My son is being transferred to Spokane, need info please (South Hill: crime, home)

[Grandma(in waiting)]

Please work with a nervous mom.

My son and his wife (and my first grandchild to be) are going to be moving to Spokane in the near future due to a job transfer. We live in Indiana, in a very small town (pop. 5000) where he was born and raised. He has been living in Cincinnati for the past year.

How is the cost of living? Crime? Good areas to live? Schools? I've looked through a few of the other threads here and was kind of by some of the posts. Keep in mind, cultural mecca when coming from the midwest means nothing. All I'm concerned about is whether or not he and his family will be safe and be able to maintain a comfortable standard of living. He had a choice of either Stockton, CA or Spokane and chose Spokane (thankfully...I've heard Stockton isn't safe and the cost of living is sky high).

Any information you could give me would be very gratefully appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

[nfdsouza2001]

I lived in Spokane for about six months. I have friends in Spokane. Thet like it in Spokane. It is a small town but you have the big city amenities. It all depends where he will be working. The Valley and South hill areas of spokane are relatively safe. Some areas especially downtown and Brown's addition can be dicey. I cannot shed light on the school districts but my friends children did fine.

[David Aguilar]

Originally Posted by Grandma(in waiting)

Please work with a nervous mom.

My son and his wife (and my first grandchild to be) are going to be moving to Spokane in the near future due to a job transfer. We live in Indiana, in a very small town (pop. 5000) where he was born and raised. He has been living in Cincinnati for the past year.

How is the cost of living? Crime? Good areas to live? Schools? I've looked through a few of the other threads here and was kind of by some of the posts. Keep in mind, cultural mecca when coming from the midwest means nothing. All I'm concerned about is whether or not he and his family will be safe and be able to maintain a comfortable standard of living. He had a choice of either Stockton, CA or Spokane and chose Spokane (thankfully...I've heard Stockton isn't safe and the cost of living is sky high).

Any information you could give me would be very gratefully appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

Come on, he's a big boy ain't he?

If he can handle Cincinnati, Spokane will be a cakewalk.

Cost-of-living is great. Crime is avoidable as long as he stays out of the wrong crowds.

I lived on Sunset Hill, and loved it. There aren't very many places to go wrong in Spokane.

They'll be safe and comfortable, as long as his income can afford the relatively low home/rental prices.

Kudos to him for choosing Spokane over Stockton. He'll be in for a pleasant surprise when he arrives.

Take it from somebody (me), if it were that bad of a place I wouldn't be dying to get back there.

[Raelyn28]

I agree with David and I believe we both lived in California and Spokane...
He is right on with his advise

Originally Posted by David Aguilar

Come on, he's a big boy ain't he?

If he can handle Cincinnati, Spokane will be a cakewalk.

Cost-of-living is great. Crime is avoidable as long as he stays out of the wrong crowds.

I lived on Sunset Hill, and loved it. There aren't very many places to go wrong in Spokane.

They'll be safe and comfortable, as long as his income can afford the relatively low home/rental prices.

Kudos to him for choosing Spokane over Stockton. He'll be in for a pleasant surprise when he arrives.

Take it from somebody (me), if it were that bad of a place I wouldn't be dying to get back there.

[Grandma(in waiting)]

Thanks so much for your responses. Yes, he's a big boy, but Spokane is a long way from home and as other moms here can probably attest,you never stop worrying about your children, no matter how old they are. I can't imagine how parents cope when their children are in the service.

Again, thanks. I feel so much better.

[skinem]

He'll do fine in Spokane. I grew up there and return frequently for business and family. There's not a single area of Spokane that I'd be afraid to go into, and I'd have justified expectations of coming out with no problems. If he's been in Cincinatti, Spokane will seem like a very friendly, very safe small town. It is a great combination of small town/big town living.
The school system in general is very good, definitely a cut above average, particularly compared to other cities its size. As with most cities there are nice neighborhoods and not so nice. Generally speaking, the South Hill is nice as are areas on the northside, particularly when you start getting to Francis and north. I know there are nice areas in the valley, but I'm not real familiar with the eastside of Spokane.

Your son made the right choice between Spokane and Stockton...no contest in the "niceness" department. Or safety, for that matter.

Hope it's a good move for your son and family!

[Grandma(in waiting)]

Thanks so much for your reply.

Truthfully, they haven't been too enchanted with Cincinnati, although they are living in one of the nicer areas (Blue Ash). People just don't seem to be very friendly and the traffic is horrendous.

I'm sad that they won't be close by anymore (Cincinnati is only a little over three hours away) and we probably won't be there for the birth of our grandchild, but when our work schedules allow, we will be visiting. From what I've seen online, Spokane is breathtakingly beautiful. Who knows? Grandpa(in waiting) and I might retire out that way.

[skinem]

Grandma, I kinda did what your son did, in reverse. From up there, left home right after high school and ended up for much if not most of the following 30 years back east. The Spokane area is soooo nice that MY parents did NOT retire back east to be near me and my family...they are still in the area, well, a couple of hours away. They even sold out their ranch, traveled the country for a few years looking for where to retire and ended up back close to home.

I just say all that to say this...you may end up there! I know I intend on getting back permanently upon my retirement.

[Grandma(in waiting)]

Thanks, skinem. I'm feeling so much better after reading everyone's comments.

[Raelyn28]

Oh I wish I was still in Spokane. I also have two sons and I wouldn't worry at all if they moved to Spokane someday. It would give me an excuse to either visit or move back... It is beautiful country. My mother used to call it God's country. Look at some of the pics sometime at the beginning of the forum or go to google images and type in Spokane and Coeur de Alene (spelling?) Idaho which is only about 35 to 45 minutes away depending on where you are living in Spokane. You may decide on retiring at the resort there... Beautiful!!!

Originally Posted by Grandma(in waiting)

Thanks, skinem. I'm feeling so much better after reading everyone's comments.