Best area in Spokane to raise a family (Seattle, West Valley: house, school districts)

[Deena160]

Googie, I think we should switch places and you would be very happy in the Seattle area. Some nasty liberal ripped my Bush sticker off my car one week before the election while I was parked at the doctor's office! But seriously...isn't Colbert kind of semi-rural. I'd think you'd get more conservatives the farther 'out' you live. Other then that, do you have any thoughts on the Mead school district? I've heard it's great, but only if you have above average kids. :~) D

[Xenobion]

In state we'd always be competing against Mead High School. Mt. Spokane, Emerald Valley, and even private Gonzaga Prep wouldn't be so competitive. Spokane is conservative. You see conservative talk radio ads everywhere in the city.

[Deena160]

My kids have a hard enough time competing against themselves and their disabilities. :~/ D

[gettingmarried]

I live in Denver and will be getting married soon to a WONDERFUL man who lives in Spokane (he is not able to relocate to denver). Sooooo.... I will be moving to Spokane!
I love a-lot of things about Denver. The weather is always sunny. The communities are beautiful and well planned w/recreation centers etc.. The schools are some of the best in the country. Sometimes we joke that our houses are made out of plastic. Everything is so clean and new. However; Denver is very expensive.
I am a single mom w/2 kids. My 10 yr old has autism. My 12 yr old is gifted and has been moved ahead 1 grade. I am trying to find out what schools in Spokane will be the best fit for us.
We will also be looking for a new home for our (soon to be) very large family. We will not be limited to any specific area of Spokane.
I have been reading the threads (that go back as far as August) this morning, OMG! .....sooooo depressed! It sounds like Spokane is horrible! Sex offenders? Head lice?!!!! High crime???
Does anyone have anything good to say?

[WendyK]

Hi Gettingmarried - Did you read my posts?? I said a lot of good things about Spokane, as did several other posters. Spokane is a fantastic place for families and there are very good schools, too. I was going to suggest to Deena that you might want to get into a smaller school district if your children have disabilities, where they can get more specialized attention.

Every week, the Spokesman Review has a special Home & Garden insert section in the paper with a featured column on "newcomers" to this area. I enjoy reading this because it's refreshing to hear why people are choosing to live in Spokane and how much they enjoy the benefits that the area has to offer. Many of the families who come here say how much their children appreciate living in a place that has so many activities, arts, sports & recreational opportunities. There are excellent medical facilities, a vibrant downtown, lots of parks, a river that flows right through the city and on into Riverside State Park, good restaurants, coffee houses, several performing arts facilities and an arena, etc.

What does your husband to be think about Spokane? Have you had a chance to visit and explore the area yet?

[gettingmarried]

Hi WendyK! Thank you for your reply. I did read some of your posts along with tons of other bad ones! I guess I got a little overwhelmed.
My fiance' usually visits me here in Denver. I haven't really seen a-lot of the Spokane area.
It is hard for me to visit him for any lenth of time because of my children's school and activities. I try to come to Spokane when the children visit their father 4 nights a month, but he cancels a-lot.
Anyway, I work for an airline and fly for free; so my visits usually are for the day! I fly in on the 8am and fly back to Den. on the 5pm.

My fiance' thinks Spokane is an ok place to live. He doesn't seem to be overly passionate in either direction. He isn't origionally from Spokane but seems to like it ok. He likes smaller towns (so do I), and he doesn't really have an option to leave the area.

Thank you for the suggestion regarding smaller school districts. Uuuumm, so which ones?! I don't really know how to research the schools in Spokane but I need to find out which ones offer the best autism services.
I am guessing that my ex-husband is going to fight my move to Spokane (although he is not involved in their lives on a daily basis), and one of the major issues the judge will consider will be wether the school situation will be better or worse for the children. I would love to have some good news!

[WendyK]

I just found a link to the Northwest Autism Center Northwest Autism Center that might be very useful in finding which public schools have the best support for autistic children. I know that District 81 (Spokane city schools) has an extensive program for all types of disabilities. I have also heard that Deer Park schools do a great job with kids, too. My kids are in the Nine Mile Falls district which also has special classes for disabled children. You would probably want to visit with each potential school to see which you think would be best for your child

[WendyK]

I had the wrong info on the last post - that was why it was edited.

This is the best link to all the area school districts websites that you can browse.
For Spokane check out: Central Valley, Deer Park, East Valley, Freeman, Liberty, Mead, Medical Lake, Nine Mile Falls, Reardan-Edwall, Riverside, Spokane Public Schools.

School Districts in Washington State

[gettingmarried]

Hi WendyK! I will get started with my reading in the am! I really appreciate the info on the autism center. I will be coming to Spokane on Dec. 1st weekend. i am hoping to get into Spokane early enough to visit some of the schools. Thank you for helping me get started!

[needtoescape]

We are recent transplants to Spokane. Please don't worry. You need to take many of these negative posts with a grain of salt. People tend to do a lot of negative venting. I have six kids and come from Los Angeles. We are slowly relocating to Spokane and are now there only about 1/3 of the year. It has been four years of part time Spokane living for us and we still love it. My Mom, my aunt and some friends have also relocated to Spokane. Between us there must be 20 kids and two teachers. There are several great schools. My nephew is in the Freeman district and it is a small school wonderland. Moran Prairie is also a highly sought after school on the South Hill. On the other side are the mead schools which are also highly sought after.

Yes there are sex offenders, graffiti and some drugs. It is everywhere. There is also a large community of people participating in community watch programs, people helping neighbors, great service and charity organizations, etc. I don't EVER feel unsafe in Spokane. I never see crime, violence or drugs. It is like anywhere, there are some less than good areas and you just keep the kids out of those areas. There are many great activities, many churches, great outdoor activities, great medical facilities... the list goes on and on.

For what it is worth, we don't come from a horrible inner city in Los Angeles where any place would seem better. We come from the west side beach communities and we LOVE Spokane! (and no, we are not horrible Californians looking to change Spokane either)

Come to Spokane with an open mind. I think you and your new blended family will do just fine.