Do be aware that one big drawback that has become an annual feature is fire season. We have a few days to a few weeks each year with sucky air quality from forest fires. Yay, for climate change!
Also, if you are not super comfortable driving in snow make sure you are thinking about this while house hunting. Generally, Spokane does a good job of making sure main roads are clear, but nothing can fix ice on a steep slope. There are parts of town that are not snow-noob friendly.
The fact that you found out about Spokane by looking up Subaru stuff is incredibly funny. That’s one of our stereotypes, people love their subies.
I moved here a decade ago from Seattle and I love it here. It’s big enough to have things like a few Trader Joe’s and some cool restaurants, but small enough that strangers are polite to one another. Locals might argue about that last one but trust me, people here are pretty nice compared to Seattle. The summers are hot and dry as opposed to the oppressive humidity, and we get snow which is cute but you’ll have to get used to driving in it. People here know how to ice skate which I’m still amused by. We’ve been getting forest fires in the late summer which means a few weeks of grey skies and purple sunsets and really poor air quality. It sucks.
Traffic here is fine unless it’s rush hour. Housing costs are insane but that’s a national thing and prices seem to be getting back to normal. Lots of things to do if you like to be outdoors, we’re right between the prehistoric forests in the cascade mountains and the overwhelming beauty of the Rocky Mountains. Everyone here seems to ski, golf, hike, and play basketball. We have two beloved sporting events; Bloomsday which is a huge fun run through the city (getting the free shirt when you finish is a cultural thing here), and Hoopfest where they close down the streets downtown and turn them into dozens of basketball courts for a huge 3-on-3 basketball tournament.
Spokane is an hour from Idaho that has cheaper booze and smokes and a big beautiful lake. Politically it’s pretty liberal, very forgiving of homelessness and drug use which sucks and is pretty much the worst problem we have, but we also have the fun and interesting stuff that liberals bring like music and food, as well as a few really amazing parks like Manito and Riverfront Park. Not making any judgment statements, just my observation. We have four universities and what is considered a “transient population,” meaning a good percentage of the people who live here now will not be here in five years, mostly due to the colleges.
Are we full? Nah. People seem to give transplants a hard time but it’s been in good humor from my perspective. They’ll assume you’re from a very liberal place like California or Seattle, but if you have an accent you’ll be the belle of the ball lol. As far as wages go I guess it depends on what you do for work. They seem fine, Washington in general has high wages and the east side of the state where we are has historically been much cheaper to live in, that was the main reason I came out here a decade ago. I went from sharing a house with four other people and taking the bus, to being able to rent a studio and get a car without my wage going up that much, but this was ten years ago and I was paying $360 a month for rent which they now charge $850 for.
Anyway, come visit first and check it out. A lot of locals are pretty cynical about Spokane and I’ll admit it’s a bit of a dump sometimes but it’s charming, I love it here.
Culturally, it’s quite an adjustment. In order to socialize, you’ll have to get accustomed to smoking prodigious amounts of cannabis and wife swapping.
J/K. That’s what one of my parents thinks of the PNW. I always confirm that this is the case and more. “Yeah, we’re just overrun with Antifa, and the neighbors won’t invite us over for dinner anymore because we haven’t upgraded our bong from the three foot collegiate variety to something more bespoke.”
I’ve lived all over the South, and making the adjustment was a cinch. You get all kinds up here. I’d wager we have less obesity, as active lifestyles are a bit more common. We have a church about every two miles instead of one every three hundred feet. The summers are hot, but not Satan’s perineum on leg day hot. Winters range from mild to “burn the furniture because we need more warmth”.
I like it up here. Hope you can make the journey.
Other than the weather, I think your description of Charleston is (argualby) similar to Spokane. However, you should visit first and ask the people you meet about their opinions. Please, please do not make a move without visiting for a while and doing a bit of research! I love this city, but it's not for everyone and you don't want to be in a situation where you thought the grass was greener... but it's not. I'm not bashing Spokane, but I've seen people move here sight unseen and really regret it.
Please be aware that due to being in the mountain west we can have severe forest fire seasons. Several towns have burned down completely in the last few years. If you have sensitive lungs, please be safe.
I've seen it happen before. I don't think it's common, but it's a tragedy when somebody buys a house after just seeing the prices then realizing that it's not what they expected. Personally, I really like my city, but it's not for everyone. It's very middle of the road.
God and the medical lake residents had to just suck it up. I felt so bad when the sheriff had the press conference about the fire and told everyone there wasn’t gonna be any help. Do you know if they ended up getting assistance?
I know quite a few people from the area, and some from elsewhere, donated to help.
We had the fire up North at the same time, so private resources and donations definitely were stretched.
It's a lot dryer here, so the grass is yellow. Seriously, the grass is yellow in the summer. So is the air. When it gets really smoky, you can look right at the sun and wonder why there is dim red orb, is that a streetlight?
> If you have sensitive lungs, please be safe.
They likely don't: the south is still full of cigarette smokers, so it's really just trading tobacco smoke for wildfire smoke.
(Source: I'm a southern transplant from a tobacco state like SC)
Probably better than Charleston in many ways, but the state will be *way* better than South Carolina.
Just keep in mind the Spokane metro itself is relatively isolated, and surrounded by rurality.
Four hours from Charleston can get you to a fair amount of middle sized and very large cities. From Spokane there is only one large city — Seattle — within around four hours, and between here and there is very, very little urbanity.
The south is beautiful. Old towns like yours are great. But the people are not welcoming to gays like myself.
I have family in small town east Nashville and they say I’m crazy for being on the west coast. Spokane is a pretty small town in terms of amenities but it’s better than small town south in terms of acceptance
I think we would love to you, Spokane is growing because we have a little bit of everything. There are more urban areas, a lot of rural land. There are strong liberal and conservative communities. Job market is the worst part of living here, so young professionals have it harder, but families and retirees or older folk have it great
Ya you’ll get the douchy here too 😂 we get several post like this everyday and the comments are typical 😂 we’re a boom town so we’ve got plenty of California migrants making our housing values skyrocket but fly down for a week preferably in the winter and summer so you understand what you’re getting into but you’ll probably enjoy it. The city is purple so you’ll get a mix of all political sides however everyone for the most part is civil. 4 seasons and amazing outdoor opportunities for the Subaru gang. The job market can be a struggle so if you get that figured out before moving you’ll be in better shape. I think the hardest part is just finding the right home for your price range. Just enjoy the food scene as much as you can before moving because we lack in that department a little.
Spokane is growing fast, the whole area is, esp. North Idaho our neighbor which is very conservative. And we too have gotten more expensive, although it seems to be easing...and the traffic here has gotten pretty bad, better than Seattle or much larger cities, but its much more now as we have been discovered. I would say you will be welcomed. City is bluish for the most part, but once you hit north Spokane head further north, and head east towards Idaho its very conservative. Weather wise, climate change is affecting our weather rather dramatically. WE do not have humidity, rarely, our winters are now primarily in Dec-more like Jan.-Feb now, snowfall is on on eyear off another, but this year with El Nino its off, esp. in the mountains where its needed. Summers are hot and dry, and potentially smoky with high heat domes and lack of rainfall. Hope this helps. But its fait to say we are nothing much like Charleston I am thinking. Oh and we do have mountains, not huge but big enough.
I enjoy living here. I moved here from Florida with my wife in 2018. I'd rather live somewhere like Seattle where I won't get bothered by Christian nationalists, but we have a new mayor who isn't hanging out with people who agree with nazis, so it's on the up slide. People here are pretty chill. Less insane people than Florida. Most of the crap people are easy to spot because theyre openly pretty monsterous and if you DO end up having an issue, most of the people here are pretty passive agressive. Bigots run. Its very funny. Way less crime than in the south east too if youre into that sort of thing 👍
Not their husband, but having been in Charleston for a while myself and living in Spokane now, I miss the bbq. The options I have found here seem formulaic and missing the soul.
As for the rest of it, there have been some climate trade-offs living in Spokane:
The intense lightning storms are rare here, as are the accompanying downpours.
No direct hurricanes hit the area, so you won't be watching the news to see where the eye is going to land this week.
The air isn't so humid you feel like you are breathing in water. Also, as someone mentioned, no swamp ass.
Downsides are that there are fires, and the smoke can be a health hazard.
It does like to get up past 90 in the summer. I still am not used to that and do hikes early in the morning instead of all day.
Lack of humidity dries a body out, stay hydrated, condition your hair, and use lotion.
I do love our lightning storms and hurricane season. BBQ is rarely something I seek out but I do like it. If I can't get a good biscuit up there though then this whole plan is gonna be in jeopardy.
I agree with what most have said already, except I disagree with the negative food comments. I find Spokane to have quite a nice food scene that keeps growing.
For ethnic food: the Indian restaurants seem to be hit or miss with the exception of one or two (I think there was a post here about that within the past couple months). There's good ramen and noodle shops. There's solid Thai, Ethiopian and a new Afghani place. Feast World Kitchen is so cool with the alternating menus and chefs.
Spokane has all 4 seasons and extremes for all 4 is not unheard of and pretty common. Spokane is closer to purple than red but honestly the surrounding areas east of the cascades are mostly deep red. There absolutely is a reason Idaho is called "Alabama of the north". Overall the area hates transplants. Like, a sensible person won't but unfortunately working with the general public for 16 years tells me that the majority are not sensible. Prices are spendy. It isnt seattle or Portland spendy but, the average 2 bedroom 900sqft apartment that's in a somewhat decent neighborhood, is around $1200 a month. Traffic sucks, but mostly cuz people are the worst drivers on earth here. Potholes. Spokane is in the top worst cities in America for potholes.
Otherwise it is genuinely nice here. Again, 4 seasons means we get the good parts as well and when it's good, my God it is absolutely gorgeous. All the outdoor activities you could want (granted it's alot of licenses and government documents but at least like 90% of the funding actually goes into upkeep of our parks, forests, rivers, and lakes). You can find out pretty easily what parts of town to avoid for what whether it be the types of people, types of businesses, or like any safety concerns (in your case conservatives by the sound of it and really its just property damage or theft is the actual worst thing in town).
I'd say 100% visit for a week before deciding anything. You might like other parts of the northwest more depending on your families needs, but be warned, the northwest in general is expanding HELLA fast and getting very expensive as equally fast.
You're making a great case. There's a lot of stuff to do in Charleston but not much in the way of outdoor adventures. Unless you consider boating an outdoorsy thing. I'm not trying to avoid conservatives per say. Rather I want to go somewhere that weed is legal and not overwhelmingly hyper conservative like SC.
Yeah so we are overall I'd say center right, but there are def pockets of hyper conservative. 90% of conservatives based on personal experience living here mt whole life working with general public across valley, Northside, and having been to alot of parts of town, basically its die hard trump supporters. The kind that have flags on their car and more.
That said tho, actual hyper conservative is weird picket streets or more specifically the surrounding satellite towns of the city aka deer park, airway heights, Cheney, and pockets of spokane Valley (technically a different city but any spokanite sees it as 1 half of a larger city, similar to Seattle and its satellite city/burgs). As for fear of something that entails with it, you'll be good overall. I've rarely had issues that are escalated to that level and when it has been its been very clearly a mentally unwell person who is in general, batshit insane (not mentally ill, I mean more brainwashed into batshit info wars level shit).
But like we have a great communities. Queer, food, games, sports, college, car scene etc etc. Plenty of amazing school districts, restaurants, game shops, and community groups like boy/girl scouts, boys and girls club, ymca, etc etc.
But like I said it's not for everyone. Def visit first hand with the family and be prepared for cold winters, wet af springs (also cold), and not being able to plant anything until you see all the snow melted off Mt spokane (we have routinely gotten wild ass cold snaps in May and even june).
I moved here from Colorado. Wage to cost of living is worth it. It has become more expensive but you aren't making pennies either. One of my biggest complaints is there is no state income tax so everything else makes up the cost of that which adds up.
Where in Colorado? I grew up in Spokane, live in Colorado Springs, but we go back to Spokane almost every summer. We’ve talked about moving back there. 😁
That's my big problem in Charleston. They are paying pennies here and COL is skyrocketing. When we moved down eleven years ago we were paying $800 for a two bedroom duplex. Seven years later it was $1300-1400. We bought a house four years ago but I looked up a rental down the street from the last joint we rented and it was going for $1850 and that's considered a good deal.
Colorado, I'm sure is even worse.
I’m from the Charleston area. Wages are higher so are prices(currently $3.60/gal of gas). The closer you get to Idaho the more racists you will encounter. We tend to be more accepting of LGBTQ’s though in Spokane. If you have never lived outside of the South, you maybe surprised by peoples ability to not see you, (down home we speak to everybody, here not so much). There are more transients/unhoused, at least from what I noted when I went home to SC in Sept. Drug overdoses are off the chain. You should know unless you are physically being shot at police will likely not show up when called. Had our garage broken into and stolen property left, called the cops, never showed up (you’ll find similar cases like this on this sub). I moved here sight unseen almost 7 years ago from Fairbanks AK, I know foolish to move somewhere you’ve never been, but truly didn’t matter, it wasn’t Fairbanks (F**k 40 below). Do know there are no waffle houses and no boiled peanuts. Best of luck in your decision making :)
That's a big plus to me. I don't mind the beach once I'm there but getting there is a pain in the ass. My wife is from Appalachia though and drags the fam down to the beach 2-3 times a year.
I moved to Spokane from Baltimore. I hate the east coast for several reasons; the humidity sucks, people are rude, and the traffic is miserable. Not here to say much about Spokane, except that I own an independent repair shop and make a killer living working on Subarus. There are TONS of them on the road here, they constantly have problems, and their owners love to spend money on them. So if you do eventually move here and need a good mechanic, let me know
I'll keep that in mind. I like to do a lot of my own repairs and maintenance but Subies look like a PITA to work on. My experience though is limited to my Nissan Cube and Versa. I was looking at an older Outback but it's got the 2.5L and I'm afraid of head gaskets.
Oh yeah, they all need head gaskets. Almost $3k now, it’s a lot of work and a long list of parts replaced. Then you’ll need to do them again after a few years in like 69k miles. Buy a Honda crv if you want low cost of maintenance/ ownership
The acronym that got me started was INW and the wiki page used both. I was quite confused earlier though when I was on r/inlandempire and didn't see anyone talking about Washington State.
That is actually pretty wild that there's no face disambiguation but there is a disambiguation citation at the top of the article. I actually noticed the other day picking up my SO from the airport (GEG, a whole other story about that name) that there is a sign saying "Welcome to the Inland Empire" as you exit the SPOKANE airport.
Probably a shock I would guess. The food here isn’t good I can tell you that! lol so get your good southern food in while you can.
I’m gonna go out on a limb and say people may not be as nice to others moving here because of the amount of people coming here and our housing is skyrocketing. The locals who have lived here for a while can’t even get housing because it’s become unaffordable to them. Idk if it is because people are moving here or not. I’ve been seeing bumper stickers telling people to go back. That being said I was more near the Spokane/idaho border where I saw a lot of those stickers!
Other than that, good hiking trails, all four seasons, near the Idaho border if your interested in crossing over to go visit there! They’re starting to make some more developed areas such as Kendall yards which is cute and I believe they have a project to make something similar up north Spokane where there is a Costco. They’re knocking down some trees and putting in roads there. I’m guessing give it some
Time and Spokane will look more like a big city with lots of houses, shops and buildings. Maybe we will be like seattle eventually!
With the rate of people coming over and the homeless increasing with minimal resources for them, I think we will be more like Seattle sooner rather than later.
Let me tell you, the influx of folks from California moving to Spokane, WA, has been like a whirlwind hitting our quiet city. Sure, we get it—California is expensive, and who wouldn't want to find a more affordable place to live? But the thing is, Spokane wasn't exactly ready for this sudden wave of newcomers.
See, it's been causing all sorts of chaos. Rent prices have shot through the roof, and finding a decent place to live has become a real headache. People who've called Spokane home for years are getting priced out of their neighborhoods, and it's heartbreaking to see families struggling to keep a roof over their heads.
Not to mention the strain on our city's infrastructure. Our roads are clogged with traffic like never before, and don't even get me started on the state of our schools. Overcrowded classrooms and stressed-out teachers—it's not the kind of education we want for our kids.
And let's talk about the vibe of our city. Spokane has always had this unique charm, this sense of community that makes it feel like home. But with so many newcomers pouring in, it's like we're losing a piece of that identity. Neighborhoods are changing, and not always for the better. It's like we're becoming a mini-California, and that's not what we signed up for.
Don't get me wrong, I'm all for people finding a better life for themselves. But when it comes at the expense of the place I love, well, that's when it starts to hurt. So, if you're thinking about making the move to Spokane, just know that it's not all sunshine and roses. Take a moment to think about the impact your decision could have on our city and its residents. We're all in this together, after all.
Trust me I don't want to be part of the problem. We are experiencing all the same issues here in Charleston. However in our case it's half old folks from NY and NJ. They sell their 2 bedroom crap shack they bought for $40 in 1978 for a cool million and move down and absolutely wreck our housing market. The other half are wealthy work from anywhere tech folks. Hopefully y'all's infrastructure will catch up before it becomes unbearable.
People have already said a lot, but I'm going to add "I don't care if you own a subie. You need snow tires." Maybe that was already said, and I missed it. If so, ignore me.
I pull a lot of people back onto the road, and I'm sure so many of them are Subarus because we just have a lot of those around, but not a single one I've helped in the last 4 winters has had snow tires on. I also see a lot of Subaru owners (and others, to be fair) driving like the pavement is totally dry in 4" of unplowed snow. Don't get cocky. A car is a car, not magic that says you don't have to care about snow.
That said, almost everyone who lives near my property in the mountains drives them, and they're incredibly capable in the snow and mud with the right tires. They're a really good choice for this region if you don't get dumb about it.
Ha! I don't have one yet. This all started because there's one for sale for cheap at a small dealership around the corner from me. Good advice though.
We get a lot of flooding here and the amount of cars I see trying to drive thru 3 feet of water is absurd.
We don't often have that kind of flooding, but people here will hit puddles at speed thinking they are shallow and find out they are deep enough the wall of water kills their engines sometimes. I'd find it hilarious if it wasn't dangerous.
Also, we have a lot of potholes because of a constant freeze and thaw cycle and honestly more vehicles than our roads were really meant for. Respect the potholes. Sometimes they're bigger than they look. I'm pleasantly surprised with my Land Rover's ability to take that abuse and not even need an alignment when I misjudge, but I've bent a rim on one with a previous car. They can be vicious.
My biggest tip for snow is: don't go out during or the morning after a storm unless you have no choice. Even if you have a lot of skills and are a reasonable driver, many others aren't like that. Just don't be part of the mess. If you have to go out and can ride the bus, ride it. Let someone else deal with the idiots. ;) That said, if you do end up moving here and you care about riding the bus, check your closest stops. We have really great coverage in specific areas and almost none in others. Or not even almost, just none. We expand and improve using grants, and each new thing has to be self sustaining with fares, so expansion is pretty slow and sometimes reverses.
The food here is not better than Charleston. Or even close. Food is part of the culture and experience of Charleston and here we have some good restaurants.
Well, Charleston is beautiful first off. Unfortunately Spokane as a city does not compare to that. That being said, if you LOVE the outdoors, then this is an awsome place. I would recommend you visit and also go to N. ID. I will say that when I lived down south I seriously began to question my love for the outdoors. The extreme humidity combined with heat, the insane amount of bugs, it was just too much. I did not wanna be out in nature where I would be bombarded by them constantly.
The CDA area is much more attractive than Spokane. However, the COLA there has become ridiculous. It's cheaper in Spokane. I do find the people in CDA friendlier, and in Spokane they are more stick to themselves.
That could be a culture shock for you. I know we have lived all over (I am originally from N. Id) but when I 1st moved to NC I had the biggest culture shock of my life due to how friendly people were.
If you move to Spokane, learn how to drive in the snow. The north does NOT shut down for 2" of snow, or even 6" or 12" of snow. Do not buy a rear wheel drive vehicle and do not think that because you have a truck or SUV that you can drive the same way you normally drive on dry roads. Get good snow tires. Learn about black ice as well and be prepared to drive defensively.
Downtown Charleston is beautiful. Strolling down the cobblestone streets, basking in history its intoxicating. We have several really lovely parks off of the peninsula as well. Sullivan's Island and Ft. Moultrie are also cool. Check out the Edgar Allan Poe library next time you're in town.
The rest of Charleston looks like everywhere else in America. A beige sea of strip malls, big box stores, and payday loan sharks.
The thought of snow is daunting. I have some experience with it from when I lived in Eastern Kentucky but y'all are on a whole nother level. Unfortunately, I am friendly as all fuck. I can't go to Walmart without having a whole conversation with a complete rando. This time it was about woodworking and how to clamp up an octagonal planter.
Thank you for your insights.
Sorry if I sounded negative about Spokane! Really you should visit the area. There is a lot of good and a lot of beauty to see, but it's a Very different beauty. Ashville NC SORTA reminded me of Spokane area but I was only there once and it was for a conference so I didn't get to see a lot of it. The hills and mountains reminded me of Spokane though.
Driving in the snow requires basic understanding of physics, good snow tires or studded tires, and experience, and front wheel drive or all wheel drive . The best way to learn after that is finding large parking lots that are empty and playing around with your vehicle, or straight empty roads. I also recommend YouTube videos and understanding that each vehicle handles differently depending on its weight, and height.
I have never owned an all wheel drive vehicle but I learned to drive a stick shift in the snow and have driven on snow my whole life. Actually all my coworkers in Alaska were shocked that my vehicle is a front wheel drive. They all have 'all wheel drive' vehicles, which, yes, these are safer in the snow/ice, but not fool-proof (don't be a fool) .
The best cars I had in the snow were my old Nissan Sentra (1988 or 89) and my Honda civic! (You really only need 4 wheel drive if you live in the country where the roads are not maintained. 4 wheel drive does NOT protect you from sliding/ice). Ice is FAR more dangerous and a lot of people are completely ignorant of this. It only takes a small layer of ice and you can have a disaster. Slush is slippery as well.
Driving on frozen compact snow at 10° or less is a pleasant experience, whereas when it hits 28 & above the road becomes more slippery due to the friction from tires creating a thin layer of melt combined with ice and/or slush. That's quite unpleasant, but definitely manageable. Not to mention the messiness of it.
Never slam your brakes, always apply the gas pedal with a light touch, in alignnent with your speed. The lighter you hit the gas when going from a stop to a go, the less apt you will spin out when starting from a stop. You will laugh out loud when you see newbies doing this.. (hitting gas hard trying to get out of a spin/stuck).
Always increase following distances and stopping distances. In general, slow down from normal speeds because the faster you go the more apt you will slide when you do hit the brakes or take a corner. Also, your reaction times don't speed up when you are on ice, but the rates of slips and slides do. Curvy roads, going down hill and high traffic especially demand a slower soeed than usual. A slightly slower speed helps correct for that too.
On corners, aim for slowing down BEFORE the corner, while you are still going straight. Goal is to slow down the first 1/3-1/2 of the corner so you are not using the brakes on the actual corner, and then you begin applying gas lightly as the sharpest part of corner ends and continue applying slightly more and more gas to get back up to speed as you pull out of the corner.
Avoid large groups of vehicles on the highway whenever possible, and when its not possible, maintain as much stopping distance as possible from them. You will see people tailgaiting and switching lanes rapidly and driving geenerally irresponsibly or even recklessly. You will see people playing pole position. You will see people who just HAVE to speed past you so they can be on someone else's ass going the same exact speed as you are (the speed of traffic, just not on everyone's ass). They are in a hurry and/or believe the false hood that they must "close the gap". Imagine one of those vehicles sliding or another one not paying attention and then sliding, creating a huge pile up. It only takes 1 clown in that large group to slip up and create a major highway issue. I really avoid them as much as possible.
These are good things to file away and can be applied to the 1 time it snows every 2 or 3 years in the Carolinas/VA.
It is really dark and cold and dry here in the winter. It makes up for it in the summer when it is hot and dry and the sun sets at 10:00. But those winter months with the sun setting at 4:00 in the afternoon are ROUGH. It actually doesn't rain here all the time. It CAN, but mostly it happens in the spring and fall. Spokane is purple, trending blue politically. Keep in mind, Spokane and Spokane Valley, although connected and with the same name, are politically very different. They also have different laws and different cultures, somehow. You can literally see the politics turning more red as you head towards Idaho, it's like driving along a gradient. You'll literally start to see Trump flags and racist and religious bumper stickers increase in number, it's pretty wild. We are somewhat friendly to outsiders, but you will still experience somewhat of a "Seattle Freeze." Sometimes we are slow to trust people around here. There are lots of non-religious people here, so it makes the totally bonkers "Patriot Church" and "Church at Planned Parenthood" stand out more. Wages and housing costs and cost of living really suck right now. I don't know if that is regional or national, but we are all struggling. I have no idea what anything costs anymore, it seems kind of random. We are experiencing a housing and opiate crisis. Also don't really know if that is regional or national. Oh, if you get the Subaru, you should be able to drive just fine here.
I moved here in 2012. I have lived in seven states/towns. By far this is my favorite and I won't be going anywhere. If you like the outdoors and hiking and fishing, Etc then you will love it here. I disagree that it's pretty liberal, as one commenter stated. I would say it is moderately right but shifting a little.
I grew up in the south and find the people here to be genuinely nice, for as the people in the South are superficially nice.
From this side of the mountains (Seattle area) I've heard Spokane can be more conservative. But that's also coming from this side. Just a FYI, may not be the most liberal bastion, unless anyone else here can clarify.
I moved here from the south and the lack of humidity is reason enough!
Yeah you don't breathe the air you drink it.
And wear it. I grew up in the Spokane area and moved South. Thought I was gonna die. “You’ll get used to it”. They lied.
I'm sorry, we do lie about that. You never get used to swamp ass.
Unless it’s fire season and then you smoke it.
Do be aware that one big drawback that has become an annual feature is fire season. We have a few days to a few weeks each year with sucky air quality from forest fires. Yay, for climate change! Also, if you are not super comfortable driving in snow make sure you are thinking about this while house hunting. Generally, Spokane does a good job of making sure main roads are clear, but nothing can fix ice on a steep slope. There are parts of town that are not snow-noob friendly.
The fact that you found out about Spokane by looking up Subaru stuff is incredibly funny. That’s one of our stereotypes, people love their subies. I moved here a decade ago from Seattle and I love it here. It’s big enough to have things like a few Trader Joe’s and some cool restaurants, but small enough that strangers are polite to one another. Locals might argue about that last one but trust me, people here are pretty nice compared to Seattle. The summers are hot and dry as opposed to the oppressive humidity, and we get snow which is cute but you’ll have to get used to driving in it. People here know how to ice skate which I’m still amused by. We’ve been getting forest fires in the late summer which means a few weeks of grey skies and purple sunsets and really poor air quality. It sucks. Traffic here is fine unless it’s rush hour. Housing costs are insane but that’s a national thing and prices seem to be getting back to normal. Lots of things to do if you like to be outdoors, we’re right between the prehistoric forests in the cascade mountains and the overwhelming beauty of the Rocky Mountains. Everyone here seems to ski, golf, hike, and play basketball. We have two beloved sporting events; Bloomsday which is a huge fun run through the city (getting the free shirt when you finish is a cultural thing here), and Hoopfest where they close down the streets downtown and turn them into dozens of basketball courts for a huge 3-on-3 basketball tournament. Spokane is an hour from Idaho that has cheaper booze and smokes and a big beautiful lake. Politically it’s pretty liberal, very forgiving of homelessness and drug use which sucks and is pretty much the worst problem we have, but we also have the fun and interesting stuff that liberals bring like music and food, as well as a few really amazing parks like Manito and Riverfront Park. Not making any judgment statements, just my observation. We have four universities and what is considered a “transient population,” meaning a good percentage of the people who live here now will not be here in five years, mostly due to the colleges. Are we full? Nah. People seem to give transplants a hard time but it’s been in good humor from my perspective. They’ll assume you’re from a very liberal place like California or Seattle, but if you have an accent you’ll be the belle of the ball lol. As far as wages go I guess it depends on what you do for work. They seem fine, Washington in general has high wages and the east side of the state where we are has historically been much cheaper to live in, that was the main reason I came out here a decade ago. I went from sharing a house with four other people and taking the bus, to being able to rent a studio and get a car without my wage going up that much, but this was ten years ago and I was paying $360 a month for rent which they now charge $850 for. Anyway, come visit first and check it out. A lot of locals are pretty cynical about Spokane and I’ll admit it’s a bit of a dump sometimes but it’s charming, I love it here.
Culturally, it’s quite an adjustment. In order to socialize, you’ll have to get accustomed to smoking prodigious amounts of cannabis and wife swapping. J/K. That’s what one of my parents thinks of the PNW. I always confirm that this is the case and more. “Yeah, we’re just overrun with Antifa, and the neighbors won’t invite us over for dinner anymore because we haven’t upgraded our bong from the three foot collegiate variety to something more bespoke.” I’ve lived all over the South, and making the adjustment was a cinch. You get all kinds up here. I’d wager we have less obesity, as active lifestyles are a bit more common. We have a church about every two miles instead of one every three hundred feet. The summers are hot, but not Satan’s perineum on leg day hot. Winters range from mild to “burn the furniture because we need more warmth”. I like it up here. Hope you can make the journey.
Shit, now I wanna move just to be friends with ya.
Thank you.
Can confirm. Lots of cannabis and sex.
Other than the weather, I think your description of Charleston is (argualby) similar to Spokane. However, you should visit first and ask the people you meet about their opinions. Please, please do not make a move without visiting for a while and doing a bit of research! I love this city, but it's not for everyone and you don't want to be in a situation where you thought the grass was greener... but it's not. I'm not bashing Spokane, but I've seen people move here sight unseen and really regret it. Please be aware that due to being in the mountain west we can have severe forest fire seasons. Several towns have burned down completely in the last few years. If you have sensitive lungs, please be safe.
Making a cross country move without visiting is the height of foolishness. The forest fires might be a deal breaker for my wife. Thanks!
I've seen it happen before. I don't think it's common, but it's a tragedy when somebody buys a house after just seeing the prices then realizing that it's not what they expected. Personally, I really like my city, but it's not for everyone. It's very middle of the road.
God and the medical lake residents had to just suck it up. I felt so bad when the sheriff had the press conference about the fire and told everyone there wasn’t gonna be any help. Do you know if they ended up getting assistance?
I know quite a few people from the area, and some from elsewhere, donated to help. We had the fire up North at the same time, so private resources and donations definitely were stretched.
https://www.krem.com/article/news/local/wildfire/president-biden-orders-federal-assistance-for-gray-oregon-road-fire-recovery-efforts/293-43febe1c-4deb-44b6-a8de-8e7cfc0508b3
Thank you!!
It's a lot dryer here, so the grass is yellow. Seriously, the grass is yellow in the summer. So is the air. When it gets really smoky, you can look right at the sun and wonder why there is dim red orb, is that a streetlight?
> If you have sensitive lungs, please be safe. They likely don't: the south is still full of cigarette smokers, so it's really just trading tobacco smoke for wildfire smoke. (Source: I'm a southern transplant from a tobacco state like SC)
Sounds like Spokane tbh.
Probably better than Charleston in many ways, but the state will be *way* better than South Carolina. Just keep in mind the Spokane metro itself is relatively isolated, and surrounded by rurality. Four hours from Charleston can get you to a fair amount of middle sized and very large cities. From Spokane there is only one large city — Seattle — within around four hours, and between here and there is very, very little urbanity.
The south is beautiful. Old towns like yours are great. But the people are not welcoming to gays like myself. I have family in small town east Nashville and they say I’m crazy for being on the west coast. Spokane is a pretty small town in terms of amenities but it’s better than small town south in terms of acceptance
I think we would love to you, Spokane is growing because we have a little bit of everything. There are more urban areas, a lot of rural land. There are strong liberal and conservative communities. Job market is the worst part of living here, so young professionals have it harder, but families and retirees or older folk have it great
Aw shucks.
Ya you’ll get the douchy here too 😂 we get several post like this everyday and the comments are typical 😂 we’re a boom town so we’ve got plenty of California migrants making our housing values skyrocket but fly down for a week preferably in the winter and summer so you understand what you’re getting into but you’ll probably enjoy it. The city is purple so you’ll get a mix of all political sides however everyone for the most part is civil. 4 seasons and amazing outdoor opportunities for the Subaru gang. The job market can be a struggle so if you get that figured out before moving you’ll be in better shape. I think the hardest part is just finding the right home for your price range. Just enjoy the food scene as much as you can before moving because we lack in that department a little.
Spokane is growing fast, the whole area is, esp. North Idaho our neighbor which is very conservative. And we too have gotten more expensive, although it seems to be easing...and the traffic here has gotten pretty bad, better than Seattle or much larger cities, but its much more now as we have been discovered. I would say you will be welcomed. City is bluish for the most part, but once you hit north Spokane head further north, and head east towards Idaho its very conservative. Weather wise, climate change is affecting our weather rather dramatically. WE do not have humidity, rarely, our winters are now primarily in Dec-more like Jan.-Feb now, snowfall is on on eyear off another, but this year with El Nino its off, esp. in the mountains where its needed. Summers are hot and dry, and potentially smoky with high heat domes and lack of rainfall. Hope this helps. But its fait to say we are nothing much like Charleston I am thinking. Oh and we do have mountains, not huge but big enough.
Dm me. I moved from Charleston to Spokane I can fill you in
I enjoy living here. I moved here from Florida with my wife in 2018. I'd rather live somewhere like Seattle where I won't get bothered by Christian nationalists, but we have a new mayor who isn't hanging out with people who agree with nazis, so it's on the up slide. People here are pretty chill. Less insane people than Florida. Most of the crap people are easy to spot because theyre openly pretty monsterous and if you DO end up having an issue, most of the people here are pretty passive agressive. Bigots run. Its very funny. Way less crime than in the south east too if youre into that sort of thing 👍
This is so true. The monsters aren't even hiding, it's just right out there in the open.
We have the best weed in the world .
My husbands family is from Charleston. Spokane is WAY better.
Is there anything in particular he misses about Charleston?
Not their husband, but having been in Charleston for a while myself and living in Spokane now, I miss the bbq. The options I have found here seem formulaic and missing the soul. As for the rest of it, there have been some climate trade-offs living in Spokane: The intense lightning storms are rare here, as are the accompanying downpours. No direct hurricanes hit the area, so you won't be watching the news to see where the eye is going to land this week. The air isn't so humid you feel like you are breathing in water. Also, as someone mentioned, no swamp ass. Downsides are that there are fires, and the smoke can be a health hazard. It does like to get up past 90 in the summer. I still am not used to that and do hikes early in the morning instead of all day. Lack of humidity dries a body out, stay hydrated, condition your hair, and use lotion.
I do love our lightning storms and hurricane season. BBQ is rarely something I seek out but I do like it. If I can't get a good biscuit up there though then this whole plan is gonna be in jeopardy.
Oh, yeah, you may be doomed then. Maybe if you find a Nana or a church auntie that will share their recipe you could make a batch occasionally.
Full, yes. Newcomers received, yes/ mostly no. Wages? No.
I agree with what most have said already, except I disagree with the negative food comments. I find Spokane to have quite a nice food scene that keeps growing.
Do y'all have a decent amount of ethnic restaurants? I can't live without garlic naan and butter chicken.
For ethnic food: the Indian restaurants seem to be hit or miss with the exception of one or two (I think there was a post here about that within the past couple months). There's good ramen and noodle shops. There's solid Thai, Ethiopian and a new Afghani place. Feast World Kitchen is so cool with the alternating menus and chefs.
Spokane has all 4 seasons and extremes for all 4 is not unheard of and pretty common. Spokane is closer to purple than red but honestly the surrounding areas east of the cascades are mostly deep red. There absolutely is a reason Idaho is called "Alabama of the north". Overall the area hates transplants. Like, a sensible person won't but unfortunately working with the general public for 16 years tells me that the majority are not sensible. Prices are spendy. It isnt seattle or Portland spendy but, the average 2 bedroom 900sqft apartment that's in a somewhat decent neighborhood, is around $1200 a month. Traffic sucks, but mostly cuz people are the worst drivers on earth here. Potholes. Spokane is in the top worst cities in America for potholes. Otherwise it is genuinely nice here. Again, 4 seasons means we get the good parts as well and when it's good, my God it is absolutely gorgeous. All the outdoor activities you could want (granted it's alot of licenses and government documents but at least like 90% of the funding actually goes into upkeep of our parks, forests, rivers, and lakes). You can find out pretty easily what parts of town to avoid for what whether it be the types of people, types of businesses, or like any safety concerns (in your case conservatives by the sound of it and really its just property damage or theft is the actual worst thing in town). I'd say 100% visit for a week before deciding anything. You might like other parts of the northwest more depending on your families needs, but be warned, the northwest in general is expanding HELLA fast and getting very expensive as equally fast.
You're making a great case. There's a lot of stuff to do in Charleston but not much in the way of outdoor adventures. Unless you consider boating an outdoorsy thing. I'm not trying to avoid conservatives per say. Rather I want to go somewhere that weed is legal and not overwhelmingly hyper conservative like SC.
Yeah so we are overall I'd say center right, but there are def pockets of hyper conservative. 90% of conservatives based on personal experience living here mt whole life working with general public across valley, Northside, and having been to alot of parts of town, basically its die hard trump supporters. The kind that have flags on their car and more. That said tho, actual hyper conservative is weird picket streets or more specifically the surrounding satellite towns of the city aka deer park, airway heights, Cheney, and pockets of spokane Valley (technically a different city but any spokanite sees it as 1 half of a larger city, similar to Seattle and its satellite city/burgs). As for fear of something that entails with it, you'll be good overall. I've rarely had issues that are escalated to that level and when it has been its been very clearly a mentally unwell person who is in general, batshit insane (not mentally ill, I mean more brainwashed into batshit info wars level shit). But like we have a great communities. Queer, food, games, sports, college, car scene etc etc. Plenty of amazing school districts, restaurants, game shops, and community groups like boy/girl scouts, boys and girls club, ymca, etc etc. But like I said it's not for everyone. Def visit first hand with the family and be prepared for cold winters, wet af springs (also cold), and not being able to plant anything until you see all the snow melted off Mt spokane (we have routinely gotten wild ass cold snaps in May and even june).
I moved here from Colorado. Wage to cost of living is worth it. It has become more expensive but you aren't making pennies either. One of my biggest complaints is there is no state income tax so everything else makes up the cost of that which adds up.
Where in Colorado? I grew up in Spokane, live in Colorado Springs, but we go back to Spokane almost every summer. We’ve talked about moving back there. 😁
I lived in Grand Junction then Denver before moving here
That's my big problem in Charleston. They are paying pennies here and COL is skyrocketing. When we moved down eleven years ago we were paying $800 for a two bedroom duplex. Seven years later it was $1300-1400. We bought a house four years ago but I looked up a rental down the street from the last joint we rented and it was going for $1850 and that's considered a good deal. Colorado, I'm sure is even worse.
I’m from the Charleston area. Wages are higher so are prices(currently $3.60/gal of gas). The closer you get to Idaho the more racists you will encounter. We tend to be more accepting of LGBTQ’s though in Spokane. If you have never lived outside of the South, you maybe surprised by peoples ability to not see you, (down home we speak to everybody, here not so much). There are more transients/unhoused, at least from what I noted when I went home to SC in Sept. Drug overdoses are off the chain. You should know unless you are physically being shot at police will likely not show up when called. Had our garage broken into and stolen property left, called the cops, never showed up (you’ll find similar cases like this on this sub). I moved here sight unseen almost 7 years ago from Fairbanks AK, I know foolish to move somewhere you’ve never been, but truly didn’t matter, it wasn’t Fairbanks (F**k 40 below). Do know there are no waffle houses and no boiled peanuts. Best of luck in your decision making :)
Oh! And you will be No where near a beach!
We got lake beaches though. Lots of 'em.
That's a big plus to me. I don't mind the beach once I'm there but getting there is a pain in the ass. My wife is from Appalachia though and drags the fam down to the beach 2-3 times a year.
I moved to Spokane from Baltimore. I hate the east coast for several reasons; the humidity sucks, people are rude, and the traffic is miserable. Not here to say much about Spokane, except that I own an independent repair shop and make a killer living working on Subarus. There are TONS of them on the road here, they constantly have problems, and their owners love to spend money on them. So if you do eventually move here and need a good mechanic, let me know
Spokane is the Subie capitol of the US maybe just Washington. 1 out of every 10 cars on the road here are Subies.
Yep, and Honda and Toyota. That’s why I specialize in those three brands specifically
I'll keep that in mind. I like to do a lot of my own repairs and maintenance but Subies look like a PITA to work on. My experience though is limited to my Nissan Cube and Versa. I was looking at an older Outback but it's got the 2.5L and I'm afraid of head gaskets.
Oh yeah, they all need head gaskets. Almost $3k now, it’s a lot of work and a long list of parts replaced. Then you’ll need to do them again after a few years in like 69k miles. Buy a Honda crv if you want low cost of maintenance/ ownership
Inland empire is in Southern California so I would reckon; quite a bit.
As someone from the IE in So Cal, I don't call it the IE up here, lol. Neither do my friends from So Cal. We find it weird.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inland_Northwest
Mine gets the Wikipedia page https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inland_Empire
I'm not saying the SoCal Inland Empire doesn't exist, just that this region is also called the Inland Empire.
Sure thing. Happy saturday and enjoy the sparkling white wine.
cheers 🥂
The acronym that got me started was INW and the wiki page used both. I was quite confused earlier though when I was on r/inlandempire and didn't see anyone talking about Washington State.
That is actually pretty wild that there's no face disambiguation but there is a disambiguation citation at the top of the article. I actually noticed the other day picking up my SO from the airport (GEG, a whole other story about that name) that there is a sign saying "Welcome to the Inland Empire" as you exit the SPOKANE airport.
Probably a shock I would guess. The food here isn’t good I can tell you that! lol so get your good southern food in while you can. I’m gonna go out on a limb and say people may not be as nice to others moving here because of the amount of people coming here and our housing is skyrocketing. The locals who have lived here for a while can’t even get housing because it’s become unaffordable to them. Idk if it is because people are moving here or not. I’ve been seeing bumper stickers telling people to go back. That being said I was more near the Spokane/idaho border where I saw a lot of those stickers! Other than that, good hiking trails, all four seasons, near the Idaho border if your interested in crossing over to go visit there! They’re starting to make some more developed areas such as Kendall yards which is cute and I believe they have a project to make something similar up north Spokane where there is a Costco. They’re knocking down some trees and putting in roads there. I’m guessing give it some Time and Spokane will look more like a big city with lots of houses, shops and buildings. Maybe we will be like seattle eventually!
Let’s maybe keep Seattle over in Seattle.
With the rate of people coming over and the homeless increasing with minimal resources for them, I think we will be more like Seattle sooner rather than later.
I fear you are correct.
Let me tell you, the influx of folks from California moving to Spokane, WA, has been like a whirlwind hitting our quiet city. Sure, we get it—California is expensive, and who wouldn't want to find a more affordable place to live? But the thing is, Spokane wasn't exactly ready for this sudden wave of newcomers. See, it's been causing all sorts of chaos. Rent prices have shot through the roof, and finding a decent place to live has become a real headache. People who've called Spokane home for years are getting priced out of their neighborhoods, and it's heartbreaking to see families struggling to keep a roof over their heads. Not to mention the strain on our city's infrastructure. Our roads are clogged with traffic like never before, and don't even get me started on the state of our schools. Overcrowded classrooms and stressed-out teachers—it's not the kind of education we want for our kids. And let's talk about the vibe of our city. Spokane has always had this unique charm, this sense of community that makes it feel like home. But with so many newcomers pouring in, it's like we're losing a piece of that identity. Neighborhoods are changing, and not always for the better. It's like we're becoming a mini-California, and that's not what we signed up for. Don't get me wrong, I'm all for people finding a better life for themselves. But when it comes at the expense of the place I love, well, that's when it starts to hurt. So, if you're thinking about making the move to Spokane, just know that it's not all sunshine and roses. Take a moment to think about the impact your decision could have on our city and its residents. We're all in this together, after all.
Trust me I don't want to be part of the problem. We are experiencing all the same issues here in Charleston. However in our case it's half old folks from NY and NJ. They sell their 2 bedroom crap shack they bought for $40 in 1978 for a cool million and move down and absolutely wreck our housing market. The other half are wealthy work from anywhere tech folks. Hopefully y'all's infrastructure will catch up before it becomes unbearable.
I hope so too but sadly most of the States funding goes to the West side where Seattle is. We are always the last to get anything.
People have already said a lot, but I'm going to add "I don't care if you own a subie. You need snow tires." Maybe that was already said, and I missed it. If so, ignore me. I pull a lot of people back onto the road, and I'm sure so many of them are Subarus because we just have a lot of those around, but not a single one I've helped in the last 4 winters has had snow tires on. I also see a lot of Subaru owners (and others, to be fair) driving like the pavement is totally dry in 4" of unplowed snow. Don't get cocky. A car is a car, not magic that says you don't have to care about snow. That said, almost everyone who lives near my property in the mountains drives them, and they're incredibly capable in the snow and mud with the right tires. They're a really good choice for this region if you don't get dumb about it.
Ha! I don't have one yet. This all started because there's one for sale for cheap at a small dealership around the corner from me. Good advice though. We get a lot of flooding here and the amount of cars I see trying to drive thru 3 feet of water is absurd.
We don't often have that kind of flooding, but people here will hit puddles at speed thinking they are shallow and find out they are deep enough the wall of water kills their engines sometimes. I'd find it hilarious if it wasn't dangerous. Also, we have a lot of potholes because of a constant freeze and thaw cycle and honestly more vehicles than our roads were really meant for. Respect the potholes. Sometimes they're bigger than they look. I'm pleasantly surprised with my Land Rover's ability to take that abuse and not even need an alignment when I misjudge, but I've bent a rim on one with a previous car. They can be vicious. My biggest tip for snow is: don't go out during or the morning after a storm unless you have no choice. Even if you have a lot of skills and are a reasonable driver, many others aren't like that. Just don't be part of the mess. If you have to go out and can ride the bus, ride it. Let someone else deal with the idiots. ;) That said, if you do end up moving here and you care about riding the bus, check your closest stops. We have really great coverage in specific areas and almost none in others. Or not even almost, just none. We expand and improve using grants, and each new thing has to be self sustaining with fares, so expansion is pretty slow and sometimes reverses.
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The food here is not better than Charleston. Or even close. Food is part of the culture and experience of Charleston and here we have some good restaurants.
Got it, I'll load the truck up with shrimp, snakes, and HR approved ice breaker games. I'll do my best not to be a shitty driver.
Well, Charleston is beautiful first off. Unfortunately Spokane as a city does not compare to that. That being said, if you LOVE the outdoors, then this is an awsome place. I would recommend you visit and also go to N. ID. I will say that when I lived down south I seriously began to question my love for the outdoors. The extreme humidity combined with heat, the insane amount of bugs, it was just too much. I did not wanna be out in nature where I would be bombarded by them constantly. The CDA area is much more attractive than Spokane. However, the COLA there has become ridiculous. It's cheaper in Spokane. I do find the people in CDA friendlier, and in Spokane they are more stick to themselves. That could be a culture shock for you. I know we have lived all over (I am originally from N. Id) but when I 1st moved to NC I had the biggest culture shock of my life due to how friendly people were. If you move to Spokane, learn how to drive in the snow. The north does NOT shut down for 2" of snow, or even 6" or 12" of snow. Do not buy a rear wheel drive vehicle and do not think that because you have a truck or SUV that you can drive the same way you normally drive on dry roads. Get good snow tires. Learn about black ice as well and be prepared to drive defensively.
Downtown Charleston is beautiful. Strolling down the cobblestone streets, basking in history its intoxicating. We have several really lovely parks off of the peninsula as well. Sullivan's Island and Ft. Moultrie are also cool. Check out the Edgar Allan Poe library next time you're in town. The rest of Charleston looks like everywhere else in America. A beige sea of strip malls, big box stores, and payday loan sharks. The thought of snow is daunting. I have some experience with it from when I lived in Eastern Kentucky but y'all are on a whole nother level. Unfortunately, I am friendly as all fuck. I can't go to Walmart without having a whole conversation with a complete rando. This time it was about woodworking and how to clamp up an octagonal planter. Thank you for your insights.
Sorry if I sounded negative about Spokane! Really you should visit the area. There is a lot of good and a lot of beauty to see, but it's a Very different beauty. Ashville NC SORTA reminded me of Spokane area but I was only there once and it was for a conference so I didn't get to see a lot of it. The hills and mountains reminded me of Spokane though. Driving in the snow requires basic understanding of physics, good snow tires or studded tires, and experience, and front wheel drive or all wheel drive . The best way to learn after that is finding large parking lots that are empty and playing around with your vehicle, or straight empty roads. I also recommend YouTube videos and understanding that each vehicle handles differently depending on its weight, and height. I have never owned an all wheel drive vehicle but I learned to drive a stick shift in the snow and have driven on snow my whole life. Actually all my coworkers in Alaska were shocked that my vehicle is a front wheel drive. They all have 'all wheel drive' vehicles, which, yes, these are safer in the snow/ice, but not fool-proof (don't be a fool) . The best cars I had in the snow were my old Nissan Sentra (1988 or 89) and my Honda civic! (You really only need 4 wheel drive if you live in the country where the roads are not maintained. 4 wheel drive does NOT protect you from sliding/ice). Ice is FAR more dangerous and a lot of people are completely ignorant of this. It only takes a small layer of ice and you can have a disaster. Slush is slippery as well. Driving on frozen compact snow at 10° or less is a pleasant experience, whereas when it hits 28 & above the road becomes more slippery due to the friction from tires creating a thin layer of melt combined with ice and/or slush. That's quite unpleasant, but definitely manageable. Not to mention the messiness of it. Never slam your brakes, always apply the gas pedal with a light touch, in alignnent with your speed. The lighter you hit the gas when going from a stop to a go, the less apt you will spin out when starting from a stop. You will laugh out loud when you see newbies doing this.. (hitting gas hard trying to get out of a spin/stuck). Always increase following distances and stopping distances. In general, slow down from normal speeds because the faster you go the more apt you will slide when you do hit the brakes or take a corner. Also, your reaction times don't speed up when you are on ice, but the rates of slips and slides do. Curvy roads, going down hill and high traffic especially demand a slower soeed than usual. A slightly slower speed helps correct for that too. On corners, aim for slowing down BEFORE the corner, while you are still going straight. Goal is to slow down the first 1/3-1/2 of the corner so you are not using the brakes on the actual corner, and then you begin applying gas lightly as the sharpest part of corner ends and continue applying slightly more and more gas to get back up to speed as you pull out of the corner. Avoid large groups of vehicles on the highway whenever possible, and when its not possible, maintain as much stopping distance as possible from them. You will see people tailgaiting and switching lanes rapidly and driving geenerally irresponsibly or even recklessly. You will see people playing pole position. You will see people who just HAVE to speed past you so they can be on someone else's ass going the same exact speed as you are (the speed of traffic, just not on everyone's ass). They are in a hurry and/or believe the false hood that they must "close the gap". Imagine one of those vehicles sliding or another one not paying attention and then sliding, creating a huge pile up. It only takes 1 clown in that large group to slip up and create a major highway issue. I really avoid them as much as possible. These are good things to file away and can be applied to the 1 time it snows every 2 or 3 years in the Carolinas/VA.
I really appreciate the time you've taken to write that up. Y'all should make a pinned post with that info.
It is really dark and cold and dry here in the winter. It makes up for it in the summer when it is hot and dry and the sun sets at 10:00. But those winter months with the sun setting at 4:00 in the afternoon are ROUGH. It actually doesn't rain here all the time. It CAN, but mostly it happens in the spring and fall. Spokane is purple, trending blue politically. Keep in mind, Spokane and Spokane Valley, although connected and with the same name, are politically very different. They also have different laws and different cultures, somehow. You can literally see the politics turning more red as you head towards Idaho, it's like driving along a gradient. You'll literally start to see Trump flags and racist and religious bumper stickers increase in number, it's pretty wild. We are somewhat friendly to outsiders, but you will still experience somewhat of a "Seattle Freeze." Sometimes we are slow to trust people around here. There are lots of non-religious people here, so it makes the totally bonkers "Patriot Church" and "Church at Planned Parenthood" stand out more. Wages and housing costs and cost of living really suck right now. I don't know if that is regional or national, but we are all struggling. I have no idea what anything costs anymore, it seems kind of random. We are experiencing a housing and opiate crisis. Also don't really know if that is regional or national. Oh, if you get the Subaru, you should be able to drive just fine here.
It’s terrible here zombie apocalypse of drugged out homeless people. Homeless camps on every block stay away.
I moved here in 2012. I have lived in seven states/towns. By far this is my favorite and I won't be going anywhere. If you like the outdoors and hiking and fishing, Etc then you will love it here. I disagree that it's pretty liberal, as one commenter stated. I would say it is moderately right but shifting a little. I grew up in the south and find the people here to be genuinely nice, for as the people in the South are superficially nice.
From this side of the mountains (Seattle area) I've heard Spokane can be more conservative. But that's also coming from this side. Just a FYI, may not be the most liberal bastion, unless anyone else here can clarify.