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Old 11-27-2006, 09:37 PM
 
Location: Northern Michigan
9 posts, read 46,237 times
Reputation: 12

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Thanks for your info, WendyK!

Another question-what might the advantages/disadvantages be of living in Post Falls/CDA area vs Spokane? Is it a long commute to Liberty Lake area? How are schools compared to Spokane?

Thanks for the info!

 
Old 11-27-2006, 11:16 PM
 
Location: Nine Mile Falls/Spokane, WA
1,009 posts, read 4,895,177 times
Reputation: 826
Post Falls is just over the Spokane COunty line into Idaho and Liberty Lake is probably 10-15 miles from there. I am not familiar with the schools in Post Falls - I do know that the area has become very popular & there has been a ton of new construction in the area. Something to consider is that Idaho has a state income tax where Washington does not - just something to check into. I just did a quick search for Post Falls schools and the school district website came right up with links to all their individual schools. YOu might want to look on the Idaho board and see if there is any info on that regarding schools/life in Post Falls & Cd'A. I am more familiar with the Spokane schools on the north side of town, so don't want to give you any incorrect info. Good luck!
 
Old 11-29-2006, 01:49 AM
 
1 posts, read 5,590 times
Reputation: 10
Just wanted to add my two cents on Spokane.

Pros: Great Outdoors, Relativly cheaper to live in, and a nice area to raise kids in certain places.

Cons: Drugs, crime in some areas, and white supremacy. District 81.

South Hill: One of the best places to raise your children. A safe area with the best schools in Spokane, LC and Ferris.

Downtown: Lots of homeless people and drugs. When most people refer to downtown, they think of the mall, and river front park. However most of downtown has very crappy old buildings, drugs, and crime. Most of the time I walk downtown around I-90 I'm asked to buy weed or crack.

East Central: Neighborhood below the south hill. People are trying to pump life into it but it's not a very good neighborhood.

West Central: Commonly refered to as "Felony Flats," is just outside of downtown. The Kendall yard which is going under a big development project, I do not believe it has much promise because of the history of the neighborhood.

Shadle: Biggest residential area in Spokane. Nice area with a generic high school. Shadle is an okay place with little crime and a nice area in general.

Hillyard: Ah where I grew up. Has lots of history such as market street and its many buildings. Many of the buildings look as they did 100 years ago. Too bad most of them are abondoned due to crime. There are a bunch of kids who think they're gangsters and start a lot of fights. This is also an area where you'll find a lot of white supremacy and Swasticas spray painted on the walls.

Mead: Another great area outside of spokane. A great area for raising kids and is out in the coutry a little more.

Five Mile: Very upperclass neighbor hood north west of spokane. A quickly developing area and is a very nice place.
 
Old 12-03-2006, 05:53 PM
 
33 posts, read 195,840 times
Reputation: 36
Quote:
Originally Posted by Dan6200alt View Post
Anyone there in Spokane with a camera willing to post some photos? I think it would be very helpful to us interested in Spokane to have some images other than stock photos of Riverfront park. More day to day things like intersections, city landscaping, buildings/architecture (good and bad), neighborhoods (good and bad), construction zones, new projects, alleys, etc. I for one find these things more interesting than 'sunset' photos. Thank you thank you thank you to anyone who will spend the time doing this.
Just chiming in as there have been a number of requests for some images and discussion regarding Spokane. We maintain a blog that focuses on urban development, planning & design in the Spokane area. Check it out & decide for yourself. If you have questions, feel free to shoot us an email.

http://www.metrospokane.typepad.com

Won't join in on the rant-fest some seem to be perpetuating on here about Spokane, but suffice to say it's an inland city that is growing, has the usual issues associated with mid-sized American cities, is located in an area that provides access to some amazing recreation opportunities, and has changed dramatically over the past ten years in a good way.

Prior to moving, we'd consider a weekend visit to check the city out. There's no better way to get a feel for a place.
 
Old 12-03-2006, 11:33 PM
 
Location: Castle Rock, CO
111 posts, read 608,973 times
Reputation: 49
Thanks metrospokane. Its a great site w/ great info. Someone else (possibly on this thread?) mentioned it and I've been going to it fairly often since.

WendyK, I read or heard something about needing to stay south of 10th St if you're living on the South Hill? Is this a crime thing or schools or something?
 
Old 12-04-2006, 07:48 AM
 
Location: Nine Mile Falls/Spokane, WA
1,009 posts, read 4,895,177 times
Reputation: 826
WendyK, I read or heard something about needing to stay south of 10th St if you're living on the South Hill? Is this a crime thing or schools or something?


Most of the homes on the lower numbered streets on the South Hill are a little more run down, location is closer in to downtown and the freeway, and generally not as nice as the streets above 10th. It's kind of funny because technically you are heading "south" but you're going "up" the hill as the numbers go higher and the streets get nicer. The areas near Manito Park start at about 16th and go through 29th. South of 29th you run into homes that are mostly built from the 1940's and newer, with a few scattered turn of the century homes. The lower numbered streets are more in the early 1900's - 1950's built homes.

I had not seen the website that metrospokane referenced and have now placed it in my favorites. It has some great info on what's really going on in SPokane.
 
Old 12-04-2006, 09:37 PM
 
33 posts, read 195,840 times
Reputation: 36
Default Don't count out West Central

Quote:
Originally Posted by WendyK View Post
If you have young kids, you will probably be better off on the South Hill for the older style homes close to schools. The Summit Blvd./Corbin Park area is still a little edgy for families, although it's improving greatly. There is a big development planned along the river in West Central area called Kendall Yards but this area has always been known as "felony flats", so even though the potential is good, I wouldn't want to raise my kids there unless I had to. There are plenty of good neighborhoods on the South Hill that have the charm and character you seem to want, and will be within close distance to the hospitals, schools and shopping. I would stick to the neighborhoods closest to the parks and not go too far east on the South Hill. These areas are very popular, hold their value and tend to sell quicker than other parts of south Spokane. Of course the prices tend to be higher, too, but you get what you pay for.
A few comments to supplement WendyK's. West Central is home to the State's largest Historic District known as Nettleton's Addition. It's an older streetcar suburb platted over 100 years ago. It's undergoing a massive resurgence in popularity. Most of this is due to the Kendall Yards development that will bring roughly 2600 residential units and 1million sqf+ of commercial space to a 78 acre parcel of land adjacent to downtown. Quite similar to Denver's "The Commons". West Central homes were also built right around the same time as the South Hill's. And after spending a number of summer evenings on a friend's front porch, it felt to me much more neighborly than any new sub-division up north. Check out this 4th of July block party the neighborhood hosted -

http://metrospokane.typepad.com/inde...lock_part.html

I agree that the south hill is a wonderful place, but West Central has things you will never find up by Manito-Surrounded by the river on 3 sides, a future whitewater kayak park, walking distance to downtown, the arena & the Centennial Trail. Now, like any neighborhood it's not all roses, but we're convinced that the West Central neighborhood will soon find itself back as one of Spokane's best.
 
Old 12-06-2006, 09:36 PM
 
7 posts, read 31,438 times
Reputation: 14
Wink Thoughts From A Spokane Newbie

I moved to Spokane in August '06, and found this thread an interesting read. It would have been pretty valuable to me during my move. Here's my perspective on the area, as a newcomer:

Prior to Spokane I lived my entire life in Montana, followed by a short stint in Wenatchee. Compared to those areas, the outdoors is a bit lacking in terms of grandiose mountain views and wildlife (you aren't going to see elk, moose, bear, bighorn sheep, and the like). However, it is relatively easy to get out of the city and into the outdoors, with many options for mountain biking, hiking, and bird-watching. The trails are good, they're just not particularly scenic. Riverside State Park is very close, if you're on the North Side, and provides a quick getaway to the river and ponderosa forests. You can even go camping there. Also, keep in mind that Idaho is just a short drive away. I've been spending most weekends there. The Idaho Panhandle is similar to the outdoors of Montana, with endless hiking and mountain biking opportunities, and skiing and snowshoeing in the winter. Coeur d'Alene has a beautiful lake and lots of trees. I feel right at home over there, and Montana is really not too far from Spokane, so that's a benefit when I'm getting homesick.

Spokane does have a white-trash feel, no matter where you go, but I see a lot of revitalization happening in many parts of the city, and there are areas that are quite lovely. Every part of town has some nice old buildings ... churches, schools, train depots, etc that lend character and potential for updating. True, some people think that old buildings are an eye-sore, so I guess that depends on your affinity towards new construction. Manito Park is wonderful and a perfect napping spot, Centennial Trail is great (you can bicycle right on over to Idaho), Corbin Park is a jewel for a picnic on a summer day, and Riverfront Park always has something interesting going on and provides good family entertainment when relatives are in town. The basalt outcropping around the city make for unique landscaping, and I love the ponderosa pines all over the South Hill. The downtown is improving and I actually find the area by Riverfront Park to be pretty nice as far as city downtowns go. There's lots of shopping and plenty of nightlife for my tastes. I am more comfortable there (a twenty-something female) than I am in the downtowns of Portland, Seattle, or even Butte, MT, although I am still not used to being solicited for money. Everytime I go out, no matter what area of Spokane, someone at the very least asks me for change for bus fare. I seem to just attract those types of people, since not everyone has that experience. I have not personally been approached about any kind of drugs, but I hear there is quite a meth epidemic in the area.

It seems there are shops within walking distance of most residential areas, however the city is not particularly walking-friendly. Some of the busy streets, on both north and south sides, don't have sidewalks. That's been disappointing to me, as it can be hard going for a stroll to the grocery store during traffic hours. I'm hoping Spokane starts to cater more to pedestrians with its revitalization efforts.

I don't have kids, so I have nothing to contribute as to schools. All I know: Gonzaga U offers Pac 10 basketball. I also don't eat out much, and even if I did, I'm from Montana ... meat and potatoes girl here, so take my opinions on food with a grain of salt! I saw a giant cockroach outside one of the Thai Restaurants here, but have had good Thai food at another restaurant I tried after retreating from the cockroach one. I didn't know they had cockroaches this far north until that experience. There's a restaurant downtown called, I think, Moxie's (?) that is excellent; they have the best meatloaf and potatoes, and wonderful appetizers!
 
Old 12-06-2006, 09:52 PM
 
7 posts, read 31,438 times
Reputation: 14
Default Spokane Newbie, Part 2

(I had to break this into parts due to the text limits. And by the way, I'm writing based on my experiences in Spokane proper, and not so much the outlying communities, as I have very little experience in the suburbs, Valley, etc other than for outdoorsy type activities.)

The white-trash feel is mostly due, in my opinion, to all industry and industrial buildings, along with some of the neighborhoods being neglected. Most of the homes in Spokane are quite nice under the dirt and grime, and it's sad that they were not kept up. There are some amazing old houses that have been allowed to deteriorate. It's unfortunate. Even in these neighborhood, there are nice homes mingled in with the bad. The South Hill is probably the least white-trash, but it too has the occasional bad seed mixed in.

Here's a link to the Corbin Park district, so you can see it is not white-trash: http://inlandtour.debut.net/northside/corbin-p.html . The homes there are quite lovely, with beautifully maintained yards. I see a lot of ladders and such out on the houses nearby, where homeowners are doing extensive work on the houses in that area that were less well cared for, so I think at least this neighborhood on the North Side will be improving. The houses on Post (just west of Corbin Park) are fairly run down, but the cross streets have quite a number of nice homes. North on Post, you run into the Garland District, which is humble but kinda funky, with the milk bottle cafe and some little pubs. I've heard that it's set to become another historic district within Spokane, but I couldn't cite a source on that.

Anyways, this is the area I live in (Corbin/Garland), and it's nice and quiet, lots of trees (although not the lovely pine forests of the South Hill) and has families with young kids as well as older folks who've been in the area since the '50s. My street is pretty diverse on ethnicities, especially coming from Montana, and that's something I enjoy. I chose this area because it's easy to walk or bike to my job from here, compared to living on the South Hill, but that really depends on where you'd be working. It is also pretty affordable. My 2000 sf house was $175k, up from $120k that it sold for in '04, and my neighbor just sold their house for the same price (up from $110k in '03), so the homes seem to retain/grow their value. There are a lot of nice old houses with hardwood floors, leaded glass, awesome porches, etc, but not so many options when it comes to garages. And on the downside, I have seen graffiti on some of the buildings, and some of those run-down houses seem a little sketchy. My favorite part of Spokane is Browne's Addition ... my price range kept me out of the real estate there, but that's where I'd have liked to get a nice old house near the Elk Public House (a little bar with Fat Tire on tap and some yummy gumbo). =)

Other notes on Spokane:

It is weird to me that there are perpetually puppies for sale by the side of the road on North Division. What's up with that?

A number of the South Hill homes I looked at were wonderful, but had oil heat. That's just something to keep in mind when you're house-hunting, in case you prefer a different heating source. I didn't know anything about it, and still don't, so I was more comfortable with natural gas/forced air.

I haven't been able to find a great nursery/landscaping place like those over in CDA and Post Falls.

Speaking of Post Falls, there is outlet shopping available there, for those of you curious about shopping, and that is an easy drive from Spokane.

Rock-climbing (indoor and out), once again courtesy of that fabulous basalt.

The people here seem fairly down-to-earth (not so status-driven as the Audi crowd of Seattle ... not saying there is anything wrong with having status, but here they are less judgemental of those of us content with our dad's old flyrod and Ford truck), and my neighbors have been very kind and generous to me.

From Spokane you can take a nice road trip to: Hells Canyon, the Palouse Falls, Idaho Panhandle, British Columbia or Alberta, Glacier National Park or other Montana specialities, Hood River in Oregon, Wenatchee/Leavenworth and the lovely Cascade Mountains of Washington, the Gorge for concerts, the Columbia River and its tributaries for fishing, Seattle for a weekend escape to good eats and music, the Washington Coast (Olympic Peninsula, San Juans) ... if you're not afraid of a little driving, Spokane is a central hub surrounded by all kinds of adventuring potential.

Again, I'm a newbie and I don't claim to be an expert by any means, just thought I'd share my point of view and personal experiences in the hopes it might be helpful to those of you considering moving here. It seems a lot of Spokane residents are fairly down on their town, calling it "Spokompton" and such, but overall the city offers plenty of positives.
 
Old 12-06-2006, 10:58 PM
 
Location: Castle Rock, CO
111 posts, read 608,973 times
Reputation: 49
D'yer Mak'er, great insight. Thanks for your point of view, very useful and appreciated.

The issue of 'white trash' comes up fairly often on this thread and that concerns me a bit. Is it because it has been talked about here that you (and others) mention it? Is it like "since you brought it up, white trash is here..." or is it more like, "wow, white trash is really obvious and a problem here and it needs to be mentioned"? What I mean is how bad is it? I'm starting to feel its more than just a minor irritation. I can deal with seeing some of it, (and a bit less of the 'Audi' crowd thats here in Denver too), but I don't want to be surrounded by wife beaters and cameros up on blocks everywhere except South Hill.

Let me ask all of you in this discussion an odd question. How do you think kids (and teenagers) feel about living there? Things can look alot different through their eyes and I thinks its a valid issue. What do you think?

Last edited by Dan6200alt; 12-06-2006 at 11:19 PM..
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