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I will be moving to Spokane or Cheney in just a few weeks, and am very happy to have found this site !
From what I have heard about Spokane through word of mouth it seems to be a nice place to live; on the contrast my impression formed from this site is that it may be ultra-white, ultra-conservative, with no employment oppertunities, traffic problems, and meth labs.
This can't be so... can it ?
What part of Spokane would you move too if you were a foodie-night-life-loving-liberal-minded-29 year old man / future social worker?
Some have told me to just move to Cheney and relive my early twenties in a college town, not really interested in this....
Does spokane have nice resturants? Live music ?
What are some of these nicer neighborhoods to live in? Judging by this crime map it seems that South of I-90 and the northwest part of town are alright ?
Yes, Spokane is pretty white, but that doesn't mean anything for better or worse IMO.
Spokane is liberal, the suburbs are conservative. McCain won Spokane County by like 1%. Big whoop. Spokane is no Colorado Springs.
"Boring" is subjective. I didn't find it boring. I thought I would have.
There's very little traffic in Spokane IMO. Division can be a bore, but other than that, traffic is a joke. 10-20 minute commutes are the norm.
I left Spokane because I wouldn't have been able to duplicate my Denver-based salary. The unemployment rate is a little worse than the national average right now (11.2%). Bring a job.
I didn't see any meth labs when I was there, but then again, I wasn't looking for any either.
You could always live on the lower South Hill to be around people like you. Ironically, I've never been to Cheney so I couldn't tell you what it's like. I was content with the restaurant choices Spokane provided. Some touring bands/artists make stops in Spokane.
IMO, just about all of Spokane is alright to live in. I lived on Sunset Hill (west of downtown), and loved it. I really liked South Hill too. You could probably find something for $500, but it won't be anything spectacular.
You'll have to go to Spokane to form your own opinion of it. Going in, I thought it was going to be racist, boring, too conservative, etc, but I was wrong on all counts. My brief time living in Spokane drastically changed my outlook on life....for the better. I'm dying to go back.
Yeah, it's hard when one person tells you that Spokane is Heaven on Earth and the next person tells you it's a Hell-hole!
I'm with David--come and see for yourself. I've been there 5-6 times in the last 2 1/2 years and will finally be moving to the Valley(yes, that'd be one of the more conservative parts...) in July. Been through Cheney. It's definately got that small town college feel, but it's still pretty close to downtown Spokane. Might be easier to get an apartment, especially during the summer(also near some of the other college type areas like Gonzaga, Whitworth...).
Did some digging and found my post from January in the Best Place to Raise a Family thread:
"...People rarely find a perfect place to live. There's always going to be something wrong with it, but if you're lucky you'll find a pretty good fit.
What sort of person are you? Fast paced or slow going? Do you need to be entertained like someone who needs Broadway shows, theme parks, or a hectic, varied night-life? Spokane does get shows/concerts and Silverwood theme park is less then an hour away[and check out the Gorge at George]. If you need the occassional big-city fix, Seattle's about 5 hours. The varied night-life part might be a problem...
Are you the sort who makes their own entertainment maybe in the outdoors with camping, skiing, hiking, or fishing/hunting every weekend? Plenty of that in and around Spokane. It's an outdoorsman's paradise.
Of course, you could be low maintenance (like myself) and be happy with these things once in a while, but generally just living is exciting enough.
IMO Spokane probably mostly suits the last two. If you're the kind of person who needs constant entertainment (and that's not a bad thing) then Spokane mightn't be for you.
If you've got a few hours to blow just reading through this forum you'll probably figure out that for some people Spokane is too slow and layed back, too conservative, too family oriented, too small town, etc... They are bored to tears and just want out(or have gotten out). Others would complain that it's not enough of these things and that it's changed too much in recent years. Plenty have decided that it's exactly what they're looking for and they're trying desperately to get there(or get back to like David and Jessy)! Many have been there a while and they wouldn't want to be anywhere else." :~) D
Spokane, statistically, is pretty white. It is slowly becoming more diverse but as for now, pretty white.
I wouldn't consider Spokane conservative. David is right that the city is more liberal and suburbs more conservative. Sure, Spokane is more conservative on the whole than Seattle or Portland but it also isn't Colorado Springs or Oklahoma. If you look at past election results, Spokane County has voted for both D and R in presidential elections (usually within 5% either way) and both D and R in Senate/House races. It is a fairly evenly split electorate.
Boring is subjective. Spokane is big enough to get some, but not all, touring concerts, Broadway shows, etc. Conan O'Brien just played a sold out show at the performing arts center. There are a ton of outdoor activities both summer (camping, hiking, water skiing, etc.) and winter (skiing, sledding, etc.). There are tons of lakes within an easy drive. There are minor league sports (hockey, AFL football, baseball, Gonzaga and WSU for college sports). A pretty good literature festival (Get Lit!). Big community events (Bloomsday, Hoopfest, etc.). Seattle is a four hour drive or 50 minute flight if you want bigger city environs.
Spokane has virtually no traffic to speak of. A few street at a few times can get a bit busy but on the whole it is not something to think twice about.
For where to live, I would suggest Browne's Addition, South Perry, Downtown first. If not there, areas around 14th & Lincoln, 57th & Perry, Northwest Blvd/Audobon, Gonzaga/u-district/logan.
Cheney has Eastern Washington University but it a bit small. All of the aforementioned areas have amenities I think you would enjoy, it should give you a starting place to do some additional research.
As kena said, Spokane is statistically "white." It does seem less racially/ethnically diverse than any other place I've lived, but I wouldn't say that it's not diverse at all. The city is, overall, a bit more liberal-leaning than the suburbs (which is probably pretty typical for most of the U.S.). If you're looking for Seattle or Portland, however, you'll probably be disappointed on that score. I'm a pretty liberal guy, and I don't think the city's dominated by conservatives by any means, however.
I would definitely agree that Browne's Addition, Downtown and South Perry are your best bets, but I wouldn't rule out some of the areas in the north of the city, particularly Audobon Park, the Corbin Park area (Emerson-Garfield) and the area around Garland. There are definitely more restaurants and bars downtown, but some new places are opening up on Northwest Blvd, Garland Avenue, etc. Bus connections with downtown are good in those places, too.
I've only lived in the area for two years, so I don't know much about the surrounding towns apart from Coeur d'Alene (which is really beautiful). The only thing I know about Cheney is that EWU and Turnbull Wildlife Refuge are there. Pullman is a great town, but it's fairly far from Spokane.
I hope this will be taken for how it's meant, but what exactly is wrong with "that... White".
If living among "whites" may be undesireable for whatever reason to you (and hey, no offense taken since everyone is entitled to their own preferences and desires I guess), then might I suggest looking to anywhere "whites" may be in the minority: in a broad crescent in the lower 48 starting in the Sound region (where many communities in & around Seattle and even as far north as Vancouver the majority is non-white) down through the more populated areas of the pacific coast, across the southern border/gulf region through the south and up much of the Atlantic even as far north as Boston (since even many communities right in & around Boston proper are majority non-white).
However, I think you'll be cheating only yourself - you might even find that most "whites" in Spokane couldn't care less what color you are. Same goes for most PEOPLE/AMERICANS throughout the NW & Northern Rockies anyway. At least that's been my experience. We have a very long history of diversity more than the %'s might imply and the mindset here is nothing like in many other places in the country. Growing up, my class was half non-white in the heart of "white" Spokane in town, with fellow Americans and Spokanites of (American) Indian, Hispanic, Black, mixed, Viet, Japanese and who knows what else. I myself am of mixed blood though you wouldn't know it to look at me. I'd take care judging people, too quick or otherwise.
If you have a problem with Whites though, then I'd suggest follow you heart somewhere else (please=)
I hope this will be taken for how it's meant, but what exactly is wrong with "that... White".
If living among "whites" may be undesireable for whatever reason to you (and hey, no offense taken since everyone is entitled to their own preferences and desires I guess), then might I suggest looking to anywhere "whites" may be in the minority: in a broad crescent in the lower 48 starting in the Sound region (where many communities in & around Seattle and even as far north as Vancouver the majority is non-white) down through the more populated areas of the pacific coast, across the southern border/gulf region through the south and up much of the Atlantic even as far north as Boston (since even many communities right in & around Boston proper are majority non-white).
However, I think you'll be cheating only yourself - you might even find that most "whites" in Spokane couldn't care less what color you are. Same goes for most PEOPLE/AMERICANS throughout the NW & Northern Rockies anyway. At least that's been my experience. We have a very long history of diversity more than the %'s might imply and the mindset here is nothing like in many other places in the country. Growing up, my class was half non-white in the heart of "white" Spokane in town, with fellow Americans and Spokanites of (American) Indian, Hispanic, Black, mixed, Viet, Japanese and who knows what else. I myself am of mixed blood though you wouldn't know it to look at me. I'd take care judging people, too quick or otherwise.
If you have a problem with Whites though, then I'd suggest follow you heart somewhere else (please=)
Wow, a little sensitive. The thread is not an anti-white tirade. It seemed to focus on the op seeking diversity, which does not exclude whites. With diversity, there tends to be different cultures, different viewpoints, diverse restaurants, etc of which whites are part of that. Some people want and thrive on diversity, some don't.
To the op, Spokane is not very diverse but improving.
I am in my first year of college, and left spokane for portland last fall. If you're looking to be close to the activities and nightlife, live close to downtown. Spokane is small, but there have always been people working to make it seem big. Downtown has many nice music/theater venues, with a small but thriving local music scene if you're into that as well as being a stopping point for many but not enough touring acts. There are all sorts of bars downtown and some clubs.
The city of Spokane is becoming more liberal like Portland/Seattle, but is in the middle of a very conservative region of agriculture, logging and mining, so progress is slow, but steady.
The city, and really the whole of the metro area other than the Idaho portion, is small enough that you could live anywhere and drive for a few minutes to the happening areas, but if you want to live in a nice place, close to your activities, here are my suggestions.
The south hill is as you've learned, safe. The lower portion, which is immediately south of downtown, is a mix of single family and multi unit housing. The neighborhoods are similar in appearance to those of Portland and Seattle. This is probably the easiest part of town to get around without a car. There are many small commercial centers with good restaurants and markets such as 14th and grand, S. Perry District, S. Lincoln/Monroe. As you move southward the hill is more family geared, less dense and the apartments turn from old brick buildings or former mansions to new, plain complexes.
Browne's Addition is almost all apartments, many of which are former mansions, and has a nice center with a few good restaurants, it's also the first neighborhood west of downtown.
The neighborhood around Gonzaga has a good youthful atmosphere and is full of restaurants and ****, old houses and trees. It is also just east of downtown and along the spokane river.
Spokane does not get seven months of Winter. It can however get feet of snow overnight that may stay around until april. Spokane experiences all 4 seasons for about equal amounts of time, and while the January and February may seem to take forever, Summers here are hot, dry, sunny and fabulous.
Spokane does not get seven months of Winter. It can however get feet of snow overnight that may stay around until april. Spokane experiences all 4 seasons for about equal amounts of time, and while the January and February may seem to take forever, Summers here are hot, dry, sunny and fabulous.
1. Spokane last saw 70 degree temperatures last September. It has been raining and cold for the past ten days, with no relief in sight.
2. Spokane has two seasons: winter and August. Summers here are often nearly nonexistent, except for a couple of weeks of skin-cancer-inducing sunny heat. Even then, it's so cold at night that you need a sweater.
3. I have socks older than you. And the "progress" you celebrate consists of meth labs, subwoofers, and Gay Pride Day. None of which have improved the city.
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