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.

Notable Spokanites

• Sherman Alexie, author.
• Paul D'Amour, former member of the band Tool.
• Jim Boyd, musician, cultural critic, and two-time 'Album of the Year' winner at the Native American Music Awards.
• Kenneth Callahan painter from the "Northwest School."
• Mike Clarke, member of the band The Byrds.
• Ryan Crocker, distinguished US diplomat, currently serving as US Ambassador to Pakistan.
• Bing Crosby, celebrated entertainer.
• Kirtland Cutter, architect
• Sonora Smart Dodd, succesfully campaigned for the establishment of Father's Day.
• Cyan Worlds, Inc., the company that produced the computer game Myst.
• David Eddings, popular author of the Belgariad and many other books.
• Tom Foley, former Democratic Speaker of the House of Representatives.
• George Gabriel, painting contractor (late '50's thru late-'80's)
• Eric Johnston, former head of the United States Chamber of Commerce, former President of the Motion Picture Association of America
• Thomas Hampson, America's leading baritone.
• Jason Hanson, professional football player.
• Chuck Jones, American animator of Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, and the Road Runner
• Myles Kennedy, lead singer of the band Alter Bridge.
• Craig Montoya, member of the band Everclear.
• Craig T. Nelson, actor who has played lead roles in Coach, The District, and The Incredibles.
• Wilder Graves Penfield, American-born Canadian neurosurgeon who mapped out the functional areas of the cereberal cortex and pioneered groundbreaking research into epilepsy treatment.
• Irwin Rose, American biologist awarded Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2004.
• Laurie Roth, host of the Laurie Roth Show, a nationally syndicated talk radio program which originates from KQNT in Spokane.
• Mark Rypien, Former World Champion Quarterback for the Washington Redskins of the NFL.
• Ryne Sandberg, 2005 Inductee into the Baseball Hall Of Fame, Second Baseman for the Chicago Cubs.
• Tom Sneva, Indianapolis 500 winner.
• John Stockton, professional basketball player, Point Guard for the Utah Jazz of the NBA and Gonzaga Bulldogs.
• Julia Sweeney, actress and comedienne — well known as Pat on Saturday Night Live.
• Billy Tipton, transgender jazz musician.
• Tongolele, Film and television actress famous throughout Spain and Latin America.
• UFO Phil, comedy/novelty songwriter and regular guest on many national radio programs such as Coast to Coast AM and Dr. Demento.
• Chief Garry, A spoken advocate for peace between the United States and Eastern Washington Indian tribes in his time.