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.

Neighborhoods

Many areas in and around Spokane are commonly referred to by name, often named after the original planners or geographic features, such as:

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• Browne's Addition, west of Downtown.
• Cannon Hill, on the lower South Hill.
• Downtown, between the South Hill and the Spokane River.
• the West-Central neighborhood
• the Garland district
• Garden Springs, between Downtown and the West Plains.
• Hillyard
• Millwood, in the Valley.
• the North Side
• the Logan Neighborhood located around Logan Elementary in the central North Side
• North Indian Trail, at the northwest part of the North Side
• Five Mile, the northwest plateau which overlooks north Spokane
• Peaceful Valley, between Browne's Addition and the Spokane River
• the South Hill
• the Valley, now incorporated as its own city.
• the West Plains, the flat area elevated above most of Spokane, encompassing the cities of Airway Heights, Cheney, and Medical Lake.

The Office of Neighborhood Services coordinates city services and facilitates the creation of neighborhood councils. A slideshow of Spokane neighborhoods is located at Inland Northwest Tour.

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Also see:

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• MetroSpokane blog about Spokane city planning issues

Historic homes

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City (1981) and County (1982) ordinances created the Spokane City/County Landmarks Commission - a group of private citizens who protect historic landmarks through the Spokane Register of Historic Places. On July 11, 2005, Spokane City Council enacted an ordinance restricting demolition of historic structureshttp://www.historicspokane.org/. Many of Spokane's historic homes were designed by architect Kirtland Cutter.

Related Topics:
1981 - 1982 - 2005 - Kirtland Cutter

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• Historic Spokane City/County Historic Preservation Office