Spokane Directory WA, Yellow Pages, Business Classifieds, Search

This page will be continuously updated with web resources relevant to Spokane. The section will provide directory resources for both business, commercial as well as non-commercial aspects in Spokane.

Add Links: If you have a web site that you wish to include in this database, do let us know the details by sending a note about your URL to (narsi at esource dot in). We’ll quickly review the web site, and if found relevant, add it to the database. We look forward to web site owners and link exchange partners to submit URL. Thanks!

Content derived from Wikipedia article on Spokane

Spokane, Washington

Jump to: navigation, search

Spokane, Washington

Downtown looking North

Seal

Nickname: "The Lilac City"

Location of Spokane in

Spokane County and Washington

Coordinates: 47°40′24″N, 117°24′37″W

Country United States

State Washington

County Spokane

Mayor Dennis P. Hession

Area

- City 151.6 km²

- Land 149.6 km²

- Water 2.0 km²

Population

- City (April 1, 2006) 201,600

- Metro 443,800

Time zone PST (UTC-8)

- Summer (DST) PDT (UTC-7)

Website: www.spokanecity.org

Spokane (pronounced spō-CAN [spoʊ ˈkæn]) is the second largest city in Washington state, the third largest city in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States and the metropolitan center of the Inland Northwest. It is the county seat of Spokane County in the State of Washington, USA. It was originally incorporated as "Spokan Falls" (without an 'e' at the end), drawing on the Native American tribe known as the Spokane, which means "Children of the Sun.” It is often mispronounced as "Spo cane",when it's actually pronounced like "spo can".

The town site was originally platted, about 1880, surrounding the falls of the Spokane River, where the river descends from the Selkirk Mountain range into the Columbia Plateau. Spokane is 280 miles east of Seattle and 375 miles northeast of Portland. The 2000 U.S. census showed that the city population was 197,400, and the county had a population of 417,939. The most recent state figures, released in April of 2006, show that the city population has since increased to 201,600, while metropolitan estimates show the area has more than half a million people, and may be approaching 600,000.

Contents

1 Government

2 History

2.1 The Great Fire

2.2 Great Northern Railway

2.3 1974 World's Fair

3 Geography and climate

4 Demographics

5 Education

5.1 Colleges and universities

6 Transportation

6.1 Highways

6.1.1 Fighting Congestion

6.2 Air Travel

6.3 Mass Transit

7 Parks and recreation

8 Sports teams and events

9 Events and activities

10 Notable Spokanites

10.1 Musicians

10.2 Artists

10.3 Sports

10.4 Actors

10.5 Politicians

10.6 Other

11 Local media

11.1 Print media

11.2 Television

11.3 Radio

12 Sister cities

13 See also

14 External links

14.1 Annual events

14.2 Maps

Government

Spokane Mayor Dennis Hession.The City of Spokane has operated under a Mayor-Council form of government, also referred to as "Strong Mayor," since January 2001, after 40 years under a Council-Manager system.

Dennis P. Hession, formerly the City Council President, became the new mayor on December 16, 2005 after the recall of the late Jim West. The City Council consists of seven members: two elected from each of three districts, plus a president elected at large. The current City Council President is Joe Shogan.

Spokane is in Washington's 5th congressional district, and is currently represented by freshman Representative Cathy McMorris (a Republican).

History

Main article: History of Spokane

Spokane Falls was a gathering place for the area's indigenous people because the Spokane River had large amounts of salmon. Camp Spokane was established by the U.S. Army at a location 56 Miles Northwest of Spokane as a consolidation of the garrisons at Fort Colville, and Camp Chelan on October 21, 1880. The intent was to protect the construction of the Northern Pacific Railway, and to secure the location for U.S. settlement. By 1881, the Northern Pacific Railway was completed at this point, bringing European settlement. The city of Spokan Falls (without an 'e') was officially incorporated on November 29, 1881. In 1883, the name was changed to Spokane [1]. The President of the first City Council, was mill owner and Methodist minister Samuel G. Havermale.

The Great Fire

In the summer of 1889, a fire destroyed the city's downtown commercial district. Due to technical problems with a pump station, there was no water pressure in the city when the fire started. When volunteer fire fighters attempted to quench the flames, they found their hoses were unusable. Eventually winds died down and the fire exhausted of its own accord. 27 blocks of Spokane's downtown were destroyed.

Great Northern Railway

While the damage caused by the fire was a devastating blow, Spokane continued to grow. Just three years after the fire, in 1892, the Great Northern railroad reached Spokane and built a rail yard that made Spokane a transportation hub for the area. The first rail yard, built by James J. Hill, was completed in 1902. The clock tower currently in Riverfront Park was built as part of the depot and is one of the biggest in the northwest, with each side measuring 9 feet (2.7 m) across. The clock tower is the only part of the depot that remains to this day.

1974 World's Fair

The clock tower and pavilion in Riverfront Park. The pavilion is from Expo '74, while the clock tower was part of the railroad depot replaced by the fairgrounds.Main article: Expo '74

Spokane hosted the environmentally themed Expo '74, becoming the then-smallest city to ever host a World's Fair. This event transformed Spokane's downtown, removing a century of railroad industry that built the city and reinventing the urban core.

Many of the structures built for the World's Fair are still standing and in use. The United States Pavilion now houses an IMAX theater, and the Washington State Pavilion became the INB Performing Arts Center. The Expo site itself became the 100-acre (400,000 m²) Riverfront Park, containing, among other features, the U.S. Pavilion, the turn-of-the-20th-century (and meticulously preserved) Looff Carousel, and the Great Northern Railway clock tower, the last remnant of the vast rail depot that was demolished for Expo '74. The U.S. Pavilion and the clock tower are prominently featured in the park's logo.

Geography and climate

Spokane is located at the eastern edge of the Columbia Plateau's wheat farms and steppe, where they meet the forested Rocky Mountain foothills, the Selkirk Mountains. The Spokane River, a major tributary of the Columbia River, passes through the city, tumbling through a series of falls in the middle of downtown.

Spokane has a continental, semi-arid climate, with cold winters and warm summers. The Cascade Mountains to the west shield the city from the direct modifying effect of Pacific Ocean air, and Idaho's mountains to the east help to protect it from the worst effects of arctic air in winter. Precipitation is concentrated in the cooler half of the year, with the summer typically having dry and stable weather.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 151.6 km² (58.5 mi²). 149.6 km² (57.8 mi²) of it is land and 2.0 km² (0.8 mi²) of it (1.30%) is water.

Demographics

As of the censusGR2 of 2000, there were 199,630 people, 81,512 households, and 47,276 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,307.7/km² (3,387.0/mi²). There were 87,941 housing units at an average density of 587.8/km² (1,522.6/mi²).

The most recent ethnic percentages are as follows:

86.4% White

2.10% African American

1.8% Native American

2.2% Asian

0.2% Pacific Islander

0.9% from other races

3.0% Hispanic

3.4% two or more

There were 81,512 households out of which 29.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 41.3% were married couples living together, 12.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 42.0% were non-families. 33.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.32 and the average family size was 2.98.

In the city the population was spread out with 24.8% under the age of 18, 11.1% from 18 to 24, 29.6% from 25 to 44, 20.5% from 45 to 64, and 14.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 93.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.9 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $32,273, and the median income for a family was $41,316. Males had a median income of $31,676 versus $24,833 for females. The per capita income for the city was $18,451. 15.9% of the population and 11.1% of families were below the poverty line. 19.3% of those under the age of 18 and 9.6% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line.

Since February 2005 the population has seen a rapid increase, which attributed to the decrease in the average cost of living and and increase in the job market.[citation needed] Spokane was #49 on the Men's Journal 2005 "50 Best Places to Live" list[2], #5 on the Forbes Magazine 2005 "Safest Places to Live" list[3], and #35 on the Inc. Magazine 2005 "Top US Cities for Doing Business" list.[4]

Education

Colleges and universities

Eastern Washington University

Gonzaga University

Whitworth College

Washington State University Spokane

Mukogawa Fort Wright Institute - American campus of Mukogawa Women's University, Nishinomiya, Japan.

Community Colleges

Spokane Community College

Spokane Falls Community College

Historical

Spokane University in the Spokane Valley, closed in 1933

Spokane Art Center, a Federal Art Project during the Great Depression

Holy Names College (1960–1963) later named Fort George Wright College (1963–1982) eventually merged with the adjacent Spokane Falls Community College

Transportation

Highways

The major interstate running through Spokane is I-90. Starting from the west, I-90 runs through Downtown Spokane, Spokane Valley, Liberty Lake, and continues east to Coeur d'Alene.

US-2 and US-395 enter Spokane from the west via I-90 and continue north through Spokane via Division St. The two highways share the same route until they reach "The Y", where US-395 continues northward to Deer Park, and US-2 branches off to the northeast, continuing to Mead, Colbert, Chattaroy, and Sandpoint.

Fighting Congestion

In an attempt to avoid the future nightmare of major gridlock, the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT), in the past 10 years, has aggressively improved local highways, and looks to continually keep up with the region's growth in the future.

I-90 has been widened to 6 lanes from Havana St. to Sullivan Rd.

Traffic cameras have been installed along the I-90 corridor and in various spots in Spokane so that traffic flow can be closely monitored and dealt with accordingly.

The construction of the US 395 NSC, more commonly known as the North Spokane Corridor, or simply the North-South Freeway, is the biggest road construction project (with the exception of the construction of I-90) ever to be implemented in Spokane. Currently under construction, the plan is to build a 10.5 mile, limited-access corridor that will link I-90 from about Freya Street to US-395 at Wandermere. As of today, a three and a half mile section has been graded on the north end, with four interchange bridges built. If the project is fully funded today, the earliest it could be completed would be 10 years from now.

Air Travel

Spokane and Eastern Washington are served by Spokane International Airport. The airport lies west of the city, and is only a 10 minute drive to downtown.

Mass Transit

Spokane is served by a bus system that is run by the Spokane Transit Authority(STA). There is currently a light rail project in the works. If passed by voters, the light rail system will run from Spokane to Liberty Lake, with future extensions east to Coeur d'Alene, west to Spokane International Airport, and north along the US 395 NSC.

Parks and recreation

In 1907, Spokane's board of park commissioners retained the services of the Olmsted Brothers to draw up a plan for Spokane parks. Today, Spokane has a system of over 75 parks totaling 3,500 acres, with parks ranging in size from the quarter-acre Skeet-So-Mish Park playground to the 464-acre Palisades Park conservation area. Some of the parks in Spokane’s extensive park system are listed below:

Riverfront Park, created after Expo '74 and occupying the same site, is one hundred acres in downtown Spokane and the site of some of Spokane's largest events. The park has views of the Spokane Falls, and holds a number of civic attractions, including the Skyride (a recently rebuilt gondola that carries visitors across the falls from high above the river gorge), the 5-story IMAX theatre, and numerous rides and concessions. Various festivals are held in the park throughout the year. A new "Great Gorge Park," originally designed by the Olmsted Brothers, is being proposed as an extension of Riverfront Park along the deep river gorge through the Peaceful Valley neighborhood.

Manito Park and Botanical Gardens, on Spokane's South Hill, has a duck pond, a central conservatory named in memory of Dr. David Gaiser, Duncan Garden, a classical European Renaissance style garden and the Nishinomiya Japanese Garden.

Riverside State Park is close to downtown and is a site for hiking, mountain biking, rafting, and also has scenic views.

The Centennial Trail has over thirty-seven miles of paved trails running along the Spokane River and across the metropolitan area for running, walking, bicycling or inline skating. Informational signs and parking are provided along the trail.

Highbridge Park and People's Park: These two parks, located in Peaceful Valley where it meets Hangman Valley, are centers of Spokane's nudist culture, though the parks are open to all.

The John A. Finch Arboretum is a 57-acre public arboretum featuring a variety of rare and native trees and wildlife.

Downriver Park, near Riverside State Park and Downriver Golf Course, has a championship 21-hole disc golf course adjoining the Spokane River. Another 18-hole disc golf course can be found in High Bridge Park, near downtown. Maps and information are available at: Spokane Disc Golf Association

Award-winning, city-owned golf courses include: The Creek at Qualchan, Indian Canyon, Esmerelda, Downriver, and Hangman golf courses. In addition, the Spokane Country Club and Manito Country Club offer private memberships to their own courses. Spokane County also runs a number of public courses

In the summer Spokane residents may visit Lake Coeur d'Alene, Priest Lake, Lake Pend O'Reille, or one of the other nearby bodies of water. The Spokane area has numerous lakes and rivers, where various water sports, fishing, camping, and rafting take place.

In the winter, Spokane residents have access to five ski resorts within a few hours of the city. A non-profit organization operates nearby Mt. Spokane Ski and Snowboard Park. Mt. Spokane also has trails for cross-country skiing, snowshoeing and dog sledding. During the non-winter months, hikers and mountain bikers use the trails.

Sports teams and events

Club Sport League Stadium (or Arena) Logo

Spokane Indians Baseball Northwest League (Eastern Division) Avista Stadium

Spokane Chiefs Ice Hockey Western Hockey League (U.S. Division) Spokane Arena

Spokane Shock Arena Football af2 (National West) Spokane Arena

Spokane Sabercats Football Evergreen League

Spokane Braves Ice Hockey Kootenay International Jr Hockey League (U.S. Division) Eagles Ice Arena

Spokane hosted the NCAA Division I Basketball Tournaments in 2002 (Women's) and 2003 (Men's) at the Spokane Veterans Memorial Arena. The Tournaments will again be held in Spokane in 2007 (Men's) and 2008 (Women's).

Spokane will host the 2007 U.S. Figure Skating Championships, and was a candidate city for the 2009 World Figure Skating Championships, losing its bid to Los Angeles.

The Spokane Arena is also the perennial host to the State 'B' Basketball Tournament, which brings athletes and fans from many of Washington's smaller high schools to town. In 2007 it will be host to the State 2B (the states second smallest class) Championships.

Events and activities

Spokane is home to a number of annual events and attractions that draw people from a large surrounding area:

The Lilac Bloomsday Run, a 7.46 mile race for walkers and competitive runners, is the largest timed road race in the world, typically drawing about 45,000 participants [5]. It is held on the first Sunday of each May.

Hoopfest is the largest 3-on-3 basketball tournament in the world. It is held the last weekend in June, and has a variety of participants, from kids, teens, and adults to former college and NBA players, in their respective brackets. Started in 1989 with just 300+ teams, the event now annually averages more than 25,000 participants or around 6,000 3-man teams.

Each April, Japan Week celebrates the sister-city relationship with Nishinomiya, Japan, demonstrating the many commonalities shared between the two cities. Students from the Spokane campus of Mukogawa Institute, Whitworth College, Gonzaga University, Spokane Falls and Spokane Community College organize an array of Japanese cultural events, in addition to a number of others that take place around the city.

The Garland Village Arts & Music Festival takes place the second Saturday each August. 2006 will mark the 4th annual street fair. More information can be found at The Garland Village.

Pig-Out In The Park is an annual summer festival celebrating the joy of food. Local restaurants set up booths all around Riverfront Park. Visitors can browse for food and listen to local bands perform. It is traditionally held over Labor Day weekend in early September.

Tour Des Lacs is a two-day benefit bike ride that takes place in September. The route takes riders from Spokane to Coeur d'Alene and back, and includes short route options along the Centennial Trail. Routes vary in length from 80 to almost 200 miles and include breakfast, dinner, and food stops.

Spokane is also home to a National Historic Landmark hand-carved carousel, created in 1909 by Charles I. D. Looff as a wedding present for his daughter. The carousel still operates in Riverfront Park, downtown, where riders can participate in an old-time ring toss. The carousel continues to offer a free ride to the rider who grabs the brass ring.

The Northwest Museum of Arts and Culture [6] houses a large collection of Native American artifacts as well as regional and national traveling art exhibits. Located in Browne's Addition amid the mansions of Spokane's late 19th-century golden age, the Museum is in a secluded setting a few blocks from the center of downtown.

The Spokane Symphony performs a full season of concerts and the Spokane Jazz Orchestra is the oldest performing jazz orchestra in the United States.

The Spokane Folklore Society hosts its annual Fall Folk Festival the first full weekend of November at the Spokane Community College.

Mobius is a science center and children's museum.

Gay Pride is the Inland Northwest's largest Gay & Lesbian celebration held every June.

The Northwest Renaissance Festival is a renaissance festival north of Spokane that began in 1995. The festival's 13th Season will be open every weekend from June 23rd to July 15th, 2007 11am to 7pm.

Notable Spokanites

Musicians

Jim Boyd, musician, cultural critic, and two-time “Album of the Year” winner at the Native American Music Awards

Mike Clarke, member of the band The Byrds

Bing Crosby, singer and actor (born in Tacoma)

Paul D'Amour, former member of the band Tool

Thomas Hampson, baritone

Myles Kennedy, lead singer of the band Alter Bridge

George Lynch, former member of the rock band Dokken and current member of Lynch Mob

Craig Montoya, former member of the band Everclear

Billy Tipton, transgender jazz musician

Ben Clark, lead singer of Seattle band The Lashes

Artists

Sherman Alexie, author (born in Wellpinit, Washington)

Kenneth Callahan, painter from the "Northwest School"

David Eddings, author of the Belgariad and many other books

Chuck Jones, American animator of Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, and the Road Runner

Jess Walter, author of award-winning novel Citizen Vince and non-fiction Every Knee Shall Bow

Sarah Hoffman, Photographer, Her work appeared in a few movies and she has won numerous awards for her unusual photos.

Sports

Neil Everett, ESPN SportsCenter anchor

Jan-Michael Gambill, professional tennis player

Jason Hanson, kicker with the Detroit Lions of the NFL

Chad Little, former NASCAR driver

Adam Morrison, Mead High School graduate (2003), former Gonzaga basketball player, current Charlotte Bobcats rookie, and former 2005-2006 preseason and postseason first team All-American.

Mark Rypien, former World Champion Quarterback for the Washington Redskins of the NFL MVP of the 1991 Super Bowl

Ryne Sandberg, 2005 Inductee into the Baseball Hall Of Fame, former second baseman for the Chicago Cubs

Tom Sneva, Indianapolis 500 winner

John Stockton, former professional basketball player, point guard for the Utah Jazz of the NBA and Gonzaga Bulldogs

Actors

Darren McGavin (by some accounts), actor best known for his part in A Christmas Story

Craig T. Nelson, actor who has played lead roles in Coach, The District, and The Incredibles.

Julia Sweeney, actor and comedian — well known as Pat on Saturday Night Live.

Tongolele, film and television actor known throughout Spain and Latin America

Trevor St. John, actor, joined daytime drama "One Life To Live" in 2003 as Todd Manning.

Politicians

Ryan Crocker, U.S. diplomat, currently serving as U.S. Ambassador to Pakistan

Tom Foley, U.S. Congressman, former Democratic Speaker of the House of Representatives

Samuel G. Havermale, early Spokane pioneer, minister and politician

Eric Johnston, former head of the United States Chamber of Commerce, former President of the Motion Picture Association of America

George Nethercutt, U.S. Congressman, Former Judge/attorney United States Rebublican Party

Other

David Lynch (Although born in Missoula, Montana), Surrealist Director- Most notable for "Eraserhead," "Blue Velvet" and "Mulholland Drive (film)"

Madonna Buder, 75-year-old Catholic nun and oldest Hawaii Ironman Triathlete competitor

Kirtland Cutter, architect, best known for his work in Spokane, including the Davenport Hotel

Cyan Worlds, Inc.(Created by brothers Robyn and Rand Miller), the company that produced the computer game Myst

Sonora Smart Dodd, successfully campaigned for the establishment of Father's Day

Chief Garry, one of the Spokane tribes' most prominent and influential leaders during the shift from indigenous to European-American control of their land

Col. David P. Jenkins Civil War Colonel, Spokane homesteader and philanthropist

Wilder Graves Penfield, American-born Canadian neurosurgeon who mapped out the functional areas of the cerebral cortex and pioneered groundbreaking research into epilepsy treatment

Irwin Rose, American biologist awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2004

UFO Phil, comedy/novelty songwriter and regular guest on many national radio programs such as Coast to Coast AM and Dr. Demento

See: Category:Spokanites

Local media

Print media

Spokane is serviced by a variety of print media. Newspaper service includes its only daily newspaper, The Spokesman-Review; the weekly alternative newspaper, The Pacific Northwest Inlander; the bi-weekly business journal, The Spokane Journal of Business; the monthly GLBT paper, Stone Wall News Northwest; a monthly outdoor activities paper, Out There Monthly; and the monthly paper covering the Garland neighborhood, The Garland Villager. Spokane also has several community magazines, The Finger, a quarterly magazine for the disillusioned; Spokane Coeur d'Alene Living, a monthly home and lifestyle magazine; and The Word, a monthly arts and entertainment magazine.Northwest Woman Magazine and The Family Guide,Northwest Woman is a bi-monthly regional publication designed for women in the Northwest. The Family Guide is an annual publication distributed through the Spokane and Coeur d' Alene grade schools and is full of local resources to celebrate and strenghten family life in the Inland Northwest.

Television

Spokane serves as the television broadcast center for much the area along the border of Washington and Idaho, west to the Cascade Mountains, south to the Oregon border and North into Canada. Its major network television affiliates are KREM 2 (CBS), KXLY 4 (ABC), KHQ 6 (NBC), KSPS 7 (PBS),mytv 9 KSKN 22 (WB), KAYU 28 (Fox), KGPX 34 (i). It also receives transmissions from KCDT 26 (PBS) based in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho and KQUP-LP 47 (RTN) based in Pullman, Washington.

Radio

See also: :Category:Spokane-Coeur d'Alene radio stations

According to Arbitron, Spokane is the 92nd largest radio market in the United States with 480,800 over age 12 and over [7].

Sister cities

In the cultural exchange program known as "Sister Cities" Spokane is twinned with:

Nishinomiya, Japan since September, 1961 (Spokane's first sister city)

Limerick, Ireland

Jecheon, South Korea

Jilin, China