General Inquiry about Spokane, Washington (insurance, attorneys, houses)

[tom88]

Hi.

How is everybody doing? I am a Paralegal/Legal Assistant from Northern NJ. I believe my girlfriend and myself would like to relocate to Spokane, Washington. It seems like a beautiful, down to earth city that has a small town feel with a reasonable cost of living. Even Washington in general seems like a beautiful state. As a result, I have the following questions:

Does anybody happen to know if there are a reasonable amount of job opportunities for paralegals in Spokane and if so how to pursue them?

If someone needed to make a career change, what careers provide the most opportunities in Spokane?

Does Spokane have affordable, safe areas to live without areas of extreme wealth or poverty ?

Are the Spokane winters extremely harsh (3 to 6 feet of snow on roads, frequent blizzards, frequent ice storms, black ice on roads(by far the worst)?

Assuming Spokane winters are harsh, how does one cope with them during the workweek when we need to leave our houses?

Would a Toyota Corolla hold its own with Spokane winters assuming they are harsh?

Does Spokane have a reasonable amount of public transportation enabling one to live there without owning a vehicle?

Anyone's assistance with some or all these questions would be appreciated. Thank you in advance for your help.

[kena]

I think the market for paralegals is pretty decent. The Spokane Journal of Business publishes a list of the largest lawfirms in town every year and it captures everything down to offices with about 4 or 5 attorneys. There are many smaller shops as well but that would be a good place to start. You may aslo want to look up the Spokane County Bar Association online, I believe they have a newsletter with job postings, etc.

As far as a career change anything healthcare related is probably going to be the best field to move into. There is also a decent presence of professional services such as banks (well, for now at least) and insurance companies.

Yes, Spokane is generally affordable. There are plenty of decent neighborhoods that are safe without being overly expensive. It kind of depends on what you're looking for in a neighborhood as to where I'd suggest you look.

I wouldn't describe Spokane winters as extreemly harsh. Last year was really the harshest winter in 50+ years. Generally, Spokane gets 5-10 good snow events per winter (anywhere from 2-3" to 10-12"). The recent trend, however, has seen a week or two of snowy weather followed by temperatures getting into the low 40s for a week or so and melting most of the snow. That cycle tends to repeat for most of the winter. On average, I would estimate that there are anywhere from 3-5 mornings where the roads will be truly dicey but it generally doesn't last too long. The roads will be plowed (arterials first) and employers are generally understanding if there is a big snow storm because it causes everybody problems. Spokane rarely gets ice storms.

If your car is front wheel drive you'll generally be okay unless you're planning to frequent country roads or use it to get to out of the way places. I have driven many regular front wheel drive sedans in Spokane winters and been fine.

There is a decent bus system in Spokane. You can check the STA website to see how the routes are laid out. As far as going totally car free, it might be difficult in Spokane unless you live pretty near a grocery store, etc. Even then it might be difficult because it just isn't dense enough.

Good luck!

[tom88]

Hi Kena:

Thank you for taking the time to answer all my questions. What you mentioned was helpful. Based on what you said, it sounds like Spokane, Washington is a well balanced area to live. Good Day.