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

[kena]

For property tax info check out the following link for the basics: Property tax

[kena]

Originally Posted by nothingness

If you, are like me, over educated, aspiring, wanting to grow, than do NOT ever consider this degenerate settlement whatsoever. Oh, and I paid for my own education, complete. This town is bereft of culture and oppurtunity. You heard of a brain drain? This town is a brain suck as there's little here. Like all three Western states in the U.S., it gets conservative on the East side of the state.

[dannyinspokane]

So, I have read so many negative replies in regards to the city of Spokane. the thing I cant get past is the vast number of those writing these negative replies are not from Spokane or have spent little time here. so allow me to add my opinion of Spokane for your consideration. My name is Danny and I am 32 years old, I was born and raised in Spokane. I have lived all over this country and overseas during my 11 years in the Military, but I chose to return to Spokane when I left the Military and let me tell you why. Spokane is a beautiful city that offers both bigger city activities as well as outdoor recreation that few other cities can offer. Spokane by itself has about 212,000 residents and when you add in the Spokane Valley, Airway Heights, Liberty Lake and the neighboring cities of Coeur D Alane, ID and Post falls there is a population of about 650,000 residents. there IS NOT a large population of racists living here, we as a community have worked hard to rid ourselves of the "haters". I admit we still have our share of backward thinking people but I ask you to find a city that has none. you will find Spokane to be much more affordable than cities like Seattle and Portland as far as housing is concerned, but keep in mind that the Spokane-Coeur D Alane corridor as it is called is growing very rapidly and prices for homes are increasing as well. I have read many replies on this site saying that Spokane has no traffic. well this is not completely true. we are not Seattle and do not have the major traffic nightmares they have there but we do have times when traffic is a problem. we have only one major highway running through the Spokane area and as a result our city streets tend to be very congested during the business week. as far as all the comments I have read regarding gangs, meth and crime in Spokane I can offer you this comment, I have watched this city grow very quickly over my years here and have seen an increase in crime, gangs and drugs but every other city of comparable size to Spokane such as Boise, ID. and Tacoma, WA have seen similar increases in there crime etc. Spokane is still safe and a great place to relocate too. Spokane has also drawn some very big events such as the 2007 U.S figure skating championships, N.C.A.A tournament rounds and recently Spokane was chosen over cities like Portland, OR to again host the 2010 U.S figure skating championships. large businesses such as Blu-Ray have moved there operations to Spokane due to the many great things Spokane offers that other cities do not. my advice to anyone thinking of a move to Spokane should take some time and visit this city. that is the only way you will know for sure if this is the city for you. as for those of you who continue to put Spokane down and speak of all the horrible things you say Spokane offers I ask you to return to Spokane and take the time to see the whole area, not just downtown or the airport. Spokane is a great city which will continue to see rapid growth and endless opportunities for those who take advantage of it. feel free to email me if you wish to know more about Spokane, I will be glad to help you with information in anyway I am able.

[WendyK]

Thanks, Danny, for your well-rounded viewpoint of life in Spokane. I have been in Maui over the past week and am just getting back to checking on the new posts here on City-Data. If you want to see traffic issues, think about the limited roads on Hawaiian islands and the number of tourists/residents using them at peak hours. Yikes! I was glad to get back to Spokane (even though I'll miss hearing the ocean right outside my bedroom window!).

[Bohemian Girl]

I am originally from Texas and have lived in Spokane for 4 years. As far as I am concerned all the people from California, Seattle and Portland can move to Spokane. It needs a little updating. It is definitely a meat and potatoes kind of people who enjoy staying home. I would definitely agree with the writer who posted that the people from Spokane are from "Spokane." I guess there has to be some places in our nation that aren't so "city" like, but for an early 30's couple Spokane is not the place to be. It doesn't even have to so with the bar scene. It is the shopping, the eating, etc. It is a great place for older people who are retiring from their jobs and "city life."

[kena]

While I agree that Spokane has areas in need of improvement (different viewpoints and talented young professionals are great additions), I would also argue that it really has changed in a postive way over the past 10-15 years, including for younger professionals. As posted above, the bar scene alone isn't the only gauge but I think it is interesting to note. 10-15 years ago bar options downtown were pretty limited. You had places like Cyrus O'Leary's, the Onion and Outback Jack's but really, there wasn't much of a scene at all.

I don't recall excactly when the Blue Spark opened but it was kind of a watershed moment for the bar scene in downtown Spokane. I recall a friend visiting from Portland (who had spent some time in Spokane) commenting that she was surprised to see a place like it open in Spokane (and in prorper fashion speculated that it wouldn't last long because it was a cool spot and, well, cool places didn't last in Spokane). The Spark is still open and still does good business but it is not even close to cutting edge in Spokane anymore.

Now, there are many places to choose from. Just downtown there are the following (not a complete list) many of which opened within the last 10 years or so: Ella's, Brooklyn Nights, Catacombs, Peacock Room, Baby Bar, Artisan Room/Studio 23/Envy, Bistango, Bluefish, Cavallino, Far West, the Globe, Isabella's, Zola, MarQuee Lounge, Jimmy Z's, Lion's Lare, Prago, Raw, Steelhead and the Satellite.

Sure, if you're looking for the energy and dynamics of big city life you're going to have to look to a bigger city. Spokane is often compared to Seattle because of geographic proximity but it is a tough comparision. The Seattle area, depending on how you count, has 3.5 to 4 million people. The Spokane area about 650,000, making Seattle around 5-6x the size of Spokane. Another frequent comparison is Portland which is between 2 and 2.5 million so 3-4x the size.

If you stack Spokane against similar sized cities such as Boise, Des Moines, Columbia S.C., Wichita, etc. in my opinion it fares pretty well.

[darby14]

Bad in my opinion. This place is very hard to leave once you get here. I hate to say hole in the ground but the thought does occur. Also, don't get divorced, this is not a place that supports singles very well. Sinlge parents have a very hard time of it, too, in my opinion, sometimes making your children's lives and raising of them a passage to be gotten through, not enjoyed or supported by the community particularly well.

It's just hard to make friends here, though, anyway. Even married people say so. There's a depressed/downer tone to the town, I can't quite put my finger on it, but it's always there.

I wouldn't necessarily move to a place to save cash. There's often a reason why certain places are cheaper.

[OC Girl]

Im from Orange County, CA. and have been to Washington about 15 times, I love it! My family loves it too!. Especially the children (boys). I would think that it is true, you need to come here with some money to buy a home out side of downtown and then just live and be at peace. We have a vacation home up north in Kettle Falls and will retire here some day. The people are very nice, a litle slow (im high strung) but very nice.

[fifti1969]

We moved here 6 months ago from San Diego (via Chicago) and this place is horrible. We pretty much sit around and watch the grass grow. That is how exciting it is. We have 2 small children and have a hard time finding things for them to do. Oh...but there is the zoo...or should I say Cabella's...the outdoorsman shop with all the stuffed wild animals. That's about as good as it gets. This place is a haven for white trash! I can't wait to get the hell out of here!!! I stopped unpacking boxes months ago!!

[st33lcas3]

Originally Posted by fifti1969

Oh...but there is the zoo...or should I say Cabella's...the outdoorsman shop with all the stuffed wild animals.

That's funny. Spokane used to have a zoo. It was called Walk in the Wild. It was rated the worst in the country and shut down. (Scroll down to 1995 for the small article)

Worst in the country was a nice way of describing it. It had about 50 animals total, a few were deer and elk. Pretty exotic huh?

That was one of the reasons I moved when I had kids. I wanted them to grow up in a town with more to offer. Spokane just doesn't have it.