Just moved, or are thinking of moving, to a home with a Spokane zip code? While you were looking for a place to live, you probably came across all sorts of interesting tidbits about the city. We are going to expand on that knowledge base a little bit further to get you a bit better acquainted with your new city.

Economy

One of the most important things any home owner needs to know about is the economy of the place in which they live. Spokane is one of the largest cities in the region, and can boast a solid and diverse economic foundation.

The leading industries in Spokane include both education and health care. As a large city, Spokane facilities care for residents from all over the state of both Washington and Idaho. Being close to the border, the city has greatly benefitted from the SRED incentives in place in Canada, in terms of both knowledge base and personnel.

Spokane is also home to several companies which specialize in research into clean, green technology. These companies research, and sometimes manufacture and ship, a diverse range of products, from waste water treatment chemicals to home heating systems.

Downtown

Spokane, like many cities in the Pacific Northwest, has always prided itself on being a clean city. The downtown area, like many in the nation's older cities, nevertheless became quite run down over the years. Over the last decade, there has been quite an effort afoot to rejuvenate the city's downtown core.

Using the services of a range of people, from a Toronto architect to laborers, the downtown area today has an entirely new look. It's a place where you will find state of the art shopping as well as high end real estate.

The Great Outdoors

A mild climate, excellent weather, and some beautiful wide open spaces mean that a lot of Spokane residents love to spend their free time outdoors. In fact, the sheer number of residents heading outside year round mean that some of the best home based business opportunities are those which cater to the needs of the outdoor lover. Golf pros can offer tips and lessons to people looking to improve their game on the 33 courses around the city, and ski pros will also find a large customer base.

Municipally, the city of Spokane runs some of the most unique outdoor facilities in the country. The city's parks were among the first in the West run as a part of a municipal park system. There are thousands of acres of parkland in the city.

One of the most famous and diverse is Riverfront Park. This park includes a Skyride, waterfalls, amusement park, and a five story IMAX theater. It's also the place to go in the city on warm summer nights to hear a variety of local musicians play, from hardcore punk bands to Celtic folk music.