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although ive only lived in spokane for 2 years, 5 in cheney, i would like to post my experiences.
as far as crime, look at http://www.spokanegis.org/crimemap/default.asp (broken link), this will show you the areas to avoid. of the 7 years in the general spokane area, i had my car window broken out once in the northtown mall while at work, (see crime map.) my brother lived by the spokane arena (see map,) not a great area, and had his car broken into a couple times in 5 months. its not that bad if you live in low crime areas. i lived very close to the "lower" south hill 13th/bernard, and had no problems in a year. again look at the map, a good indicator. these are theft crimes. spokane doesnt have a lot of violent crime.
so far as jobs, the people i know are doing very well. teachers are competetive, good for the kids. engineers are needed from what ive gathered.
go cheifs/wsu/gonzaga!! either way im down
Last edited by cool.guy; 12-09-2007 at 04:23 AM..
Reason: damned paradise in the summer, (see Williams Lake.)
Ok so I saw this thread, and having lived in spokane most of my life and seen what I can see, I thought I would throw in my
two cents, in my long-winded way. I grouped it so you can see my opinion on different aspects of the city. I tried not to
leave anything out, good or bad. Spokane is a city that is unique for no specific reason. You'll see what I mean.
-ROADS AND DRIVERS-
Hicks. Old people. Young stupid teens. People in big gas guzzling trucks. People in junky cars. Some
people who actually do drive very proficiently, albeit a bit too slow. These are the people you will cruise with every single
day, rain or shine or snowstorm. You must learn to live with it here, and the only ways to do that are: Drive
Uber-Defensively. Not just defensive, but Uber-defensive. Keep space between you and the driver infront and behind you. I
know in big cities people will go 80mph with the nose of their little car actually underneath the bumper of the truck infront
of them, and they don't seem to have any problems. Not true here. You MUST maintain a cushion of space, because people don't
have good reflexes here, and they make dumb mistakes. You need to follow the 3 or four second rule infront of you, and if
someone is tailgating you let them pass. I know it would be their fault if they hit you, but it would only cause you grief
and waste your time to deal with the accident, and they might not have insurance. Occasionally glance to the lanes
on either side of you to make sure you could make a quick lane change if you had to. ALSO, if you own a high-end Lexus or BMW
oL-56 MoneyMobile, KEEP IT IN THE GARAGE. The potholes will only mess with the front alignment, the weather during the winter
will take it's toll, and your fellow drivers might just rear-end you if you are not careful. Sometimes in the snow and ice
this isn't their fault, most other times it is. Drive a practical vehicle, a subaru or a pickup of some kind, and make
sure it has all or four wheel drive, and some good safety features. Think rugged and trustworthy, and something that won't
make you cry if it gets dinged. Also bear in mind, many people do not have car insurance here because they can't afford it,
but they still have to drive to get to work and stuff. Make sure you're adequately insured to cover all expenses that might
occur, yours and theirs, from an accident. Who knows, it might even be your fault.. but nevertheless be prepared for that
awkward moment afterwards when you go 'Do you have insurance?' and they go "no.." Like I said: Drive defensive, stay sharp.
-DRUGS-
Marijuana and crystal meth are everywhere, not only in spokane but across America. Does spokane have a larger problem than
other areas? I would say no. Spokane residents generally have a shortage of money though, so more expensive drugs are not as
common as weed, which you can grow yourself and get from canada, or meth, which you can make yourself using many different
methods. I've known quite a few potheads here, haven't met too many people who admitted to using meth though. Will you
encounter meth if you move here? Yes, if you... A) Move to a bad area. B) Are poor, and need to get high to forget about your
problems and reality. If you move here and have some financial stability, I can't imagine you'll get too involved with the
drug scene. Or maybe you will, who knows? Just keep it on the down-low, because I know I would turn in someone who was
cooking meth in my neighborhood. I won't turn you in for your pot. Just don't smoke in my house or car and we'll be A-OK.
-CLOTHING-
People in spokane wear clothes to cover up their nudity. People in spokane wear clothes to protect them from the elements.
People in spokane (generally) do not wear clothes that are at the peak of fashion. If the fashion police came to spokane,
they would probably have to execute most of us on the spot. Sometimes people will get dressed up for church, or going out to
eat, or a job interview. But if you take a trip here and look around you, be prepared for sandals with socks, super baggy
jeans, and every other fashion no-no. Our motto: "Why throw away a good shirt even if it's twenty years old? It still works."
-JOBS-
There are jobs in spokane. If you are looking to move here and get a blue-collar job, you will have to KILL ten people to get
it. Put it on your calendar: Fill out application, kill ten spokane natives. That's because there is an ABUNDANCE of cheap,
non-educated workers out here who will work for minimum wage or around that, doing the blue-collar jobs that every city has.
These aren't illegal immigrants baby, these are Americans way down low on the rat-race. This is why, when a white collar job
comes up that is great, with good salary and such, and 60,000 people apply to get it... Nobody gets it! Or maybe they find a
few people, but they still have other positions to fill. It's not that they are uneccessarily picky, it's just that there
are not enough qualified applicants. This is also why people complain "Oh there's no jobs in spokane, I can't get a job
anywhere!" Well, get some qualifications and some years of experience, so that you can actually fill that position! G.E.D
does not count. High school diploma, is not enough. Nowadays, sometimes even a degree isn't enough. That's just the way it
is. A guy I knew who had only a high school diploma and a poor work history, thought it was perfectly natural that he apply
to work at a law firm in town. "I'm great at interviews." Well, ok good luck with that! If you are thinking of moving here,
and you actually have skill and knowledge in your field, a little research will go a long way in determining if there is a
job for you or not. It can't hurt to call a few local businesses either.
-WEATHER-
It's been discussed, but let's recap. Spokane gets all four seasons, solidly. You actually hear them lock in *kaCHIK!* ok its
summer! *kaCHIK!* ok it's definitely winter now! Like that. Spring, summer, and fall, are really beautiful in spokane. All
the different things that plants do while budding, and then blooming, and then leaves turning different colors, really are
spectacular to look at. The first snowfall, is beautiful too. Actually the first months of winter, leading up to Christmas,
fit the season and the spirit PERFECTLY. A white christmas is nice, and sledding and stuff. And then..... There is january.
And once that is over...... there is february. SO you make it through that..... and then most of march too! Will this snow
never end@!? Finally spring comes around, and everything is happy again. If you can afford to leave spokane during the
worst moments of the winter, and go to mexico or australia or even just some warm community in florida or california, you
will be a happy citizen indeed. This way you will get the best of spokane without having to deal with the drudgery of jan/feb
wintertime. Also, the air is very clear in spokane, relative to bigger cities. Especially during the winter and early
springtime when it's cold, sucking in a deep breath is like one of those sierra mist commercials, where they fall out of the
sky into a freezing lake. Some people who have dealt with smog all their life seem to appreciate the cold air. I don't,
because I hate the cold. But some do.
-NEIGHBORHOODS-
Shadle area is middle class, smaller homes, generally good area, some rentals but many are homeowners, if you drive around
you will notice some areas are a little better than others within the shadle area, this usually is reflected in the prices. I
feel safe walking anywhere in this neighborhood at night, I am a strong young male so that also has something to do with it.
But I spent much of my life in or around this neighborhood, and never had any problems. This area also has the Shadle
Shopping center, which has (of course) a walmart and mcdonalds, a starbucks, quiznos, Safeway drug+grocery, subway, panda
express, rite aid, alcohol, beauty supply I THINK, and the basics. Nearby is also Shadle high school, a school which I
attended for two years. It's not bad, basically kids from the neighborhood which would mean white, middle class. They seem
fairly sheltered. I think I turned out alright.
Indian trail is probably where you want to move, new homes are being built and the community is upper middle class or upper
class for spokane. Crime doesn't seem to be too much of a problem. If you are in a neighborhood and you don't belong there,
you stand out. Ask a realtor to send you some pictures and stuff, as you drive in you will encounter better and better homes,
and depending on the exact area you can find some really nice homes in really good areas with zero traffic (except
residents). My parents bought a 5bed 3bath house in this area a few years ago for around $220,000, it's appreciated quite a
bit in that time, the neighborhood is very peaceful and very little occurs. There is a shopping area up there too, with a
small gym, tanning salon, and some other stuff. All-in-all, if you have some cash to buy a nice home, I would
recommend indian trail or even one of the communities around spokane as others have mentioned before. Cheney, Liberty Lake,
etc. I've seen a few transplanted Californians buzzing around Indian Trail. They seem content.
Bad areas have also been mentioned. Anywhere near the freeway. Felony flats. West central. Brownes addition. All you have to
do is drive through an area and look with your own eyes, and you will see which neighborhoods are good and which are not.
"Would we live here?" a) yes. b) no. It's that simple. Maybe you are used to living in dirty squalor. These neighborhoods
will work just fine, and you'll probably get a screaming deal.
South Hill is a crapshoot. Some houses are very old and big and gorgeous, and are probably fun to live in. Others are run
down and tiny. There is no rhyme or reason to this neighborhood. I've driven through it before and I could never figure out
how people determine if they are well off or poor. Some people say they enjoy living on the south hill, I personally don't
like how it isn't cohesive, but you may get lucky.
The Valley... Is going to have to be described by someone else more familiar with it. I go there sometimes, and it seems
alright. Anyone I talk to that lives there doesn't really have a problem with it. I couldn't tell you about the good and bad
areas in the valley because I don't have many reasons to go there. Whatever you do, just don't live near the freeway.
And then there are a few gated communities in spokane as well. You'll have to do some research to find one if you want to
live there. Ask a realtor or somebody who would know, I'm sure they'd love to sell something to you. I remember back when I
was 16 and mowing lawns in the summer, we would go into one or another gated community and do like 15
houses at once, and I thought Wow, these houses are smokin' nice! No wonder they wall themselves off from the rest of
spokane. They cost more, but if you have money to spend you might want to go this route, to insulate yourself from the
working poor that surround you, and add another level of protection from crime and theft. There are pockets of wealth in
spokane, and they hide themselves well.
You could also... Live out in the country! All around spokane there are areas where you could buy acreage, areas that are not
fully developed yet where you will generally be away from it all. You could probably build a big ol' house and just commute
into the city to do your daily what-have-you. It's an option, we ain't in the middle of the mountains for nothing. You can
also buy all the guns and rifles you want, and there are quite a few hunters and bowhunters and fishermen around here. And
Washington is a Shall-Issue state when it comes to concealed weapon permits.
-MENTALITY-
Spokane STILL has a small-town mentality, and I don't know that this will ever change. This city is just too isolated to ever
explode in growth or change drastically in any way. I can't imagine that in 50 years it will be a fast-paced white collar
world where things happen every day that blow your mind. If you want that, you should stay in a big city. I've been to other
cities for various reasons, mostly cities in California to visit relatives, and also places in Oregon, Idaho, and Canada. I
would say the biggest difference that I notice about the spokane mentality is that the underlying tension levels are very
low. Too low, almost. Perhaps that is why not much changes here. I do not feel a need to rush to do anything here, and you
will also notice this in the way people drive (maddening!), the way people talk, and just the way they conduct their
business. People here are either retired and in no hurry to be anywhere.. or they are beaten down by the grind of life and
don't much see the point in *rushing* to their second minimum wage job.. or they are smoking pot.. etc. When I was
driving on a freeway to san diego a woman went from 80 down to 10mph in the middle of the road, because she was on a
cellphone and needed to stop to talk. On the freeway! I haven't seen anyone do this in spokane ever. Maybe it's because they
are DRIVING TOO SLOW to stop. Always, you will encounter this. Bear in mind, it only
takes twenty minutes to drive from one end of the city to the other, so because things are on a smaller scale you will still
get to where you are going. Regardless! Step on it, grandpa!!
-RADIO STATIONS-
There are about 13 big radio stations in spokane. A lot of them play mainstream stuff, hiphop and country
and rock. There aren't really too many sub-genre options when it comes to radio. No trance, no death metal, no
rhythm+blues. So bring all your cd's and mp3s with you. You'll need them in the car.
-THEFT-
Violent crime is not a big problem in Spokane as it would be in a larger city. Theft is. Look around you at all the high
school graduates. Look at their living conditions as they toil to earn that dollar. Look at your shiny new bike, sitting
there unlocked. That sucker is GONE, jack. While I haven't heard of anyone actually being assaulted to have their bike, or
their Nikes, or their laptop stolen, by Golly if you give someone the opportunity they WILL rip it off. It's just too
tempting, and it's YOUR stupidity that will have them laughing all the way to the nearest pawn shop. I have never had a bike,
or a cd player, or anything of that sort stolen. I have never had my house broken into. Why? Because I'm Smart!@ Bring your
bike into your house always, always, always. Bikes are unique in that, unlike a flatscreen tv, they actually ASSiST you in
escaping the crime scene. When you are cruising around downtown or wherever and decide to go in some store, roll your bike
in. Look EMPLORINGLY at the nearest clerk, and ask them, with liquid eyes, if you may bring your bike inside so it doesn't
get ripped off. They want your business, and believe me, they WILL understand. Everyone in spokane has had something ripped
off, so the meth heads can get their next fix (or hit, whatever). If there is a bike rack, totem pole, or iron cauldron
nearby, lock your bike up to it, even if it's only for a couple seconds while you bend down and tie both your shoes. I had a
$2,000 bike for five years, and it never got stolen. Then I sold it. The next thing is cars and houses. Live in a decent
neighborhood.. Cultivate nosy neighbors.. And get an alarm system in your house. Don't park your car in an alleyway. Don't
park your car anywhere you wouldn't leave a bike locked. Basically, always have it in a lit area that is not easily
thievable. Your car may be a target despite your best efforts. Don't leave valuable items inside it, ever. Take them with
you. Don't drive a car that stands out in a really hot, expensive way. If you've ever lived in any bigger city in the world
you know there are neighborhoods you don't park your car in. Learn to feel that out in spokane too, and you won't have any
problems. A few precautions will save you headaches in this department.
-BORROWING-
I hate to say it, but if they can't steal it from you, they will borrow it and be unable to repay. This is not malice on
their part most of the time, it's simply a way of life here. Most all of my friends owe me a little money, and none of them
is in a position to pay it back. I accept this, without hating them, or I would have no friends. Learn from my mistakes. Do
not let on that you have more money than anyone else. Repeat after me: "I wish I had money too! I wish I had money too!" If
you sell your 3 million dollar home in California, and you move here and buy a 300,000 home and have no debt and all kinds of
discretionary income, don't ever tell a soul. Unless that soul also has a lot of money. It will simply save you the time of
telling everyone that no, you cannot loan them eighty bucks. Rather than come off like a rich tightwad (which you will) by
simply telling everyone NO... Just Lie! That's right. Tell them you WANT to loan them money, but you loaned it all to your
grandma because she is ill, and needs a lot of help right now. Not only will they sympathize, but they will never ask for
money again. Why? Because they don't expect you'll ever see your money again. Nobody pays anyone back in spokane! Especially
not a sick grandma! "How did I afford these nice clothes? Well, I brought them with me from California, but I was a victim of
identity theft right after I moved and they drained my bank account. Now all me got is me clothes on me back." If this sounds
like an exaggeration, don't take me seriously at your own annoyance. People in spokane are very FRIENDLY, and will usually
help you out if you need a favor. They will usually stop if your car is broken down, and ask if you need help. If you select
them properly, you will have a lot of friends that will stand by you, through a lot of bad times. However, all of them at
some point will ask you for money. Don't ever loan money. If you must, just GIVE IT. And Nick, go ahead and keep that 400.
Might as well get that out of the way.
-SEATTLE-
Ah, seattle. No conversation about spokane is complete without mentioning seattle. If seattle is the earth, spokane is the
moon. Yeah, spokane is a fairly large sized body floatin' around in space, and it's pretty close to seattle. But it still
takes a while to get there, and there ain't much to do on the moon really. People don't visit the moon too often, but hell
its there, we can all see it. Maybe we should go back? Someday, for sure. Why? Hmm I dunno, I guess maybe something will have
changed? Probably not though. If you want to see a good concert, you'll usually end up driving to seattle. I like seattle,
but it's a fact of life that things would be a lot more convenient if Washington's largest city were just a teeensy bit
closer to it's second largest. Things being as they are, you'll just have to learn to live without seattle on a regular
basis, because depending on your driving habits it could be anywhere from three to seven hours away. Yes, I said three to
seven. THREE TO SEVEN!!@!
-SIGHTS AND ACTIVITIES-
I would be remiss if I did not point out the many things there ARE to do in spokane. I will phrase it as follows:
IF YOU OWN a snowboard or skis, you will love Spokane. We get many SOLID months of winter, and you are within a two hour
drive of so many mountains and ski areas it will make you shout "Brilliant!". I absolutely despise the
winter, but some people actually look forward to it. "We got another 4 inches of snow?? OH YEAH BABY TIME TO CARVE THAT
MOUNTAIN UP!"
IF YOU OWN a bike or pair of hiking boots, you will love Spokane. This city was planted, in the middle of a forest,
surrounded by mountains. Anywhere you are in the city, if you start walking in one direction by the end of the day you will
be in the middle of a forest with no end in sight. With a membership to R.E.I. and a Will To Explore, you might just fall in
love with this area. There are trees, hiking paths, biking paths, downhill biking paths, rivers, the Centennial Trail (google
it), and a bunch of other outdoor shenanigans. I love hiking, and when I was in high-school, my friends and I would spend
every weekend tracking to hell and back, sometimes hopping fences into private property and pissing off loads of people I'm
sure. We didn't care, it was fun. We paintballed, camped down by the camping area, and basically just roamed. Now that I work
60 hours a week it's not something I plan for.
IF YOU OWN even a modest sized boat or jetskis, you will love Spokane. You can look up the exact figures on how many lakes
are within a couple hours drive, but believe me your cup runneth over. Since there are no beaches nearby, this area makes up
for it with lake activities such as jetskiing, inner-tubing, and just chilling at the lake drinking beer. This also is pretty
fun, and I have spent several weekends staring out at the water at dusk, peacefully, just wishing to god I had a boat! Bring
yours with you.
IF YOU OWN a set of golf clubs, you will love Spokane. There is all kinds of land over here, and that, combined with so many
elderly residents, means a lot of golf courses for you to chop up.
-DEMOGRAPHICS-
Spokane, if you didn't know, is mostly white. We don't have an immigration problem, we are way too far from the mexican
border for that. The city seems to be very isolated from much change in general, but also where race is concerned. There is
not a huge influx of people of different races. Spokane will never become Little Mexico, or Little Asia. You can look up
stats but these are what I found doing a quick search: White 91.9%, Black 1.7%, American Indian and Alaska Native 1.5%,
Asian 2.1%, Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander 0.2%, Two or more races 2.6%, Hispanic or Latino 3.4%. So if you are
white you will fit right in. If you are another race, it won't neccesarily hinder you a lot, unless you also happen to be
poor. Don't move here if you are poor. We already have an entire population of working poor people, you will not enjoy living
here if you are poor. However if you are not poor, your race will almost certainly be a novelty. I think I've only met one or
two Samoans in my 23 years here, maybe a couple Filipinos. Racism exists here, but it is behind closed doors and generally
not something you will face openly as you would in a larger city. If you are black or hispanic, people may think some things
about you but they will probably not say them to your face unless they are really drunk or really poor and stupid. Maybe in
the substandard spokane areas open racism is more prevalent. I don't frequent those areas much. On a side note, Asians from
the Mukugawa Institute ride the public bus system and go to the mall in groups every once in a while. It's quite a sight to
see 100 asian women charging through the mall and all wearing completely unique outfits, nothing is coordinated or makes any
sense. I know spokane is behind on the fashion curve, but I think the asian women are far ahead of it.
-CHURCH-
You might want to join a church if you move here. "But I positively do not believe in a God!" you say. Fine. I hear you.
Nevertheless, it might open some doors for you in this town if, in the inevitable chain of words you must utter when meeting
someone new, you throw in "..we go to (_____) Church." That's how it is. Keep in mind, many people here are
military, or families raising children, or just christian conservatives. Conformity says safety for my children and
belongings, and nothing helps conform people like a church. It will not hurt to try and fit in, unless that is simply not
your style and you want to 'stand out' as much as possible. I have met quite a few people here who are athiests. And if by
chance you believe in god and were going to do this anyway, you still must take into account the positive
effect your membership will have on many people here. Not only because they believe in god, but because it sounds like you
might add something valuable to the community. "Oh they are good church-going people, I bet they mow their lawn and won't
break into my car and steal my cd player!" That type of effect goes a long way in an area where theft is a problem.
-FUTURE-
I know there are the McMansions, and the areas that are poor, etc. These areas are in any city. The difference is that a
run-down house here costs $90,000... as it should. Not $700,000. Right now, during this recession, is a GREAT time to buy
real estate if you have free capital. If I only had a hunk of extra money right now, there are so many bargains in the real
estate market! I bought a rental right inbetween the housing "boom" which we previously experienced, and it went from
$120,000 then to 180,000 now. Not bad for a little extra effort on my part.
Spokane to me feels like a worn-in, comfortable pair of jeans. Some rips and tears, certainly not your BEST pair of jeans,
but hell they still work and they are a good relaxed fit. People that live here or have lived here, who were financially
solvent, generally didn't hate it too much, because they could live like kings on just a little bit of extra money.
Spokane won't change, though. If you think you will move here and eventually with enough outside influences moving here, it
will become more like seattle or l.a. or tucson or anywhere else, it won't. It will get a little bigger and things may
progress a little, but basically the mentality and the people and the culture will not change drastically
Last edited by scirocco22; 04-03-2008 at 09:21 AM..
Chiaroscuro, you are wise beyond your years. 9 posts and your rep is already 20! I think I'm at about 50 posts with a rep of 24 (of course half of the time I'm just typing to type--alot like talking just to listen to yourself...). Not that such things really matter, but it's kind of cool to think that other people think that you're useful.
Now, if only you knew that much useful info about all the different school districts you would have my undieing devotion and thanks. :~) D
Sorry Deena, I only know about the one school I went to. There are a lot of parents on here though, I'm sure they would be willing to help. I'm beginning to like the city-data forums, especially the Politics + Controversies ones. I spend way too much time reading everything and thinking about stuff. I think I'm going to have to limit myself though, forums will be the death of me! Time to get back to painting my living room...
I have heard that crime is high in Spokane. Is this true?
Absolutely not. Spokane's violent crime levels are only slightly above the national average. The crime that there is is mostly concentrated in certain parts of the city, as pointed out by other posters on here.
Good things about Spokane are low crime, a good public school system, low cost of living and housing relative to the rest of the region, and good weather. It's a good place to live and raise a family.
Bad things about Spokane are a general lack of sunny days (typical of Washington state), rising housing costs, and some ghetto areas.
Therea are probably more good and bad things about the place, but I haven't lived in the city of Spokane so that's all I know. I am a former resident of Washington state, so I do know some things about larger cities in the state.
I was hired sight unseen while in Vancouver, WA after leaving St. Louis, MO. The parallels between St. Louis and Spokane are striking, yet scaled down by 1/6 of so. I mean the vague or general qualities.
Live in a nice area and you can afford long term care insurance premiums? Spokane may be good for retirement if you live well away from the degenerate areas you've read from the messages in the blog here.
Are you being courted by the somewhat numerous techno-industrial, manufaturing engineering jobs, or the like and you have you family and money to bring, so your reality is in the support of them, then, this place may be for you. The public school systems are not very good here at all. The newer schools in the Spokane Valley may afford a better education for your child.
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. 31 flavors of protestant and christian evangelical religions here. The catholics rule, what with gonzaga university and the property owned outright. So, for those dissenters like me, forget about it. The social interfaec here is churches and bars. Very few classy type pubs and bars here where you'd find responsible, educated people here. Even the big Irish pub downtown, o'dorhertys', won't host or play Irish trad music save for some Tuesday eves. The owner and another primary bar keep said that , "people get tired of Irish music." I guess that person has not been to St. Louis, Boston, Chicago, Chico, Sacramento, Denver, and other places that actually have culture.
Indeed, aa theme you read is for the 500,000 plus populous, you have nearly no cultural and social amenities. What wealth there is here is held in few hands, like the Spokeman Review newspaper owner (a single family) and a local grocery chain named Roseaur's. You move down, in ****kan, not up. Unless you've really made your nut and can afford to insulate yourself away in some undeveloped area in the wonderful nature here.
In the U.S. there are many, many better places to live no matter your state. Why move to someplace where the movers and the shakers keep the metroplex intentionally depressed? Why is Spokane not a Seattle East, where corporation relocate portions of opertions to reduce costs while staying in the same state - a state that does NOT charge income tax. The property tax is not as bad as Illinois but some questionable tax assessments by surveryors.
Spokane does have seasons yet the 300-plus mile away Pacific Ocean gentles the extremes usually. It is a dry heat. Days go by with no wind and thermal inversions form trapping airborne pollutants that gets the worse during agricultural harvest. Hope your cardio pulmonary systems are fine.
If it snows for some days, after the air is clean, you can eat the snow and smell the ocean. But you can small the ocean well inland in distance of about the Oregon - Idaho border. Well, I can, and I was not having a stroke! Can't smell the ocean here. The air can be very clean when the winds blow from the West.
So, if you are rich, have absolutley no need for other people and culture, than move here. Otherwise, ****kan, Washingstupid can go to hell.
I also will be relocating to Spokane and have found all your information helpful. I will be living outside of Spokane so I dont worry about any downtown problems. My commute might be a little tough as I will be working at the airport. My question is can someone tell me the percentage or how your property tax is calculated as I have heard that your property taxes go up alot and often.
thanks
di
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From your man on the ground....
). Not that such things really matter, but it's kind of cool to think that other people think that you're useful. 
Sorry Deena, I only know about the one school I went to. There are a lot of parents on here though, I'm sure they would be willing to help. I'm beginning to like the city-data forums, especially the Politics + Controversies ones. I spend way too much time reading everything and thinking about stuff. I think I'm going to have to limit myself though, forums will be the death of me! Time to get back to painting my living room... 
