Small Towns ARound Spokane? (Orchards, Cheney: ski resorts, schools, camping)

[CBaillo]

I'm just copying and pasting, sorry...don't feel like posting the whole thing again.

Hey guys. I don't know if this exists, but are there smaller towns around Spokane? I guess some intro is needed.

About a year and a half ago my family and I moved from CA to the Finger Lakes region of Central New York. In short, we love it here, but due to the fact that my mother was just diagnosed with breast cancer, we were looking into the possibility of moving back to the west coast to be closer, though we'd never go back to CA, because we hate CA. But WA and OR are great, because they are both an overnight drive away, for emergencies or a sub 3 hour flight.

We moved out here for lots of reasons but one of which we have been spoiled with in the time that we've been here: wide open living. We came from living on top of others in CA to now sitting on an acre of our own private property, in a town that has a population of 5000+. This town is extremely close knit, and we all help each other out when we need it w/ nothing in return expected. The schools are great, as I have a 5 year old in Kindergarten, and the teachers keep us in the loop over everything. Just the typical small town that we always envisioned raising our kids in.

Now, we hate the city and all, but given we are a family of 4 (wife, myself, a 5 year old, and a 3 mos old infant), we know that we have to be somewhat close to a city for medical needs, work, culture, dining, shopping, etc. For us here, we have Ithaca, which is only 10 miles away. We love it because we can LIVE in the country, but the city is close by for all our needs.

My question now is, is there anyplace like this near Spokane, still within a reasonable commute away? We would like to still actually live in a small town, and not on top of other neighbors, but with our own property of about 1/2 acre or more (rented or bought, doesnt matter).

We enjoy the hell out of the outdoors. I'm an avid fisherman, hunter, hiker, camper, etc...and so is my family.

Is there any hunting that goes on near Spokane, WA?

Also I love to snowboard, are there any places close to Spokane that one can snowboard?

Thanks in advance for any help you can offer.

[WendyK]

There are several small towns that are on the outskirts of Spokane where you will feel like you're "out in the country" but still within a 30 minute drive to downtown. Cheney, Medical Lake, Deer Park, Nine Mile Falls, Otis Orchards...to name a few. It's also easy to find property on the outskirts of Spokane that would have large lots or acreage yet still has a Spokane address.
Snowboarding? Right now you could snowboard in my yard! But for actual ski resorts, there's Mt. Spokane and 49 Degrees North in Chewelah that are the closest places to ski/snowboard.
There are lots of hunters in the area -- mostly deer & turkey. You could probably do a google search to come up with other possibilities.
Hopefully others will chime in with some ideas for you, but it sounds like Spokane and the outlying towns could be a good match for your family based on your needs and preferred activities.

[st33lcas3]

The best part of Spokane is the small towns surrounding it. To the north and east, your in forested areas. In the south you get into farming country. To the west, your in scrub brush filled desert.

As far as outdoors activities, there are plenty. North Idaho has some great camping. For fishing I suggest going to the lakes around the area, except Coeur D Alene and the Spokane River. Both are contaminated with heavy metals and your not supposed to eat the fish from them. Hunting is excellent around Mt Spokane and you can hunt moose in the far N.E. corner of the state.

[Deena160]

In our visits we realized you didn't have to go far to be in what I consider "country." It seemed like one minute you were in the suburbs and the next you weren't. We drove down through Spangle and over to Cheney--wheat fields and far as the eye could see, and up through the wooded hills into Otis Orchards and watched the deer watch us from the front yards. :~) D

[loonyrich]

North and east of Spokane is hunting paradise. Anything you want almost including cougar, bear, elk, moose, deer, turkey and waterfowl. I lived in Loon Lake for a few years it is just north of Deer Park. It has very little town, only 2 gas stations, a small hardware and a motel/restaurant. We loved it.