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

[WendyK]

Long time no see Chiaro! I understand about the winters...after being here for 10 years, they are starting to get to me, too. I usually like to take some kind of break during the winter to go somewhere warm & sunny but that's not going to happen this year :-( I'll have to settle for a tanning bed once in a while where I can lay down and pretend I'm on a beach in Maui. Best wishes to you CA!

[Tracy_M_L]

So i'm sure you've heard some of my other posts about moving to spokane but i figure it wont hurt to post in this thread. I am a 19 yr old female looking to move out in a couple of months. I heard of thefts and car damages. I drive a 03' Ford Escape XLT with leather seats and sunroof, and i don't want anything happening to it as i have just started to make payments on it. I am looking for an apartment that allows up to 2 dogs for perferably no more than 600 a month, and hopefully i can find a job to work at downtown, can any of you direct me on places that i should look at, assuming that i will get a job downtown

[chiaroscuro]

Hey tracy. Your car should be fine, just don't park it anywhere that looks shady, and don't leave valuables on the seat or in view.

There are websites for apartments that I can't advertise on citydata, but google should hook you up. What line of work are you hoping to get downtown?

[Tracy_M_L]

thank you chiaro well since i'll be going to an online school for court reporting and also be getting a AA in criminal justice as that will help with the court reporting but for now i hope to get a receptionist job at one of the local businesses as i may have a chance to make more money there, but my only thing is i don't have any experience. And i'm hoping that i will make what i am here in CA which is $12 an hour as a kennel attendant at an animal hospital but i hope i can make a little more to pay off school bills and rent and all. And i'm planning to move in June so i can save up some money. And i hope to try spokane to live. I may have to to move somewhere else around WA to find a court reporting job

[Wherewillitland]

WHAT ABOUT BELLEVUE WASHINGTON? Thats across a lake from Seattle. Its one of the most cloudiest places in America but is a great place to raise kids has some of the best education in the country, is a "boomburb" so its getting alot of people from somewhere else so it probably is more welcoming. Extremely close to the Cascades. Lakes on both sides. Alots of activities within the community and really close to Seattle where there's just as much or more to do there.

I honestly think thats better than Spokane...

[Deena160]

Originally Posted by Wherewillitland

WHAT ABOUT BELLEVUE WASHINGTON? Thats across a lake from Seattle. Its one of the most cloudiest places in America but is a great place to raise kids has some of the best education in the country, is a "boomburb" so its getting alot of people from somewhere else so it probably is more welcoming. Extremely close to the Cascades. Lakes on both sides. Alots of activities within the community and really close to Seattle where there's just as much or more to do there.

I honestly think thats better than Spokane...

Bellevue on a budget? You're kidding, right? :~/ D

[Small and solar]

So from what I gather, Spokane has its problems like any city (large or small). I should be ready for winter, and enjoy curling up in front of the fire with hot chocolate (nice). Eco is one group (name?) and health care is universal (we all get sick). I think that is a good start. Thanks

[fy10fyr]

Originally Posted by Wherewillitland

WHAT ABOUT BELLEVUE WASHINGTON? Thats across a lake from Seattle. Its one of the most cloudiest places in America but is a great place to raise kids has some of the best education in the country, is a "boomburb" so its getting alot of people from somewhere else so it probably is more welcoming. Extremely close to the Cascades. Lakes on both sides. Alots of activities within the community and really close to Seattle where there's just as much or more to do there.

I honestly think thats better than Spokane...

Be careful taking advice from a 17 year old in NYC too seriously.

[kcollins1972]

Originally Posted by trailbuster30

I just had to join this forum to set a few things straight concerning living in the Spokane area. I have lived here all of my life, nearly 50 years. My girlfriend has lived in many areas in the US, from the east coast to the west coast, so between the two of us we can present a very good perspective of life here.

First off, do not move to Spokane for it's "city life", that is in no way what this area is about. It's more about the outlying areas around Spokane, particularly the area in the Spokane Valley all the way to Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, north of Spokane, the Mead/Mt Spokane area, etc, these represent some of the finest rural areas anywhere. I can say that the winters here have changed since I was young, call it global warming if you like, here in the valleys we only get about an inch of snow each winter compared to the 8 to 10 inches I remember as a child. Temperatures are also warmer during the winter. So unlike other parts of the country global warming seems to working in our favor here. I laugh when I talk to folks moving here from places like Texas (flooding), Florida (hurricanes), the Mid-West (tornadoes), Arizona (superhigh temps for weeks on end), California (earthquakes), etc., when they ask "but don't you guys get alot of snow there?" :-) LOL Give me a break!

If you are looking for, or need, the city life, do not move here. If you like outdoor activities, motorcycling, hiking, skiing, fishing, bicycling etc., and want all of this in close proximity to where you live then this is the place for you. If you want high population density, traffic jams, and high crime then either stay where you are or move to the other side of the Cascades (Seattle)! :-) And what is meant by "a lack of diversity"? If you mean illegal immigrants pouring over the border like southern Cal, then I guess you're right, we don't have alot of diversity here. :-)

This is a very inexpensive place to live, especially if you are on a fixed income, like retired/military retired. I know of people who have retired here from Calif that had lived in a one bedroom, one bath home that, upon arriving here, purchased a 4 bedroom, 2 bath home on acreage for the same amount! And besides, not taxing everything in sight, we enjoy no state income tax here.

In my opinion the best place to live here is as close to the north Idaho border as possible to be able to take advantage of the Tahoe-like Coeur d'Alene lake area but still be close enough to be able to commute to Spokane in around 20 minutes on I-90 to maybe work, shop, etc. Idaho is a bit more expensive to live in, they do have state income tax and housing prices are really rising there fast.

I agree with all of this. I grew up in and around Spokane, have lived in Orlando, FL and Atlanta, GA and am DYING to get back to Spokane. Yes, every city has good and bad, but Spokane is the best mid-sized city hands down. And as far as diversity, I never experienced racism until I moved south. We adopted our son from Guatemala and I wouldn't think twice about raising him in Spokane. We're waiting three years for our daughter to graduate high school and I'm going HOME.

[Small and solar]

Trail & KCollins,
Great posts! I grew up outside of NYC and I have lived in FL (Orlando area), SC, GA (Atlanta area), VA (outside of DC), MD (outside of Baltimore), WV (rural!), Las Vegas (ungh), and Phoenix (smile) so I hear what you guys are saying. My wife and I were fooling around ao web site to "find your spot" and the area outside of Spokane came up, so on a lark we did some research and booked flights for a 4 day weekend. WE LOVED IT! But b4 we can move I have to finish my MBA (unless I find a job with education benefits) and we have our first child due in Jan 09 so most likely not moving until 2011+, BUT we were bold enough to make an offer on land and with the economy we found an owner who has allowed us 9 mo so far with first right of refusal if another offer pops up.

With that said. If you want to have a Times Square life... move to NYC. Want to be by the pool in December (FL or AZ), and so forth. BUt if you want to ski, snowshoe, fish, kayak, and so on.. That area is wonderful (yes there are plenty others in the US) but it clicked for us.

best to all in 2009