Spokane impressions and tell us about living in Mead (Seattle: sales, low crime)

[texasdiver]

My wife and I are currently living in Texas with our 3 girls but have been tossing around the idea of relocating back to the PNW. We were just out for a family visit in Oregon and took a few extra days to make a loop through central and eastern washington to see some possible places for relocation, specifically Wenatchee and the Spokane area. I am originally from Oregon, grew up in Eugene, went to school and have lived in both Portland and Seattle and have family scattered all around the western side of the cascades of both states. But we are thinking of the eastern side for the drier weather and more open spaces.

We only had a day to spend in Spokane so drove around to a few neighborhoods. My wife is in the medical profession so we looked at the South Hill area and saw a lot of pretty nice older neighborhoods that reminded me of Portland's inner east side. Then I remembered that Mead HS was the school that used to thump us in athletics and academic competitions like debate so we google mapped it and drove out there to look around at neighborhoods. I liked the older houses in South Hill. My wife liked the newer suburban stuff around Mead. I expect that there are many other areas to explore but we didn't have time. But I suspect my wife will win the argument about suburbs vs central city as it would be her commuting not me.

So what is the Spokane area in general and the Mead area like for families? I have read all the threads about the crime and meth problems but frankly we have that in Texas also, plus the drug cartels and gang bangers too. Yet the nicer suburban areas are perfectly decent for families. The downtown Spokane area had some nice pockets but seemed pretty faded and not particularly vibrant on a weekday summer afternoon. Not many new buildings for a city that size but perhaps we are too used to Texas where everything is new and growing fast. But we did see lots of very nice somewhat upscale suburban areas around Spokane that looked like nice areas for families.

Our priorities are

1. Good schools for our kids who currently range from 3rd to 11th grade but we will probably graduate the oldest first before relocating. Our girls are especially into soccer, swimming, and music so Mead is on our radar. I'm not sure what other schools or neighborhoods to look at.

2. Bikeable and walkable neighborhoods. Mead seemed more like suburban Texas with the planned subdivisions and more car centric. But we didn't really explore much. I'm kind of sick of where we live in Texas where expressways and major arterial without bike lanes or bike paths make bike commuting nearly impossible.

3. Access to 4-season outdoor recreation. We love to camp on the weekends but it is so tough in Texas because the summers are too brutally hot and spring and fall our girls are in soccer or swimming most weekends. One pretty much has to haul the camper 8-10 hours to New Mexico or Arkansas to find nice campgrounds or down to the Gulf Coast for beach camping. The Spokane area seems to have a wealth of nearby camping options. There were sure a lot of giant RV lots along I-90 on the way to CdA.

4. Skiing. Used to do a lot of at Bachelor growing up and Stevens Pass in college. Spokane seems to have good options for winter recreation, especially compared to Texas where one must board a plane to CO or NM.

Everyone here talks about the long winters but we lived in Alaska before moving to Texas so I am guessing Spokane won't be anything we haven't seen before, if that. Still have the Sorrels and boot warmers gathering dust in the attic.

[Rustysurf83]

I live up in Colbert (essentially Mead) and it sounds like your priorities indicate Mead much more than the South Hill.

District 81 schools arent even close to the Mead school district. As we were home shopping we decided if we didn't buy a house in the Mead or Central Valley districts then we were going to send our kids to private school. We toured St. George's and, although it is one of the most impressive schools I have ever seen, it costs about the same as my college did for Kindergarten.

I would call the majority of Mead bikable/walkable with the exception of having to cross HWY 2 or 395. I have only been through the South Hill, but can't imagine getting back up would be a fun experience.

Regarding recreation, I can get from my house to some fairly remote areas of the National Forest in 45-60 minutes and can be at Mt. Spokane on the chairlift in 25 minutes. Although Mt . Spokane isn't exactly a world class ski hill, it's a nice/convenient post work option with night skiing to blow a couple of hours. 49 North and Schweitzer are also an easier trip from Colbert/Mead than the South Hill.

The winters really aren't that horrible . Honestly it's amplified because the city isn't the greatest at efficiently plowing, but that's usually transparent to people on the outskirts if you can avoid town for a couple weeks.

Let me know if you have any other questions.

[texasdiver]

Thanks.

My wife's career will let her work just about anywhere. She is in a very high-demand medical field and gets offers from all over. I'm currently a HS science teacher, formerly a fisheries biologist with NOAA and would like to continue teaching but that isn't a deal breaker. There is pretty much an inverse relationship between the desirability of an area and the availability of teaching jobs because teaching is such a portable profession and so many teachers are lifestyle pilgrims due to the available time off. Spokane doesn't look great for teaching jobs but not as grim as say western Oregon where teachers are being laid off still. But she would most likely be working in the medical district so we can't move out beyond what would be a reasonable commuting distance for her.

Our biggest concern in terms of relocation would be finding top quality public schools for the girls. We have that now in Texas as we live in a pretty affluent suburban area with good schools that appear similar to what is written about Mead. I'm not willing to move my kids to someplace with mediocre schools. If it comes to that we'll get them out of the house first before relocating.

As for the cold and snow. I grew up in western Oregon and Washington but we spent 10 years living and working in Juneau and Anchorage Alaska before moving to Texas so we know from winter and I can't imagine Spokane is even as grim as Anchorage in the winter. Probably colder than Juneau but less messy.

Ideally we'd like a nice suburban place with plenty of green around. Our current house in Texas is probably in the 350k price range and that would be easily in our budget. Much more than that would be a question of priorities like whether we wanted to be able to send the kids to college!

We don't have any particular rose colored glasses about Spokane. Sounds like there are some crime and economic stagnation issues. And are looking around all over the west at places like Boise, Salt Lake City, Fort Collins, Medford, Bend, Wenatchee, Bellingham, etc. But it does seem like the Spokane area does have most of what we are looking for in a manageably sized city that still has enough to offer our girls in their education. We are just getting burned out with the weather, political/religious climate, and lack of scenery here in Central Texas and figure it is about time to upgrade to somewhere more pleasant.

The whole area on the north side of Spokane frankly looks interesting. We didn't drive out to the Nine Mile area but I understand at least some of it flows into the Mead school district. I'll have to do some more research about district boundaries, commuting patterns and so forth to decide what areas are more promising than others.

[aplcr0331]

We live in Indian Trail area and very close to the 9 Mile Falls area. There are some great places out there as there are out in Mead/Colbert. My sister is a 20 year teacher here in Spokane Dist 81 and her daughter teaches in Mead. The schools in this area are not too bad.

As a teacher yourself you surely know that individual student ability and parent involvement mean a lot more than going to a "good" school (whatever the means). Spokane schools are like that, there is not a whole lot to differentiate one from the other. Other than parental income, and along with that attitude and involvement. But with parents like you and your wife probably are, your kids will be great in Mead schools, 9 Mile Falls, District 81 and yes even in Valley schools.

My family and I went out to the Valley today for Valleyfest. Took a 10 mile bike ride along the river. We stopped at a waterfall in Mirabeau park and watch an Eagle circling above the water doing some hunting. It was absolutely amazing! Even my fairly jaded older kids were very much impressed.

Depending on how active you are, there is a ton of great stuff to do here in Spokane. The skiing around here is awesome. Outdoor recreation is great and Spokane puts on a couple of, no kidding, world class events.

Crime? Happens here just like anyplace else. It's all about perspective.

[texasdiver]

Hi aplcr

I probably forget to some extent how much more egalitarian the culture is in the northwest compared to here in Texas. The range from top to bottom is just a lot wider here and there are many schools that I would never subject my kids to simply because the poverty and social problems are so dire that the schools spend all their available time just trying to do basic remedial stuff.

While there is a certain beauty to some of the rural areas around here, one does get tired of the lack of available options for outdoor recreation, camping, skiing, and such, and I miss the Northwest. I went out for a 30 mile ride this evening in the 100 degree heat and went through 3 water bottles. My kids just want to stay inside on their screens when it is this hot.

Everyone says Portland and Seattle are the places to be but they are turning into the same sort of giant parking lots we have here in Texas. Even the weekend traffic is a mess. Not what I remember from going to school in those cities in the 80s and early 90s. If one is young and single then yes, those cities have all the appeal. They are exciting and there's lots to do. But my friends with kids who live in Seattle just get run ragged trying to keep up with soccer practices and music lessons and everything else all over town amidst the endless traffic and high cost of living. So one circles back around to places like Spokane that have enough to offer but still have the opportunity to escape the urban grind.

We will see how things go. If the right professional opportunity arises then we may well be out there in the future exploring those areas and will have a lot more questions.

[folkguitarist555]

I saw a few homes east of Spokane that I liked...then I read about all the wild fires going on around there....the carlton complex...and etc.....looks like a bad wild fire season in eastern, central WA this year...

[JimRhino]

Texas, I'm glad to find your post. It sounds as though we have similar interests as far as reasons for wanting more information on certain locations. We also have 4 kids (similar in age) and may be relocating to the Spokane area. I appreciate reading Rusty's response as well.

Thanks and best of luck!

[Supersport360]

Well, for those of you moving to the Spokane area, be advised, it is not for everyone! I just visited the area for the second time in less than a year last week (3/23-25/15) for possible location for retirement. I have come to the conclusion that I will not ever move there based on the following:

1. The city is a dump! I don't care what anyone else says, Spokane needs a good pressure washing to clean those buildings, and wash out all the vermin that hang out there. Poverty stricken neighborhoods everywhere and dubious looking characters hanging around the marijuana stores and elsewhere.
Spokane could use some updated architecture, too!

2. Lots of druggies inhabit the area including crack and meth heads.

3. Property crime is very high and is frequent in the so called suburb areas because that is where the $$$ is. This is not my own opinion but from the mouths of those who live there. Cars broken into multiple times. It's bad!

4. Even with three universities close by, it is not home to an educated populace. Generally, a blue collar kind of place.

5. Cost of living is low? Not really when you factor in food, energy, sales tax (8.25% and higher depending on the city and county) and property tax. Food is more expensive on average than I have here in California, a fact because I took notes while there. Energy provided by Avista, a monopoly for all intents and purposes, and they have raised their rates each year for the last 8 years. Wa doesn't have a state income tax, but the property tax on a home can be steep and all it does is go up and up! All States get your money one way or another!

6. Oh and the weather....Do you like Winter? Cause your gonna get at least 5 to 6 months of it! It may not snow all the time (Spokane avgs 55 inches/year) but it can get darn cold even in April! Oh and don't forget the ice on the roads!!

Think carefully and take all factors into consideration. I wanted to make sure that I didn't Spokane, so I visited the place twice, each time for a week and at the end of each visit, I couldn't wait to get back home!

[folkguitarist555]

That is interesting, I normally consider the Idaho side only, I was there looking around about 6 months ago, but was in Post Falls, I been to Spokane a few times over the years though. Seems gritty. It also seem like most folks look to the Idaho side for relocation or retirement, more so then the Spokane side...imo, though not 100 percent sure. Or, they look to Boise. I typically place Boise higher then Spokane and N Idaho though, when it comes to potential retirement areas. I have read that the winters are mild up in Spokane, and fluctuate a lot, unless you are further north, like in Newport WA, or Sandpoint ID for instance, though not sure. Cant be anything like Maine, or Minnesota I would think. Boise also has a pretty low crime rate for a city it's size I have read. That property theft thing I read about in Spokane is a bit scary though, I will admit, from what I have read here on CD over time.

[Saltwater]

Hey TexasDiver. Why not going back to Eugene? I have two job interviews in the next few months (one in Spokane, one in Eugene). Have same priorities as texas diver. Would welcome comments on Spokane vs Eugene as a place to settle down with family. Thanks!