We loved living in Spokane, WA for 3 years - and we now think about moving back, now that we can work remotely! It’s a 1.5 hr flight from Oakland non-stop on Southwest. It’s on the sunny side of the state - and the area looks a lot like Tahoe with open evergreen trees and dry grasses. They definitely have winter, but there is also affordable skiing and lots of winter fun, too. It’s known for lots of folks that move there for the the outdoor activities, including 100 miles of asphalted rails to trails pathways. This is lake country, so lots of folks like fishing, canoeing, kayaking, and water-skiing. For you ger kids, there are tons of great parks with beautiful play structures and splashpads. There is a beautiful main downtown right on the river with lots of renovated buildings from the 1900-1930 era when they city had tons of money. They also benefitted from getting Olmstead (same designer as NYC Central Park) to design a few parks in town. The South Hill is a lovely neihborhood full of Craftsman-style homes, but there are a few cute neighborhoods sprinkled throughout town. There is also lots of urban sprawl, if you are looking for a newer home or being on the edge of town. But living closer to downtown is awesome! So many cute shops and cafes. Great civic participation in their Lilac Festival and an amazing Hoop Fest week where kids play basketball all over downtown on closed off city blocks. There are 3 colleges and universities in town (Gonzaga University, Whitworth and Eastern Washington Univ), so there are also lots of great (affordable) arts, music and sports activities. Washington State University is in Pullman about 45 minutes out of town for BIG football, etc. There is also a AAA basball team in town. It’s a combo of Blue and Red voters. More and more CA folks are probably making it more Blue in town, but it runs more Red in the region.
We loved living in Spokane, WA for 3 years - and we now think about moving back, now that we can work remotely! It’s a 1.5 hr flight from Oakland non-stop on Southwest. It’s on the sunny side of the state - and the area looks a lot like Tahoe with open evergreen trees and dry grasses. They definitely have winter, but there is also affordable skiing and lots of winter fun, too. It’s known for lots of folks that move there for the the outdoor activities, including 100 miles of asphalted rails to trails pathways. This is lake country, so lots of folks like fishing, canoeing, kayaking, and water-skiing. For you ger kids, there are tons of great parks with beautiful play structures and splashpads. There is a beautiful main downtown right on the river with lots of renovated buildings from the 1900-1930 era when they city had tons of money. They also benefitted from getting Olmstead (same designer as NYC Central Park) to design a few parks in town. The South Hill is a lovely neihborhood full of Craftsman-style homes, but there are a few cute neighborhoods sprinkled throughout town. There is also lots of urban sprawl, if you are looking for a newer home or being on the edge of town. But living closer to downtown is awesome! So many cute shops and cafes. Great civic participation in their Lilac Festival and an amazing Hoop Fest week where kids play basketball all over downtown on closed off city blocks. There are 3 colleges and universities in town (Gonzaga University, Whitworth and Eastern Washington Univ), so there are also lots of great (affordable) arts, music and sports activities. Washington State University is in Pullman about 45 minutes out of town for BIG football, etc. There is also a AAA basball team in town. It’s a combo of Blue and Red voters. More and more CA folks are probably making it more Blue in town, but it runs more Red in the region.