Thinking of relocating to Spokane...Bad move or Good move???? (Seattle: sale, rental)

[trailbuster30]

Okay, I'm going to try to answer some of the above questions and have some remarks to hopefully address the negatives in the above posts.

Spokane will be hosting the US Olympic Figure Skating Championships for the second time at the Arena, this was announced the beginning of summer, I don't believe I saw any mention of it here. We have been landing larger events.

Trust me on this one, Spokane was discovered shortly after Expo '74. To the locals here, such as myself, many changes have taken place here since that time.

Californians :-) - Alot of the animosity that locals HAD for Californians was due to the fact that for many years, in the 50's, 60's and 70's, Californians in particular referred to us as "pig farmers", "Li'l Abners", "hicks", and would never think of moving here. My, how time's have changed! I can't talk to 3 people here now without 2 of them being from California (my girlfriend included from Long Beach), they are literally everywhere, including many celebrities, Dennis Franz, Patty Duke, Ellen Travolta, Viggo Mortensen, Mark Furman, even Arnold Schwartzenegger, Cal's own governer has a place in Sandpoint, ID, just north east of Spokane. It seems they would rather live among the "pig farmers" and "hicks" than the illegal immigrants and gangs.

One thing is true, we have terrible drivers here BUT these are not the locals that have lived here for years but rather the many transplants from large cities from across the country that have brought their less-than-desirable driving habits here.

The sun doesn't shine here for weeks? Why do you think Starbucks is based in Seattle? You need to drink coffee to stay awake and keep from getting depressed from the constant overcast over that area. High temps in Seattle this summer hit the upper 70's, here in Spokane we were in the 90's and up to 103. When fall and winter come you are ready for it and for the most part it's a pleasant break from the high summer temperatures. A full 4 seasons breaks the monotony of a more constant climate.

The quote here of employers hiring only family members or friends is probably the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard in my life! Thanks for the laugh. :-)

I still find it hard to believe that many still think there is a lack of jobs here. Construction, residential and commercial, is everywhere here particularly in the Spokane Valley, Liberty Lake and Post Falls areas. Liberty Lake has attracted many high-end electronics firms. Many other companies are relocating to this area such as Buck Knives, Huntwood Cabinetry, etc.

Truth be told, I shouldn't really even be posting all of this, I keep ranting to my girlfriend "There's too many damn people moving here! We need to move to Walla Walla!"

[ShrnWldr]

What about utilities like water, gas, electricity? What about phones? Land lines? How expensive are these?

[st33lcas3]

Originally Posted by trailbuster30

To the locals here, such as myself, many changes have taken place here since that time.

Such as?

[DJA1212]

I have lived in Spokane for a couple of months now. I am from Columbus, Ohio. There are pros and cons. The summer weather here is fantastic. I am loving the lack of humidity and all of the sun. Today is cloudy, and I think only the third or fourth cloudy day since I've been here.

The people here are very friendly. Columbus is friendly for a big city, but the difference here is noticeable and unmistakable. There is almost no traffic of note here. Division Street can get kind of busy at times, but that's about it.

I must be one of the outside people bringing my driving habits here! Because my only real complaint is the driving in Spokane. The people here drive SLOW. A speed limit here will be 30, whereas the same type of street in Columbus will be 45. And the people here will drive 25-30, and in Columbus 45-55. Imagine trying to make that switch. I have been in my car many times crawling along, thinking, is this really happening? The only other thing I've noticed on the negative side is that everyone just assumes an adult is married. I am single and am asked all the time about my wife and kids. I don't think it's a great place for anyone looking for a potential spouse, but that's not why I'm here, so it doesn't bother me.

[trailbuster30]

The best way to describe the difference between water and power resources here and in the southwest US (Arizona, So. Cal, etc) would be to compare gross population there and here in relationship to water supply and electric power. The Spokane-Coeur d'Alene area sits on top of a huge underground lake (more like an ocean). Anywhere you drill for a well you will hit water. Twelve miles from downtown Spokane, in the center of the Spokane valley a one-time agricultural area (Veradale) the water fees are a monthly flat rate, regardless of how much you use. Surrounding mountain snow replenishes the aquifer. Grand Coulee dam on the Columbia River (which by the way is not drying up, similar to the Colorado from overuse) provides eastern WA, with a population of only around 500,000+, with an abundance of hydroelectric power. The Tri-Cities area and the Vantage gorge are experimenting with windpower but only as a small supplement. In areas in Arizona windpower and desalinization plants may someday be their only source of power and water. With the population in that state, this is a scary thought. As for the landline phone service, we have two lines hooked up and our highest billing has been $60. We have flat-rate monthly utilities (gas/electric) payments of $180 and we operate a business from our residence complete with heavy equipment, some pay less, some pay more, depending on your total power usage. Many have asked us about heating costs throughout the winter and to those in So. Cal, Arizona, etc, I ask--what are your air-conditioning bills throughout the summer? It is basically a trade-off. We've watched in amazement at temperatures that linger in the 100+ range day after day in Nevada this summer and say, it must cost a fortune to stay cool there.

Changes in this area have come in the form of new-to-us laws that have taken many freedoms that the locals had enjoyed for years.

1. Mandatory sewer-line hookups to protect the aquifer from contamination.

2. Burn bans which now stretch far out into the surrounding areas.

3. Mandatory pet licensing

4. Mandatory vehicle emissions testing

5. Mandatory off road vehicle licensing

I know these are some things that have been in effect in other cities for years but for us these were a new experience. These laws as well as others were a direct result of the many new transplants here in the Spokane-Coeur d'Alene area and it proves that the area is growing, for better or worse.

[ShrnWldr]

Thank you so much for the information you provided. I know they are silly questions but realistic ones as we are from the Southern California area. My next question pertains to cable or satellite or nothing? Which is prevalent in the Spokane area?

[Deena160]

Originally Posted by trailbuster30

High temps in Seattle this summer hit the upper 70's, here in Spokane we were in the 90's and up to 103.

Just a little argument...When I've bothered to watch the news this summer I've noted that on average Spokane seems to only be about 5 degrees hotter then Seattle. Also, We have had more then a few days here in the 80's and 90's. :~) D

[trailbuster30]

Hi Deena. Are you disputing the fact that central and eastern WA have ALWAYS had higher summer temperatures than the coastal area? Approximately 2 - 3 weeks ago we were experiencing a heat wave in the eastern half of the state, temperatures were from 100 to 107 for quite a few days, surely you must have seen this mentioned on your local news. If the Seattle area experienced temps in the 90's it definitely wasn't mentioned on our newscasts. Our weathercasters even stated "This is where you want to go if you want to escape the heat" pointing to the Seattle area.

Because of the rural spread of the area satellite is gaining popularity, so it seems pretty even between the two. We don't subscribe to either cable or dish.

[st33lcas3]

Originally Posted by trailbuster30

Approximately 2 - 3 weeks ago we were experiencing a heat wave in the eastern half of the state, temperatures were from 100 to 107 for quite a few days, surely you must have seen this mentioned on your local news.

I know you directed your post towards Deena160, but I'd like to clarify something for you. Down here in the Vancouver\Portland area we were in our own 100+ degree heat wave as well. I believe Vancouver reached 103 s the worst of it. Sorry, but podunk Spokane wasn't mentioned other than in a general "the entire region is being hit with this" way.

[Deena160]

Originally Posted by trailbuster30

Hi Deena. Are you disputing the fact that central and eastern WA have ALWAYS had higher summer temperatures than the coastal area? Approximately 2 - 3 weeks ago we were experiencing a heat wave in the eastern half of the state, temperatures were from 100 to 107 for quite a few days, surely you must have seen this mentioned on your local news. If the Seattle area experienced temps in the 90's it definitely wasn't mentioned on our newscasts. Our weathercasters even stated "This is where you want to go if you want to escape the heat" pointing to the Seattle area.

Because of the rural spread of the area satellite is gaining popularity, so it seems pretty even between the two. We don't subscribe to either cable or dish.

No dispute that Eastern Wa always has higher temperatures. I might not be the brightest bulb, but I'm not that stupid. You just made it sound like there was a huge difference (20 degrees) between Spokane and the Seattle area. Yes, we have had temperatures in the high 80's and pushing 100 here this summer. I live north of Seattle, and our temps were hotter then recorded at Seatac.
Local News | Weather service issues warnings about heat | Seattle Times Newspaper
My observation was just that--an observation. When I watch the news and see what our temps our going to be I try to pay attention (short as it is) when they talk about Spokane. Often their temps are about 5 degrees hotter then ours. Of course, this doesn't take into account when we've had an especially hot day followed by a drastic change which has been known to happen. In that case, you may be experiencing our previous heat as it moved east while we're cooling and there may be a 20 degree difference. Then, you can enjoy the cooling when it gets there in a day or two, right? :~) D