Family of 5 thinking about moving to Spokane. Advice? (Vancouver, South Hill: transplants, real estate)

[onceabcgirl]

I'm originally from Vancouver, BC my hubs is from northern NJ, we're both in our early 40's with 3 kids, K through 4th grade. We've lived in WA state (near Mt. Baker & Blaine) and upstate NY near Watkins Glen. I LOVED upstate NY (except the summer humidity and cold winters) it was a gorgeous place to live, it was sunnier than here by far, and I would have stayed there forever if I wasn't homesick for my family in BC (near Vancouver). So here we are near Blaine, WA (BC is far too expensive so we aren't moving there).
I know some people love it here but we absolutely hate the drizzly, cloudy gloom of the PNW . It is unbearable in the fall, winter, and spring. My kids love the snow and my husband and I don't mind the snow as long as it isn't a nasty, rainy slush like can be here. The constant rain is a real downer, we cannot stand it! If it was cloudy I could almost handle it but it constantly drizzles...Our goal is to own some acreage, get a couple horses, chickens, and have lots of room for the kids to explore and get outdoors often. Our postage sized yard and home leaves much to be desired during this never ending rainy season and the property prices here are too high for what we want. Our goal is to be debt free sooner than later so we'd like to find our homestead for under $200k. Plus we'd like to be within a day's drive to visit family for the weekend. I am ok with being 40 mins from the city so the towns outside Spokane would be fine. Has anyone here lived elsewhere but found they really love it here?

[onceabcgirl]

I should mention my husband has been in IT for years and I did work as a RN in BC before kids and intent to write the NCLEX here to be licensed in WA state. I have gleaned on other forums, websites etc that IT & Health Care jobs are growing in Spokane.

[tickyul]

Be prepared to live in a frozen tundra 6 months out of the year. Eliminate that little fact and deep-six about 100K tweaked out zombies.......then you have paradise.

[buyandsell509]

I think tickyul's input is a bit slanted, to say the least. Check out some weather and temperature statistics and I think you'll find that Spokane is relatively mild for a climate that has all four seasons. December January and February is usually cold, but when you have snow on the ground it is usually freezing out... : ) Spokane also has "diverse" areas, but if you tour the greater Spokane area, you'll feel like it's 3 or 4 different cities all together. I, personally love the North Spokane Colbert/Mead area, and even further north has a lot to offer. Mead school district is fantastic. Just look it up. Very top notch public education K-12. Additionally, $200k can get you a pretty nice home in many different areas of Spokane. Up north you can expect about prices around $85/sf for a "turn key" home, or even new construction in a very nice neighborhood. South Hill is closer to $100/sf and Valley/Liberty Lake could be $100-110/sf for similar home. I don't know much about IT jobs, but I know healthcare and especially RN jobs have high demand. My wife is a nurse for Providence, and had no problem getting an RN job right out of school. There are so many medical services in the Spokane area, and a very wide range of RN opportunities, so you could probably even be a little picky about the type of RN job you get. I think it is very possible to get a good job and a nice home here in Spokane. Lastly, I would strongly encourage you to check out everything Spokane has to offer. All four seasons, beautiful scenery, great schools, and a ton of recreation very close by. Hope that helps. Let us know if you have some more specific questions that we can chime in on. Hope to see you in Spokane soon!

[onceabcgirl]

Thanks for the input. Frozen tundra and tweakers sounds scary lol! We have people with drug problems in little Blaine too so I guess it's everywhere. However, as you've said (Buyandsell509) it has some great places to live at a lower price than the PNW and the schools are great. Lots of nice parks & lakes. Many people on forums here say they love it and there are lots of transplants from other parts of the US which is nice--we'd hopefully fit right in. I think winter, snowy cold isn't for everyone though. I have no problem with snow for a few months as long as I see some sunshine too! I expect winter to be winter and my kids looooove snow & my husband grew up with snow. I like the idea of 4 true seasons as well. I was in Spokane years ago as a kid and all I remember was my aunt being afraid of rattlesnake bites and it was very dry & hot in the summer. Are rattlesnakes sightings as common as she thought they were? We weren't allowed to go outside to play while we were there... Looking at pictures I've seen online it is very reminiscent of the interior of BC, which I love, lots of outdoor activities, pretty scenery. I've heard lots of good things about the Mead area and if we can locate a home on some acreage for a great price, even a cosmetic fixer, I would be happy to relocate and be rid of this incessant grey drizzle :/ Good to know about the opportunities for RNs as well!

[onceabcgirl]

I just checked the weather for Blaine, WA and it is supposed to rain for the next 10 days straight!!! Ick

[buyandsell509]

I've grown up in Spokane, and lived on the northside in Colbert (Mead SD) for quite some time. I've never seen a rattle snake or had to worry about them. There are some areas like in the mica peak area of Spokane that do have some rattle snakes, but definitely not a common issue. As you go west through the plains outside of Spokane toward central WA, there are definitely rattle snakes, but not really in Spokane. There are a few homes on acreage in the Mead SD for around $200k, but not a ton to choose from right now. Inventory is a little low, but sellers are a bit more willing to negotiate since it is winter.

[onceabcgirl]

Thanks for the info. We are on hold at the moment but I will keep you in mind when we are prepared to make our move. Good to know about the non rattle snake issue I know they are more of a concern in central WA but I wasn't sure about Spokane. My husband is not a fan of snakes so he will be relieved to know they aren't going to be in our backyard everyday, especially if we are in the northern area. We are even willing to be 30-40 miles north of Spokane (Deer Park area ) and even into Idaho if we found something perfect for us providing the roads are well groomed in winter. They really take care of the roads in upstate NY so commuting was much easier in the snow. Here in Whatcom county, if it snows, the roads are hell on ice and slush while we wait for our 2 snow plows/sanders to rescue us! Hopefully there will be more properties in our desired local and price range when we do make that move

[Forever30]

thank you for your information buyandsell509.we are also moving to Mead area with my family, we are black africans.cant wait!

[javatom]

buyandsell509 discussing real estate based on per square foot price is like boarding the rocket ship to the mundane. I guess this is why some people want to live in a pole barn with an apartment carved into one corner.