Spokane, Washington

Spokane (pronounced "sp?-CAN" {{IPA|}}) is the county seat of Spokane County in the State of Washington. It is also known as the seat of the Inland Empire. Situated at the foot of a valley, midway between the rise and mouth of the Spokane River, it is 280 miles east of Seattle and 375 miles northeast of Portland. It is the commercial center of the eastern part of Washington and of the northern part of Idaho, and the distributing point for a great agricultural, lumbering, horticultural, and stock raising region. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 195,629, and recent projections place the metropolitan population at around 560,000.

Common Spokane nicknames

Traditional

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• Inland Empire
• Lilac City
• Spokaloo (circa early 1970s)
• Spo-KAYNE (common mispronunciation)

Used as commercial or political slogans

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• Spo-CAN!
• Spokan't

Neighborhoods

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• the West-Central neighborhood, "the North Monroe/West Broadway area, is known by many Spokanites as Felony Flats." (citation from The Spokesman Review, "We Can Make Anything Pretty," August 12, 2005)

Current

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• Spovegas or Spokavegas
• Spokompton or Spocompton
• Spokanistan
• The 'Kan
• Spokangeles
• Spoklahoma
• Methlehem (in reference to the city's problem with the manufacturing, sale, and use of methamphetamines)
• Spokansas