Moving to Spokane, HELP! (South Hill, Cheney: rentals, houses, transfer)

[graymandude]

I'm being relocated to Spokane for my job and am not very familiar with the area. I will be working at the airport and will be looking at rental houses to start with. I was looking at Airway Heights, Geiger Heights and possibly the Cheney area for convenience to my job but don't know enough about those areas. Can anyone help? Are there newer developments in those areas? Close to any shopping or will I be doing a lot of driving to and from Spokane for necessities. I've heard areas of South Hill have some nice new developments as well. Any suggestions as to nice areas convenient to the airport would be appreciated. Actually, any insider info would be greatly appreciated as everything will be new to me (coming from Texas!) Thank you!

[WendyK]

You should have no trouble finding a newer style home for rent in Airway Heights and/or Cheney. THere has been a lot of development there in the past 10 years. Also plenty of shopping, restaurants and other services are right there on Hwy 2. There's a new super Walmart and the Northern Quest casino is out there, too. Have you visited the spokane craigslist postings for rentals? There are quite a few on there in the $650-1000 range.

[graymandude]

Thanks Wendy! I've browsed Craigslist here and there but it's hard to get a sense of the neighborhoods and communities. I've only visited Spokane once and spent my time in the Mead area. I liked that area but it seems like quite a commute across town. Hopefully, there will be something available a little closer. Thanks again!

[Deena160]

We visited the Geiger Heights/Cheney area when we were there in April. IF my husbands transfer ever comes through, he'd be working near the airport, too, so it looked like a great location on the map. The area was pretty rural to our way of thinking. It seemed like a long ways out even though it probably really wasn't(didn't help that we got lost and never did get to the housing development we were looking for). There were a few houses on Garden Bluff that we liked, but the roads were very steep and winding to get to them. Could see it being treacherous in the winter.
Didn't like Airport Heights at all, but we have friends that loved it. Housing was very tract-like. Also supposed to be very windy. We decided we'd rather live in South Hill or the Valley. Probably the later. :~) D

[Raelyn28]

Originally Posted by graymandude

Thanks Wendy! I've browsed Craigslist here and there but it's hard to get a sense of the neighborhoods and communities. I've only visited Spokane once and spent my time in the Mead area. I liked that area but it seems like quite a commute across town. Hopefully, there will be something available a little closer. Thanks again!

Actually, we live in Mead school district and I probably would do that drive to stay in this area especially if you have kids. One thing I can say about Cheney. We were there over the weekend for our son's baseball tournament and the town seems very friendly and well organized. The people that hosted the tournament were wonderful. I noticed many nice houses around the high school and the university campus there is very well taken care of. To me the drive from Cheney to Spokane is a bit long. If you won't be going into Spokane than maybe that wouldn't be a big deal. Do you have kids and what is your budget? Are your kids into sports and which ones?

We are actually moving to Tulsa in a month and will be selling our home in a short-sale. I understand the need for information because I am doing it myself. You will love the beauty of the Spokane area....the weather is pretty good too!! I really have enjoyed it here and will miss it very much

[kena]

Mead might be a bit of a pull but the airport is surprisingly close to other parts of Spokane proper if Cheney or Airway Heights aren't what you're looking for (they have a more rural feeling and tend to be a little more prarie like than most Spokane neighborhoods). From most points on the south hill, you can get to the airport in 15 minutes or so. You can also look at the Qualchan/Hangman area along Highway 195, which is also a pretty easy commute to the airport (or a nice back-way from the south hill, coming down Hatch Road). There are also some backroads from the Downriver/Audubon Park area (although getting to I-90 is pretty easy as well).

What things are you looking for in a neighborhood/area?

[vette-dude]

Hi graymandude,

I have a link here that might help give you some feeling of rentals in Airway Heights area...I travel in and around AirWay Heights when visiting the airbase, WalMart is the primary chain store I've seen there..but Spokane is close by for major shopping..

Rental link:

http://www.rentals.com/Washington/Sp...Airway-Heights

[graymandude]

Thank you for the info. No kids and my budget is flexible right now. It really comes down to convenience for me as my job will require me to work crazy hours of the day and night. I don't mind the 'rural' feel of a particular area but i also don't want to drive 30 minutes to a grocery store. I will be in Spokane next week to start checking out areas so I guess I will get a better idea of what everything is like. I'm really looking forward to what the area has to offer and the chance to experience all 4 seasons again (as opposed to the 2 seasons here in Texas - hot and REALLY HOT). Good luck with your move to Tulsa. It's a nice area but if you're not used to humidity it may take a little adjustment time.

[graymandude]

Thanks Kena. I will be in Spokane next week to start checking out areas. As far as neighborhoods, i tend to lean towards newer developments just because of less maintenance on newer homes. Although i've seen some pictures of some very large homes for rent in the South Hill area that have been remodeled and look nice. I just want to avoid driving 20-30 minutes to work and grocery stores because my job requires me to work some crazy hours. I will take a look at the areas you suggested and plan a day to drive around and check it out. Thanks for your input!

[skinem]

For convenience, if Airway Heights isn't to your taste, check on Medical Lake...closer than Cheney, easy trip into Spokane.