Questions about Spokane

[samsung]

I was thinking about buying some land in the Spokane area. Can anyone tell me about Chattaroy? It looks great online and it seems that some bargains can be had. I want to buy at least 10 acres.

[WendyK]

Originally Posted by deadbydesign

Well I am planning a visit for January so I can see what the winter is like in both areas. My main concern as I have stated before is the safety and well being of my girlfriend. Right now I will live anywhere but Florida. This place, at least in our mind, is an overpriced toilet. It is summer 365 a year (which if you are 100 years old is good but not for a 22 year old that has never seen anything else but run down cities and angry people from the North East). As I have said before, Spokane seems like the perfect place for us but my mother lived in Phillie with the Meth issues that plagued that town and she forewarned me of that problem. I know that no town is perfect and I am not expecting that.. I just want a semi-safe area that will no pose a constant danger for us. The way people make this town sound is that you are always in the line of fire (as if it is a warzone). I would also like to know the difference between Spokane and Spokane Valley. Not many people really talk about the valley area much and that is where I would move if I actually moved to that area. And is the homeless situation really THAT bad? As well as the theft crime? My girlfriend has an 05' mustang where as I have a piece of crap Corolla from 96' (Not that I am ashamed, lol) but we value our possessions that we worked our asses off for and I don't want that to be an issue either.. I would really appreciated a streight up low down on how it is out there. Should we really consider the outlaying areas of western washington? I am only asking because our budget isnt huge and I would rather not waste a trip on Spokane if it is not even worth the time or effort.

The crime in Spokane varies throughout different parts of town. You can look at crime statistic maps that will show you what parts of town have the highest incidents http://www.spokanegis.org/crimemap/default.asp. This is for crimes within the city limits only. You can get information on Spokane Valley crime at their website City of Spokane Valley.

I used to live in Orlando FL and moved to Spokane in 1998 with my family (3 kids). We first rented in a neighborhood on the NE side of town in the Mead school district, outside of the city limits. During this first year that we moved to Spokane, I had my purse stolen out of the back seat of a friend's car (which we stupidly left unlocked) at a state park. The next year we moved to a neighborhood on the NW side of Spokane within the city limits. We did not have any crime problems in that area.

Your experience may turn out differently - I can only tell you that I always feel very safe in Spokane. I don't live close to the more congested areas, but I do make regular visits to downtown and find it to be non-threatening. In my job, I travel regularly through neighborhoods of all types and sure, there are run down homes and you can tell there are probably drug users in the area, but someone with common sense would say "hey - I'm not gonna live near this" and find a place that is more appealing.

Just last night, my 3 teenagers went to a concert downtown alone and I was not worried about their safety. There are homeless people, but I saw tons more in Seattle than in Spokane. They're homeless but harmless...I see articles in the paper occasionally about people harassing and beating up homeless people. I think you'd need to worry more about those types, than the homeless themselves.

I am not as familiar with Spokane Valley - I just don't get out that way very often. I've fallen into the trap that Spokanites get into of staying close to home and doing all my shopping on the north side or downtown. If you're worried about your cars, all I can recommend is to find a place with a garage to keep them secured.

It will be somewhat of a shock to you when you move from FL to the NW. It's a whole different lifestyle. Not as hurried, not so much of the "keep up with the Jones" types here. It's been a good place to bring up kids, good schools, good values. There are tons of community type events to attend or get involved with, lots of outdoor activities, and many good & friendly people.

[WendyK]

Originally Posted by samsung

I was thinking about buying some land in the Spokane area. Can anyone tell me about Chattaroy? It looks great online and it seems that some bargains can be had. I want to buy at least 10 acres.

Chattaroy is an unincorporated town just north of Spokane, towards the east side. Most homes in the area are on acreage of some type - there are still a lot of unimproved roads (gravel or dirt), so chances are that if you find a land bargain, it's because it's difficult to get to the property or the property may be extremely treed or hilly. It depends on what type of land you're looking for and how much you want to spend on improvements. Keep in mind that most land is just that - land only. You'll have to put in a well, septic system, bring in power (costly if you're too far from any neighbors), and do any land excavating or grading & tree removal before building. If you've found something online, send me a PM or email with the address and I can tell you more about the area.

[Mounty]

deadbydesign,

As WendyK said, Spokane doesn't feel unsafe at all. Your girlfriend's safety will almost entirely depend on what she will be doing. If she doesn't like to do extreme things like walk in dark run-down parts of city late night in lingerie, I guess she will be ok. Spokane has lots of white trash, mostly in the northern part of the city and in Valley, but at least in the daylight there's no sensible threat or anything to can make you feel uncomfortable. Activities like staying at home, going to work, shopping won't require any caution other than your basic common sense. If safety is your main concern, I'm sure you will like Spokane. It's not entirely safe, just like any big city, noone can guarantee you anything, but if you're cautious, you won't have any safety-related stress here at all. The crime map link above is a very good tool and will give you some ideas on where to look for a residence. If you can afford 200k for a house in a nicer area, you'll be fine.

As for Spokane Valley, I can't say much. I drove through there several times, but it doesn't look as good as Spokane. A bit more of a mix of commercial zones and living areas, theres' no downtown or anything there. As someone said, it was a bunch of smaller towns that got fused together as they grew. It's southern part is on the hills and looks better, I think. Of course, both have great suburban neighborhoods that you will like.

[deadbydesign]

Thanks for all of the info guys I really appreciate it. Im sorry that I am coming off so overly concerned. It is just a big move and I feel that these are facts that I should know. When I hear people say things like Spocompton and things like that basically say that Spokane is like a warzone with a cute face for tourists is like meh to me. I mean I live in suburban Florida. I deal with less then classy people here. Im constantly fighting for survival on the road from either someone that was born before Jesus Christ or I am just dealing with loud mouth snobs, trashy immigrants that are just rude in every which way, or anything else that would make you uncomfortable. If there are just a few bad areas in Spokane then I don't really mind. My goal is to just get away from all of the madness here. I want a place where I can feel at home without to many things happening or to many obnoxious people. The details on the town itself look absolutely beautiful. I just need to see it for myself and make a judgement on it. We are not really picky people as far as little things go. I am not a million dollar perfectionist with things. I was just afraid of the Meth thing and the way people made it sound was Meth heads were walking around like zombies attacking people or something, lol. If anyone has any good pictures of downtown or the valley please link them up. I would really like to see more of the area. So far I am absolutely in love with the thought of moving to washington.

[kena]

I'll chip in by saying that Spokane feels pretty safe in most every sense. While there are issues present in cities of any size I think the vast majority of people will tell you they feel safe in Spokane. This is generally confirmed by asking people why they choose to live in Spokane and being answered that 'it is a great place to raise a family' the majority of the time. When you get that answer frequently, it is a pretty good indicator people feel safe. For pictures, check out:
Flickr: The Metrospokane Pool which has some good pictures (also check out the metrospokane site the link is from, a good resource on the city and it has pictures of various neighborhoods around town.

[deadbydesign]

Nice guys,

I am really thankful for all of the amazing input you guys have given me. It really is making the decision of moving to Spokane a lot easier. I know that any city has its issues and I am willing to work with that. I was just a bit confused because all the photos and reviews from people I know are so excellent. Then I come here and the city gets torn to shreds about all of the issues that it has. I didn't want to trade one Hell for another. But I am really excited about getting involved in a lot more outdoor activities and settling down in Spokane.

[LibOrg]

I'm ticking off the days until I can leave Texas and move to Spokane. Only visited twice, but I've done lots of homework, and I actually feel homesick for it.

[bamn29]

to Liborg : I HEAR YOU FRIEND !! I also live in TEXAS and am counting the days until I am able to leave here and move to the Spokane area !! It's nice to know I am not alone !

[TheLongestJourney...]

bamn20: you're definately not alone!!!

I'm ticking off the days until I leave NYC. Will go to Spokane end of September to explore for 1 week and look at houses and then will move by end of year.

After I made my decision to move to Spokane I took the relocation quiz on ****.com and Spokane was my #1 suggested "spot" which was reassuring. BIG change from growing up in NYC, but I am really looking forward to it.