going to law school-where should I live? (Seattle, Spokane: 2013, living in)

[dbaslee]

So I've been accepted to several law schools starting in August 2013. I am planning to concentrate on immigration or Native American law and chose the schools I applied to very carefully for those programs. Now that I've been accepted, I would be satisfied with any of the law programs so I just have to decide where do I want to live. It's a bit of a tough decison for me, especially since I have two sons and I have to think of their futures as well. I am caucasian but my sons are latin so I want an area that offers at least some diversity for them and well as for myself.

I have narrowed my choices down to three-- Denver Colorado (a suburb are-preferrably near the flat hills or at least with a view of them), Albuquerque New Mexico and Spokane Washington. Listed below is my criteria--I'd like to get as much of it as possible obviously. Can anyone give me any advice?

diversity, mountains, evergreen trees, clean air/water, medium sized city in close prox to large city, close prox to airport (preferably international), good public schools (maybe charter schools also), lots of outdoor activities/sports, artsy festivals and fun events, friendly city, well educated citizens, four seasons-none too extreme, NOT humid, lots of sunny days, good highway system-easy to commute, possibly alternative modes of transportation (train, monorail, etc), kid-friendly, liberal city (hopefully in a moderate to liberal state), easy access to get out of town into rural areas, wineries and funky restaurants

I know it's a pretty big bucket list but Im hoping one of these three areas will just jump out at someone.
Thanks for your help!

[Count David]

We need a Spokane vs Denver forum.

IMO, your kids would have no problems living in any of those three cities, even Spokane, though it is not diverse.

In Denver, you have your choice of view, close-up (west), or panorama (east).

Spokane does not have:
-diversity
-proximity to large city (Seattle is 4 hours away via car)
-a hub airport, most flights connect in SEA, PDX, SLC, MSP, or DEN + you have Southwest which can get you to anywhere in the west after a stop or two (or none)
-well educated residents (aside from Gonzaga, the city feels working class)
-public transit beyond buses
-liberal bent, city proper is slightly liberal, the outliers are quite conservative

Denver does not have:
-evergreen trees (this one gets a lot of folks)
-Denver is a large city, and is proximate to nothing
-friendly city (JMO)
-four seasons. Denver has chance of snow Oct-May, chance of T-storms the rest of the year. September is perfect, the rest of the year is erratic.
-wineries
-funky restaurants (the scene is quite tame/watered down here)

Based on your wants, I'd say Denver is a better fit for you than Spokane. I know nothing of Albuquerque first-hand.

[aplcr0331]

Spokane:

diversity - nope.
mountains - yep.
evergreen trees - state motto.
clean air/water - not really.
medium sized city in close prox to large city, close prox to airport (preferably international) - yes on the medium city, small airport although it is international.
good public schools - Those two terms are mutually exclusive.
maybe charter schools also - don't know.
lots of outdoor activities/sports - yes.
artsy festivals and fun events - some but not enough for white people.
friendly city - sure.
well educated citizens - I doubt it.
four seasons-none too extreme - apparently our winters are antarticish to some, but we do have 4 distinct seasons.
NOT humid - absolutely.
lots of sunny days - Over 180 per year according to NOAA.
good highway system - hahaha, um no. but we do have relatively easy to commutes.
possibly alternative modes of transportation (train, monorail, etc) - bus system is ok, but apparently only losers ride the bus here, there's not enough cool hipsters on the bus for it to be noteworthy.
kid-friendly - yes.
liberal city (hopefully in a moderate to liberal state) - liberal state, wrong kind of white people city but much more tolerant of other's values than most cities I've been in, especially Seattle and Portland.
easy access to get out of town into rural areas - yes.
wineries - apparently there are some good wineries around here.
and funky restaurants - no clue what this means.

Denver it is. Good luck in law school!

C