Spokane, Washington

Nickname(s): The Lilac City

Motto: Near Nature. Near Perfect.
Population (February 23, 2011)
- City 208,916
Spokane ( /spoʊˈkæn/, US dict: spō·kăn′) is a city located in the
Northwestern United States in the state of Washington. It is the
largest city and county seat of Spokane County,[5] as well as the
metropolitan center of the Inland Northwest region. The city is
located on the Spokane River in Eastern Washington, 110 miles (180
km) south of the Canadian border, approximately 20 miles (32 km) from
the Washington-Idaho border, and 271 miles (436 km) east of Seattle.

David Thompson explored the Spokane area and began European

settlement with the westward expansion and establishment of the North
West Company’s Spokane House in 1810. This trading post was the
first long-term European settlement in Washington and the center of
the fur trade between the Rockies and the Cascades for 16 years. In
the late 1800s, gold and silver were discovered in the Inland
Northwest. The Spokane area is considered to be one of the most
productive mining districts in North America. Spokane’s economy has
traditionally been natural resource based; however, the city’s
economy has diversified to encompass other industries, including the
high-tech and biotech sectors.

The city of Spokane (then known as "Spokane Falls") was settled in

1871 and officially incorporated as a city in 1881. The city's name
is drawn from the Native American tribe known as the Spokane, which
means "Children of the Sun" in Salish.[6] Spokane's official nickname
is the "Lilac City", named after the flowers that have flourished
since their introduction to the area in the early 20th century.[7]
Completion of the Northern Pacific Railway in 1881 brought major
settlement to the Spokane area.

With a population of 208,916, according to the 2010 Census, Spokane

is the second largest city in Washington, and the third largest in
the American portion of the Pacific Northwest, behind Seattle, and
Portland, Oregon. The City Of Spokane is slightly larger than Boise,
Idaho according to the Census data. Spokane is the principal city of
the Spokane Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is coterminous with
Spokane County. As of 2010, the county had a population of 471,221 .
[8]
Directly east of Spokane County is the Coeur d'Alene Metropolitan
Statistical Area, composed entirely of Kootenai County, Idaho; the
combined population of the two counties was estimated at 600,152 in
2008, fourth largest in the Pacific Northwest behind Seattle,
Portland, and Vancouver, British Columbia.[9] Spokane's Metropolitan
Statistical Area (MSA) is expected to be officially combined with
Kootenai County by the Federal Government and the U.S. Office of
Management and Budget once the 2010 Census is tallied. The new MSA is
likely to be named "Spokane-Coeur d'Alene Metropolitan Area". It is
expected that by that time, the area will have upwards of 650,000,
and this change will occur no later than 2013.[10]

History
Main article: History of Spokane, Washington

Depicted: Spokane Falls in 1888

The first humans to live in the Spokane area arrived between twelve
to eight thousand years ago and were hunter-gatherer societies that
lived off the plentiful game in the area. Over time the forests in
the area began to thin out and the Native Americans became more
dependent upon roots, berries and fish.[11] The Spokane tribe, after
which the city is named, are believed to be either direct descendants
of the original hunter-gatherers that settled in the region, or
descendants of tribes from the Great Plains.[11] When asked by early
white explorers, the tribe said their ancestors came from "up north".
[11]
The Spokane Falls were the tribe's center of trade and fishing.

Early in the 19th century, the Northwest Fur Company sent two white
fur trappers west of the Rocky Mountains to search for fur.[12] The
trappers became the first two white men met by the Spokane tribe, who
believed them to be Sama, or sacred, and set the trappers up in the
Colville River valley for the winter.[13] The tribe discovered the men
brought no "big magic" to the tribe as their members continued to die
from small pox, which had first struck the tribe in an epidemic in
1782 and wiped out as much as half the tribe's pre-epidemic numbers.
[13][14]

Trading post

The Inland Northwest was first explored by explorer-geographer David

Thompson, working as head of the North West Company's Columbia
Department.[15] Crossing what is now the U.S.–Canadian border from
British Columbia, Thompson wanted to expand the North West Company
further south in search of furs, primarily beaver. After establishing
the Kullyspell House and Saleesh House trading posts in what is now
Idaho and Montana, Thompson wanted to expand further west. In 1810,
Thompson sent out trappers, Jacques Raphael Finlay and Finan McDonald
to the Spokane River to build a trading post in eastern Washington
that would exchange with the local Spokane and Colville Indians.[15]

At the confluence of the Little Spokane and Spokane, Finlay and

McDonald built a new fur trading post, which was the first long-term
European settlement in Washington state.[15] This trading post known
as the Spokane House, or simply "Spokane", was in operation from 1810
to 1826.[16] The Spokane House, operated by the British North West
Company and, later, the Hudson's Bay Company, was the center of the
fur trade between the Rockies and the Cascades for 16 years. When the
Hudson's Bay Company absorbed the North West Company in 1821,
operations at Spokane House eventually shifted to Fort Colville;
afterward the company still remained active near Spokane.[17]

American settlement

Joint American–British occupation of Oregon Country, in effect since

the Treaty of 1818, ended with the signing of the Oregon Treaty in
1846. The first American settlers, squatters J.J. Downing and S.R.
Scranton, built a cabin and established a claim at Spokane Falls in
1871.[18] Together they built a small sawmill on a claim near the
south bank of the Spokane Falls.[18] James N. Glover and Jasper
Matheney, Oregonians passing through the region in 1873, recognized
the value of the Spokane River and its falls. They realized the
investment potential and bought the claims of 160 acres (0.65 km2)
and the sawmill from Downing and Scranton for a total of $4,000.[19]
Glover and Matheney knew that the Northern Pacific Railroad Company
had received a government charter to build a main line across this
northern route.[20] Glover later became known as the "Father of
Spokane".[21]

On October 21, 1880, Camp Spokane was established by U.S. Army troops
under Lt. Col. Henry Clay Merriam at a location 56 miles (90 km)
northwest of Spokane at the junction of the Columbia and Spokane
Rivers.[22] The camp location was strategic, having the intended goals
of protecting construction of the Northern Pacific Railway and
securing a place for U.S. settlement.[22]
Spokane ca. 1895

By 1881, the Northern Pacific Railway was completed, bringing major

European settlement to the area.[23] The city of Spokan Falls (the "e"
was added in 1883 and "Falls" dropped in 1891) was officially
incorporated as a city of about 1,000 residents on November 29, 1881.
[24]
The city's population ballooned to 19,922 in 1890, and 36,848 in
1900 with the arrival of the railroads.[25] The railroad lured
settlers from as far away as Finland, Germany, and England and as
close as Minnesota and the Dakotas. By 1910, the population hit
104,000; the building of the Northern Pacific, allowed Spokane to
eclipse Walla Walla as the commercial center of the Inland Northwest.
[26]

Spokane's growth continued unabated until August 4, 1889, when a

fire, now known as The Great Fire, began shortly after 6:00 p.m. and
destroyed the city's downtown commercial district.[27] Due to
technical problems with a pump station, there was no water pressure
in the city when the fire started.[28] In an effort to impede the
fire's growth, firefighters began demolishing buildings with
dynamite. The fire continued despite this as the flames leaped over
the cleared spaces and created their own firestorm. When volunteer
firefighters attempted to quench the flames, they found their hoses
were unusable. Eventually winds died down and the fire exhausted of
its own accord. In the fires' aftermath, 32 blocks of Spokane's
downtown were destroyed and one person was killed.[27]

While the damage caused by the fire was a devastating blow, Spokane
continued to grow; the fire set the stage for a dramatic building
boom.[25] After The Great Fire of 1889 and the rebuilding of the
downtown, the city was reincorporated under the present name of
"Spokane" in 1891.[29] Just three years after the fire, in 1892, James
J. Hill's Great Northern Railway had arrived in the newly created
township of Hillyard (annexed by Spokane in 1924)—the chosen site
for Hill's rail yards, machine shops, and roundhouse because of the
area's flat ground.[30] The railroads in Spokane made it a
transportation hub for the Inland Northwest region.[31] Spokane became
an important rail and shipping center because of its location between
mining and farming areas.[32] After the arrival of the Northern
Pacific, the Union Pacific, Great Northern, and Chicago, Milwaukee,
St. Paul and Pacific railroads, Spokane became one of the most
important rail centers in the western United States.[25][31]

20th century

The Great Northern clock tower and U.S. Pavilion in Riverfront Park

Spokane is known as the "Birthplace of Father's Day". A Spokane

woman, Sonora Smart Dodd is credited with being the founder of the
annual celebration.[33] Sonora, often referred to as the "Mother of
Father's Day," was 16 years old when her mother died, leaving her
father to raise Sonora and her five younger brothers on a remote farm
in eastern Washington. In 1909 when Sonora heard a Mother's Day
sermon at Central United Methodist Church in Spokane, she was
inspired to propose that fathers receive equal recognition.[33] The
following year Sonora took the idea to the Spokane YMCA, who along
with the Ministerial Alliance, endorsed Dodd’s idea and helped it
spread by celebrating the first Father’s Day in 1910. [34]Sonora
suggested her father’s birthday, June 5, be established as the day
to honor all fathers. However, the pastors wanted more time to
prepare, so June 19, 1910 was designated as the first Father's Day.

The expansion and growth of Spokane abruptly stopped in the 1910s and
was followed by a period of population decline.[35] Spokane's slowing
economy largely contributed to this decline. Control of regional
mines and resources became increasingly dominated by national
corporations rather than locals, diverting capital outside of Spokane
and decreasing growth and investment opportunities in the city.[35]
The 1920s and 1930s saw similar, but less drastic slow growth, also
due to economic factors. The Inland Northwest region was heavily
dependent on extractive products produced from farms, forests, and
mines which experienced a fall in demand.[36] Spokane's situation
improved with the start of World War II as aluminum production was
initiated in the Spokane valley due to the area's inexpensive
electricity and the increased demand for airplanes.

After decades of stagnation and slow growth, Spokane businessmen,

headed by King Cole, formed Spokane Unlimited, an organization that
sought to revitalize downtown Spokane.[37] After a bitter struggle, a
hard earned success came in the form of a new parking garage in 1965.
Soon, efforts to revitalize the economy focused on improving
Havermale Island in downtown Spokane, which was dominated by railroad
depots and warehouses. A recreation park showcasing the Spokane falls
was the preferred option, and the organization successfully
negotiated with the railroad companies to free up the island property
and relocate their rail lines.[38] In the 1970s, Spokane was
approaching its one-hundredth birthday, and Spokane Unlimited hired a
private firm to start preparations for a celebration and fair.[38] In
a report delivered by the firm, the proposal of a world's fair was
introduced, which culminated in Expo '74.

Spokane hosted the first environmentally themed World's Fair in Expo

'74, becoming the smallest city yet to host a World's Fair.[39] Expo
'74 also had the distinction of being the first American fair after
World War II to be attended by the Soviet Union. This event
transformed Spokane's downtown, removing a century of railroad
industry that built the city and reinvented the urban core. After
Expo '74, the fairgrounds became the 100-acre (0.40 km2) Riverfront
Park.[40] The late 1970s was a period of growth for Spokane which led
to the construction in the early 1980s of the two tallest buildings
in the city, the 18-story Farm Credit Banks Building and the 20-story
Seafirst Financial Center, now the Bank of America building.[41]

The success seen in the late 1970s and early 1980s once again was
interrupted by another U.S. recession in which silver, timber, and
farm prices dropped. Although a tough period, Spokane's economy had
begun to benefit from economic diversification, being the home to
growing companies such as Key Tronic and having research, marketing,
and assembly plants for other technology companies helped lessen
Spokane's dependency on natural resources.[42]

[edit] 21st Century

Spokane has an extensive Skywalk network

Downtown Spokane has undergone a major rebirth in recent years with

over $3 billion in new investments and the completion of River Park
Square Mall.[43] The historic, Kirtland Cutter designed Davenport
Hotel underwent a major renovation in 2002 after being vacant for
over 20 years.[44] Other major projects include the renovation of the
Holley Mason Building, the building of the Big Easy concert house
(now renamed the Knitting Factory), expansion of the Spokane
Convention Center, and the renovation of the historic Montvale Hotel
and Fox Theater (now home to the Spokane Symphony).[45] Still more
construction is proposed. Local developer Rob Brewster has proposed
building the new VOX Tower which, if constructed, will become the
tallest building in Spokane.[46] All new skyscrapers built in Spokane
are subject to city height restrictions.

The Kendall Yards development on the west side of downtown Spokane

(along the north bank of the Spokane River) will become one of the
largest construction projects in the city's history. The development,
directly across the Spokane River from downtown will blend
residential and retail space with plazas and walking trails. Upon
completion, the nearly 80-acre (0.32 km2) Kendall Yards project will
include up to 2,600 residential units and up to 1,000,000 square feet
(93,000 m2) of commercial, retail, and office space.[47]

In January 2011, an attempted terrorist attack was thwarted in

Spokane.

Panorama of Downtown Spokane, looking north, from the Deaconess

Medical Center parking garage.

[edit] Geography
[edit] Topography

Spokane is located on the Spokane River in Eastern Washington, near

the eastern border of Washington, about 20 miles (32 km) from Idaho,
110 miles (180 km) south of the Canadian border, 271 miles (436 km)
east of Seattle, and 279 miles (449 km) southwest of Calgary.[48]
Spokane is part of the Inland Northwest region, consisting of eastern
Washington, northern Idaho, western Montana, and northeastern Oregon.
[29]
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a
total area of 58.5 square miles (152 km2), of which, 57.8 square
miles (150 km2) is land and 0.8 square miles (2.1 km2) is water.[49]

The Spokane River flowing by Canada Island

Spokane lies on the eastern edge of the Columbia Basin steppe, a wide
sloping plain that rises sharply to the east towards the forested
Rocky Mountain foothills, the Selkirk Mountains.[50] The city lies in
a transition area between the desert-like Columbia Basin of central
Washington and the forested mountains of north Idaho and northeast
Washington.[50] The highest peak in Spokane County is Mount Spokane at
an elevation of 5,883 feet (1,793 m), located on the eastern side of
the Selkirk Mountains.[51] The most prominent water feature in the
area is the Spokane River, a 111-mile (179 km) tributary of the
Columbia River, originating from Lake Coeur d'Alene in northern
Idaho.[52] The river flows west across the Washington state line
through downtown Spokane, meeting Latah Creek which comes from the
south directly west of downtown, then turns to the northwest where it
is joined by the Little Spokane River on its way to join the Columbia
River, north of Davenport.[53]

Spokane is at an elevation of 1,843 feet (562 m) above sea level.[54]

The lowest elevation in the city of Spokane is the northernmost point
of the Spokane River within city limits (in Riverside State Park) at
1,608 feet (490 m) and the highest elevation is on the northeast side
near the community of Hillyard, though closer to Beacon Hill and the
North Hill Reservoir at 2,591 feet (790 m).[55]

[edit] Climate

Spokane has a continental Mediterranean climate (Köppen Dsb), a rare

climate due to its elevation and significant winter precipitation
precluding a semi-arid climate classification.[56][57] The area, is
typified by a very warm, arid climate during the summer months and a
cold, somewhat snowy, and moist climate in the winter.[50] Both summer
and winter are the predominant seasons, as fall constitutes a rapid
transition. On average, July and August are equally warm, and the
coolest month is December.[58] Daily temperature ranges are large
during the summer, approaching, and often exceeding 30 °F (17 °C),
and small during the winter, with a range just above 10 °F (6 °C).
December, the coolest month, averages 27.2 °F (−2.7 °C), while July
and August, which are equally warm, average 68.6 °F (20.3 °C).

Because of Spokane's location between the Cascade Mountains to the

west and Rocky Mountains to the east and north, the city is protected
from weather patterns experienced in other parts of the Pacific
Northwest. The Cascade Mountains form a barrier to the easterly
movement of moist and comparatively mild air from the Pacific Ocean
in winter and cool air in summer.[59] As a result of the modifying
effect of the Cascade Mountains, the Spokane area also has less than
half the rainfall of its west side neighbor, Seattle. The average
annual precipitation in the Spokane area is 17 inches (430 mm),
whereas the Seattle area receives 37 inches (940 mm) annually.[59] The
most precipitation occurs in December, and summer is the driest time
of the year.[58] The Rocky Mountains shield Spokane from the winter
season’s cold air masses traveling southward across Canada, sparing
the city from the worst effects of Arctic air in winter.[59]

Extremes range from 108 °F (42 °C) to −30 °F (−34 °C), but
temperatures of more than 100 °F (38 °C) and less than −10 °F (−23
°C) are rare.[50]

Metropolitan area
ed and unincorporated communities, which make up the suburbs of
Spokane. They include Medical Lake, Cheney, Airway Heights, Mead,
Colbert, Spokane Valley, Millwood, Nine Mile Falls, Otis Orchards,
and Liberty Lake. Across the border in Idaho are Coeur d'Alene which
anchors the Idaho portion of the urban area, Hayden, Post Falls and
Rathdrum.

[edit] Neighborhoods

Main article: Neighborhoods in Spokane, Washington

See also: Downtown Spokane

Much of Spokane's history is reflected in its large variety of

neighborhoods. Neighborhoods range from the Victorian-era style South
Hill and Browne's Addition, to the Davenport Arts 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 recognized National Register
Historical Districts, the most in any city in the state of
Washington.[62] More than 50% of Spokane’s downtown is designated as
historic, and makes up three separate National Register Historic
Districts.[6] In all, more than 1,300 individual properties on the
National Register are located in Spokane County, 15 of which are
districts.[63]

[edit] Economy
Main article: Economy of Spokane, Washington
The Spokane Stock Exchange once occupied The Peyton Building

In 1883, gold and silver were discovered in the Inland Northwest; as

a regional shipping center, the city furnished supplies to the miners
who passed through on their way to mine in the Coeur d’Alene as well
as the Colville and Kootenay districts.[68] By the mid-1890s, high
mining operations were underway in the region.[53] The area is
considered to be one of the most productive mining districts in North
America.[69] Natural resources have traditionally provided much of the
economic activity for the Spokane area, a major center for the
timber, agriculture, and mining industries in the region.

Finished wood products, metal refinery and fabrication, and food

processing are among the leaders in manufacturing. Fortune 1000
company, Potlatch Corporation, which operates as a real estate
investment trust (REIT) and owns and manages timberlands located in
Arkansas, Idaho, Minnesota, and Oregon, is headquartered in Spokane.
[70]
The surrounding area, especially to the south, is a productive
agricultural region known as the Palouse. A number of wineries and
breweries also operate in the Spokane area.[71]

Forestry and agribusiness continue to be important elements in the

local economy, but Spokane's economy has diversified to encompass
other industries, including the high-tech and biotech sectors.[42]
Signature Genomic Laboratories, a fast-growing genetics company, is
headquartered in Spokane,[72] and Itron, a producer of metering, data
collection, and software products is headquartered in nearby Liberty
Lake, Washington.[73] Red Lion Hotels Corporation is also
headquartered in the city. Companies have located or relocated to the
Spokane area, drawn by the easy access to raw materials and lower
operating costs, such as cheap hydroelectric power.[74][75] Economic
development in Spokane focuses on six industries: manufacturing,
aerospace, health sciences, information technology, clean technology,
and digital media.[76] Spokane's downtown is the site of a 100-block
wireless network—one of the largest of its kind in the country,
which is seen as symbolic of its dedication to the development of
technological opportunities and resources.[77][78]

In 2000, the leading industries in Spokane for the employed

population 16 years and older were educational services, health care,
and social assistance, 23.8 percent, and retail trade, 12.7 percent.
[3]
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 Canadian border. Other industries include construction and
mining, manufacturing, transportation, communication and networking
utilities, finance, insurance, real estate, and government.[79]
Furthermore, all branches of the U.S. armed forces are represented in
Spokane County. The largest military facility in the area is
Fairchild Air Force Base, where the 92d Air Refueling Wing (92 ARW)
is stationed. Sizable companies with locations in the Spokane region
include Cisco, F5 Networks, Goodrich Corporation, Itron, Kaiser
Aluminum, Telect, and Triumph Composite Systems.[76]

As the metropolitan center of the Inland Northwest as well as

southern British Columbia and Alberta, Spokane serves as a
commercial, manufacturing, transportation, medical, shopping, and
entertainment hub.[80][81] The city is also the hub for the service
industries, and the wholesale and retail trade center of the 80,000
square miles (210,000 km2) Inland Northwest region.[76] In
ecclesiastical services, Spokane is the administrative seat for the
Roman Catholic Diocese of Spokane, Episcopal Diocese of Spokane and
the Eastern Washington-Idaho Synod (ELCA) Due in part because Spokane
is the largest city between Seattle and Minneapolis, and because it
lies along the route to many regional attractions, tourism is on the
rise in the area.[82] Spokane can be a "base camp" for activities such
as river rafting, camping, and other activities in the region.

[edit] Culture

Northwest Museum of Arts and Culture

Life in Spokane is heavily influenced by its climate and geographical

location. Spokane experiences a four-season climate, and is close in
proximity to dozens of lakes and rivers for swimming, boating,
rafting, and fishing, as well as mountains for skiing, hiking, and
biking.[83] Within a short drive from Spokane, visitors can find 76
lakes, 33 golf courses, 11 wineries, five ski resorts, five major
national parks, the Columbia River gorge, and the Grand Coulee Dam.
[84]
Glacier National Park is just four hours away from Spokane, and
Mt. Rainier National Park and North Cascades National Park are four
and a half hours away. Other national parks are less than an eight-
hour drive away, including the United States' Yellowstone National
Park, and Canada's Banff National Park and Jasper National Park.[84]
Spokane is big enough to have many amenities of a larger city, but
small enough to support annual events and traditions with a small
town atmosphere. Spokane was awarded the All-America City Award by
the National Civic League in 1974 and 2004. The National Civic League
is an organization which recognizes communities whose citizens work
together to identify and tackle community-wide challenges and achieve
uncommon results.[85][86] There are several museums in the city, most
notably the Northwest Museum of Arts and Culture (MAC), a Smithsonian
affiliate museum that houses a large collection of Native American
artifacts as well as regional and national traveling art exhibits.[87]
Located in Browne's Addition amid the mansions of Spokane's late
19th-century golden age, the Museum is in a secluded setting a few
blocks from the center of downtown.

[edit] Arts and theater

The Fox Theater

Spokane hosts a variety of visual and performing arts scenes. These

attractions include a major civic theater as well as several smaller
ones, the Spokane Symphony, a jazz orchestra, an opera house, and
other musical venues. Spokane's local music scene however, is
considered somewhat lacking by some, they have identified a need for
a legitimate all-ages venue for music performances.[88]

Spokane has a vibrant art scene. Spokane's two main Artwalk dates
(the first Friday of February and October) attract large crowds to
the art districts. Spokane's main art districts are located in the
Davenport District, the Garland Business District, and East Sprague.
[89]
The First Friday Artwalk, which occurs the first Friday of every
month, is dedicated to local vendors and performers displaying art
around Downtown.[90] The Davenport District is also home to many art
galleries as well as some of Spokane's main performing arts venues.
[91]

Spokane offers an array of musical performances catering to a variety

of interests. The Spokane Symphony Orchestra presents a full season
of classical music, and the Spokane Jazz Orchestra, a full season of
jazz music. The Spokane Symphony is a non-profit organization that
was originally incorporated as the Spokane Philharmonic in 1945.[92]
The Spokane Jazz Orchestra is a non-profit organization formed in
1962 that claims to be the nation's oldest, continually performing,
professional, and community-supported 17-piece big band.[93]
Theater is provided by Spokane's only resident professional company,
Interplayers Ensemble.[94] Theater is also provided by Spokane Civic
Theatre and several amateur community theaters and smaller groups.
Fox Theater, which has been restored to its original 1931 Art Deco
state, is the home of the Spokane Symphony. The Metropolitan
Performing Arts Center was restored in 1988 and renamed Bing Crosby
Theater in honor of Spokane native Bing Crosby in 2006.[95]

[edit] Parks and recreation

The Spokane area offers an abundance of outdoor activities that can

be enjoyed in outlying natural areas that may cater to a variety of
interests, including miles of hiking trails, many lakes for fishing
and watersports, and numerous parks for sightseeing. In 1907,
Spokane's board of park commissioners retained the services of the
Olmsted Brothers to draw up a plan for Spokane's parks.[96] Much of
Spokane's park land was acquired by the city prior to World War I,
establishing the city early on as a leader among Western cities in
the development of a city-wide park system.[97][98] Today, Spokane has a
system of over 75 parks totaling 3,488 acres (14.12 km2).[99] Some of
the most notable parks in Spokane's extensive park system are
Riverfront Park, Manito Park and Botanical Gardens, Riverside State
Park, Mount Spokane State Park, Saint Michael's Mission State Park
and the John A. Finch Arboretum.

Duncan Garden at Manito Park

Riverfront Park, created after Expo '74 and occupying the same site,
is 100 acres (0.40 km2) in downtown Spokane and the site of some of
Spokane's largest events.[100] The park has views of the Spokane Falls,
and holds a number of civic attractions, including a Skyride that is
a rebuilt gondola that carries visitors across the falls from high
above the river gorge, a 5-story IMAX theater, and a small amusement
park (which is converted into an ice-skating rink during the winter
months) with numerous rides and concessions.[100] The park is host to a
full schedule of family entertainment and events such as the
Bloomsday Post-Race Celebration, Hoopfest, the IMAX Film Festival,
Spokane Music Festival, Pig Out in the Park, Restaurant Fair, Pow
Wow, First Night Spokane, and outdoor concerts and other community
activities. The park also includes the hand-carved Riverfront Park
Looff carousel created in 1909 by Charles I. D. Looff as a wedding
present for his daughter.[101] The carousel still operates in
Riverfront Park, where riders can participate in an old-time ring
toss. The carousel continues to offer a free ride to the rider who
grabs the brass ring. Riverfront Park also includes ample views of
the Spokane falls as well as other water features of the Spokane
River. Manito Park and Botanical Gardens, on Spokane's South Hill,
has a duck pond, a central conservatory named in memory of Dr. David
Gaiser, Duncan Gardens, a classical European Renaissance style
garden, and the Nishinomiya Japanese Garden designed by Nagao
Sakurai. Riverside State Park, is a scenic park close to downtown
that is a site for hiking, mountain biking, and rafting. The John A.
Finch Arboretum, is a 57-acre (0.23 km2) public arboretum featuring a
variety of rare and native trees and wildlife.

During the summer months, the City of Spokane is served by six all-
new neighborhood aquatic centers, including the Comstock Park Pool,
long a Spokane fixture, with its historic bathhouse. In 2008, voters
approved a $43 million bond which allowed for the complete
reconstruction of the city's five swimming pools and the addition of
a new facility near Shadle Park High School.

A more active way to see natural sites in the Spokane area include
travelling the Spokane River Centennial Trail, which features over 37
miles (60 km) of paved trails running along the Spokane River from
Sontag Park in west Spokane to the east shore of Lake Coeur d'Alene
in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho. This trail continues on as the North Idaho
Centennial Trail in Idaho and is often used for alternative
transportation and recreational use, such as running, walking,
cycling, or skating.

In addition to the park system within the city, there are many
natural areas where outdoors activities can be enjoyed close by. In
the summer, one may visit Lake Coeur d'Alene, Lake Pend Oreille,
Priest Lake, or one of the other nearby bodies of water. The Spokane
area has 76 lakes and numerous rivers, where various water sports,
fishing, camping, and rafting can take place. In the winter, the
public has access to five ski resorts within a couple hours of the
city, including Schweitzer Mountain Resort in Sandpoint, Idaho,
Silver Mountain Resort in Kellogg, Idaho, Lookout Pass Ski and
Recreation Area in Mullan, Idaho, and 49 Degrees North Ski Area in
Chewelah, Washington.[102] The closest ski area is Mt. Spokane Ski and
Snowboard Park, operated by a non-profit organization. Mt. Spokane
has trails for cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, and dog sledding.
During the non-winter months, hikers and mountain bikers may use the
trails.

[edit] Events and activities

Spokane is home to annual events and attractions that draw people
from the surrounding area. Every year in May, Spokane hosts the Lilac
Festival, which features many events including the Armed Forces
Torchlight Parade held the third Sunday of May.[103] The Lilac
Bloomsday Run, held on the first Sunday of each May, is a 7.46-mile
(12.01 km) race competitive runners, as well as walkers, that
typically draws about 45,000 participants.[104] Hoopfest is held the
last weekend in June, and has a variety of participants, from kids,
teens, and adults to former college and NBA players, in their
respective brackets. Hoopfest started in 1989 with just 300+ teams,
but now the event averages more than 25,000 participants or around
6,000 3-4 person teams annually.[105]

Lilac Bloomsday Run

Film festivals held in Spokane include The Spokane International Film

Festival and The Spokane Gay & Lesbian Film Festival. Held every
February, The Spokane International Film Festival is a small, juried
festival that features documentaries and shorts from around the
world.[106] The Spokane Gay & Lesbian Film Festival, which is held
every November, features contemporary, independent films of interest
to the GLBT community.[107] Also, The Garland Village Arts & Music
Festival takes place the second Saturday every August.

Other notable events in Spokane include the Spokane Interstate Fair,

Spokane Comic con, Japan Week, Get Lit!, and The Spokane Pride
Parade. The Spokane Interstate Fair is held annually in September at
the Fair and Expo Center which recently completed an $18 million
dollar expansion.[108] Japan Week is held in April and celebrates the
sister-city relationship with Nishinomiya, Hyogo, demonstrating the
many commonalities shared between the two cities.[109] Students from
the Spokane campus of Mukogawa Fort Wright Institute, Whitworth
University, Gonzaga University, Spokane Falls and Spokane Community
College organize an array of Japanese cultural events, in addition to
a number of others that take place around the city. Get Lit! is an
annual literary festival held each April for readers and writers
sponsored by the Eastern Washington University Press.[110] Get Lit!
features author presentations, reading and writing workshops, panels,
and author visitations to schools throughout the eastern Washington
and northern Idaho area. The Spokane Pride Parade held each June
draws gays, lesbians, and others in celebration of the value of
diversity.[111]
[edit] Sports
Main article: Sports in Spokane, Washington

Spokane Arena, home of the Spokane Chiefs and Spokane Shock

Spokane's professional sports teams include the Spokane Shock (Arena

Football League), Spokane Indians (Northwest League), Spokane Chiefs
(Western Hockey League), Spokane Sunz (American Basketball
Association), Spokane Spiders (Premier Development League), and the
Spokane Black Widows (Women's Premier Soccer League).[112]

Collegiate sports in Spokane focus on the local teams such as the

Gonzaga Bulldogs that compete in the West Coast Conference (WCC) as
well as other regional teams including the Washington State Cougars,
Eastern Washington Eagles, and the Idaho Vandals.

In 1995, the Spokane Public Facilities District opened Spokane's

premier sports venue, the Spokane Veterans Memorial Arena to replace
the aging Spokane Coliseum. In the years since the Spokane Arena
opened, it along with the city of Spokane have played host to several
major sporting events. The first major event was the 1998 Memorial
Cup, the championship game of the Canadian Hockey League.[113] Four
years later in 2002, Spokane hosted the 2002 Skate America figure
skating competition,[114] as well as the first two rounds of NCAA
Division I Women's Basketball Tournament. The Spokane Arena is the
perennial host to the State 2B Basketball Championships, which brings
athletes and fans from across Washington to Spokane.

Spokane hosted the 2007 U.S. Figure Skating Championships in the

Spokane Arena.[115] The event set an attendance record, selling nearly
155,000 tickets and was later named the "Sports Event of the Year" by
Sports Travel Magazine, beating out events such as Super Bowl XLI.[116]
Fans, analysts and athletes, including Ice Dancing champion Tanith
Belbin, spoke highly of the city's performance as host, which
included large, supportive crowds. Spokane once again hosted the 2010
U.S. Figure Skating Championships—ending eighteen days before the
start of the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, British Columbia.[115]

Club Sport League Venue

Arena Spokane
Spokane Shock Arena Football League
Football Arena
Spokane Northwest League (Eastern Avista
Baseball
Indians Division) Stadium

Spokane Western Hockey League (U.S. Spokane

Ice hockey
Chiefs Division) Arena

Spokane Premier Development League Joe Albi

Soccer
Spiders (Northwest Division) Stadium

Spokane Black Women's Premier Soccer League Joe Albi

Soccer
Widows (Pacific - North Division) Stadium

[edit] Speedball

' Full Article: Speedball

The game which is popularly played in American P.E. classes,

speedball, was invented at Lewis & Clark High School in Spokane. It
was invented by the L&C gym department in the late 1970's and
remained popular ever since. Lewis and Clark now has an
interscholastic speedball team which competes against many other
Spokane and Coeur d'Alene, Idaho area teams. Lewis and Clark has a
huge speedball rivalry with Gonzaga Preparatory School, also in
Spokane. Paul McCartney enjoyed many speedball matches at Gonzaga
with staff during the days before his concert there on March 20th,
2000. McCartney rallied for speedball to be played at the 2008 Summer
Olympics in Beijing but was unsuccessful.

There is a Speedball Hall of Fame located across the street from

Lewis and Clark High School, off of exit 280 of Interstate 90.

[edit] Media

The Review Building

Spokane is serviced by a variety of print media. Newspaper service

includes its only major daily newspaper, The Spokesman-Review,[117] as
well as other more specialized publications including the weekly
alternative newspaper, The Pacific Northwest Inlander, the bi-weekly
business journal, The Spokane Journal of Business, a monthly
newspaper for parents, Kids newspaper, the monthly GLBT newsmagazine,
Q View Northwest, a monthly outdoor activities paper, Out There
Monthly, and the monthly paper covering the Garland neighborhood, The
Garland Times.

Spokane also has several community magazines. Spokane Coeur d'Alene

Living is a monthly home and lifestyle magazine, The Spokane Sidekick
is a bi-weekly arts & entertainment guide, The Word is a monthly
humor publication, HomeTeam Sports is a tabloid dedicated to local
sports in the area, and The Family Guide is an annual publication
distributed through the Spokane and Coeur d' Alene grade schools that
contains resources to celebrate and strengthen family life in the
Inland Northwest. There are also several online media magazines for
Spokane and the surrounding area.

According to Arbitron, Spokane is the 92nd largest radio market in

the United States with 502,600 listeners aged 12 and over.[118] Twenty-
eight AM and FM radio stations broadcast in Spokane. Spokane has one
low power (LPFM) community radio station — KYRS-LP. KYRS serves the
Spokane area with progressive perspectives, filling needs that other
media do not, providing programming to diverse communities and
unserved or under-served groups.

Spokane is the 75th largest television market in the United States,

accounting for 0.364% of the total TV households in the United
States.[119] Spokane has six television stations representing the major
commercial networks and public television. The city is the television
broadcast center for much of eastern Washington (except the Yakima
and Tri-Cities area), north Idaho, northwestern Montana, northeastern
Oregon, and parts of Canada (by cable television). Spokane receives
broadcasts in the Pacific Time Zone. Montana and Alberta, Canada are
in the Mountain Time Zone and receive Spokane broadcasts one hour
later by their local time (i.e. weekday prime time begins at 7 pm for
local stations in Montana, and at 9 pm for stations received from
Spokane). The major network television affiliates include KREM-TV 2
(CBS), KXLY-TV 4 (ABC), KHQ-TV 6 (NBC) (Spokane's first television
station, signing on the air on December 20, 1952), KSPS-TV 7 (PBS),
KXMN-LP 11 (MNTV), KSKN-TV 22 (CW), KCDT-TV 26 (PBS operating out of
Coeur d'Alene, Idaho), KAYU-TV 28 (Fox), KGPX-TV 34 (ION), KQUP 47LP
(RTN) (translator for ch. 24 in Pullman, Washington), K55EB 55 (TBN)
(a translator for KTBN) and KHBA-LP 39.1-4.

[edit] Government and politics

See also: List of mayors of Spokane, Washington
Spokane City Hall

The City of Spokane operates under a Mayor-Council form of

government, also referred to as a "Strong Mayor". Spokane switched to
a Strong Mayor system in January 2001, after 40 years of running
under a Council-Manager system.[120] Spokane passed the initiative
changing the form of government in November 1999.[121] The Strong Mayor
initiative created distinct legislative and executive branches within
the city government. Under the Strong Mayor form of government, there
are two distinct branches of government: the Executive (Mayor) and
the Legislative (City Council).[121] The City Council sets the policy
direction for the city. The Mayor, as the Chief Executive Officer for
the City of Spokane, is in charge of operating city government and
implementing the policies developed by the City Council.

Other key elected members in the government are the seven members of
the Spokane City Council (two elected from each of three districts,
plus a President elected through a city-wide vote), who make up the
legislative branch of the city's government.[122] In addition to
setting policy, the City Council passes ordinances, and guides the
city through legislative efforts.

The current mayor of Spokane is Mary Verner; she became mayor on

November 27, 2007, replacing Dennis P. Hession, who conceded on
November 9, 2007.[123] Hession was sworn in on January 3, 2006, after
the recall of Jim West.[124]

Spokane County Courthouse

Federally, Spokane is part of Washington's 5th congressional

district, represented by Republican Cathy McMorris Rodgers, elected
in 2004. The state's senior member of the United States Senate is
Democrat Patty Murray, elected in 1992. The state's junior member of
the United States Senate is Democrat Maria Cantwell, elected in 2000.
The Governor of Washington is Democrat Christine Gregoire, elected in
2004.[125]

Spokane is regarded as being a conservative city, that tends to favor

Republicans in elections.[126] Although John McCain carried Spokane
County by 50%-48% in the 2008 U.S. presidential elections,[127] the
city itself favored Obama over McCain by 60%-37%.[128] Former
Democratic Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives Tom Foley
served as a representative of Washington's 5th district for 30 years,
enjoying large support from Spokane, until his narrow defeat in the
"Republican Revolution" of 1994. The city elected James Everett Chase
as its first African-American mayor in 1981, and after his
retirement, electing the city's first woman mayor, Vicki McNeil.[126]
[129]

[edit] Education
Main article: Education in Spokane

Gonzaga University

Serving the general educational needs of the local population are two
public library districts, the Spokane Public Library (within city
limits) and the Spokane County Library District. Founded in 1904 with
funding from philanthropist Andrew Carnegie, the Spokane Public
Library system comprises a downtown library overlooking Spokane Falls
and 6 branch libraries.[130] Special collections include Northwest
history, genealogy, Washington state, and Spokane County government
documents.[131]

Spokane Public Schools (District 81) is the largest public school

system in Spokane and the second largest in the state, serving
roughly 30,000 students in 6 high schools, 6 middle schools, and 34
elementary schools.[132] Other public school districts in Spokane
include the Central Valley School District, Mead School District, and
West Valley School District. A variety of state-approved private
elementary and secondary schools augment the public school system.

Spokane is home to many higher education institutions. They include

the private universities, Gonzaga and Whitworth, and the public
Community Colleges of Spokane system as well as an ITT Tech and
University of Phoenix campus. Gonzaga University and Law School was
founded by the Jesuits in 1887.[133] Whitworth was founded in 1890 and
is affiliated with the Presbyterian Church.[134] While Spokane is one
of the larger cities in the United States to lack a main campus of a
state-supported university within its city limits, Eastern Washington
University (EWU) and Washington State University (WSU) have
operations at the Riverpoint Campus, just adjacent to downtown and
across the Spokane River from the Gonzaga campus.[135] The main EWU
campus is located 15 miles (24 km) southwest of Spokane in nearby
Cheney, and WSU is located 65 miles (105 km) to the south in Pullman.

[edit] Infrastructure
Healthcare

Spokane is the hub for medical services in the Inland Northwest. Six
major hospitals are located in Spokane, four of which are full
service facilities.[136] The region's healthcare needs are served
primarily by non-profit Seattle-based Providence Health & Services
and for-profit Tennessee-based Community Health Systems, who run the
two biggest hospitals in Spokane, Sacred Heart Medical Center
(Spokane), and Deaconess Medical Center, respectively. The two
hospitals, along with a majority of Spokane's major health care
facilities are located on Spokane's Lower-South Hill, just south of
downtown. The close proximity of the hospitals, doctors' offices, and
specialized clinics scattered around this area, form what is known as
the "Medical District" of Spokane.

Other hospitals in the area include the Spokane Veterans Affairs

Medical Center in the northwest part of town, Holy Family Hospital on
the north side, and Valley Hospital and Medical Center in Spokane
Valley. One of the twenty Shriners Hospitals in the United States is
also located in Spokane.[137]

[edit] Transportation

[edit] Roads and highways

Spokane's streets use a street grid that is oriented to the four

cardinal directions. Generally in Spokane, 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). With over
40,000 vehicles per day ADT from Interstate 90 north to the US 2 - US
395 junction, North Division is Spokane's busiest corridor.[138]

I-90 as it descends down Sunset Hill into Spokane

Spokane is primarily served by Interstate 90, which runs east-west
from Seattle, through downtown Spokane, and eastward through Spokane
Valley, Liberty Lake, and onward to Coeur d'Alene.[139] Although they
are not limited access highways like I-90, US 2 and US 395 enter
Spokane from the west via I-90 and continue north through Spokane via
Division St. The two highways share the same route until they reach
"The Y", where US 395 continues northward to Deer Park then onward to
Canada, and US 2 branches off to the northeast, continuing to Mead,
Chattaroy, Newport, and Sandpoint.

Over the past decade, the Washington State Department of

Transportation (WSDOT) has aggressively improved local highways to
keep up with the region's growth and to try to prevent congestion
problems that plague many large cities around the country. In 2005,
the WSDOT completed the first two phases of its I-90 Spokane-Idaho
State Line widening project. Currently the interstate has been
widened to six lanes through Spokane Valley, but another $210 million
in funding is still needed to widen the last segment between Sullivan
Road and the Idaho state line.[140]

[edit] Public transportation

STA bus

Before the influx of automobiles, people got around by using

Spokane's streetcar system. Many of the older side streets in Spokane
still have visible streetcar rails embedded in them, as they were
never removed.[142] Streetcar service was abandoned due to declining
ridership in 1922 to 1933, and streetcar companies began to convert
all of their routes to buses.

Today, mass transportation throughout the Spokane area is provided by

the Spokane Transit Authority (STA). STA currently operates
approximately 151 buses and has a service area that covers roughly
143 square miles (370 km2).[143] A large percentage of STA bus routes
originate from the central hub, the STA Plaza, in downtown Spokane.
Passengers who stop at The Plaza can transfer to virtually any other
Spokane Transit route.

Talk of constructing a rapid-transit system began in earnest in the

late-1990s, with a light rail system being a preferred option to bus
rapid transit. The proposed light rail line was to run from The Plaza
eastward through the Spokane Valley to Liberty Lake, with future
extensions from The Plaza to Spokane International Airport, Liberty
Lake to Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, and a line running in the median of the
currently-being-constructed, North Spokane Corridor.[144] In 2005, the
$263 million project was narrowly defeated by voters, shelving the
project for the time being. A non-profit, non-partisan citizens
group, The Inland Empire Rail Transit Association (also known as
InlandRail), was created to continue the public dialog.[144]

Spokane has rail and bus service provided by Amtrak and Greyhound via
the Spokane Intermodal Center. The city is a stop for Amtrak's Empire
Builder on its way from Chicago.[145] Through service continues once a
night to both Seattle and Portland, a reflection of the old Spokane,
Portland and Seattle Railway.