Spokane/Post Falls Relocation Questions (Everett, South Hill: leasing, crime, new home) - Washington (WA) - City-Data Forum

Stacy8155 · 03-07-2008, 01:10 PM

My husband and I along with our two children (9 and 4) are considering a move. We live in Fairbanks, Alaska at the moment and are just very tired of 9 months of little to no light and -40 temperatures... followed by 3 months of nothing but sunlight (even at 1 in the morning) horrible humidity 100 degree temperatures and mosquitos...
We are very fond of outdoor activities, and have a few questions...

What are the better area's of Spokane and Post Falls? (no need to be terribly specific, just a general idea)

What kind of berries are native to the area?

Are there cook-off's and fall festivals? They are my favorite and we don't really have that around here.

I know my questions are a little silly but...

I realize there is always going to be a drug problem, even in podunk nowhere, like ummm... Fairbanks and North Pole, Alaska. So there is one issue I am already well aware of. The schools I am a little worried about but as my kids are still fairly young they haven't gotten to that problem yet. As for housing prices, there are plenty of fairly decent houses on the market right now for under 175K...
And trust me, I am used to the winters being harsh.

I just want to know the little things about the area, I like the idea of living in a close knit community with a larger city near by.

So if anyone has information about the nice and fun and country style things in Post Falls and Spokane, PLEASE LET ME KNOW

Thank you.

kena · 03-07-2008, 02:08 PM

Stacy,

I have family in Fairbanks so I understand where you're coming from. As far as the nicer parts of Spokane it obviously depends on the factors you feel make a place nice. In general, those things are fairly standard (safe, good schools, recreation, traffic, etc) but the more specific about what you value the more specific people can be in responses. Generally, however, most people consider a majority of the South Hill to be nice (from Cedar/High Drive on the west to approximately Freya on the east and from around 14th up to slightly past 57th). That area has many different neighborhoods with many qualities but most are pretty nice. There are also nice areas on the perimiter of the south hill: qualchan/eagle ridge; hangman creek/palouse highway; and glenrose/brownes mountain). On the north side (north of the river) there are some nicer older neighborhoods (downriver, corbin park, shadle, garland) but you have to pay a bit more attention because there are also some not as nice spots mixed in. Further out there are other nice areas (Indian Trail, 5/9 mile, mead, etc). I'm not as familar with Post Falls so hopefully someone else can help there. I'm sure I'm missing some areas but that should give you some ideas and I apologize if I've omitted other good candidates. I'm also speaking very, very broadly here, as a disclaimer.

For berries, I'm not speaking from any position of authority but I know my grandfather used to have a big raspberry patch in his yard and I would get sick eating buckets full straight from the vine. I know huckleberries also grow wild in the region.

Good Luck!

Artemesia · 03-07-2008, 08:14 PM

Hello anyone interested, My husband and I are planning on retiring in three years and anticipating moving to a cooler climate with access to water. We've done some research and Spokane looks like a nice place. I grew up in the NW in Oregon but find the coastal areas a bit depressing and grey so I thought if we were inland a ways but close enough to the mountains we'd have the best of both worlds.

We've lived in the SW for many years and love the variety and landscape but the heat, the lack of water, and the cost has prompted us to re-think how we want to spend the next 25 yrs. or so. Most of my family live in Washington and I anticipate one son and dil and grandchildren to relocate to the NW when they finish school. I also anticipate one daughter moving to Idaho, or somewhere else in the NW. It seems to make sense to us to consider settling in up there somewhere.

(Raspberries are the food of the Gods and almost better than sex). One of the things I think would make me very content there is the gardening. I love vegetable and flower gardens and Spokane looked like it had a climate, soil, and other conditions conducive to great gardens. The various photos look beautiful and lush but it doesn't seem to rain as much as the coast so I'm hoping I could garden for about 5 months a year or better.

What is it REALLY like to live there? Can two people live comfortably on about $2,500 a month there if they don't have a mortgage? I've checked into the housing prices and they're quite a bit lower than here. We are considering a smaller well built older home in the older parts of town if it has a large yard, or a new home if it has a big garage and nice views. We're still a ways off from selling here and buying there, but we anticipate coming to Spokane to look around a few times before we make our decision.

What kind of jobs are common for middle-aged, slightly tech skilled, creative types? I anticipate the economy to still be hurting in three years so we're expecting things to be tough all over but how is the infrastructure of Spokane in it's job diversity?

Is the art community fairly strong and diverse there? What is the University like for occasional classes or are there interesting community college classes there?

SOooo, tell me why you love the Spokane area, what you wish you could change, and how you are involved in the community there. I'd love to get to know some folks in the area since we'd be moving up without any contacts, family, history, etc.. I look forward to hearing from you.

kena · 03-10-2008, 03:18 PM

Artemesia,

To address a few of your questions. Some in my family are avid gardeners. The gardening season will vary depending on how long winter sticks around but you'll easily get 5 months. You may get more like 6.5 depending on the year and what you're growing. It is drier in Spokane than on the coast so you'll need to water but its a nice tradeoff.

There are four universities in the area (Gonzaga, Whitworth, Eastern Washington, and Washington State). WSU and Eastern both have branches in Spokane and Eastern proper is located about 20 minutes outside of Spokane in Cheney. There are two community colleges (Spokane Falls, and Spokane). I'm not sure about non-degree class options or auditing courses but with the number of classes out there I would think there would be such opportunities.

For arts, this is a good site to get a sense of the arts scene: City of Spokane - Arts Department

The economy in Spokane tends to be more slow and steady rather than boom and bust (which is good and bad). You'll find health care, government, education and professional services to make up large portions of the job sectors (plus the ubiquitous service sector) though that is speaking pretty broadly. You'll find most industries here that are in cities of similar size.

Deena160 · 03-17-2008, 10:31 AM

Hi, Stacy! I'm looking to move to the Spokane area, too. It's been my experience looking at homes online that the prices seem to drop alot when you go over the border to Idaho. Don't know why.
Here's the link to the City of Spokane crime map: http://www.spokanegis.org/crimemap/default.asp (broken link)
Spokane Valley doesn't have one yet, but they're hoping to have it up this summer.
I've looked into the schools in the area. In general they seem to be better then average. I've been told that there's nothing worse then where we live now(Everett,WA). We haven't have too much trouble here and I have kids with special needs. If you want to check out specific schools you can go to: greatschools.net. They at least can give you the test scores and basic info. One thing to consider if you move to Idaho is that your kids won't have to take the WASL which is a ridiculous test that Washington has made manditory for the kids to take several times during elementary-highschool. Eventually, you have to pass to be able to graduate. I'm all for testing, but this one is something else and alot of people have alot of problems with it.
Mothers Against WASL
We'll probably still end up in Spokane. They decided to not have a passing of the Math WASL manditory for graduation for a few more years. We were seriously considering shipping off my 17 year old to her grandmother in Montana for her senior year. She passed the reading and writing test with no problem, but can't seem to get the math.
Good luck! :~) D

northwest1 · 04-20-2008, 02:47 PM

Stacy, this is subjective...I recommend you look on criagslist.com (Spokane area) and consider leasing for one year until you nail the area you want to buy in...South Hill has the best schools but you still should lease for one year...acquaint yourself with the area!

Spokane · 05-12-2008, 01:35 PM

I personally like Liberty Lake area. The city is close to Spokane and the I-90 freeway. In the winter, you will not have to worry about icy roads to the South Hill area. mod cut: advertising removed

ktm2007 · 05-13-2008, 05:39 PM

My husband and I live in Newman Lake, which is basically neighbors to Liberty Lake. Liberty Lake is becoming more of a small city every day! If you like the idea of living on property that isn't too far out from Spokane, check out the Newman Lake area, Otis Orchards, Green acres. My husband works in Spokane, and it takes him about 25-30 minutes to get to work each day.

I grew up on the South Hill. It is also a great place to live. I guess it just really depends on your wants/needs!

ArcticPhoenix · 05-15-2008, 03:15 PM

Quote:

My husband and I along with our two children (9 and 4) are considering a move. We live in Fairbanks, Alaska at the moment and are just very tired of 9 months of little to no light and -40 temperatures... followed by 3 months of nothing but sunlight (even at 1 in the morning) horrible humidity 100 degree temperatures and mosquitos...
We are very fond of outdoor activities, and have a few questions...

What are the better area's of Spokane and Post Falls? (no need to be terribly specific, just a general idea)

South Hill is an awesome place to live in Spokane. If you're going to work in Spokane, you should try either the North Side or South Hill. Commuting from Post Falls to Spokane can be a... challenge... in the winter time.

Quote:

What kind of berries are native to the area?

Huckleberries! Yumm, yumm, yumm!!!

Quote:

Are there cook-off's and fall festivals? They are my favorite and we don't really have that around here.

There's Pig out at the Park every year in Spokane, as well as various other happenings at Riverfront Park in the summer & fall.

Quote:

I know my questions are a little silly but...

Quote:

I realize there is always going to be a drug problem, even in podunk nowhere, like ummm... Fairbanks and North Pole, Alaska. So there is one issue I am already well aware of. The schools I am a little worried about but as my kids are still fairly young they haven't gotten to that problem yet. As for housing prices, there are plenty of fairly decent houses on the market right now for under 175K...
And trust me, I am used to the winters being harsh.

Hrmm, my kids are too young, and my wife plans on homeschooling anyway (she has a degree in early childhood education).

Quote:

I just want to know the little things about the area, I like the idea of living in a close knit community with a larger city near by.

So if anyone has information about the nice and fun and country style things in Post Falls and Spokane, PLEASE LET ME KNOW

Thank you.

You really have to be in the area to appreciate the things you can do. You can always drive to Calgary during the Rodeo in the summer, and there's the stampede in Omak, etc. The Spokane County fair in the fall is usually pretty fun, and it's usually during a pleasant time of the year (though mornings and evenings can be a bit chilly by then). I'm not too familiar with Post Falls, since I don't live there and I moved to Spokane from the east coast only 4 years ago. And, well... I don't go to Idaho. Just no reason to go there. There's no State Income tax in Washington State.

Maijai · 05-16-2008, 10:11 AM

Hi! I grew up in the Spokane area, and we are currently planning a mpve back this summer. We are purchasing property in Newport, WA. North of Spokane by 44 miles. WE live in the Portland area now, and my husbands commute will be the same living there as it is here. The schools there are good. It has been a few years since I lived in the area, but am excited about the move back.