How would you rank Boise, Spokane, Tacoma, Reno by overall influence? (live, rates)

[grega94]

Tacoma is a tricky case, it’s completely overshadowed by Seattle, and arguably even by Bellevue. Also a good chunk of people in pierce county commute to Seattle rather than Tacoma, the fact that commuter trains in Puyallup (large suburb in pierce county) has a commuter train bound for Seattle rather than Tacoma attests to that. So it’s large “metro” population is inflated by Seattle commuters that Tacoma’s economy wouldn’t be able to support if it were independent.

[Need4Camaro]

In terms of recognition I would say:

Boise, Reno, Tacoma, Spokane

Most people throughout the nation are familiar in some way with Boise and Reno. Tacoma and Spokane you don't really hear about unless you go to the PNW.

[dontbelievehim]

From California

Reno>>Boise>>>>>>>>>Tacoma>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>Spokane

Spokane may as well be in the Dakotas cause nobody talks about it in California

Reno is the only one with real relevance out west.
Gambling, Tahoe, Tesla jobs, and burning man help it out.
Boise just isn't there yet..it may pass Reno one day, but it's gonna take some time to do it

[grega94]

Originally Posted by TheTimidBlueBars

Yeah Tacoma, despite being the best city on the list by far from an urbanity standpoint, is definitely the least influential.

Spokane at least is "the city" for a pretty large region of eastern WA + ID panhandle + western MT, so I put it second to last.

Then Reno just has a lot more history and notoriety than Boise (Tahoe, Donner Pass, Comstock Lode, early divorce capital) while also serving as "the city" for a decent-sized, albeit thinly populated, area.

So Reno > Boise > Spokane > Tacoma for me

If we are going to judge by history and their "legacy" status, then clearly Spokane is at the top followed by Tacoma. In 1910 Spokane was the 48th largest city in the US with 104,402 people (today it's 97th), and Reno and Boise weren't even in the top 100. And in 1890 Tacoma was the 84th largest with 36,006 people (today it's 103rd) *Reno is 82nd today.



*I know city boundaries are arbitrary and don't capture the full urban population, but considering metro areas didn't become a thing until like the 50s, and Tacoma is no longer an independent metro area, plus the county boundaries are pretty arbitrary too, so city boundaries is about the best I can do.

[GeoffD]

I look at this a bit differently. Tacoma is Seattle metro. That blows away comparatively isolated backwaters like Boise, Reno, and Spokane. It’s an NFL metro. You’re 30 miles from a Seahawks game. All the tech is turning the University of Washington into a national university. It’s probably 20 years away from being a peer to the California universities. Boise had a blue college football field.

Of the other three, I think Boise makes the news the most as the place that gets California flight so it’s where the cool people move. I’d say that makes it the most influential.

[mhays25]

I can't fathom how Reno is more than #4. It's about entertainment primarily. The skyline is mostly hotels. There's a university and Tesla, but not much else anchor-wise. It has some cool spots (Idlewild Park, the Riverwalk District, Virginia City), but in my experience casinos are the main driver.

[g500]

If for each vote I assign a value of 1 for top position, 2 for second, 3 for third, 4 for fourth, we get the following results based on 27 votes in the poll thus far (27 votes *10 score per vote [4+3+2+1] =270 sum)

(*VIP* - a lower score = better/more influential ranking)

1. Boise 42
2. Reno 70
3. Tacoma 78
4. Spokane 80

Total = 270

Again, just seems that Boise is leading the pack, while the other three are just basically deadlocked in a tie. A clear winner for the #2 position has not emerged.

[mhays25]

But my vote counts extra because I've stayed nights in all four! JK, though I actually have.

Oddly, I stayed in Tacoma for two nights this past weekend, despite living in Seattle. Tacoma deserves more than a few hours at a time. Reno is to visit friends. Spokane was mostly a long weekend to be a tourist. Boise I lived in for six years.

[bartonizer]

While Tacoma definitely has its own identity, I'd personally take it out of the ranking here, because it's an apple-to-oranges comparison with the other cities here. So I'm glad the OP offered the option- it is an official part of the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue MSA, so the amenities of being the 2nd largest city in a 4 million plus metro area are far different than what you'd have access to in the other, isolated cities on the list. Kind of hard to ignore or compare- you'll experience a bunch of traffic and a more urban feeling 1/2 hour to an hour before you get there, in just about any direction!

So, that being said, I'd place Boise first, Spokane second, and Reno third. Boise's edge may be a little exaggerated in my opinion, as it benefits from higher recent growth, better business atmosphere, and the advantage of not being in the shadow of a bigger city in the state. But Spokane is not too far off in terms of population and is just as import to its region. Reno is not too far behind either, IMHO.

TBH, no one outside the West talks much about any of these places. Not that they're bad, but they were definitely considered kind of dumpy until the last 10-15 years, when people being priced out of Seattle, Portland, and San Francisco metros started looking for less costly alternatives.

[TheTimidBlueBars]

Originally Posted by mhays25

I can't fathom how Reno is more than #4. It's about entertainment primarily. The skyline is mostly hotels. There's a university and Tesla, but not much else anchor-wise. It has some cool spots (Idlewild Park, the Riverwalk District, Virginia City), but in my experience casinos are the main driver.

Regardless of the ranking: props for knowing Idlewild Park, you must've explored the city pretty well