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I'm looking at a job in Spokane and I'm wondering what kind of a place it is. I've only been through on my way to Red, Whitewater, etc. but never spent any time there. How's the skiing at Mt. Spokane? Are there any other good areas close? Any info on the town and surrounding area would be greatly appreciated.
Spovegas/Slowkane is a medium-sized city with a small-town mindset. Depending on where you're coming from, that can be good or bad. I grew up there and still visit occasionally, but I could never live there again. It's just too lacking in dining, culture, diversity. Having said that.....
Housing prices and cost of living are pretty low. There also are a lot of recreational opportunities. Spokane-area geography is pretty interesting, and although you have to drive a couple of hours to real mountains, the skiing is not bad at Mt. Spokane (45 minutes away) and Schweitzer (90 minutes away). Again, it just depends on what you're used to.
The local Indian culture is strong (author Sherman Alexie is from there), and the coulees and palouse of eastern Washington are pretty striking.
On a scale of 1 to 5, I give living there a solid 2.
Silver Mt. is pretty good and Schwietzer by Sandpoint Id. is pretty good also.
Those would be my recommendations. They are both pretty comparable in terrain, but Schwietzer has better lift access to the terrain. Silver Mt. does however have a Gondola which takes you straight to the resort from a parking lot just off of I-90. It is very convient, but on busy holidays it becomes a big draw for families and the resort becomes over-crowded very easily.
I was at Silver Mt. last year (don't remember the exact day but all the kids were out of school) and it was very busy. I arrived at 8 am (doesn't open till 9 am) and I didn't get on the hill skiing my first run until just after 11 am, and I was only able to get a total of 5 runs in that day due to the length of the lines. This was a family outing and we were very disappointed so we talked to the management and they gave us all free passes for our next visit. We were not the only ones getting free passes. The managment addmitted they were understaffed and couldn't handle the crowds, and were giving anyone who came to the front office free passes. (There were atleast 50 there when we were getting our passes) I do however LOVE Silver Mt. the terrain is pretty good and if they are not over-crowded it is a very fun place to ski.
I skied Schwietzer 30+ days my senior year (98-99 about 360 inches of snow) in high school and it is very good except the drive up the mountain something like 11 or 12 180 degree turns and very slow speeds at times.
One negative to all resorts in the area is the dreaded RAIN it happens 2-3 times every year and freezes the whole mountain. It doesn't usually stick around long and is usually followed by a snow storm with decent powder.
All in all I love the area it is great , but it has its downsides just as any place. I hope this info is helpful, and good luck with the job searching.
edit- I agree its not for those who like city life and culture, dining and such, but if you like outdoor activities I have heard from ski and mountain bike reps (no they are not from the Spokane area) that the area is like a slightly scaled down version of the Lake Tahoe area (minus the city life of course).
Spocompton has one of the highest crime per capita rates in the world... Its kind of a shit-hole in my opinion. I haven't spent a lot of time there. Just a few weekend visits while I lived in Coeur d'Alene. I haven't skied there, but I hear Schweitzer and Silver are alright. I havent heard many good reviews of Mt Spokane.
What she said. White trash heaven.
If you like crystal meth and serial killers spokane is definitely the place. I live about 90 minutes from there and you couldn't pay me enough to live in spokane. On the outskirts there are some nicer areas (kinda sprawlish), as far as culture, dining, it is a decent sized city and options are adequate. I think spokane would be a great place to live if the city wasn't there. Mountain biking, paddling, rock climbing, skiing opportunities are all pretty good for not too far of a drive. I know some people who live in spokane skip the local areas and head up to red on the weekends.