Rural living, your local perspective please?

[WendyK]

Nine Mile Falls is a unique area in that it's not an incorporated town but does have it's own school district. It sits partially in Spokane county and partially in Stevens county - divided by the Spokane River and then Lake Spokane (after the dam). It does have it's own chamber of commerce Lake Spokane Chamber of Commerce - Home and is growing commercially. There is a Zips Restaurant currently being built, a new grocery store planned for 2009, a fitness center & physical therapist, 2 Mexican restaurants - one at Sundance Golf Course and the other in Suncrest shopping center, a library, churches and more.... Many people are small business owners who run their business out of their homes.

I like living there because of the natural beauty and proximity to the lake/river. There's a ton of wildlife & birds. The drive into Spokane can be about 20-30 minutes, depending on where you need to go, and how far out in Nine Mile you live. It's a pretty large area geographically and spreads fairly far out to the west which can be a long drive just to get back to the main Hwy. 291 that leads into town. There is a newer shopping center on Indian Trail Rd. that you can get to in about 15 minutes from Nine Mile, too, without going all the way into the main areas of Spokane.

[Spokanitesdotcom]

The outer metro area is south of I 90 and West of I 95.

I think it actually starts south of Cheney but not sure. I can't seem to find a map on the county pages anymore.

By the way, if you're seriously looking for property check the county maps.

http://www.spokanecounty.org/BP/GISm...quads/cnty.pdf


JP
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[djohnmd]

I too am looking to relocate out of Denver and need to find a place that is around 30-45 minutes away from the city. We are horse people and want to move into a place that is horse friendly, allows some livestock (beef, pig, chickens, goats ect). I would stay in Colorado and move far away from Denver but the entire state has water shortages which we do not want to worry about. I'm a IT Proffesional and so is my wife. In Colorado we were looking at 35 + acre sites but would settle for 10 or more. Do you all think the Spokane area would fit that bill? Any recomendations on what towns I should research for that type of setting? Thanks -DJ

[WendyK]

Originally Posted by djohnmd

I too am looking to relocate out of Denver and need to find a place that is around 30-45 minutes away from the city. We are horse people and want to move into a place that is horse friendly, allows some livestock (beef, pig, chickens, goats ect). I would stay in Colorado and move far away from Denver but the entire state has water shortages which we do not want to worry about. I'm a IT Proffesional and so is my wife. In Colorado we were looking at 35 + acre sites but would settle for 10 or more. Do you all think the Spokane area would fit that bill? Any recomendations on what towns I should research for that type of setting? Thanks -DJ

You can travel pretty much in any direction 30-45 minutes (sometimes even less) from Spokane and be in a rural location. To the southwest, that would be Cheney/Medical Lake, directly south would be Spangle and other rural areas of south Spokane, to the Southeast you have Rockford, Valleyford, Freeman & Mica, directly east is the Spokane Valley that has rural areas in Greenacres, Otis Orchards & Liberty Lake. To the Northeast is the Greenbluff/Peone Prairie area, directly north you have Deer Park, Colbert, Chattaroy & Elk. Northwest would be Nine Mile Falls, Tumtum, other parts of Deer Park. Directly West is considered the West Plains area of Spokane, where the Deep Creek rural area is located.

Horses and other livestock can be found in ANY of these locations. They're all nice in their own way - just need to figure out where you want to be! Generally speaking, the southern areas of the county are more wide open farm land type terrain. If you want more trees & hills, look to the north parts of the county.

[djohnmd]

WendyK
Thank you very much for the information! I will busy on Google today checking it all out.
I have some more questions about the rural scene near Spokane...

What is the social atmosphere like...I'm looking for a social scene where people still say hello to strangers, open the doors for people, stop for pedestrians and don't race to the next stop light. Looking for welcoming friendly people who are happy with what they got and not worried about keeping up with the Jones’s. Does that sound like rural areas near Spokane to you?
Thanks - DJ

[WendyK]

Originally Posted by djohnmd

WendyK
Thank you very much for the information! I will busy on Google today checking it all out.
I have some more questions about the rural scene near Spokane...

What is the social atmosphere like...I'm looking for a social scene where people still say hello to strangers, open the doors for people, stop for pedestrians and don't race to the next stop light. Looking for welcoming friendly people who are happy with what they got and not worried about keeping up with the Jones’s. Does that sound like rural areas near Spokane to you?
Thanks - DJ

I think you'll find it difficult to even find a stop light out in the rural areas! Maybe a stop sign...but traffic in the outlying areas is pretty minimal, except for on the main arterials. In town, people are pretty alert to pedestrians - the police here have been known to set up stings to catch those who don't stop for pedestrians in cross walks. As far as the friendliness, I think it's been said before on here that Spokane is a friendly town but there is a certain amount of reserve until they get to know you better. So, you may not get invited in for coffee on the first visit but you won't get a door slammed in your face either. I don't see a lot of the keeping up with the Jones's type attitude except for in your landscaping. People are really proud of their lawns, perennials, water features, etc. here. Not so much in the rural areas because it's hard to landscape 20 acres, but gardening is very popular and people do like to show off their hard work. They have gardening tours set up where you can go and see what homeowners have done with their landscaping.

[smallwoodforrest]

Hi, I know I am coming in here a little late, but hope to help a little.
As for realtors, I would try kellar williams or Exit realty. We worked with Alvida Merriman, she was so wonderful. Quite honest, and really wanted us to find the right place, just a lovely woman.
Stay away from Tomlinson & Black. They really messed us up and we lost the first 2 houses we tried to buy because of one of their realtors out bidding us or calling the seller directly.

We live in the town of Sprague, moved here 3 years ago, bought our first home here in Sprague 2 years ago. The taxes are not bad at all, less than a third of what our aunt pays for a smaller home in Spokane county. Home prices are quite good. My sister has been commuting to Ritzville for 10+ years with no accidents or close calls in the snow.

I can give you info about homeschooling if you wish.

the graduating class at Sprague HS last June was a whopping 8 students.
My nephew graduated the year before, with a larger class of 11, not the norm.
My 5th grader is in a class with 10 students.
The 7th grader goes to school in Lamont, and has a little larger class, with about 12.

There is a preschool availble through the school district, and kids start as young as 2.5, if they are potty trained.

Sports and other school activites are a norm for everyone. Lots of kids are involved in 4H and other related activities.

If you have kids who have special needs, the elementry and HS are great.
The middle school, no so much, but they are coming along. Just a different set a rules there...different county, I think.

We homeschooled until we moved here, then last year homeschooled our middle school child through Washington Virtual Academy.
there is also a Christian school in Edwall, about a 15 min. drive I think, quite affordable, with bussing, or carpool if you wish.
it is a wonderful community, great family town, nice park, and everyone looks out for eachother.
We haven't had many problems

There are 3 churches (Catholic, Lutheran, and the Community Church)
The LDS Church is in Cheney, at least I think that is the closest.
They have visited here a few times.

There is an IGA type grocery store, a bank, a couple antique shop, a local vetrinarian, and of course the bar is downtown.

Home prices are quite reasonable, we may be purchasing additional homes to use as rentals.
Hope this helps...
Kathy







We've tried to do our homework, but still need your help! I've read many, many posts here and really appreciate the all the information you've shared. But, I still have a few questions...

Here's our story... We're a mid to late thirties couple with a 2 year old. I grew up in ultra-rural Montana (16 kids in my grad class, yes really). DH has lived all over the west. I've lived in the Washington DC area, Virginia Beach, and most recently we've been in Cleveland, Ohio. So, for all of you who are down on Spokane, try living in Cleveland!

We're moving to Spokane this fall for a new job opportunity. We love being so close to nature and our families are within a day's drive. We are an odd mix of conservative and so-called liberal. I'm a vegetarian, support keeping our planet livable for future generations, recycle, might home school and so on. We're also members of the LDS church and are conservative in respect to social issues. We're are open-minded and get along with all types of people. We love hiking, biking, rafting, camping, ethnic food, and mostly peace and quiet.

We really want to find our dream 10+ acres to settle on permanently. If it has a livable house, great. If not, we'll be able to remodel/rebuild in a few years. In my dream world, I'm envisioning a nice house at the top of a meadow, overlooking a green vallley, partly timbered. We want our own well, and don't want to be in a subdivision. But, mostly we're looking for solitude, peace and quiet, but less than a 30 minute drive to work.

DH will be working in the northern part of Spokane, near the intersection of Francis and Division. We drove around and liked the northeast part of town, driving east on Francis, then north toward Mt. Spokane. But, the maps don't name this area? We also liked the 7 and 9 Mile areas, but are wondering why homes seem less expensive on that side? Drove through 5 Mile, but it's way too developed for our tastes. Also, do the different areas have reputations for being redneck... retirees only... not kid friendly... so on? What do you think of the different areas? Mead? Colbert? Green Bluff? 9 Mile? Is there that ideal place?

Also, does anyone know a great realtor? We're looking for someone who really knows the local market, particularly acreages, land development, building. Someone too, who will do more than point out wall colors and nice carpet, someone who is really willing to do their homework and will screen unsuitable homes out for us. One who doesn't think that they should take our budget, then double it. Or show us homes in subdivisions when we're clear about wanting acreage. Is there a super-agent out there?

Your thoughts, opinions, input, would be greatly appreciated. These are the things only a local can know![/quote]