have had very bad experiences and others haven't yet experienced a drive-by shooting and the horrendous amounts of vehicle prowling.

I've only lived here about 2 years. I first lived on the Northside, right near a major road, so it was a little safer. However, gang symbols would frequently appear on dumpsters and the backs of buildings. I would probably hear gunshots once every few weeks, which isn't bad at all.

The rest of the time I've lived in the valley. Everything looks nice but at night after 11:00 PM you shouldn't go out walking on the streets. It's okay in some places but I've experienced two drive-by shootings in less than 6 months right around 12:00 AM. I don't mean just someone driving by and popping cars with paintballs (which is common). I mean jackasses flying down the street to a skidding stop unloading pistols. Most of the time people can sleep through that stuff I guess. I'm a night owl however and I'm usually getting home at that time on friday nights and weekends.

I don't have a concealed firearms permit so it's a little unerving at times. It seems like the valley department is probably understaffed. I'd rather not have to rely on them anyways, not much they can do after you've been mugged (which I haven't experienced yet, just an example). I'm probably a bit more biased right now because of the recent broken window I've received in a case of vehicle prowling.

The neighborhood I live in is great really... during the day. Kids out playing, etc. No shoes hanging from the power lines yet. I'm told that the shoes you see hanging from power lines all across spokane and the valley are markers indicating either that the territory has been claimed by a gang or that it's just an indication to illegal substance abusers that they can buy in that neighborhood. Maybe someone can clarify that for me.

I read earlier someone mentioned cars scoping out neighborhoods at night. There's rarely a week that goes by that I don't notice this happening. Like others have said though, it depends on where you live and it depends on when the next gang is going to come along and "claim" your neighborhood.

I would suggest that anyone considering moving to spokane or the valley really look through crime charts to see which neighborhoods have the lowest crime rate.

Another person mentioned homeless. I don't know how homeless people are in other cities but here, they'll walk right up to you and touch your shoulder begging for money. That just isn't acceptable in my book. I've also seen one rip/beat the push handle off one of those push doors to get in a building. This was right in the heart of the downtown area.

If you work early in the morning downtown, you will see them sleeping up against entrances too. It clears out as the morning progresses though.

The beggars at intersections is getting ridiculous as well (again, this is common all over the place, it just pisses me off). I wish there weren't so many ignorant people giving them money. A while back when I was driving home I hit a stop light (sprague/pines) I watched a woman in a wheelchair roll over to the side of a building, stand up, stretch and get a bottle of water out of her cooler. There's also another woman there who yells at cars as she crosses and wears her backpack under her coat. If any of you frequently drive that area you'll know who I'm talking about...

There is also mention of the Meth problems. I grew up in Montana and there is a major meth problem in the city I grew up in. Labs in every neighborhood, and one place even exploded into a ball of flames. However, I never had to deal with doped up meth heads yelling at every car they walk by as people are waiting for the stop light to turn green though. Maybe it's just because it's getting warmer again or something but I've been dealing with this about twice a week as I'm leaving the downtown area after work, right near the homeless tent city by the brown street freeway entrance. They make you want to get out and lay a bat swing or two into them. In one of these events the passenger in the car in front of me actually got out yelling back. I probably should have helped.

Obviously Spokane is very liveable. It just wouldn't be my first choice. It might just be a series of unfortunate, random events that have been laid before me for the past year but I have seen it get progressively worse since I moved here two years ago. I know you get different answers from whoever you ask but this is just my personal experience.