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Would like information, about the community of Valley and Springdale. Thinking of moving to this area. I wonder what the land looks like? IS it steep and rocky or more varied? Can't find average temps or climate so Springdale must be the larger are. Any large flea markets? Thanks for anyone's input!
Hooray - interesting to read about the recent trips to Spokane! I'm happy that the negatives have been fairly few, but disappointed nobody has visited Corbin Park! It's quite lovely this time of year (oh gee, I think I say that every time of year!). I took my dog for a stroll around the park at midnight last night and it was smelling all of blossoming trees. Mmmm! I can't wait until the lilacs are out in full force.
Just thought I'd comment on the homeless again: about the suggestion to carry pepper-spray, I have thought about that and I do have a giant canister of grizzly bear spray from my Montana hiking days that I have considered toting around when I go out. I just wasn't sure if pepper-spraying people was even allowed. I agree with the previous points that the homeless here seem more aggressive than in other cities I've visited (LA, Seattle, Portland, NY, DC, Atlanta). I've seen them about in other places, but before moving here I haven't felt *coerced* or *accosted* by them as I have here in Spokane. There have been occasions where I developed involuntary tears in my eyes, I was so frightened. I don't run into them so much downtown, but more on the perimeters (there's a Perkins on Division near the bridge where, without exception, I have been confronted whenever I've attempted to enter or leave that establishment). I already do not make eye contact with them, so that suggestion unfortunately doesn't help much. Lately I just avoid places where I've had problems (which is easy to do ... Perkins Schmerkins) and only walk through those certain areas with my brave German Shepherd, or I stick to going out with a friend since they seem to pick on me only when I'm all alone.
I think the ruts on I-90 are actually pretty bad, at least when you first encounter them and aren't expecting them. I believe these are caused from studded tires used during the winter, since I seem to recall seeing warning signs on the interstate calling attention to it.
It's interesting to read the different perspectives on the city. Of particular interest to me are all the comments about Spokane being so quiet and unpopulated (ie "where are all the people?"), because to me Spokane is quite hustling and bustling, with people everywhere. But that's my small-town roots shining through, I suppose. And I still don't understand the criticism of the downtown, since from my perspective it is quite full of character and aesthetics, offering a blending of nature (lots of ponderosa and basalt) with "industrial-chic" urban. I love the old brick buildings, and the old painted-on advertisements like the Sprite mural next to the visitor's info center. To each their own, eh?
Oh ... I hesitate to tell this tale of my stupidity, but recently I went out of town for almost two weeks and forgot to lock up my house. Oops. In my defense, this is the first town I've lived in that necessitated locking one's doors, but I've been trying to improve on my Rebecca-of-Sunnybrook habits. When I got home, the door was blown open (good thing I turned off the heat), and who knows how long it was just open to the world like that, saying "Step right up! Transients, meth-addicts, makers-of-mischief -- come on in!" Of course, hearing how unsafe Spokane can be and stories about crime rates and car thefts, I was certain I had been burglered. Luckily, not even a stray cat had crossed my threshold and everything was in order. I was pretty surprised that no one had at least stolen a couple of bicycles and/or a beer. Nonetheless, I will be more diligent about locking up.
Hi. Iv'e seen a lot of pictures of Spokane since I left 40 years ago. Spokane has made a LOT of improvements Since they had the Words Fair there many years ago. I was surprised to see all the changes. I personally would have no problem calling Spokane my home again. Just stay away from the lowlife areas, or take a cell phone with you and carry pepper spray. I checked, and it IS legal to carry pepper spray in Spokane. Actually it is legal in most states. You have the right to be safe and protect yourself always. You can check the legallity of spray on the web. Just type in(Is pepper spray legal in Spokane WA). You'll see tons of places selling spray in SP. If you like to fish, there are a lot of lakes to catch your dinner. I swore I would never say this on this site,but, the reason I can't go back to SP is because of my medical problems. Iv'e had 2 back operations, and a stroke. I can't take the cold. I can't walk on a slick surface. I'd be on my backside shortly. I don't want to here someone calling me a whinner. That's life. Anyone wanting to live in Spokane, I would say go for it! Outside the city there is a lot of beautiful wilderness. South Hill is not the only place to live for God's sake. The only time I ever went there was to see the Christmas displays. Some of the richer folkes put up great lawn displays. Millions of lights. Very pretty.
p.s. Don't carry bear spray. Carry the 4 oz or 6 oz. They just clip on your belt. You can carry them in your purse. But like the Spokane Police dept. says, carry them in you hand. They will stop your attacker dead in their trackes. I know, I tried some on myself. No lasting damage at all. I am rambling here. Spokane gets 2 thumbs up from me. It does get a lot of snow, and is very cold in the winter. But it's worth it! stay safe,skitow.
Would like information, about the community of Valley and Springdale. Thinking of moving to this area. I wonder what the land looks like? IS it steep and rocky or more varied? Can't find average temps or climate so Springdale must be the larger are. Any large flea markets? Thanks for anyone's input!
Springdale and Valley areas are in Southern Stevens county just NW of Spokane. The terrain varies from farmland to steeper rocky points. It's very pretty but a little remote. Homes are spaced fairly far apart with most people having 5+ acres of land. No flea markets in those little towns - most people do yard sales around here. There is Indian Reservation land that adjoins Springdale in Ford. There are quite a few creeks in these areas that run off from the mountains. If you're looking to be away from the crowds, you might enjoy these areas. Drive time to Spokane would be about 40-50 minutes, depending on what type road you're on. There are quite a few unpaved, gravel and dirt roads in these parts.
I'm not so sure that Spokane is any more crime ridden than a city of it's size. If a person comes from a small town - sure, get into the habit of locking up. (petty theft can be a problem) However, the murder rate in larger cities is much worse (like seattle and tacoma for example) and the meth stats as well. The formula is simple;
If you are retiring and want to move to a low crime area close to spokane to take advantage of the weather - move to Cordelane Id. or move to Liberty Lake. This is on the other side of spokane valley and a very upper class area. It's easily afforadable for the seattlites who've worked at boeing for years and is selling a mid-sized home - for the price you'll get there you'll get about four times the home in Liberty Park area.
Don't buy a home in areas that are lousy (by the court house) - in hillyard - off sprague ave.. etc... You'll get really cheap real estate and need to dead bolt your home. However, growing up right off sprague I never had to carry pepper spray or a gun or even a knife. And yes, I have walked home without being bothered at 3 am.
I grew up in Spokane and it's funny how many people on this site makes the town sound. If your really stuck on moving to Spokane I suggest the shadle park area, liberty lake, nine mile, deer park or the south hill. These are areas you can talk to a real estate agent about.
You don't need pepper spray you need common sense.
Here is what is great about Spokane.
They only have one strip joint. A woman fought to have all of them shut down and so far is still working on shutting this one down. And this is really closer to being in spokane valley (which is it's own town.)
You drive 30 minutes in any direction - and you'll find a lake, mountians, hiking, camping, wildlife etc.
A moose can walk through your yard and all highways will eventually lead you to seeing whitetail deer.
Usually the news is easy to digest - some community event, someone found a bear in their backyard, about once a month a murder (very very rare) a drug bust, gonzaga bulldog stats etc... There is a guy here that actually spends the summer giving you recipes on how to throw a good barbque. It really is a family town. People mow their own lawns even if they have the money to pay to have it out-sourced.
Primarily I hope you all understand if you move here it is not seattle culture. We do not tell others how much our home cost or compare ours to someone else based upon square footage. We do not tell others how much we make for a living. (And asking these questions are considered rude.) We do not pay someone to mow our lawn. There are taboos. It is best if you think of the town as an upbeat - modernized town with all the attitudes of country living. People are really judged based upon ethics and morals. Hard to believe in this day and age huh?
We don't spray and kill of insects over here - so you'll see a lot of birds in spring and quite a bit of wildlife. We don't kill a deer if it's eating someones plants. We only kill a cougar if it has hurt someone, and this is also true of bears. Oh yeah, and hunting is not a taboo.
Our motto is "The Friendly City" because people are not snobby. We are however quiet and a man and woman is judged on how hard they work - not on how much money they have. There is an odds on possiblity that you are not being judged. (there are, of course, exceptions but I'm talking in general here) But if you are sitting on a mall bench you probably won't be talked too - or in an elevator, or on a bus, waiting in line, etc.. people generally respect your personal space.
It's has exellent skiing opportunities (49 degrees north and spokane mountain).... and yep, it snows a lot. And no, it is not the answer to avoiding utah (or other desert regions) by moving in state. It is not a desert.
If your incapable of shoveling a sidewalk you may want to consider another area or buy a snow blower.
Grid-lock lasts about three minutes max if you ever see it in your lifetime. All highways and freeways rarely clog up and if they do it's cleaned out within minutes. (Worst case something like 10 driving into the valley via 395)
Homeless issues? That's only true if your the kind of person who likes to hang out at bus stations or right by the homeless shelters. If those are the places you like to go and people who are homeless bug you - then you may not want to move here.
Hopefully, I covered all of the "myths" about Spokane. It really is a lovely town and worthy of consideration - if you like city living.
I keep hearing on these boards about meth - which seems to be a national thing to me and not localized to spokane. So again I'd simply avoid the areas mentioned above. Most meth is actually made in rural areas - and it's rampant in many parts of the united states. (the whole state of Iowa and Portland are areas I hear are problematic) me personally, I've never met a meth head in spokane and don't hear much about it on the news.
So anyway, that's from a life long resident.. hopefully it will help a bit to diminish what seems to be a crazy rants on the area. (all fear based and not reality based)
Oh and lastly one other really cool deal is your a day drive away from yellowstone national park and glacial national park. And a day and a half from grand tetons. (All of which you should visit if you do come in the area)
If you do decide to come try not to show up with these myths in your back pocket, I cannot see it being a good cocktail conversation or it faring well on your personal reputation.
I have followed this thread and just couldn't pass up the chance to out my 2 cents in. I lived in Spokane for 3 years moved away for 1 year and have been back for 2 years. I can dispel some of the truths from the myths about the city:
1. The city DOES have alot of white trash
2. Many areas of town (especially near the urban core) ARE rundown and in need of renovation.
3. The city DOES have a meth/crime problem, though some posters make it sound worse than it actually is.
4. The city DOES have a high population of people of lower than average intelligence and who are unemployed/ on state aid. (If you don't realize that your rusty72 camaro up on blocks brings down your property value, then hey, you aren't the brightest bulb)
5. The economy ISNT as good as other cities, and wages tend to run a little lower and there aren't alot of large employers. Don't think your gonna move here and make Seattle or San Francisco money
However...there are some positives
1. The downtown IS revitalizing, especially the area near riverfront park.
2. The cost of living IS fairly reasonable (though has climbed tremendously in the last few years). Especially compared to bigger or more marquee cities like Seattle or Portland.
3. There IS a quite a bit of culture that city has for its size. There are some good concerts, touring theatre acts, a symphony, and other forms of "culture" that people look for. There is also a pro hockey team, a baseball team and recently an arena football team.
4. There ARE alot of great outdoor activities that are closeby. Spokane sits at the western edge of the Rocky mountains, so there is great mountin biking (my favorite), hiking, skiing, and boating that is nearby. Lots of trails and lakes in the vicinity. Golf is also polular too. You can golf 9 holes on some of the county courses for 10 to 14 dollars. Try getting those prices on the coast. Fat chance!
I guess to summarize, whether you likek living here or not will depend on what you want. If aren't much of an outdoors person ( a real outdoors person, someone who actually gets out and not just looks at the sunsets out on their patios) then you will probably hate it. Summers are hot (90 to over 100) and winters are long (cold and dreary, with short days). You need to find an outdoor activity in the wintertime, especially if your are from a warmer climate. IF you don't you'll go nuts (lookup cabin fever).
I was a spokane hater when I moved a couple years ago. At the time it felt like a trashy dead end town with little to offer anyone with more than a few braincells. I moved to a town with a great reputation, low crime, beautiful mountains, and a highly educated population. It was great for a while, but guess what? I coulnn't afford to live there! Even with a good job, all I woudl have been able to afford was a ****ty house with no land. I got sick of seeing trust fund *****s driving aroun in a luxury SUV that mommy and daddy paid for. I grew weart of all the transplants and their insular attitudes,and hell, I was a transplant. After that, Spokane didn't seem so bad! I moved back with a new perspective on the city and am relatively happy here now.
FINALLY.....a poster who doesn't have their head cemented in the sand!!!!! WooHoo! Well said mtman.
What area did you move back to Spokane from?
What exactly have the rest of us been saying that demonstrates we have our heads "cemented in sand"? And wouldn't a cemented head be in... well... cement instead of sand?
Soupguru: too funny! cement is made with sand...maybe I am a blockhead then...
I am glad to see your trip went well and you got to experience a variety of things while in Spokane.
I have to say I think the roads (ruts and lack of decent repair) are terrible, but then again maybe they are worse in your neck of the woods, plus they are worse in winter, and not too great for the car. I take alternate routes when I can so I don't have to play dodge and weave.
good luck with wherever you decide to move and if it is Spokane, maybe you and yours and me and mine can go grab some coffee sometime!
You say that"and winters are long (cold and dreary, with short days). You need to find an outdoor activity in the wintertime, especially if your are from a warmer climate. IF you don't you'll go nuts (lookup cabin fever)."
I'm actually looking forward to the winters, but your statement about cabin fever in the winter gave me pause. What kind of outdoor winter activities do you suggest. I've got bad knees, so skiing is definitely out. What do Spokanians/Spokanites (what do you call yourselves) actually do to pass the winters?
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D'yer Mak'er
I love the old brick buildings, and the old painted-on advertisements like the Sprite mural next to the visitor's info center. To each their own, eh?
