Those moving to Spokane will be delighted to find that there is a diverse and solid economy in place in this large city in the Pacific Northwest. Business and industry play a vital role in the foundation of this economy.

Natural Resources

As with many of the cities on the Pacific Coast, the basis for Spokane's existence was the abundance of natural resources to be found in the area. In fact, the wealth available through extraction led to the creation of the Spokane stock market, which could set silver and gold bullion prices for the rest of the continent for a time.

As is true of many other areas, natural resource industries are not the sole staple of Spokane's economy today, although they still play an important part. Spokane and the immediate vicinity are well known as important places for silver extraction and production. In fact, the area is considered the most important silver mining district in the US, and one of the most important in the world. Many people have the wealth of their active ETFs tied in to the fortunes of silver mining in the Spokane region.

Numerous timber resources have also proved beneficial for the industrial sector in Spokane. Lumber harvested from points north, west, and east are sent to the area for processing. Sawmills with huge dryers churn out plywood, factories complete with duplex strainers for treating the wood produce furniture, and all is sold on the international market.

High Tech

The variability of prices on natural resources which started in the last half of the twentieth century forced Spokane businesses and residents to diversify in hopes of staying afloat. Today the city is the site of many well known high tech companies, where electronic circuit design is put to use in products known all over the world.

Among these companies are included businesses such as Blue-Ray Technologies, Cisco, and General Dynamics. Spokane also includes a 100 block wireless network to encourage technological development, one of the largest in the country.

Entertainment

Spokane is the largest city for miles around in the Inland Northwest Region, and thus it also serves as an important entertainment center for people from all over, including neighboring Idaho. People come to town for sports, theatre, and to eat and drink. Food and beverage public relations for the restaurant sectors often focus advertising strategies as far north as Vancouver and as far east as Boise.