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Artemesia, you gave me a good giggle. We had a conversation about this on the Best place in Spokane thread. Someone from Utah was wanting to make sure that Spokane wasn't going to be like living behing the Zion curtain(it's not). I'm devout LDS and really would not want to live in Utah because there are too many Mormons. From what I'm told, there's a healthy LDS population in Spokane along with plenty of other thriving churches and non-church goers of all shapes and sizes. It's a good thing--I want my children to grow up in a place where they have a chance to be strong and make their own choices and not just because it's what everyone else does(peer pressure can be a very strange thing).
My dad grew up in Tooele (sp?) so I understand a little of your pain. I think his family finally left because of fights over water-rights. I think Southern Utah is beautiful, but you couldn't pay me to live there. If people think Spokane is hot in August, they should try spending some time in St. George. We were there visiting a few years ago and it was 116F in the shade. yucko.
Good luck with your research. I've grown up in the Puget Sound. I would stay here, but I think we need a change and maybe a little more sunshine to help with depression. :~) D
Hello! For the record, I am currently living in Dallas (but I have lived in Michigan, Indiana, Kansas, and California too). I didn't find the homes in South Hill to be too expensive--though for the size the 350+ price seemed a bit high. Dallas remains one of the few markets where the housing crisis has not had much of an impact. But I won't compare living here to elsewhere in the Northwest--markets are too different in most aspects. I guess I just felt like the areas I found livable were far and few between. Maybe I have high expectations--who knows!!
As for the 'friendly factor'...not colored by where I currently live (Dallas tends toward pretention!). I was only offering a general, first impression. I've always found nice people every where I have traveled or lived in this country (and some not so nice people as well). In the end, a positive attitude and effort go a long way toward acclimating oneself to a new area.
Spokane obviously wasn't right for us...but I in no way meant to imply that it wouldn't be a right choice for others :0)
Hello! For the record, I am currently living in Dallas (but I have lived in Michigan, Indiana, Kansas, and California too). I didn't find the homes in South Hill to be too expensive--though for the size the 350+ price seemed a bit high. Dallas remains one of the few markets where the housing crisis has not had much of an impact. But I won't compare living here to elsewhere in the Northwest--markets are too different in most aspects. I guess I just felt like the areas I found livable were far and few between. Maybe I have high expectations--who knows!!
Thank you for your respectful opinion. I appreciate that Spokane isn't right for everyone just like anyplace else. Having family in Texas it can be a contrast when it comes to size. I know you've lived elsewhere but I'm amazed at the size of some homes in Texas, but it is not just the size, the price per sqaure foot is generally quite reasonable.
One more thing is that you probably visited at one of the lowest points of the year for asthetics. This winter saw record snowfall (looks pretty if you're not stuck) but in the late winter early spring most people haven't done much of anything with their yard or home because they haven't had a chance and its not quite warm enough yet. Granted if you're in a neighborhood where there are cars on the lawns and whatnot this isn't going to change (but there really are only so many of those in Spokane). Things tend to look nicer in spring and summer. In fact, people in Spokane, in my opinion, seem to take very good care of their lawns. Though it might not last much longer almost everyone waters and keeps their yard green all summer, something that is less common in places like Seattle and Portland. Hopefully you find what you're looking for in relocating.
Pratyaksa, thanks for your response. My husband would love to move to Texas, but I think Spokane is about as hot as I can stand. We lived in Australia for a time, so I speak from experience. My brother just moved to Lake Jackson with his family last year. They bought a lovely home for $200K. Drool (thou shalt not covet they brother's home...).
Kena, I have found it funny that nearly all the homes I look at in Spokane have sprinkler systems. It seems more the norm then even central air. I'm not used to many homes having either in my area. lol. :~) D
Wow, I literally moved from Knoxville to the Spokane area in October 2006 (I earned my master's degree at UT in 2006). On the plus side, I guess I am a very appropriate person to give you advice. Therefore, I will try to answer your questions with more of a slant of specifically comparing the cities of Knoxville and Spokane with each other.
Spokane is indeed conservative, but you are right, it is more liberal than Knoxville. Religiously, it is much more fundamental in Knoxville.
Since you said you are very "lefty," I would definitely have to recommend moving to the west of the mountains if it fit your current job search process at all - essentially anywhere in the Bellingham-to-Eugene corridor. Maybe avoid the large cities (i.e. Seattle/Portland) if they're too pricy, but that still leaves many options. You will be more comfortable here as compared to Knoxville, but not nearly as much as you would be over on the other side of the state.
I would say that people are about as dependent on cars in Spokane as they are in Knoxville. Traffic is better in Spokane, though.
Outdoor recreation is pretty good. You may not have the Great Smoky Mountains National Park 30 minutes from your doorstep and it may not be as insanely green as Tennessee is but, other than that, there really are a lot of outstanding options for outdoor recreation here.
Hope that helped. If you have any more questions directly comparing Spokane to Knoxville, let me know.
Thanks for all the replies, especially the one from lovingthegreen. Your assessment seems very reasonable from what I'm reading online and anywhere else I can find info.
I actually now have a job interview at one of the community colleges in Spokane. I've also applied for jobs in Bremerton (Olympic College) and Monmouth, OR, but I'm still very excited about the Spokane possibility. It looks like there are quite a few national and state parks in the Washington area that are of interest, so I think I'd be pretty fixed in that regard.
Do you have any recommendations for neighborhoods to check out while I'm in Spokane? I will have a rental car, and I'll be staying downtown. As a reference, my favorite neighborhoods in Knoxville are Fourth and Gill, Old North Knoxville, North Hills and Island Home. I'd love to find a not-too-pricy neighborhood with older houses and at least a little more walkability than most Knoxville neighborhoods. In short, I'd like an established neighborhood with some mixed-use/commercial nearby. I'd also like to have convenient access to the bus system.
Considering moving to Spokane/question of conservatism
I am was born in Seattle, WA and raised in Spokane and have been living three years in Bowling Green, KY, which is not that far from Knoxville so I believe that I have some personal insight into your situation. I believe that you are correct in pointing out that most people are comparing Spokane to Seattle, which is a lovely and extremely liberal city. Spokane is far more liberal and generally open-minded however than what I have experienced in Kentucky and Tennessee. For example, Spokane is somewhat open-minded about alternative lifestyles, such as homosexuality, mixed racial marriages, or non-married couples living together and as a general rule is not very religious. There are many interesting cafes, music, colleges, and Spokane is now starting a very small green movement. However it is a medium city at heart and if you want a very liberal city I suggest moving to a large city like Seattle, L.A., Chicago, or Vancouver, Canada.
If you like nature Spokane is located on a valley plateau with the beautiful Spokane river running through downtown and is ringed in the north by the foothills of the Bitterroot Mountains and also has a wonderful bike trail in town called Centennial Trail that runs for atleast 25 miles to the Idaho border. The mountains of Idaho and Mount Spokane are an easy drive away, the Rocky mountains a one day drive to Montana (Bozeman is a nice place to stay), and the Cascade Mountains a 4-5 hour drive west to Seattle. If you truly love nature, the most beautiful areas in the northwest would be the Cascade mountain area either just outside Seattle or South just outside of Portland.
The housing situation is still affordable and the median house cost is just under $200,000. Most areas are safe and many areas are charming, it depends on your taste.
The main fault of Spokane in my opinion include it's tough job market, it's relatively isolated location, and it's long winters. While the county has 400,000 people, the nearest town is Coeur d'Alene, ID which is small and charming, but other than that Seattle is the nearest populated area at a 4-5 hour drive West and if you drive east you will not hit a large city until Minneapolis. There are some small cities in Montana, but most of the area to the east is the Rocky mountains, plains, and farmland. I hope that you like snow, because it can snow as early as Halloween and can go on until mid. April, it just depends on the year, but it makes for great skiing. Summers are hot and dry. As far as the job market goes, Spokane lacks a strong economy and major industry; which explains why I'm living in Kentucky. However if you have found some opportunities there, then it is a not a bad place to live.
The airport is medium size, affordable, and international. I have flown to France a few times from there, but generally had to fly to Seattle first. It is a very long flight, but it works.
I hope I may have been of some help and feel free to contact me if you have any questions or comments. This is merely a personal perspective so I imagine some people may disagree or have had different experiences.
Good luck on your move.
Hi all, and thanks for the advice. I have been offered the job in Spokane, so I will be moving there in late summer. I'm excited about it, and I really enjoyed my visit there in April. It was still a bit cold there for April, but I used to live in the Chicago area and got used to long, cold winters.
I am still trying to get a handle on the ways in which Spokane is conservative, or not.
I recently met someone who had lived there for a while who liked it a lot, but stressed to me how conservative it was, even disagreeing with me when I said it seemed less conservative than Colorado Springs. That I find difficult to understand. According to statistics I've seen, Spokane votes Republican by 55%, Colorado Springs votes Republican by 66%. Likewise, only about 36% of Spokane's population describes itself as religious, while 58% in Colorado Springs describe themselves that way.
Does anyone see some way in which Spokane is more conservative than Colorado Springs? I am wondering if it is more conservative in terms of not having so many bars and strip joints and the like. I am not looking for those things, so that would be a non-issue for me.
Or is it more conservative just in terms of not being more outdoor-oriented and not all that arty or night life oriented? That would not be a real issue for me.
I tend to be liberal-to-left on most issues (although actually I often feel that I have more in common with the priorities of some libertarians, or even a minority of conservatives, than with the Democratic party leadership), but I don't feel the need to be surrounded by people who agree with me. I don't even mind people avoiding me for my political views (should they even come up). I just don't want to be seriously hassled.
I will, of course, visit before coming to any final decision to relocate. (Ideally I'd like to get there for a visit within the next year, but I'm not sure other expenses will allow for that.) As for why I want to live in Spokane to begin with: I think it's climate would be better for my sinuses than Albuquerque's.
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Therefore, I will try to answer your questions with more of a slant of specifically comparing the cities of Knoxville and Spokane with each other. 
Considering moving to Spokane/question of conservatism
