Spokane is the economic and cultural center of theInland Northwest. It is known as the birthplace ofFather's Day, and locally by the nickname of "Lilac City".[14] Officially, Spokane goes by the nickname ofHooptown USA, due to Spokane's annual hosting of theSpokane Hoopfest, the world's largest basketball tournament.[15] The city and the wider Inland Northwest area are served bySpokane International Airport, 5 miles (8 km) west ofDowntown Spokane, which is located near another airfield atFairchild Air Force Base.
The first people to live in the area, theSpokane tribe (their name meaning "children of the sun" inSalishan), lived off plentiful game.David Thompson explored the area with the westward expansion and establishment of theNorth West Company'sSpokane House in 1810. This trading post was the first long-term European settlement in Washington. Completion of theNorthern Pacific Railway in 1881 brought many settlers from America to the Spokane area. The same year it was officially incorporated as a city under the name ofSpokane Falls (it was re-incorporated under its current name ten years later).[16] In the late 19th century, gold and silver were discovered in the Inland Northwest. The local economy depended on mining, timber, and agriculture until the 1980s. Spokane hosted the first environmentally themedWorld's fair atExpo '74.
The first humans to live in the Spokane area werehunter-gatherers that lived off plentiful fish and game; early human remains have been dated to 8,000 to 13,000 years ago.[17] TheSpokane tribe, after which the city is named (the name meaning "children of the sun" or "sun people" inSalishan),[18][19][a] are believed to be either their direct descendants, or descendants of people from theGreat Plains.[20] When asked by early white explorers, the Spokanes said their ancestors came from "up North."[17] Early in the 19th century, theNorthwest Fur Company sent two white fur trappers west of the Rocky Mountains to search forfur.[21] These were the first white men met by the Spokanes, who believed they were sacred, and set the trappers up in theColville River valley for the winter.[22]
The explorer-geographerDavid Thompson, working as head of theNorth West Company'sColumbia Department, became the first European to explore the Inland Empire (now called theInland Northwest).[23] Crossing what is now the Canada–US border fromBritish Columbia, Thompson wanted to expand the North West Company further south in search of furs. After establishing theKullyspell House andSaleesh House trading posts in what are now Idaho and Montana, Thompson then attempted to expand further west. He sent out two trappers,Jacques Raphael Finlay and Finan McDonald, to construct afur trading post on the Spokane River, which flows west fromLake Coeur d'Alene to theColumbia River, and trade with the local Indians.[24] This post was established in 1810, at the confluence of theLittle Spokane andSpokane rivers, becoming the first enduring European settlement of significance in what later became Washington state.[23] Known as theSpokane House, or simply "Spokane", it was in operation from 1810 to 1826.[18] Operations were run by the British North West Company and later theHudson's Bay Company, and the post was the headquarters of the fur trade between the Rocky and Cascade mountains for 16 years. After the latter business absorbed the North West Company in 1821, the major operations at the Spokane House were eventually shifted north toFort Colville, reducing the post's significance.[25]
In 1853, two years after the establishment of the Washington Territory, the first governor,Isaac Stevens, made an initial effort to make a treaty withChief Garry and the Spokanes at Antoine Plantes' Ferry, not far fromMillwood.[28][29] After the last campaign of theYakima Indian War, theCoeur d'Alene War of 1858 was brought to a close by the actions of Col.George Wright, who won decisive victories against a confederation of tribes in engagements at the battles ofFour Lakes andSpokane Plains.[30] The cessation of hostilities opened the inter-mountain valley of the Pacific Northwest to colonial expansion and safe habitation by settlers.[31][32]
Joint American–British occupation ofOregon Country, in effect since theTreaty of 1818, eventually led to theOregon Boundary Dispute after a large influx of American settlers along theOregon Trail. Great Britain ceded its claims to lands inPuget Sound and the central and lower Columbia Basin by theOregon Treaty of 1846. The Hudson's Bay Company wound up its operations in the area over the next few years.
In what is now Spokane, the first American settlers were J.J. Downing and S.R. Scranton, cattle ranchers whosquatted and established a claim at Spokane Falls in 1871.[33] Together they built a small sawmill on a claim near the south bank of the falls.[33][34]James N. Glover and Jasper Matheney, Oregonians passing through the region in 1873, recognized the value of the Spokane River and its falls for the purpose of water power.[33] They realized the investment potential and bought the claims of 160 acres (65 ha) and the sawmill from Downing and Scranton for a total of $4,000.[35] Glover and Matheney knew that theNorthern Pacific Railroad Company had received a government charter to build a main line across thisnorthern route.[33] Amid many delays in construction and uncertainty over the completion of the railroad and its exact course, Matheney sold his interest in the claim to Glover.[36][b] Glover confidently held on to his claim and became a successful Spokane business owner and the city's second mayor.[37] He later came to be known as the "Father of Spokane".[38][39]
In 1880,Fort Spokane was established by U.S. Army troops under Lt. Col.Henry C. Merriam 56 miles (90 km) northwest of Spokane, at the junction of theColumbia and Spokane Rivers, to protect the construction of the Northern Pacific Railway and secure a place for U.S. settlement.[40] By June 30, 1881, the railway reached the city, bringing major European settlement to the area.[41][42] The city was officially incorporated with a population of about 1,000 residents on November 29, 1881.[43][44][c] When Spokane was officially incorporated in 1881,Robert W. Forrest was elected as the first mayor of the city, with a Council of seven, S.G. Havermale, A.M. Cannon, Dr. L.H. Whitehouse, L.W. Rima, F.R. Moore, George A. Davis, and W.C. Gray, all serving without pay.[43] The marketing campaigns of transportation companies with affordable fertile land to sell along their trade routes lured many settlers into the region they dubbed "Spokane Country".[45][46]
The makeshift Daily Chronicle office after The Great Fire
The 1883 discovery of gold, silver, and lead in the Coeur d'Alene region of northern Idaho lured prospectors.[47] The Inland Empire erupted with numerous mining rushes from 1883 to 1892.[48] Mining andsmelting emerged as a major stimulus to Spokane. At the onset of the initial 1883gold rush in the nearbyCoeur d'Alene mining district, Spokane became popular with prospectors, offering low prices on everything "from a horse to a frying pan".[49] It would keep this status for subsequentrushes in the region due to its trade center status and accessibility to railroad infrastructure.[50][d]
Spokane's growth continued unabated until August 4, 1889, when a fire, now known asThe Great Fire (not to be confused with theGreat Fire of 1910, which happened nearby), began just after 6:00 p.m., and destroyed the city's downtown commercial district.[51] Due to technical problems with a pump station, there was no water pressure in the city when the fire started.[52] In a desperate bid to starve the fire, firefighters began razing buildings with dynamite. Eventually, the winds and the fire died down; 32 blocks of Spokane's downtown core had been destroyed and one person was killed.[51]
Spokane ca. 1895
Despite this catastrophe, and in part because of it, Spokane experienced a building boom.[53][e] The downtown was rebuilt, and the city was reincorporated under the present name of "Spokane" in 1891.[44] According to historian David H. Stratton, "From the late 1890s to about 1912, a great flurry of construction created a modern urban profile of office buildings, banks, department stores, hotels and other commercial institutions" which stretched from the Spokane River to the site of the Northern Pacific railroad tracks below the South Hill.[54] Yet the rebuilding and development of the city was far from smooth: between 1889 and 1896 alone, all six bridges over the Spokane River were destroyed by floods before their completion.[54] In the 1890s the city was subject to intrastate migration by African-Americans fromRoslyn, looking for work after the closure of the area's mines. Two African-American churches, Calvary Baptist and Bethel African Methodist Episcopal, were founded in 1890.[55] Just three years after the fire, in 1892,James J. Hill'sGreat Northern Railway arrived in the chosen site for Hill'srail yards, the newly created township ofHillyard (annexed by Spokane in 1924).[56] Spokane became an important rail shipping and transportation hub for the Inland Empire, connecting mines in theSilver Valley with agricultural areas around thePalouse region.[46][57] The city's population ballooned to 19,922 in 1890, and to 36,848 in 1900 with the arrival of additional railroads.[53] By 1910 the population had hit 104,000, and Spokane eclipsedWalla Walla as the commercial center of the Inland Empire.[58] In time the city came to be known as the "capital" of the Inland Empire and the heart of a vast tributary region.[47][59] After the arrival of the Northern Pacific,Union Pacific, Great Northern, andChicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific railroads, Spokane became one of the most important rail centers in the western U.S.[53][59][60][61]
Expansion abruptly stopped in the 1910s and was followed by a period of population decline,[62] due in large part to Spokane's slowing economy. Control of regional mines and resources became increasingly dominated by national corporations rather than local people and organizations, diverting capital outside of Spokane and decreasing growth and investment opportunities in the city.[62] During this time of stagnation, unrest was prevalent among the area's unemployed, who became victimized by "job sharks", who charged a fee for signing up workers in the logging camps. Job sharks and employment agencies were known to cheat itinerant workers, sometimes paying bribes to periodically fire entire work crews, thus generating repetitive fees for themselves.[63] Crime spiked in the 1890s and 1900s,[64][65] with eruptions of violent activity involving unions such as theIndustrial Workers of the World (IWW), or "Wobblies" as they were often known, whosefree speech fights had begun to garner national attention.[66] Now, with grievances concerning the unethical practices of the employment agencies, they initiated a free speech fight in September 1908 by purposely breaking a city ordinance onsoapboxing.[66] With IWW encouragement, union members from many western states came to Spokane to take part in what had become a publicity stunt. Many Wobblies were incarcerated, including feminist labor leaderElizabeth Gurley Flynn, who published her account in the localIndustrial Worker.[66]
Riverside Avenue c. 1923
After mining declined at the turn of the 20th century, agriculture and logging became the primary influences in the Spokane economy.[67] The population explosion and the building of homes, railroads, and mines in northern Idaho and southern British Columbia fueled the logging industry.[67] Although overshadowed in importance by the vast timbered areas on the coastal regions west of the Cascades, and burdened with monopolistic rail freight rates and stiff competition, Spokane became a noted leader in the manufacture of doors,window sashes, blinds, and otherplaning mill products.[68] Rail freight rates were much higher in Spokane than the rates in coastalseaport cities such as Seattle and Portland, so much so thatMinneapolis merchants could ship goods first to Seattle and then back to Spokane for less than shipping directly to Spokane, even though the rail line ran through Spokane on the way to the coast.[59][69][f]
The Inland Northwest region has also long been associated with farming, especiallywheat production.[70] Initially, the Palouse was thought to be unsuitable for wheat production due to the hilly terrain, believing wheat could not be cultivated on the tops of the hills, but the region showed great promise for wheat production when it began in the late 1850s in part due to the hilltops.[70] The Palouse was and still is abreadbasket and was able to develop and grow with the completion of several railroad networks as well as a highway system that began to center around the city of Spokane, aiding farmers from around the region in distributing their products to market.[71] Inland Empire farmers exported wheat, livestock and other agricultural products to ports such as New York, Liverpool and Tokyo.[72]
Local morale was affected for years by the collapse of theDivision Street Bridge early in the morning on December 15, 1915, which killed five people and injured over 20, but a new bridge was built (eventually replaced in 1994).[73] The 1920 census showed a net increase of just 35 individuals, which actually indicates that thousands left the city when considering the natural growth rate of a population.[62] Growth in the 1920s and 1930s remained slow but less drastically so, forcing city boosters to market the city as a quiet, comfortable place suitable for raising a family rather than a dynamic community full of opportunity.[74] The Inland Empire was heavily dependent on natural resources andextractive goods produced from mines, forests, and farms, which experienced a fall in demand.[75] The situation improved slightly with the start of World War II as aluminum production commenced in Spokane due to the area's cheap electricity (produced from regional dams) and the increased demand for airplanes.[75]
After decades of stagnation and slow growth, Spokane businessmen formed Spokane Unlimited in the early 1960s, an organization that sought to revitalize downtown Spokane.[76] A recreation park showcasing theSpokane Falls was the preferred option, and after successful negotiation to relocate the railroad facilities on Havermale Island,[77] they executed on a proposal to host the firstenvironmentally themedWorld's Fair inExpo '74 on May 4, becoming the smallest city at the time to host a World's Fair.[78][79] This event transformed Spokane's downtown, removing a century of railroad infrastructure and re-inventing the urban core. After Expo '74, the fairgrounds became the 100-acre (40 ha) Riverfront Park.[80]
The growth witnessed in the late 1970s and early 1980s was interrupted by another U.S. recession in 1981, in which silver, timber, and farm prices dropped.[81] The period of decline for the city lasted into the 1990s and was also marked by a loss of many steady family-wage jobs in the manufacturing sector.[82] At this time, market forces began to impact the localKaiser Aluminum plant and layoffs, pension cuts, a 1998–1999 labor strike, and eventually bankruptcy in 2002 followed.[83][82] Although this was a tough period, Spokane's economy had started to benefit from some measure of economic diversification; growing companies such asKey Tronic and other research, marketing, and assembly plants for technology companies helped lessen Spokane's dependence on natural resources.[81]
As of 2014, Spokane is still trying to make the transition to a moreservice-oriented economy in the face of a less prominent manufacturing sector.[82] Developing the city's strength in the medical and health sciences fields has seen some success, resulting in the expansion of the University District with two medical school branches.[84][85][86] The city faces challenges such as a scarcity of high-paying jobs, pockets of poverty, and areas of high crime.[82]
The opening of theRiver Park Square in 1999 served as acatalyst and sparked a downtown rebirth that included the building of the Spokane Arena and expansion of theSpokane Convention Center.[82][87] Other major projects include the building of the Big Easy concert house (now theKnitting Factory) and renovation of the historicMontvale Hotel, the Kirtland Cutter-designed Davenport Hotel (after being vacant for over 20 years), the Fox Theater (now home to the Spokane Symphony)[88][89] as well as the completion of the WSU Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Sciences Building in 2013 and the Davenport Grand Hotel in 2015,Ridpath Hotel in 2018 and the ongoing renovation ofRiverfront Park (as of May 2019).[90][91][92] The Kendall Yards development on the west side of downtown Spokane is one of the largest construction projects in the city's history. Directly across the Spokane River from downtown, it will blend residential and retail space with plazas and walking trails.[82]
Spokane at night from the west, withKrell Hill silhouetted by radio antennas
Spokane is located on theSpokane River ineastern Washington at an elevation of 1,843 feet (562 m) above sea level,[93] about 18 miles (29 km) fromIdaho, 92 miles (148 km) south of theCanadian border, 229 miles (369 km) due east of Seattle, and 279 miles (449 km) southwest ofCalgary.[94] The lowest elevation in the city of Spokane is the northernmost point of the Spokane River within city limits (inRiverside State Park) at 1,608 feet (490 m); the highest elevation is on the northeast side, near the community ofHillyard (though closer to Beacon Hill and the North Hill Reservoir) at 2,591 feet (790 m).[95] Spokane is part of theInland Northwest region, consisting of eastern Washington,north Idaho, northwesternMontana, and northeasternOregon.[96] The city has a total area of 60.02 square miles (155.45 km2), of which 59.25 square miles (153.46 km2) is land and 0.77 square miles (1.99 km2) is water.[97]
The UpperSpokane Falls of the Spokane River flowing by Canada island
Monroe Street corridor and surroundingEmerson/Garfield neighborhood
Spokane's neighborhoods range from theVictorian-style South Hill and Browne's Addition, to the Davenport District of Downtown, to the more contemporary neighborhoods of north Spokane. Spokane's neighborhoods are gaining attention for their history, as illustrated by the city being home to 18 recognizedNational Register Historical Districts.[79][103][104]
Some of Spokane's best-known neighborhoods areRiverside,Browne's Addition, andHillyard. The Riverside neighborhood consists primarily of downtown Spokane and is the central business district of Spokane. The neighborhoods south of downtown Spokane are collectively known as the South Hill. Downtown Spokane contains many of the city's public facilities, including City Hall, Riverfront Park (site of Expo '74), and the Spokane Convention Center, First Interstate Center for the Arts and Spokane Arena. The Spokane County Courthouse and public safety campus is adjacent to downtown in the historicWest Central neighborhood. To the east of downtown isEast Central and the adjacentUniversity District and budding "International District". To the west of downtown is one of Spokane's oldest and densest neighborhoods, Browne's Addition.
A National Historic District west of Downtown, Browne's Addition was Spokane's first prestigious address, notable for its array of old mansions built by Spokane's early elite in theQueen Anne and earlyAmerican Craftsman styles.[105] The area houses the Northwest Museum of Arts and Culture. In northeast Spokane, the Hillyard neighborhood began in 1892 as the chosen site for James J. Hill's Great Northern Railway yard, placed outside Spokane city limits to avoid "burdensome taxes".[56] The downtown Hillyard Business District, located on Market Street, was the first Spokane neighborhood listed in the National Register of Historic Places.[56] Many of the former town's houses were built to house railroad workers, mainly immigrant laborers working in the local yard, who gave Hillyard an independent, blue-collar character.[56] Hillyard has become a home for much of Spokane's growingRussian,Ukrainian, andSoutheast Asian communities.[56][106][107]
Spokane neighborhoods contain a patchwork of architectural styles that give them a distinct identity and illustrate the changes throughout the city's history.[108] Most of Spokane's notable buildings and landmarks are in the Riverside neighborhood and the downtown commercial district, where many of the buildings were rebuilt after the Great Fire of 1889 in theRomanesque Revival style.[51] Examples include the Great Northern clock tower, Review Building,Cathedral of Our Lady of Lourdes,First Congregational Church, Washington Water PowerPost Street substation, Peyton Building, and The Carlyle.[109]
The principal architect of many buildings of this period wasKirtland Kelsey Cutter.[82] Self-taught, he came to Spokane in 1886, and began by designing "Chalet Hohenstein" for himself and other residences for his family, while also working as a bank teller.[110] Other structures designed by Cutter include the Spokane Club, Washington Water Power Substation,Monroe Street Bridge (featured in the city seal), theSteam Plant, and theDavenport Hotel. Built in renaissance and Spanish Revival style, the Davenport Hotel cost two million dollars to complete and included new technologies at the time of its opening in September 1914, such as chilled water, elevators, and air cooling.[88]
In the second half of the 20th century, Spokane again became noticed for its architecture, this time by a new generation of architects in themodernist movement, which flourished in the city. During this period which lasted from 1948 to the mid-1970s, prolific architects in the city gave Spokane a great breadth of mid-century architecture.[111] The modernists in Spokane gave the city a new look and were instrumental in the developments, design, and legacy of theExpo '74 World's Fair in what is nowRiverfront Park.[112]
During this time, one of the city's foremost and influential architects was Warren C. Heylman.[113] Heylman's career was most productive during the 1960s and 1970s where his main body of work was done in the modernist style, designing numerous residential houses, apartment buildings, and architectural embellishments.[114] Some of his most noteworthy works in Spokane includeThe Parkade, Spokane International Airport, Spokane Regional Health Building, and the Burlington Northern Latah Creek Bridge over Hangman Valley.[114]
The Renaissance Revival-style Davenport Hotel designed by Kirtland Cutter
As an early affluent Spokane neighborhood, the Browne's Addition neighborhood and residences contain the largest variety of residential architecture in the city.[105] These residences are lavish and personalized, featuring many architectural styles that were popular and trendy in the Pacific Northwest from the late 19th century to 1930, such as the Victorian and Queen Anne styles.[115] In high demand following his firms' design of theIdaho Building at theChicago World's Fair in 1893, Cutter found work constructing many mansions for mining and railroad tycoons such asPatrick "Patsy" Clark and Daniel C. Corbin and son Austin.[116]
The older neighborhoods of the early 20th century, such as West Central, East Central,Logan, Hillyard, and much of the lower South Hill, feature a large concentration of American Craftsman stylebungalows. In Hillyard, the most architecturally intact neighborhood in Spokane, 85 percent of these buildings are historic.[117] As the city expanded mainly to the north in the middle of the 20th century, the bungalows in the "minimal traditional" style commonplace from the 1930s to the 1950s tend to predominate in the Northwest, North Hill, andBemiss neighborhoods. This architectural style occupies the neighborhoods where the integrity of Spokane's street grid pattern is largely intact (especially the areas north of downtown and south of Francis Ave.), and the houses have backyardalleys for carports, deliveries, and refuse collection. Contemporary suburbs and architecture are prevalent at the north and south edges of Spokane as well as in the new Kendall Yards neighborhood north of downtown.[118]
Riverfront Park, created after Expo '74 and occupying the same site, is 100 acres (40 ha) in downtown Spokane and the site of some of Spokane's largest events.[124] The park has views of theSpokane Falls and holds a number of civic attractions, including a skyride, a rebuiltgondola lift that carries visitors across the falls from high above the river gorge.[124] The park also includes the historic hand-carvedRiverfront Park Looff carousel created in 1909 byCharles I. D. Looff.[124] Riverfront Park is currently being renovated and modernized (as of October 2016).[92] Manito Park and Botanical Gardens on Spokane's South Hill features the Duncan Gardens, a classicalEuropean Renaissance-style garden and the Nishinomiya Japanese Garden designed byNagao Sakurai. Riverside State Park, close to downtown, is a site for outdoor activities such as hiking, mountain biking, and horse riding.[125]
The Spokane area has many trails andrail trails, the most notable of which is theSpokane River Centennial Trail, which features over 37.5 miles (60.4 km) of paved trails running along the Spokane River from Spokane to the Idaho border.[126] This trail continues on towardsCoeur d'Alene for 24 miles (39 km) as theNorth Idaho Centennial Trail and is often used for alternative transportation and recreational use. In the summer, it has long been popular to visit North Idaho's "Lake Country", such asLake Coeur d'Alene,Lake Pend Oreille,Priest Lake, or one of the other nearby bodies of water and beaches.[82][127] In the winter, the public has access to five ski resorts within a couple hours of the city. The closest of these is theMt. Spokane Ski and Snowboard Park,[128] which has trails for cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, snowmobiling, and dog sledding.[129]
Urban-dwellingyellow bellied marmots are resident in the city, although the rodents typically inhabit remote, mountainous locations.[132]
The area supports an abundance of wildlife in part because of its varied geology and natural history. The area contains a wide range of vegetation, from densely woodedconiferous forests to rolling grassy hills and meadows.[133] Ponderosa pine and Douglas fir are common in the drier and lower elevation areas throughout the region. Theponderosa pine is the official tree of the City of Spokane, which is where specimens were first collected by botanistDavid Douglas in 1826.[134][135][g]
The Canadian Rockies ecoregion supports 70 mammals, 16 reptiles and amphibians, 168 birds, and 41 fish species.[136] There is a high concentration of raptors in the area, bald eagles are a common sight near Lake Coeur d'Alene in December and January whenkokanee spawn.[137] The most common fish present in area lakes is the Washington-nativerainbow trout, which is the official fish of Washington state.[138] Big game common in eastern Washington include black and grizzly bears,caribou,Rocky Mountain elk, bighorn sheep, and cougar.[139] Whitetail deer, mule deer, andmoose are also found in abundance. Thegray wolf population has been making a recovery in the Inland Northwest. As of June 2016, there are 16 wolf packs in eastern Washington.[140] In August 2016, photo evidence confirmed a solitary wolf in Mount Spokane State Park.[141]
Although the ecoregion remains ecologically intact, it faces conservation challenges that include the negative effects of certain forestry management and logging practices, higher risks of forest fires due to the alteration of the trees that make up the forest composition, andhabitat fragmentation as a result of urban sprawl and development, which endangers the long-term survival of vulnerable species such as mountain caribou and theAmerican goshawk.[142]
The Great Northern clocktower seen amidst an orangehaze from wildfire smoke andRayleigh scattering
Spokane has awarm-summer humid continental climate (Dsb under theKöppen classification),[143] a rare climate due to its elevation and significant winter precipitation; Spokane, however, is adjacent to and sometimes even classified as awarm-summer Mediterranean climate (Csb) because the average temperature for the coldest month is over 26.6 °F (−3 °C),[144] though in the US this threshold is often defined to be 32 °F (0 °C).[145]
The area typically has a warm, arid climate during the summer months, bracketed by short spring and fall seasons. On average, the warmest month is July and the coolest month is December; July averages 71.0 °F (21.7 °C), while December averages 29.1 °F (−1.6 °C).[144][h] Daily temperature ranges are large during the summer, often exceeding 30 °F (17 °C), and small during the winter, with a range just above 10 °F (5.6 °C). The record high and low are 112 °F (44 °C)[146] and −30 °F (−34 °C), but temperatures of more than 100 °F (38 °C) or less than −5 °F (−21 °C) are rare. Temperatures of 90 °F (32 °C)+ occur an average of 21 days annually, temperatures of 100 °F (38 °C)+ occur an average of only 1 day annually, and those at or below 0 °F (−18 °C) average 2.2 days a year.[146]
Climate chart for Spokane
Spokane's location, between theCascades Range to the west and theRocky Mountains to the east and north, protects it from weather patterns experienced in other parts of thePacific Northwest. The Cascade Mountains form a barrier to the eastward flow of moist and relatively mild air from thePacific Ocean in winter and cool air in summer.[147] As a result of therain shadow effect of the Cascades, the Spokane area has 16.5 inches (420 mm) average annual precipitation, less than half of Seattle's 39.3 inches (1,000 mm).[148] Precipitation peaks in December, and summer is the driest time of the year. The Rockies shield Spokane from some of the winter season's coldest air masses traveling southward across Canada.[147] In the summer season, Spokane, like much of thewestern United States, has been experiencing drier conditions and more frequent and largerwildfire events since the late 20th century; the fine particulate matter in the smoke can be carried by the wind and blanket the region in ahaze and impact Spokane'sair quality.[149]
As of the 2022[update]American Community Survey estimates, there were 230,176 people and 101,130 households.[158][159] Thepopulation density was 3,347.5 inhabitants per square mile (1,292.5/km2). There were 105,002 housing units at an average density of 1,527.1 per square mile (589.6/km2).[160][158][161] The racial makeup of the city was 80.7% White, 2.9% some other race, 2.5% Black or African American, 2.0% Asian, 0.8% Native American or Alaskan Native, and 0.5% Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander, with 10.5% from two or more races.[158]Hispanics or Latinos of any race were 8.1% of the population.[158]
Of the 101,130 households, 24.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 29.8% had seniors 65 years or older living with them, 35.9% were married couples living together, 7.9% were couples cohabitating, 24.8% had a male householder with no partner present, and 31.4% had a female householder with no partner present.[159] The median household size was 2.21 and the median family size was 2.96.[159]
The age distribution was 18.8% under 18, 9.9% from 18 to 24, 30.8% from 25 to 44, 22.9% from 45 to 64, and 17.6% who were 65 or older. The median age was 38.6 years.[162] For every 100 females, there were 101.4 males.[158]
The median income for a household was $62,287, with family households having a median income of $90,205 and non-family households $41,670. Theper capita income was $38,173.[163][164] Males workingfull-time jobs had median earnings of $57,382 compared to $51,996 for females.[165] Out of the 225,660 people with a determined poverty status, 11.8% were below thepoverty line. Further, 14.7% of minors and 8.8% of seniors were below the poverty line.[166]
Spokane, Washington – Racial and ethnic composition Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos may be of any race.
As of the2010 census, there were 208,916 people, 87,271 households, and 49,204 families residing in the city. Thepopulation density was 3,526.0 inhabitants per square mile (1,361.4/km2). There were 94,291 housing units at an average density of 1,591.4 per square mile (614.4/km2). The racial make-up of the city was 86.7%White, 2.6%Asian, 2.3%African American, 2.0%Native American, 0.6%Pacific Islander, and 1.3% fromother races. 5.0% of residents were ofHispanic orLatino heritage, of any race.
There were 87,271 households, of which 28.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 38.5% were married couples living together, 12.9% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.0% had a male householder with no wife present, and 43.6% were non-families. In 2010, 34.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.31 and the average family size was 2.97.[170]
The median age in the city was 35 years. In Spokane, 22.4% of residents were under the age of 18, 12.3% were between the ages of 18 and 24, 27.6% were from 25 to 44, 25.1% were from 45 to 64, and 12.8% were 65 years of age or older. The gender make-up of the city was 48.8% male and 51.2% female.[170]
The Emanu-El congregation erected the first synagogue in Spokane and the state of Washington on September 14, 1892.[175] The city's first mosque opened in 2009 as the Spokane Islamic Center.[176] Spokane, like Washington and the Pacific Northwest region as a whole, is part of theUnchurched Belt, a region characterized by low church membership rates and religious participation.[177] The city serves as theseat of theRoman Catholic Diocese of Spokane, which was established in 1913,[178] and theEpiscopal Diocese of Spokane, established in 1929.[179] TheSpokane Washington Temple, established in 1999, servesLatter-day Saints from the east of the county.[180]
Spokane has hosted an annual multicultural celebration, Unity in the Community, since 1995.[181][182] The city has become more diverse in recent decades. People from countries in the formerSoviet Union (especially Russians and Ukrainians) form a comparatively large demographic in Spokane and Spokane County, the result of a large influx of immigrants and their families after the dissolution of the USSR in 1991.[106][183] According to the 2000 Census, the number of people of Russian or Ukrainian ancestry in Spokane County was reported to be 7,700 (4,900 residing in the city of Spokane), amounting to two percent of the county.[183] Among the fastest-growing demographics in Spokane is thePacific Islander ethnic group, which is estimated to be the third-largest minority group in the county, after the Russian and Ukrainian community and Latinos.[107] Spokane was once home to a sizable Asian community, mostly Japanese, centered in a district calledChinatown from the early days of the city until 1974.[184][185] As in many westernrailway towns, the Asian community started off as an encampment for migrant laborers working on the railroads. The Chinatown Asian community thrived until the 1940s and experienced a population boom during WWII as Japanese families fled the exclusion zones along the coast, after which its population decreased and became integrated and dispersed, losing its Asian character; urban blight and the preparations leading up to Expo '74 led to Chinatown's eventual demolition.[184]
Demographic map of the Spokane metro area. Each dot is 25 people.⬤ White⬤ Black⬤ Asian⬤ Hispanic⬤ Other
The Spokane metropolitan area consists of Spokane County. As of the 2022 census estimates, the Spokane metropolitan area had a population of 597,919. Directly east of Spokane County is the Coeur d'Alene Metropolitan Statistical Area, which consists ofKootenai County, Idaho, anchored by the city ofCoeur d'Alene. The urban areas of the two MSAs largely follow the path of Interstate 90 between Spokane and Coeur d'Alene. The Spokane area has suffered from suburbanization andurban sprawl in past decades, despite Washington's use ofurban growth boundaries; the city ranks low among major Northwest cities in population density andsmart growth according to the Sightline Institute, howeverSmart Growth America in a 2014 study ranked the census defined MSA as the 22nd most compact and connected in the nation using their Sprawl Index factors: development density, land use mix, activity centering, and street accessibility.[186][187] The Spokane and Coeur d'AleneMetropolitan Statistical Areas (MSA) are now included in a singleCombined Statistical Area (CSA) by theOffice of Management and Budget.[188] TheSpokane–Coeur d'Alene CSA had around 781,497 residents in 2022.
Spokane became an important rail and shipping center because of its location between mining and farming areas.[46][57] In the early 1880s, gold and silver were discovered in the Inland Empire; as a regional shipping center, the city furnished supplies to the miners who passed through on their way to the mineral-richCoeur d'Alene,Colville andKootenay districts.[47] The mining districts are still considered among the most productive in North America.[189]
Natural resources have historically been the foundation of Spokane's economy, with the mining, logging, and agriculture industries providing much of the region's economic activity. After mining declined at the turn of the 20th century, agriculture and logging replaced mining as the primary influences in the economy.[67]Lumberjacks and millmen working in the hundreds of mills along the railroads, rivers, and lakes of northern Washington and Idaho were provisioning themselves in Spokane.[190] Agriculture has always been an important sector in the local economy. The surrounding area, especially to the south is thePalouse,[191] a region that has long been associated with farming, especiallywheat production where it is one of the largestwheat producing regions in the United States.[70][192] As with the mining industry in the late 1880s, Spokane was an important agricultural market and trade center. Inland Empire farmers exported wheat, livestock and other agricultural products to the ports such as New York, Liverpool and Tokyo.[72] Today, a large share of the wheat produced in the region is shipped toFar East markets.[193] The Inland Northwest also supports manyvineyards andmicrobreweries as well.[194][195] By the early 20th century Spokane was primarily a commercial center rather than an industrial center.[196]
In Spokane, wood and food processing, printing and publishing, primary metal refining and fabrication, electrical and computer equipment, and transportation equipment are leaders in the manufacturing sector.[197] Gold mining companyGold Reserve, andFortune 1000 companyPotlatch Corporation – a forest products company that operates as areal estate investment trust – are headquartered in the city proper.[198][199] Mining, forestry, and agribusiness remain important to the local and regional economy, but Spokane's economy has diversified to include other industries, including the high-tech and biotech sectors.[81] Spokane is becoming a more service-oriented economy in the face of a less prominent manufacturing sector which declined in the 1980s, particularly as a medical andbiotechnology center;[82] Fortune 1000 technology companyItron, for instance, is headquartered in the area.[200] Avista Corporation, the holding company ofAvista Utilities, is the only company in Spokane that has been listed in theFortune 500, ranked 299 on the list in 2002.[201] Other companies with head offices in the Spokane area include technology companyKey Tronic, vacation rental provider Stay Alfred, andmicrocar makerCommuter Cars.[202][203][204] Despite diversification to new industries, Spokane's economy has struggled in recent decades. Spokane was ranked the #1 "Worst City For Jobs" in America in both 2012[205] and 2015,[206] while also ranking #4 in 2014.[207] Additionally, Forbes named Spokane the "Scam Capital of America" in 2009[208] due to widespread business fraud. Trends of fraud were noted as far back as 1988,[209] again in 2002,[210] and continuing through 2011.[209]
As of 2013, the top five employers in Spokane are theState of Washington,Spokane Public Schools,Providence Sacred Heart Medical Center and Children's Hospital, the92d Air Refueling Wing, andSpokane County.[211] The largest military facility and employer, the 92d Air Refueling Wing, was stationed atFairchild Air Force Base nearAirway Heights. The leading industries in Spokane for the employed population 16 years and older were educational services, health care, and social assistance (26.5 percent), retail trade (12.7 percent), and arts, entertainment, recreation, and accommodation food services (10.4 percent).[170] As the metropolitan center of the Inland Northwest, as well as parts of southernBritish Columbia andAlberta, Spokane serves as a commercial, manufacturing, transportation, medical, shopping, and entertainment hub.[197][212] In 2017, the Spokane–Spokane ValleyMSA had a gross metropolitan product of $25.5 billion while the Coeur d'Alene metropolitan area was $5.93 billion.[213]
As of 2014, economic development in the Spokane area primarily focuses on promoting the following industries: manufacturing (especially aerospace manufacturing), health sciences, professional services, information science and technology, finance and insurance as well as clean technology, and digital media.[214][215] To aid economic development, the eastern branch of Innovate Washington, a state-supportedbusiness incubator was placed in the city.[216]
In recent years, Spokane has become a growing technology hub for both established companies and startups.Fortune 1000 cybersecurity leader,F5, Inc., has two offices in the area with over 250 employees whom are focused on hardware product development, software engineering, global services support, and digital sales.[217][218] Other established firms are moving to Spokane, such asRemitly, an app-based financial services corporation, which was founded by Josh Hug, a Whitworth University graduate.[219][220] Ignite Northwest, led by Silicon Valley entrepreneur Tom Simpson, has invested over $100 million through the Spokane Angel Alliance and Ignite to fund and support early stage companies.[221]
Spokane's main art districts are located in the Davenport Arts District, theGarland Business District, and East Sprague.[222] The First Friday Artwalk, which occurs the first Friday of every month, is dedicated to local vendors and performers displaying art around downtown.[223] The two most important Artwalk dates (the first Friday of February and October) attract large crowds to the art districts.The Davenport Arts District has the largest concentration of art galleries and is home to many of Spokane's main performing arts venues, including theKnitting Factory,Fox Theater, andBing Crosby Theater. The Knitting Factory is a concert house that serves as a setting for many mainstream touring musicians and acts. TheMartin Woldson Theater at the Fox, restored to its original 1931 Art Deco state after years of being derelict,[89] is home to theSpokane Symphony Orchestra. The Metropolitan Performing Arts Center was restored in 1988 and renamed the Bing Crosby Theater in 2006 to honor the former Spokanite.[224] Touring stand-up comedians are hosted by the Spokane Comedy Club.[225] Theater is provided by Spokane's only resident professional company, The Modern Theater,[226] though there are also theSpokane Civic Theatre and several other amateur community theaters and smaller groups. TheFirst Interstate Center for the Arts often hosts large traveling exhibitions, shows, and tours. Spokane was awarded theAll-America City Award by theNational Civic League in 1974, 2004, and 2015.[227]
Spokane offers an array of musical performances catering to a variety of interests. Spokane's local music scene, however, is considered somewhat lacking by the Spokane All-Ages Music Initiative and other critics, who have identified a need for a legitimate all-ages venue for music performances.[228] The Spokane Symphony presents a full season of classical music, and the Spokane Jazz Orchestra, a full season of jazz music.[229] The Spokane Jazz Orchestra, formed in 1962, is a 70-piece orchestra and non-profit organization.[230]
There are several museums in the city, most notably theNorthwest Museum of Arts and Culture, located a few blocks from the center of downtown in Browne's Addition, amid the mansions of Spokane's late 19th-century "Age of Elegance". ASmithsonian affiliate museum, it houses a large collection of Native American artifacts as well as regional and national traveling art exhibits.[231][232]
The Mobius Science Center and the related Mobius Kid's Museum in downtown Spokane seek to generate interest inscience, technology, engineering, and math among the youth in a hands-on experience.[233] The Jundt Art Museum at Gonzaga University features 2,800 square feet (260 m2) of exhibition space and contains sizable collections of prints from the Bolker, Baruch, Jacobs, andCorita Kent collections.[234][235] The museum houses glass art byDale Chihuly, bronze sculptures byAuguste Rodin, tapestries, paintings, ceramics, photographs, and a wide range of gifts, including from the Iris and B. Gerald Cantor Foundation and Collections.[234] On the campus of Gonzaga University, the Crosby House, Bing Crosby's childhood home, houses the Bing Crosby Memorabilia Room, the world's largest Crosby collection with around 200 pieces.[236] A museum of flight showcasing historic airplanes and curated by the Historic Flight Foundation is located at Felts Field.[237]
Spokane is known as the birthplace of the national movement started bySonora Smart Dodd that led to the proposal and the eventual establishment ofFather's Day as anational holiday in the U.S.[238] The first observation of Father's Day in Spokane was on June 19, 1910.[239] Sonora conceived the idea in Spokane's Central Methodist Episcopal Church, while listening to a Mother's Day sermon.[240]
Lilac Bloomsday Run
TheLilac Bloomsday Run, held in the spring on the first Sunday of May, is a 7.46-mile (12.01 km) race for competitive runners as well as walkers that attracts international competition.[241] Also in May is the Lilac Festival which honors the military, celebrates youth, and showcases the region.[242] Spokane's unofficial nickname, the "Lilac City", refers to a flowering shrub that has flourished since its introduction to the area in the early 20th century.[243] In June the city hostsSpokane Hoopfest, a 3-on-3 basketball tournament, among the largest of its kind.[244] One of Spokane's most popular local events is Pig Out in the Park, an annual six-day food and entertainment festival where attendees may eat a variety of foods and listen to free live music concerts featuring local, regional, and national recording artists in Riverfront Park.[245]
The Spokane International Film Festival, held every February, is a small, juried festival that features documentaries andshorts from around the world.[246] The Spokane Gay & Lesbian Film Festival, held every November, features contemporary, independent films of interest to theLGBT community.[247]
Other notable events in the Spokane region include the Spokane County Interstate Fair, Japan Week, Spokane Pride Parade and the Lilac City Comicon. The Spokane County Interstate Fair is held annually in September at the Spokane County Fair and Expo Center inSpokane Valley.[248] Japan Week is held in April and celebrates the sister-city relationship withNishinomiya, Hyogo, demonstrating the many commonalities shared between the two cities.[249] Students from the Spokane campus ofMukogawa Fort Wright Institute, Gonzaga, Whitworth, and other area schools organize an array of Japanese cultural events. The gay and lesbian Spokane Pride Parade is held each June.[250] There is an annualRenaissance fair andCivil War reenactment as well.[251][252]
The crime rate per 1,000 people in the Spokane metropolitan area (Spokane County) was 64.8 in 2012, higher than the Washington state average of 38.3; the violent crime rate of 3.8 and property crime rate of 61 also exceed the statewide averages of 2.5 and 35.8, respectively.[264]NeighborhoodScout describes Spokane as "Safer than 2% of U.S. Cities".[265]
Spokane County Courthouse
Half of all property crimes are localized in about 6.5 percent of the city.[266] Spokane had the fourth-highest rate of auto theft in the U.S. in 2010 and 2011, according to theNational Insurance Crime Bureau.[266] Drive-by shootings and drug use, particularlycrack cocaine use, became worse in the early 1990s, and four drive-by shootings were recorded in December 1993 alone.[267] In the 1990s, theSpokane Police Department (SPD) established a special gang unit, with an officer "collecting intelligence on gang activity and disseminating it to street officers".[267] The 1990s also saw Spokane's most prolific serial killer,Robert Lee Yates, who killed thirteen prostitutes in Spokane's East Sprague red light district and confessed to two others inTacoma, Washington.[268] The transition of the Spokane Police Department to a community-policingprecinct model has helped curb crime rates since its introduction downtown, and has been expanded citywide.[269] The crime woes are possibly due in part to an imbalance that Spokane County prisons receive of pre-release and work-release prisoners; An investigation by theTacoma News Tribune found that while Spokane County accounts for 6.21 percent of the inmates in state prisons, it receives a disproportionate 16.73 percent of the inmate population to be released into the general population.[270]
Spokane and the Spokane Police Department have received national publicity and scrutiny in the 2000s and 2010s due to manyofficer-involved shootings and allegations of excessive force. The most high-profile of these incidents was the 2006death of Otto Zehm, a mentally challenged man who was initially suspected of theft at a convenience store.[271] Zehm was later found to have committed no crime, but was struck with batons by several officers and tasered.[272] The increased pressure on the SPD prompted an independent review by a commission of the organization's use-of-force policies, an internal culture audit, and the purchase ofbody cameras.[273]
Restrictive zoning regulations were implemented in Spokane in the middle of the 20th century.[274][275] These zoning regulations were frequently motivated by a desire to keep lower-income families out of certain neighborhoods, in particular racial minorities.[274]
In 2022, Spokane relaxed its zoning regulations to permit on an interim basis duplexes, triplexes, quadplexes and townhomes in all residential zones of Spokane. In 2023, Spokane permanently permitted up to six housing units to be built on any lot in a residential area, as well as allow nonresidential businesses (such as grocery stores) and facilities (such as schools and churches) in residential areas.[274]
Spokane Public Schools (District 81) was organized in 1889, and is the largest public school system in Spokane, and the second-largest in the state, as of 2014, serving roughly 30,000 students in six high schools, six middle schools, and thirty-four elementary schools.[276][277] Other public school districts in the Spokane area include theMead School District in north Spokane County, outside city limits. A variety of state-approved, independentcharter schools and private andparochial elementary and secondary schools augment the public school system. TheRoman Catholic Diocese of Spokane manages ten such schools in & around the area.[278]
Serving the general educational needs of the local population are two public library districts, theSpokane Public Library (within city limits) and theSpokane County Library District. Founded in 1904 with funding from philanthropistAndrew Carnegie, the Spokane Public Library system comprises a downtown library overlooking the Spokane Falls and five branch libraries.[286] Special collections focus on Inland Pacific Northwest history and include reference books, periodicals, maps, photographs, and other archival materials and government documents.[287]
The Spokane Indians located in the suburbSpokane Valley, are aClass High-A baseball team in theNorthwest League (NWL) and have been afarm team of theColorado Rockies since 2021.[290] The Indians play their home games at the 6,803-seatAvista Stadium and have won seven NWL titles since their Short-Season-A debut in 1982. Prior to 1982, the Indians played at theTriple-A level. The team achieved considerable success in the early 1970s, winning thePacific Coast League championship in 1970, and having a 94–52 record.[291] In the 1920s and 1930s the Spokane City League, a semiprofessional baseball league of teams of the Inland Empire, reached its peak.[292]
The Spokane Chiefs are a junior ice hockey team that play in theCanadian Hockey League'sWestern Hockey League.[293] They play their home games in the Spokane Arena and have a regional rivalry with theTri-City Americans. They have won the CHL's top prize, theMemorial Cup, two times in club history, first in 1991 and again in 2008.[293]
Newspaper service in Spokane is provided by its only major daily newspaper,The Spokesman-Review, which has a daily circulation of 76,291 and Sunday circulation of 95,939.[299][300]The Spokesman-Review was formed from the merger of theSpokane Falls Review (1883–1894) and theSpokesman (1890–1893) in 1893 and was first published under the present name on June 29, 1894.[301][302] It later absorbed the competing afternoon paperTheSpokane Daily Chronicle, a significant newspaper that existed from 1881 until 1982 and returned in 2021.[303][304][j] More specialized publications include the weeklyalternative newspaperInlander,[305] the bi-weeklySpokane Journal of Business,[306] and the student-runGonzaga Bulletin.[307] Monthly publications includeThe Black Lens, an African American community newspaper,[308] a newspaper for parents,Kids Newspaper,[309] and a home and lifestyle magazine,Spokane Coeur d'Alene Living.[310]
According toArbitron, Spokane is the 94th-largest radio market in the U.S., with 532,100 listeners aged 12 and over.[311] There are 28 AM and FM radio stations broadcast in the city. The five most listened-to stations areKKZX-FM (classic rock),KQNT-AM (news/talk),KXLY-FM (country),KISC-FM (adult contemporary),KZBD-FM (Contemporary Hit Radio), andKZZU-FM (Hot AC).[312] Spokane's primary sources of non-commercial and community radio include Spokane'sNPR-affiliate stationKPBX-FM andKYRS, a full-power community radio station.[313]
Spokane is the 73rd-largest television market in the U.S., accounting for 0.366% of the total TV households in the U.S.[314] The city has six television stations, representing the major commercial networks and public television.[315] Spokane is the television broadcast center for much of eastern Washington (except theYakima andTri-Cities area), northern Idaho, northwestern Montana, northeastern Oregon, and parts of southern Canada (bycable television). Spokane receives broadcasts in thePacific Time Zone, with weekday prime time beginning at 8 pm. Montana and Alberta, Canada are in theMountain Time Zone and receive Spokane broadcasts one hour later by their local time. The major network television affiliates includeKREM (TV) 2 (CBS),KXLY-TV 4 (ABC),KHQ-TV 6 (NBC; Spokane's first television station, on air on December 20, 1952),KAYU 28 (FOX),KSKN 22 (The CW),KSPS-TV 7 (PBS), andKCDT-TV 26 (PBS; operating out of Coeur d'Alene, Idaho).[315]
Spokane's streets use agrid plan that is oriented to the fourcardinal directions; generally, the east–west roads are designated as avenues, and the north–south roads are referred to as streets. Major east–west thoroughfares in the city include Francis, Wellesley, Mission, Sprague, and 29th Avenues. Major north–south thoroughfares include Maple–Ash, Monroe, Division, Hamilton, Greene–Market (north of I-90), and Ray–Freya (south of I-90) Streets.Division Street divides the city into East and West, whileSprague Avenue splits the city into North and South.[316] Division Street is Spokane's majorretail corridor; Sprague Avenue serves the same purpose in Spokane Valley. With over 40,000 vehicles per day inaverage daily traffic fromInterstate 90 north to the US 2–US 395 junction, North Division is Spokane's busiest corridor.[317]
Spokane's extensiveskywalk system covers thirteen blocks in the downtown area and is among the largest in the United States; it is used for pedestrian travel in cold and inclement weather and retail space as well.[318][319] Despite this, the city has an average Walk Score of 49 as of 2020, indicating that most errands require a car. Its average Bike Score is 52.[320]
Before the influx of automobiles, Spokane's electricstreetcar and interurban lines played a dominant role in moving people and goods around Spokane. Streetcars were installed as early as 1888, when they were pulled by horses.[321] Many older side streets in Spokane still have visible streetcar rails embedded in them. Streetcar service was reduced due to declining ridership beginning in 1922, and by August 1936, all lines had been abandoned or converted to motor buses.[322]
Public transportation throughout the Spokane area is provided by theSpokane Transit Authority (STA), which operates a fleet of 164 buses. Its service area covers roughly 248 square miles (640 km2) and reaches 85 percent of the county's population.[325] TheSTA Plaza in downtown Spokane acts as the regional hub for most STA routes.[326] As a part of the system's high performance transit network plan, STA introduced Eastern Washington's first bus rapid transit (BRT) route,City Line, in July 2023.[327] STA is also planning aDivision Street BRT line from downtown Spokane to Mead that is scheduled to open by 2030.[328]
Overlooking Spokane andInterstate 90 from Sunset Hill
Interstate 90 (I-90) runs east–west from Seattle, through downtown Spokane, and eastward through Spokane Valley, Liberty Lake, and onward to Coeur d'Alene and thenMissoula.[329] Although they are not limited access highways like I-90,US 2 andUS 395 enter Spokane from the west via I-90 and continue north through Spokane via Division Street. The two highways share the same route until they reach "The Y", afork where US 395 continues northward toDeer Park,Colville then onward to Canada, and US 2 branches off to the northeast, continuing toMead,Newport, andSandpoint.US 195, also known as the Inland Empire Highway, connects to Interstate 90 west of Spokane near Latah Creek and travels south through the Palouse.[329]
TheWashington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) is tasked with improving local highways to keep up with the region's growth and to try to prevent congestion problems that plague many larger cities. The WSDOT is constructing theNorth Spokane Corridor. When completed, the corridor will be a 10.5-mile-long (16.9 km) limited-access highway that will run from I-90, in the vicinity of the Thor/Freya interchange, northward through Spokane, meeting the existing US 395 just south of the Wandermere Golf Course.[330]
Spokane International Airport (IATA: GEG, ICAO: KGEG) serves as the primary commercial airport for Spokane, Eastern Washington, and Northern Idaho. It is the second-largest airport in the state of Washington, and is recognized by theFederal Aviation Administration as asmall hub, with service from nine passenger and five cargo airlines.[331] The 4,800-acre (19.42 km2) airport is located 5 miles (8.0 km) west of downtown Spokane and is approximately a 10-minute drive away. The international airport's three-letter designation is "GEG", a result and legacy of the Geiger Field days prior to 1960, when the airport was named after Army aviator MajorHarold Geiger in 1941.[332]
Felts Field is a general aviation airport serving the Spokane area and is located in east Spokane along the south bank of the Spokane River. Aviation at Felts Field dates back to 1913 and the strip served as Spokane's primary airport until commercial air traffic was redirected to Geiger Field after World War II.[332] In 1927, the strip was one of the first in the western U.S. to receive official recognition as an airport by the U.S. Department of Commerce and is now named in honor of James Buell Felts, a Washington Air National Guard pilot.[332]
The Spokane area has six major hospitals, four of which are full-service facilities.[333] The health-care industry is a large and increasingly important industry in Spokane; the city provides specialized care to many patients from the surrounding Inland Northwest and as far north as the Canada–US border.[334] The city's health-care needs are served primarily by non-profit Seattle-basedProvidence Health & Services and non-profit Tacoma-basedMulticare Health System, which run the two biggest hospitals,Sacred Heart Medical Center, andDeaconess Hospital, respectively.[335] These two hospitals, the 102-bedSt. Luke's Rehabilitation Institute,[336] 100-bed Inland Northwest Behavioral Health,[337] and most of Spokane's major health-care facilities, are located on Spokane's Lower-South Hill, just south of downtown, in what is known as the "Medical District" of Spokane.[338] Sacred Heart Hospital opened originally with just 31 beds[339] on Spokane Falls Boulevard on January 27, 1887, but later moved to its present location at 101 West Eighth Avenue.[340] As of 2014 it had 642 beds, with 28,319 admissions, 71,543 emergency room visits, and 2,982 births annually, and a full-time staff of 29 doctors and dentists and 583 registered nurses.[341] Deaconess Medical Center, the smaller of the two main hospitals, had 388 beds as of 2014.[342] Other hospitals in the area include the SpokaneVeterans Affairs Medical Center in the northwest part of town, Providence Holy Family Hospital on the north side, and MultiCare Valley Hospital in theSpokane Valley. One of 20 specialty orthopedicShriners Hospitals in the U.S. is also located in Spokane.[343] One of Washington's two statepsychiatric hospitals,Eastern State Hospital, is located 15 miles (24 km) away inMedical Lake.[344]
The City of Spokane provides municipalwater,wastewater management, andsolid waste management.[345] Spokane operates Washington's onlywaste-to-energy plant as well as two solid wastetransfer stations as part of the Spokane Regional Solid Waste System, a collaboration between the City of Spokane and Spokane County.[346] Electricity generated by the waste-to-energy plant is used to operate the facility, with excess energy being sold toPuget Sound Energy.[346] Spokane draws its water from theSpokane Valley–Rathdrum Prairie Aquifer; this 370-square-mile (958 km2) "sole source aquifer" is the only water supply for Spokane County in Washington, and forKootenai andBonner counties in Idaho.[347] Serving over 500,000 people, the aquifer is distinguished in being one of thelargest aquifers in the country at 10 trillion gallons, as well as having one of the fastestflow rates in the country at 60 feet (18 m) per day, and for its purity.[348][i]
Natural gas and electricity are provided by the local utility,Avista Utilities, whileCenturyLink andComcast provide television, internet, and telephone service. Spokane hosts threehydroelectric generation facilities on the Spokane River: the Upriver Dam, theUpper Falls Dam, and the Monroe Street Dam. The Upriver Dam is owned and operated by the City of Spokane, and generates the electricity needed to operate the municipal water supply's pressure pumps.[349] The power generated in excess of that is sold to Avista Utilities.[349] The Upper Falls and Monroe Street dams are owned and operated by Avista Utilities, and have respective generation capacities of 10 and 15MW.[350]
^[a] The name is said to derive fromSpukcane, the vocalization of a sound made by a snake which the Chief of the Spokanes came to call "power from the brain" after pondering it made his head vibrate. It is unknown when the present meaning of the word, "Sun People" replaced this earlier meaning.[19] ^[b] Unbeknownst to them, the Spokane Valley was the only area within 200 miles that could provide passage to the Inland Empire through the Rockies at a reasonable grade.[33] ^[c] The present name, set forth by an 1891 charter reincorporated the city under the name "Spokane Falls", stating:"The corporate name of the city is Spokane Falls, and by that name shall have perpetual succession" (Charter, Article I). However, a later article in that same charter which was voted on concurrently changed the name to "Spokane".[352] ^[d] Secretary of the Spokane chamber of commerce, John R. Reavis tells of Spokane's significance to the Inland Northwest region as anentrepôt distributing center (largely the city'sraison d'être) in his 1891 Annual Report, writing: "By reason of her geographical position and railroad connections Spokane is fitted as no other city is, or ever can be, to be the distributing center of all that country within a radius of 150 miles, and in some instances territory much farther away. There is no point 150 miles from Spokane that is not at least 225 miles from any other city of 10,000 population. We have about us a territory of 60,000 square miles in extent, to every point of which we are nearer than any other city, to every point of which we have better railroad connections and easier grades than any other city ... We have eight lines of railroad that radiate out in all directions through it, so that shipments made here in the morning can reach any point within its borders by nightfall. We have a telephone system connecting us with almost every shipping town and shipping station within its borders. Goods may be ordered, shipped and received, in most instances, within one day. Never was a city more intimately knit to its surrounding territory than Spokane, and never was one more free from a legitimate rival in trade ..."[353]
^[e] The financing for rebuilding the downtown core came in large part from the infusion of investment from Dutch bankers; this investment was so deep that by 1896, one prominent Dutch mortgage company, theNorthwestern and Pacific Hypotheekbank owned a quarter of the city.[354] ^[f] In 1892, theInterstate Commerce Commission agreed with the city after it filed a complaint about these practices, but that decision was struck down by a federal court. In 1906, Spokane sued under the newly passedHepburn Act, and won on July 24, 1911.[355] ^[g] The exact circumstances and sequence of events regarding the discovery of the tree are obscure due to conflicting accounts. ^[h] Average monthly temperatures obtained by summing the average monthly highs and lows then dividing by 2. ^[i] A study published inThe Spokesman-Review on May 6, 1909, by City bacteriologist, Frank Rose found only seven or eight germs per cubic centimeter of water. As a standard, "water that contains 100 germs per cubic centimeter is considered comparatively pure".[348] ^[j]The Spokesman-Review has been afamily-owned newspaper since 1894. TheCowles family also owns the city's NBC affiliate, KHQ-TV.[303]
^Mean maxima and minima (i.e., the highest and lowest temperature readings during an entire month or year) calculated based on data at said location from 1991 to 2020.
^Official records for Spokane kept at Spokane Weather Bureau Office from February 1881 to July 1889, and at Spokane International Airport since August 1889.[150]
^Mean maxima and minima calculated based on data from November 1998 to December 2020 for months and 1999 to 2020 for years.
^Laura Arksey (October 3, 2009),"Spokane Falls (later renamed Spokane) is incorporated as a first-class city on November 29, 1881.",HistoryLink, Seattle: History Ink,The original Act of Incorporation spelled the city's name correctly, but the territorial printing office incorrectly spelled it Spokan Falls, a phonetic spelling that was used elsewhere during the period, including on the 1880 census. This spelling was also used for Spokane's first newspaper, the Spokan Times.
^"Spokane Mid-20th Century Architectural Survey Report"(PDF).Painter Preservation, helveticka, Spokane Historic Preservation Office, City of Spokane-Spokane Historic Landmarks Commission. Washington State Department of Archaeology & Historic Preservation. August 2017. RetrievedJanuary 15, 2022.
^ab"Climate of Washington"(PDF).Climates of the States, Climatography of the United States No. 60. National Weather Service. Archived fromthe original(PDF) on February 11, 2015. RetrievedDecember 7, 2014.
^Petersen, Mike; Keesecker, Levi; Li, Wei; et al. (September 2013)."Chapter 5: Fire and Smoke Impact Study".Spokane Climate Project. Pacific Northwest Climate Impacts Research Consortium. RetrievedJuly 9, 2023.
^"Threaded Station Extremes".ThreadEx. NOAA's National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI) and the National Weather Service (NWS), the Northeast Regional Climate Center (NRCC). RetrievedOctober 18, 2021.
^"Statistical Analysis Center".Uniform Crime Report. Washington State Office of Financial Management. November 30, 2013. Archived fromthe original on November 28, 2014. RetrievedDecember 7, 2014.
^abWashington State Department of Transportation (2014).Washington State Highways, 2014–2015(PDF) (Map). 1:842,000. Olympia: Washington State Department of Transportation. Spokane inset. RetrievedAugust 5, 2025 – via WSDOT Library Digital Collections.
^"Spokane International"(PDF). Washington State Department of Transportation. Archived fromthe original(PDF) on September 3, 2014. RetrievedOctober 12, 2014.
^Spokane, Washington (1896).Charter of the city of Spokane, Washington: approved by the people at an election held March 24, 1891, attested and went into effect April 4, 1891 (including amendments). Spokane, Washington: W.D. Knight Co.
Dyar, Ralph E. (1952).News for an Empire: The Story of The Spokesman-Review of Spokane, Washington and of the Field It Serves. Caldwell, Idaho: The Caxton Printers, Ltd.ISBN978-1-258-21546-0.{{cite book}}:ISBN / Date incompatibility (help)
Kensel, W.H. (Spring 1971)."Spokane: The First Decade"(PDF).Idaho Yesterdays.15 (1). Boise, Idaho: Idaho State Historical Society. Archived fromthe original(PDF) on November 1, 2019. RetrievedOctober 9, 2014.
Meinig, Donald W. (1993).The Shaping of America: A Geographical Perspective on 500 Years of History, Volume 2: Continental America, 1800–1867. New Haven, Connecticut: Yale University Press.ISBN0-300-05658-3.
Moffatt, Riley (1996).Population History of Western U.S. Cities & Towns, 1850–1990. Lanham, Maryland: Scarecrow Press.ISBN978-0-8108-3033-2.
Soltero, Raymond A. (1992)."The Changing Spokane River Watershed". In Robert J. Naiman (ed.).Watershed Management: Balancing Sustainability and Environmental Change. New York, New York: Springer-Verlag. pp. 458–478.ISBN978-0-387-94232-2.
Stratton, David H. (2005).Spokane and the Inland Empire: An Interior Pacific Northwest Anthology. Pullman, Washington: Washington State University Press.ISBN978-0-87422-277-7.
Bamonte, Tony; Bamonte, Suzanne (2011).Spokane Our Early History Under All is the Land. Spokane, Washington: Tornado Creek Publications.ISBN978-0982152935.OCLC759122758.
Matthews, Henry (1998).Kirtland Cutter: Architect in the Land of Promise. Seattle, Washington: University of Washington Press.ISBN978-0-295-98766-8.OCLC38536054.
Meinig, Donald W. (1968).The Great Columbia Plain; a historical geography, 1805–1910. Seattle, Washington: University of Washington Press.ISBN978-0-295-97485-9.OCLC436410.
Schmeltzer, Michael (1996).Spokane: A City for Living. Helena, Montana: American & World Geographic Publishing.ISBN978-1560371052.OCLC35008269.
Wang, David (2003).Sounding Spokane: perspectives on the built environment of a regional city. Spokane, Washington: Eastern Washington University Press.ISBN978-0-910055-85-7.OCLC51306066.
Youngs, William T. (1996).The Fair and the Falls: Spokane Expo '74: Transforming an American environment. Cheney, Washington: Eastern Washington University Press.ISBN978-0-910055-33-8.OCLC866331426.
.png)
.svg)
.jpeg)
.jpg)
_(2877645119).jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
_-_Spokane_Area%2c_WA(ThreadEx).svg)
.png)
.jpg)
.svg)
