Spokane - living there?

I remember the 1996 and 2008 storms. Fucking mess. FWIW, Portland ice storms are more frequent and often as bad.

Word in the biz community is that Spokane economy is getting stronger year after year, with a few bumps along the way.

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Originally Posted by KQ

How's Ellensburg working for you?

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We like it. Nice cultural mix: Ag hub, college town, county seat. Economy is strong, in part due to exporting hay to Japan and China (how crazy is that?). Population grows from roughly 20,000 to 30,000 when CWU is in session. Road bicycling is fantastic when the wind isn't blowing to hard. (Eburg is quite windy roughly half of days April to October, but forecasts are quite accurate 3-4 days out so it's easy to plan which days to do long rides.) Lots of good surface country roads with little traffic. Road up Reecer Creek to Table Mtn. is a cool long hill climb, reminds me of secondary narrow road mountain passes in the Alps. Good access to T-way tours/hikes, Stuart Range, Mt. Daniel area, Blewett/Tronsen touring.

I lived in Spokane from 2012-2015.

I have fond memories of the area, place and people. They have a great pub culture and may lead the nation in dive bars per capita. Pretty active community, lots of mountain biking in town and within a few hours drive. Lots of skiing options close by. panhandlebackcountry.com is a good resource for bc skiing in the area. Rivers and lakes galore.

It has a small town feel with big city crime. Lots of petty crimes due to the regional drug problem. In the 3 years I lived there I had my bike and car stolen. Lots of smash and grabs, junkies stealing mail and going into unlocked houses at night.

I'd move back in a heartbeat, but don't think the wife would

Yeah, it's pretty hard to argue against the statistics. By measure, we have a high crime rate. However, it's very neighborhood driven, too. The 3rd legislative district, which comprises the core of downtown and some of the surrounding neighborhoods, specifically the West-Central has the highest poverty rate of any district in the state. Not too surprisingly, it's also probably the highest concentration of crime in the county. It truly is a place to avoid for housing but, you probably would, anyway since the bulk of the homes in that area are clearly poor.

I live north of the city in the Mead district. I've had one bike stolen in 1989 (in a different area of the city) and, other than that, no other issues. But, the concern is real and is something that hopefully, with our better economy, will diminish.

ETA: I see that the redistricting that occurred a few years ago now has nearly the entire city as the third so I'm not sure that the previous statistic about it being the poorest in the state is still valid.

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Originally Posted by GoldMember

^^ Yup, I remember both events well. The ice storm put us without power for three days, we were lucky. It shut down our business for a couple of days but we were able to recover from that without any problems. When the record snow hit, we'd been at Schweitzer and a friend of mine and I came back to Spokane to pick up another friend who was flying in so we could go heli-skiing. It was weird because Schweitzer really hadn't received much snow and we weren't aware of how hard Spokane was hit. Driving to the airport, there were these huge snowbanks all over the place. Buildings were collapsing, including the grocery store where we shopped. Everything was really kind of peaceful looking with all the snow but it was chaotic. That was a great ski year, too.

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Originally Posted by GeezerSteve

I remember the 1996 and 2008 storms. Fucking mess. FWIW, Portland ice storms are more frequent and often as bad.

Word in the biz community is that Spokane economy is getting stronger year after year, with a few bumps along the way.

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I moved to W2 in 2008. Got the barn finished and the horses moved in from the temporary pasture shelters they were living in a day before the 2008 snow storm hit. Worst storm in 30 years here. It was quite the introduction to living in W2.

We've since had one other snow event that was similar in 2016 with temps dipping to -13 and last year we had an ice storm that wasn't too pleasant but nothing like the '96 storm in Spokane. <shudder> Ice storms scare the shit out of me. I still remember the horrible one they had in Montreal in '98. Had friends who lived there and said it was like Armageddon.

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Originally Posted by GeezerSteve

We like it. Nice cultural mix: Ag hub, college town, county seat. Economy is strong, in part due to exporting hay to Japan and China (how crazy is that?). Population grows from roughly 20,000 to 30,000 when CWU is in session. Road bicycling is fantastic when the wind isn't blowing to hard. (Eburg is quite windy roughly half of days April to October, but forecasts are quite accurate 3-4 days out so it's easy to plan which days to do long rides.) Lots of good surface country roads with little traffic. Road up Reecer Creek to Table Mtn. is a cool long hill climb, reminds me of secondary narrow road mountain passes in the Alps. Good access to T-way tours/hikes, Stuart Range, Mt. Daniel area, Blewett/Tronsen touring.

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So great! I have some friend who recently moved there from Cle Elum. They had moved from Seattle to Cle Elum a couple years ago but two years of bad wildfires left them kind of shell shocked so they loaded up their horses and moved to Ellensburg. Guess they found a house double the size of what they had for a killer price. They are very happy.

Re: wind - I bet we aren't too far behind you on windy days. I was very surprised at how often it is windy here. Right before I moved here in January of '08 they had a massive wind storm topping out at 80mph.

The 1996 ice storm was scary as hell. There were trees dropping all over the place, really spooky. Every time Portland has an ice storm, though, I'm super happy to not be there. That is frightening to see.

to the OP. For years I wanted to get back to the west (was living in Baltimore) and had settled on a few major cities (Denver, SLC, Seattle) so I could have business but still ski as much a possible.
Someone suggested Spokane and I initially turned it down. The more I looked at it, the more I loved.

After living in Spokane for 2 years (moved here in NOV 16') I can honestly say it was the best decision. I love it here.

People complain about the area being crime riddled and drug infested but seriously?!? I came from a major city, 300+ murders a year. So when I read about crackheads stealing lawnmowers in the Spokesman Review...I just laugh.

Rent an extended stay for a month and get to know the less than desirable neighborhoods. Then just pick an apartment complex you like for a year until you find a piece of land or house that's right for you. That's exactly what I did and am doing. The people I've met are for the most part, always in a good mood. They're genuinely nice people. Willing to help and be friendly. That's amazing to me coming from the east coast.
Basically the area is large enough to have a "city" element but still holds a small town feel. One thing I did notice is that the area tends to be deeply purple. At the stop light, I'll be sitting next to a billy-badass with a backwards hat driving his diesel GMC superduty, rockn' the confederate flag out the back; and to my left a prius with a purple haired hippy blasting EDM or Phish. There's a large contingent of Libertarians as well. But somehow, they all get along and make it work. It's Awesome!!

The downtown area is vibrant with a local brew scene, bars, clubs etc. But it's not what you would consider a late night town. Most of the major music tours skip this area, (which is sad) so don't expect Manchester Orchestra or Metallica to show up. Think, 3 Doors Down and Tesla.

There's super rich people and very poor folks as well but it's a MOSTLY middle class area. Blue collar type folks. Tons of thrift shops and bargain outlet type places. The cost of living and property values are distinctly lower than major cities. It's perfect for my business demographic but YMMV.
Most things are closed by 8:00pm. Except the mini-marts, fast food places and straight bars.
But I moved here for so much more than city life.
5 ski resorts within 1.5 hours
20+ ski resorts within 3.5 hours
Endless hiking/biking trails.
76 Natural lakes
4 distinct mountain ranges within 4 hours (Selkirks, Sawtooths, Cascades and Rockies)
4 real seasons
and a river runs through it!
The ocean is 5 hours away on the coast. And if I ever long for the call of a big city life weekend...its a 50 minute flight to Seattle.

Speaking of flights...the airport is NEVER busy. I used to have to show up 2 hours before a flight at BWI...I can arrive at GEG 30 minutes before my plane leaves and have no problems. On that note however, Spokane isn't a major hub so direct flights to anything are a rarity. Most flights will require layovers which means a longer and more expensive trip than from a major hub.

There are some drawbacks...
The food choices seem to be limited.
I can't find a good pizza place or a kick-ass reuben sandwich but the one's I found are close enough to the real thing to keep me happy. Also, there's no such thing as diversity here. It's white, snow white! That's not inherently bad or good...its just a fact. The thing about diversity is it keeps the culture vibrant and offers a chance to learn and grow. For instance, I would kill for some southern cooking, but there's no chance of me getting a decent BBQ or even a well made bagel here. Also, everybody drives the speed limit here, it's fucking annoying but I'm slowly getting used to a slower pace of life.

I didn't expect the place I moved to be exactly like the place I left though...that would be stupid. The pluses far outweigh the minuses and if you're still on the fence...my 2 cents = go for it.

P.S. = Any mags that want to hang and get some coffee or hit the slopes. (I have season passes to Schweitzer, Lookout Pass and Mt. Spokane this year) please hit me up. I was surprised to not have found as many people to ski with as I had hoped yet. Maybe this season will be different!!

“Ice Storm”, huh, my old girlfriend is in purple in this scene:

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Originally Posted by Sawtooth Tiger

Most of the major music tours skip this area, (which is sad) so don't expect Manchester Orchestra or Metallica to show up.

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Attachment 252947


https://www.metallica.com/events/event-36821.html


All the Spokanistanis better create a local resaraunt guide to assist the ravenous Sawtooth Tiger.

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Originally Posted by Sawtooth Tiger

Any mags that want to hang and get some coffee

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Hey hey, moved here earlier this year. I’m wrapping up sober October so coffee could work this month haha. I’ll shoot you a PM let’s meet up.

Not getting a pass this year because I want to bounce around and check out all the local ski areas. That and a trip to Whistler and another to Tahoe forced my hand to buy an epic pass lol.


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Originally Posted by SkiLyft

Hey hey, moved here earlier this year. I’m wrapping up sober October so coffee could work this month haha. I’ll shoot you a PM let’s meet up.

Not getting a pass this year because I want to bounce around and check out all the local ski areas. That and a trip to Whistler and another to Tahoe forced my hand to buy an epic pass lol.


Sent from my iPhone using TGR Forums

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I'd meet up for coffee. Already sent a PM to Sawtooth. Let me know what works.

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Originally Posted by mooseknuckles

All the Spokanistanis better create a local resaraunt guide to assist the ravenous Sawtooth Tiger.

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He needs the energy to charge all those AK spines.

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Originally Posted by mooseknuckles

Attachment 252947


https://www.metallica.com/events/event-36821.html


All the Spokanistanis better create a local resaraunt guide to assist the ravenous Sawtooth Tiger.

.

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Oh God. I should have known metallica would show up to prove me wrong and make all those GMC superduty drivin mofos in spokane cream their jeans. Also, a restaurant guide would be quite nice...thanks :D

I missed the ice storm part of this thread. Sounds similar to Ice Storm 98(!!! Best read in the voice used in the TV adds for the monster truck events). Northwest VT, southern Quebec got pummeled. Our apartment in Burlington was on some sort of mainline that only lost power for about an hour plus some random flickers. There were people without power for weeks and even months in the affected areas. Three months later we drove up to Montreal and I was blown away by the mile after mile of twisted hunks of scrap that used to be the towers for the transmission lines. Spokane sounds like a larger Burlington, only Western with all that that brings. And with legal retail weed (right?).

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Originally Posted by riser3

Spokane sounds like a larger Burlington...

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I'm sooooo over Spokane...maybe I'll start looking at Burlington!

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Originally Posted by smartyiak

I'm sooooo over Spokane...maybe I'll start looking at Burlington!

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ROTFLMAO

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Originally Posted by mooseknuckles

Attachment 252947


https://www.metallica.com/events/event-36821.html


All the Spokanistanis better create a local resaraunt guide to assist the ravenous Sawtooth Tiger.

.

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Best thing about Metallica is the bassist Robert Trujillo. The only Metallica show I have been inside had Suicidal Tendencies open, and that was by far the only part of the show worth seeing or hearing. There were other Metallica shows where I hung out on the back loading dock of the library next door with my degenerate friends and caught a buzz. We could hear it better than being inside that awful gymnasium called Memorial Auditorium. In fact, we retained our hearing by not being inside.

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Originally Posted by Sawtooth Tiger

The downtown area is vibrant with a local brew scene, bars, clubs etc. But it's not what you would consider a late night town. Most of the major music tours skip this area, (which is sad) so don't expect Manchester Orchestra or Metallica to show up. Think, 3 Doors Down and Tesla.
!

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Don’t fret little buddy, Nickleback comes here on the regular. Bring one of your posters in, I bet they’ll sign it.

http://www.spokanedoesntsuck.com/

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Originally Posted by Sawtooth Tiger

Also, a restaurant guide would be quite nice...thanks :D

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Not a Spookastani meth head but the following are Narth Idaho Blanco Supremacy Approved:

Zona Blanca
Cochinito

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Originally Posted by riser3

We could hear it better than being inside that awful gymnasium called Memorial Auditorium. In fact, we retained our hearing by not being inside.

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TRUTH. Acoustics in that place are awful, louder does not make it better.

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Originally Posted by 2FUNKY

Don’t fret little buddy, Nickleback comes here on the regular. Bring one of your posters in, I bet they’ll sign it.

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If his ex wife shows up...I'll be there trying to chat her up in the green room while he's busy sucking on stage.

Since we're on the topic of Spokane, what's the deal with Sandpoint? How foggy is Schweitzer?

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Originally Posted by Leavenworth Skier

Since we're on the topic of Spokane, what's the deal with Sandpoint? How foggy is Schweitzer?

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It’s fairly foggy. Low vis lenses are a must. I’d say it’s foggy about 35% of the time. Low clouds are common. Bluebird pow days not so much.

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Originally Posted by Leavenworth Skier

Since we're on the topic of Spokane, what's the deal with Sandpoint? How foggy is Schweitzer?

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Get this shit out of here. This thread is now about food joints in Spokane to make one rip AK spines, Schweitzer sucks!

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Originally Posted by 2FUNKY

It’s fairly foggy. Low vis lenses are a must. I’d say it’s foggy about 97% of the time. Low clouds are common. Bluebird pow days not so much.

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FIFY

It's called Schweitout just to trick you into going to Sun Valley instead.

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Originally Posted by mooseknuckles

Get this shit out of here. This thread is now about food joints in Spokane to make one rip AK spines, Schweitzer sucks!



FIFY

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Easy now, he’s easily spooked.

I grew up in Spokane, survived the ice storm, rode bikes and skied a a lot, I may know KQ (the late 90's were prolific). The town has some seriously seedy spots but the last time I was in town it was actually fun downtown and not stabby at all. Lots of lakes, good fishing and hunting too. The town looks a bit drab and kinda grey IMO. You don't walk away saying, "what a cool city!" If you tap into SE BC Rossland/Nelson etc you will be very happy. Insane MTB and BC Skiing all about 1.5-2 hours away.

i need to go ski snowghost a few more times before they make me ride 2 chairs to cover the same vert.

spokane sucks. i ate at Hogwash last weekend and would recommend a try, $$ tho.

I bought my first college McLovin fake ID in Spokane. And my second.

I grew up in Spokane. It fuckkng sucks. Especially for skiing. Unless you’re heading north into Canada, but then there’s other places that have skiing right in the backyard. Get the fuck out if you’re serious about trying to ski AK spines.


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Originally Posted by Dhelihiker

...If you tap into SE BC Rossland/Nelson etc you will be very happy. Insane MTB and BC Skiing all about 1.5-2 hours away.

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Originally Posted by WestCoast

I grew up in Spokane. It fuckkng sucks. Especially for skiing. Unless you’re heading north into Canada, but then there’s other places that have skiing right in the backyard. Get the fuck out if you’re serious about trying to ski AK spines.

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I started the thread b/c I saw a job that interested me in a town I thought might interest me. Clearly, the employer didn't understand how awesome I am; I'm sure whoever they hired is a giant failure who steals office supplies...but anyways...

Now I'm looking for somewhere to buy a small house, I can actually afford (<$250K...preferably <$200). It will be a vacation (and eventually retirement) home; not as concerned about employment. Town has to be smallish (preferably <200,000 (I know Spokane is a bit over, but I can make some concessions). Must have: skiing and biking nearby that has 1) vert (> 2000'); 2) plenty of snow (maybe > 300"), 3) Some touring options within a few hours, 4) mtb trail network, and 5) no one goes there. Nearby, to me, means not much more than 1hr/1:30.

The Spokane area seems to have some affordable housing and COL while still having access to amenities of small city. There seems to be an extensive mtb network nearby. Silver seems largely unattended and Schweitzer 49North are close by...there's also Mt. Spokane for after work laps. I'm happiest at janky, off-the-grid, type joints (so #5 is important)...provided they have goods off those shitty lifts. I like moguls and trees...steep is cool, but won't be dropping Corbett's anytime soon; more Al's Run than Spanky's Ladder (there's no AK spines in my future). I guess just a low key, affordable place to chill.

There are other areas I'm looking at as well, but some of the replies here have kept Spokane on the list; tell me why those posters are morons.

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Originally Posted by smartyiak

5) no one goes there. ... (so #5 is important)... I like moguls ...

There are other areas I'm looking at as well, but some of the replies here have kept Spokane on the list; tell me why those posters are morons.

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Wut? Who's making these moguls? Are you an artisanal mogul maker yourself, or do you like them to be well-crafted by the weekend crowd and iced over for your enjoyment on Monday?

Those posters are morons because there's nothing to see in the inland NW. No one goes there anymore, it's too crowded.

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Originally Posted by jono

Wut? Who's making these moguls? Are you an artisanal mogul maker yourself, or do you like them to be well-crafted by the weekend crowd and iced over for your enjoyment on Monday?

Those posters are morons because there's nothing to see in the inland NW. No one goes there anymore, it's too crowded.

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Don't they take them out of storage at the beginning of the season?

Lived in Spokane for 3 years quite a while ago. Had an episode when it rained for 22 days straight, which was enough to drive me away. It is not a place to live if you are a skier. Red Mountain is within reach for weekends, but IMO the closer stuff is not the real deal.

I think the skiing is pretty good in and around Spokane. As anywhere it’s snow dependent. Mt Spokane as great tree skiing....I bit jungly but lots of fun. 49 is super mom and pop, silver is empty w some good short steeps. Lookout pass always has snow and hitch hiking laps off the back side is sure to deliver.

Schweitzer is a drive but good snow up too...hate the long flat runout.

Weekend drives into BC are awesome. Red, whitewater and fernie all doable.


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All you guys who've slammed Spokane because you spent some time here a bunch of years ago or those who claim Schweitzer is foggy all the time or that it rains all the time, etc crack me up.

Having lived here all my life, seeing the changes in Spokane, how Schweitzer, where I've skied 60 days per year for the last 30 years has grown and improved access, what improvements the other areas have made, the overall quality of life in the area, river rafting five minutes from downtown, quality mountain biking ten minutes from downtown, lakes, rivers, fishing, hunting, entertainment growth, and all else that's improved life here, I will say those who knock this area don't really know about Spokane.

But that's okay don't come back but don't portray that you know Spokane, because you really don't. If you just want to be negative for the sake of being a cool kid, we'd rather not have you around, anyway.

For those, like me, who know what they want and have been around enough to compare, this place is great. But it's not for everyone. If you want the big city life, traffic, high prices, liftlines, crowded lakes and forests, Spokane isn't for you so please, stay away.

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Originally Posted by GoldMember

For those, like me, who knows what they want and have been around enough to compare, this place is great. But it's not for everyone. If you want the big city life, traffic, high prices, liftlines, crowded lakes and forests, Spokane isn't for you so please, stay away.

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This^

I’ve been here 15yrs and no plans to leave.

^by all means, please stay put. I do “know” Spokane and it’s a trap of convenient mediocrity. If you want to ski, it OK but nothing special. Other stuff, it’s OK but nothing special. Get somewhere else that has something special and you’ll wonder what took you so long to leave. But you’re right, that is not for everyone.


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So, how old were you when you left Spokane? How long ago? If you left for college, you were probably about 18. From the time you could really start to have any appreciation for activities that you currently enjoy, you were probably about 12. That's six years to draw your conclusions regarding the area and all those six years, you were still a kid. Hard to create a strong, informed judgment from that short amount of time. Also, things may not be quite what they were when you did live here so, considering that, it's hard to form a credible opinion regarding what it may be now compared to your impressions from when you lived here.

Maybe you were older when you left and had a bit more than six years experience but, probably not much more. Things have changed considerably in even just the last five years. The mountains aren't any bigger but the areas have all had improvements. Did you back country when you lived in this area? Considering Red Mountain, which most people agree is excellent skiing is only 2.5 hours away, there should be enough to keep you interested. The more local areas aren't gnarly rad but they're fun with plenty of open mountain space for back country, if you're into that. I back country out the gates at Schweitzer and there's plenty to keep a person entertained. Again, there's a whole lot more here than many people are even aware of. But, suit yourself; bitch about how shitty Spokane and stick around B'ham if you really think it's all that special. The problem with having that place with 'something special' is that the one thing tends to be the only thing and is one dimensional. I've been to many places that have 'something special' and have enjoyed it but I never find myself wanting to move there once I consider all the other things I would be missing out on.

You call it convenient mediocrity, I call it entertaining variety without the crowds, expense, or other deterrents to having a great time, no matter the conditions. You can always visit somewhere with 'something special' but even that can become boring if there's no other something specials to keep you excited to be there. We're not even discussing the availability of jobs, in-town entertainment, or other aspects of living somewhere that most people deem to be somewhat important. To each their own but, go ahead, rank all you want on Spokane. Just don't bother to come back if you hate it that much. The rest of us will take advantage of your absence and have just one more fresh track on a powder day.

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Originally Posted by WestCoast

^by all means, please stay put. I do “know” Spokane and it’s a trap of convenient mediocrity. If you want to ski, it OK but nothing special. Other stuff, it’s OK but nothing special. Get somewhere else that has something special and you’ll wonder what took you so long to leave. But you’re right, that is not for everyone.

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Originally Posted by GoldMember

All you guys who've slammed Spokane because you spent some time here a bunch of years ago or those who claim Schweitzer is foggy all the time or that it rains all the time, etc crack me up.

Having lived here all my life, seeing the changes in Spokane, how Schweitzer, where I've skied 60 days per year for the last 30 years has grown and improved access, what improvements the other areas have made, the overall quality of life in the area, river rafting five minutes from downtown, quality mountain biking ten minutes from downtown, lakes, rivers, fishing, hunting, entertainment growth, and all else that's improved life here, I will say those who knock this area don't really know about Spokane.

...If you want the big city life, traffic, high prices, liftlines, crowded lakes and forests, Spokane isn't for you so please, stay away.

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Goldmember is one of the main people that got me thinking Spokane. Mostly b/c of the stuff like he wrote above. I suppose it can be described as "convenient mediocrity," but it also can be described as variety. Some people, lots actually, enjoy the "big city" with events, restaurants, museums, hustle and bustle. I don't...I dread joining my wife for her annual trip to NYC...or when we get a wedding invite to Philly; I just don't like crowds, lines, traffic...even sidewalk traffic...I just don't like being there.

And while I love skiing...just being out there skiing...whether in a storm, sunny spring mogul skiing, fresh corduroy, skinning up...I just love it; But I love other things too like biking (mtn and road), hiking/trail running...just being outside, I'd give kayaking a go. I can make a trip to "the best" skiing 1-2/yr up in Canada or down in Utah and a trip or 2/yr to Whistler or Moab to bike....but the key, for me, is to find a super good mix of all the things I love, limiting those I don't, and all while being able to afford living there).

Does Spokane fit that mold? I don't know, but I'm working making a trip to find out.

i think it probably does