Spokane, what's it like? (Seattle, Tacoma: relocation, real estate, showing)

[Negotiator75]

Originally Posted by ameri-kiwi

Can someone give me some general info. on Spokane and your honest opinion? I may take a job there that involves alot of air travel but I know nothing of the area. I'm originally from Washington (D.C.) and have lived in Michigan for 8 years and am trying to see if Spokane is a place I'd like to live. I could also live in Portland, OR; it doesn't matter where I live for work as long as it's in the Pacific Northwest and near a major airport. My potential new employer specifically mentioned Portland and Spokane.

So far in my research (only just started) Portland seems expensive, arrogant, and very tough to find a job if my new one doesn't work out. I'm not calling Portland expensive and arrogant, that's just what some who live there say.

Is Spokane a decent place to live? I would hate to live in New York City, but I don't want to live in the sticks, either. I hear Spokane + the city next door in Idaho totals about 600,000 people, so that sounds like a happy medium. How's the Washington state economy? Anyone have any gripes about Spokane? Cost of living and qulaity of schools, and quality of life, OK or no?

Thanks in advance!

Spokane would be a nice place if it wasnt for the heat and seems it has mostly run down areas. But there are alot of affordable houses there. There is some crime in Spokane and in Coeur D'Alene area. Traffic can get pretty bad in the summer with all the tourism.

But as far as crime goes, you just cant compare a beautiful, well-run city like New York City to a place like Spokane. New York has lower crime per 1,000 than most other major cities.

[kena]

Originally Posted by Negotiator75

Spokane would be a nice place if it wasnt for the heat and seems it has mostly run down areas. But there are alot of affordable houses there. There is some crime in Spokane and in Coeur D'Alene area. Traffic can get pretty bad in the summer with all the tourism.

But as far as crime goes, you just cant compare a beautiful, well-run city like New York City to a place like Spokane. New York has lower crime per 1,000 than most other major cities.

Everyone is entitled to their opinion and Spokane, just like anyplace, isn't for everyone. That said, I'm not sure where all the 'Spokane is so hot' comments are coming from. Sure, in July or August Spokane can have some hot days. Still, the average high in the hottest month on average, August, is 83 degrees. Monthly Averages for Spokane, WA - weather.com
Plus, Spokane has very low humidity so the heat isn't generally that uncomfortable. Further, although there is sometimes traffic on I-90 it is rare that it gets to anything more than just heavy (almost never stop and go unless there is an accident, etc). Compared to other cities, Spokane does not have any traffic of note.

[Negotiator75]

Originally Posted by kena

Everyone is entitled to their opinion and Spokane, just like anyplace, isn't for everyone. That said, I'm not sure where all the 'Spokane is so hot' comments are coming from. Sure, in July or August Spokane can have some hot days. Still, the average high in the hottest month on average, August, is 83 degrees. Monthly Averages for Spokane, WA - weather.com
Plus, Spokane has very low humidity so the heat isn't generally that uncomfortable. Further, although there is sometimes traffic on I-90 it is rare that it gets to anything more than just heavy (almost never stop and go unless there is an accident, etc). Compared to other cities, Spokane does not have any traffic of note.

Most of Eastern Washington is a desert. Look up "Channeled Scablands". Lately in the last 2 summers, it has been 85 degrees or so. But it is known for lots of heat in the norm and being semi-arid (not much rain)

[kena]

Originally Posted by Negotiator75

Most of Eastern Washington is a desert. Look up "Channeled Scablands". Lately in the last 2 summers, it has been 85 degrees or so. But it is known for lots of heat in the norm and being semi-arid (not much rain)

You're correct, much of central washington is arid and bears resemblence to the channeled scablands you reference. Eastern Washington is also semi-arid but varies greatly, from the rolling hills of the palouse to the mountains and forests of north eastern Washington. Spokane is distinct from the climate and topography of central washington. If you've ever taken in a concert at the gorge, then you're truly in scablands and some heat. Spokane, not so much.

[st33lcas3]

Originally Posted by Treefriend

Here is a picture from !-90 heading east into Spokane from August, 07...

HAHAHA! That's the same view drivers on I90 have been seeing for the last thirty years. Look at the haze in the background, it only gets worse as the summer goes on.

Traffic sucks, the roads in town are pothole infested, the local government lacks any forward thinking vision. I would never move back to Spokane and recommend anyone looking to move there, to keep looking.

kena:
Compared to other cities, Spokane does not have any traffic of note.

Have you tried going up Division from I90 to the North Division Y during rush hour? It takes 45-60 minutes to travel less than five miles. Hamilton/Nevada isn't any easier. Spokane keeps hoping for that north-south freeway, but it isn't going to happen anytime soon.

[kena]

Originally Posted by st33lcas3

HAHAHA! That's the same view drivers on I90 have been seeing for the last thirty years. Look at the haze in the background, it only gets worse as the summer goes on.

Traffic sucks, the roads in town are pothole infested, the local government lacks any forward thinking vision. I would never move back to Spokane and recommend anyone looking to move there, to keep looking.

kena:
Compared to other cities, Spokane does not have any traffic of note.

Have you tried going up Division from I90 to the North Division Y during rush hour? It takes 45-60 minutes to travel less than five miles. Hamilton/Nevada isn't any easier. Spokane keeps hoping for that north-south freeway, but it isn't going to happen anytime soon.

Some facts to add to the discussion.

For August of 2007, the same month the picture was taken, Spokane's air quality was far better than federal air quality standards every day: http://www.spokanecleanair.org/docum...ugust%2007.pdf

As far as traffic goes, Spokane just doesn't have much traffic compared to most other metropolitan areas. In fact, it is tied for last in terms of traffic congestion among all metros included in this study http://tti.tamu.edu/documents/mobility_report_2007.pdf (keep scrolling until you get to the bottom, it is way down the list):

National Congestion Tables
Table 1. Key Mobility Measures, 2005
Urban Area
Annual Delay per Traveler Travel Time Index Wasted Fuel per Traveler
Hours Rank Value Rank Gallons Rank
Very Large Average (14 areas) 54 1.38 38
Los Angeles-LBch-Santa Ana, CA 72 1 1.50 1 57 1
San Francisco-Oakland, CA 60 2 1.41 3 47 2
Washington, DC-VA-MD 60 2 1.37 7 43 5
Atlanta, GA 60 2 1.34 11 44 3
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX 58 5 1.35 9 40 7
Houston, TX 56 7 1.36 8 42 6
Detroit, MI 54 8 1.29 21 35 10
Miami, FL 50 11 1.38 6 35 10
Phoenix, AZ 48 15 1.31 15 34 13
Chicago, IL-IN 46 16 1.47 2 32 17
New York-Newark, NY-NJ-CT 46 16 1.39 5 29 23
Boston, MA-NH-RI 46 16 1.27 25 31 19
Seattle, WA 45 19 1.30 17 34 13
Philadelphia, PA-NJ-DE-MD 38 33 1.28 23 24 34
Large Average (25 areas) 37 1.24 25
San Diego, CA 57 6 1.40 4 44 3
San Jose, CA 54 8 1.34 11 38 9
Orlando, FL 54 8 1.30 17 35 10
Denver-Aurora, CO 50 11 1.33 13 33 15
Riverside-San Bernardino, CA 49 13 1.35 9 40 7
Tampa-St. Petersburg, FL 45 20 1.28 23 28 25
Baltimore, MD 44 22 1.30 17 32 17
Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN 43 23 1.26 26 30 21
Indianapolis, IN 43 23 1.22 32 28 25
Sacramento, CA 41 27 1.32 14 30 21
Las Vegas, NV 39 29 1.30 18 27 27
San Antonio, TX 39 29 1.23 28 27 27
Portland, OR-WA 38 33 1.29 21 27 27
Columbus, OH 33 36 1.19 36 24 34
St. Louis, MO-IL 33 36 1.16 46 20 40
Virginia Beach, VA 30 42 1.18 39 20 40
Memphis, TN-MS-AR 30 42 1.13 53 16 46
Providence, RI-MA 29 44 1.16 46 17 45
Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN 27 45 1.18 39 19 42
Milwaukee, WI 19 59 1.13 53 14 52
New Orleans, LA 18 63 1.15 49 11 62
Kansas City, MO-KS 17 64 1.08 73 10 66
Pittsburgh, PA 16 67 1.09 64 9 69
Cleveland, OH 13 75 1.09 64 9 69
Buffalo, NY 11 77 1.08 73 7 76
85 Area Average 44 1.30 31
Remaining Areas
51 Urban Areas Over 250,000 Popn 22 1.15 15
301 Urban Areas Under 250,000 Popn 20 1.12 11
All 437 Urban Areas 38 1.26 26
Very Large Urban Areas—over 3 million population. Large Urban Areas—over 1 million and less than 3 million population.
Annual Delay per Traveler – Extra travel time for peak-period travel during the year divided by the number of travelers who begin a
trip during the peak period (6 to 9 a.m. and 4 to 7 p.m.). Free-flow speeds (60 mph on freeways and 35 mph on principal arterials)
are used as the comparison threshold.
Travel Time Index – The ratio of travel time in the peak period to the travel time at free-flow conditions. A value of 1.35 indicates a
20-minute free-flow trip takes 27 minutes in the peak
2005 values include the effects of operational treatments.
Note: Please do not place too much emphasis on small differences in the rankings. There may be little difference in congestion
between areas ranked (for example) 6th and 12th. The actual measure values should also be examined.
Also note: The best congestion comparisons use multi-year trends and are made between similar urban areas.
33
Table 1. Key Mobility Measures, 2005, Continued
Urban Area
Annual Delay per Traveler Travel Time Index Wasted Fuel per Traveler
Hours Rank Value Rank Gallons Rank
Medium Average (30 areas) 28 1.16 18
Austin, TX 49 13 1.31 15 33 15
Charlotte, NC-SC 45 20 1.23 28 31 19
Louisville, KY-IN 42 25 1.23 28 29 23
Tucson, AZ 42 25 1.23 28 26 31
Nashville-Davidson, TN 40 28 1.17 42 25 33
Oxnard-Ventura, CA 39 29 1.24 27 27 27
Jacksonville, FL 39 29 1.21 35 26 31
Raleigh-Durham, NC 35 35 1.18 39 23 37
Albuquerque, NM 33 36 1.17 42 21 39
Birmingham, AL 33 36 1.15 49 22 38
Bridgeport-Stamford, CT-NY 31 40 1.22 32 24 34
Salt Lake City, UT 27 45 1.19 36 18 44
Sarasota-Bradenton, FL 25 48 1.19 36 15 50
Omaha, NE-IA 25 48 1.16 46 15 50
Honolulu, HI 24 51 1.22 32 16 46
El Paso, TX-NM 24 51 1.17 42 16 46
Grand Rapids, MI 24 51 1.10 60 14 52
Allentown-Bethlehem, PA-NJ 22 55 1.14 51 14 52
Oklahoma City, OK 21 56 1.09 64 13 59
Fresno, CA 20 57 1.12 55 12 61
Richmond, VA 20 57 1.09 64 13 59
Hartford, CT 19 59 1.11 57 14 52
New Haven, CT 19 59 1.11 57 14 52
Tulsa, OK 19 59 1.09 64 11 62
Dayton, OH 17 64 1.10 60 11 62
Albany-Schenectady, NY 16 67 1.08 73 10 66
Toledo, OH-MI 15 71 1.09 64 9 69
Springfield, MA-CT 11 77 1.06 81 7 76
Akron, OH 10 80 1.07 76 7 76
Rochester, NY 10 80 1.07 76 7 76
Small Average (16 areas) 17 1.09
10
Charleston-North Charleston, SC 31 40 1.17 42 19 42
Colorado Springs, CO 27 45 1.14 51 16 46
Pensacola, FL-AL 25 48 1.11 57 14 52
Cape Coral, FL 24 51 1.12 55 14 52
Little Rock, AR 17 64 1.07 76 11 62
Boulder, CO 16 67 1.10 60 9 69
Columbia, SC 16 67 1.07 76 10 66
Eugene, OR 14 72 1.10 60 8 73
Bakersfield, CA 14 72 1.09 64 8 73
Salem, OR 14 72 1.09 64 8 73
Laredo, TX 12 76 1.09 64 6 81
Beaumont, TX 11 77 1.05 84 7 76
Anchorage, AK 10 80 1.07 76 5 83
Corpus Christi, TX 10 80 1.06 81 6 81
Brownsville, TX 8 84 1.06 81 4 85
Spokane, WA 8 84 1.04 85 5 83
85 Area Average 44 1.30 31
Remaining Areas
51 Urban Areas Over 250,000 Popn 22 1.15 15
301 Urban Areas Under 250,000 Popn 20 1.12 11
All 437 Urban Areas 38 1.26 26
Medium Urban Areas—over 500,000 and less than 1 million population. Small Urban Areas—less than 500,000 population.
Annual Delay per Traveler – Extra travel time for peak-period travel during the year divided by the number of travelers who begin a
trip during the peak period (6 to 9 a.m. and 4 to 7 p.m.). Free-flow speeds (60 mph on freeways and 35 mph on principal arterials)
are used as the comparison threshold.
Travel Time Index – The ratio of travel time in the peak period to the travel time at free-flow conditions. A value of 1.35 indicates a
20-minute free-flow trip takes 27 minutes in the peak.
2005 values include the effects of operational treatments.
Note: Please do not place too much emphasis on small differences in the rankings. There may be little difference in congestion
between areas ranked (for example) 6th and 12th. The actual measure values should also be examined.
Also note: The best congestion comparisons use multi-year trends and are made between similar urban areas.

[st33lcas3]

kena
For August of 2007, the same month the picture was taken, Spokane's air quality was far better than federal air quality standards every day:

Check the reports for Sept, Oct and Nov.
Spokane Regional Clean Air Agency - Air Quality Reports
The particulate readings jump quite a bit. That's due to the farmers plowing their fields and the inversions Spokane gets every winter.
It isn't obvious to a healthy person living there, but if your old or sensitive, it can be a problem. Now that I have been away from it for some time, whenever I go back to visit family, I can taste the air. If you fly into Spokane during the summer months, you can see the change in the air quality the closer you get to town.

As far as congestion, I'll admit traveling east-west in Spokane isn't bad. Francis and Wellesley can get bad at their intersections with Division. 29th has some areas that can be a little slow too. Traveling north-south, on the north side of town especially, can be extremely slow though.

[kena]

Originally Posted by st33lcas3

Check the reports for Sept, Oct and Nov.
Spokane Regional Clean Air Agency - Air Quality Reports
The particulate readings jump quite a bit. That's due to the farmers plowing their fields and the inversions Spokane gets every winter.
It isn't obvious to a healthy person living there, but if your old or sensitive, it can be a problem. Now that I have been away from it for some time, whenever I go back to visit family, I can taste the air. If you fly into Spokane during the summer months, you can see the change in the air quality the closer you get to town.

As far as congestion, I'll admit traveling east-west in Spokane isn't bad. Francis and Wellesley can get bad at their intersections with Division. 29th has some areas that can be a little slow too. Traveling north-south, on the north side of town especially, can be extremely slow though.

The readings are up a bit but there is still not ONE DAY above the federal air quality standards. Sure, travelling north-south during rush hour on Division can be a bit slow. Compared to other cities, however, Spokane has almost no traffic congestion as the study above points out. You're entitled to your opinions (and who am I to argue if you can 'taste' the air) they just seem at odds with the facts.

[OnOurWay2MO]

Originally Posted by ameri-kiwi

Can someone give me some general info. on Spokane and your honest opinion? I may take a job there that involves alot of air travel but I know nothing of the area. I'm originally from Washington (D.C.) and have lived in Michigan for 8 years and am trying to see if Spokane is a place I'd like to live. I could also live in Portland, OR; it doesn't matter where I live for work as long as it's in the Pacific Northwest and near a major airport. My potential new employer specifically mentioned Portland and Spokane.

So far in my research (only just started) Portland seems expensive, arrogant, and very tough to find a job if my new one doesn't work out. I'm not calling Portland expensive and arrogant, that's just what some who live there say.

Is Spokane a decent place to live? I would hate to live in New York City, but I don't want to live in the sticks, either. I hear Spokane + the city next door in Idaho totals about 600,000 people, so that sounds like a happy medium. How's the Washington state economy? Anyone have any gripes about Spokane? Cost of living and qulaity of schools, and quality of life, OK or no?

Thanks in advance!

If I had to choose I would pick Spokane over Portland any day. I also don't know where these folks are getting that it is so hot here lol. I do not live in Spokane but frequent often, (I live in ID). There are some neighborhoods with run down homes and drug problems but what city does'nt have that? Most of Spokane is very nice, check out the beautiful parks online. The malls are the best! The only bad thing I can say about Spokane is the backwards traffic, not set up well. If you need to be close to the airport you could look into Airway Heights or around there.

[spokanesportsfan90]

Spokane is beautiful especially in the spring time. and if you are a sports fan spokane has the worlds largest 3 on 3 basketball tournament called Hoopfest. Hundreds of courts, thousands of people and good old fun. they also have the spokane shock former champs of the Arena Football League's development league. Yes it gets hot as heck in the summer and cold as heck in the winter but its easily more beautiful than Seattle and smaller. Once you pay a visit to Spokane you wont want to leave.