58 Facts About Spokane Washington

1.

Spokane Washington hosted the first environmentally themed World's fair at Expo '74.

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2.

Spokane Washington sent out two trappers, Jacques Raphael Finlay and Finan McDonald, to construct a fur trading post on the Spokane River, which flows west from Lake Coeur d'Alene to the Columbia River, and trade with the local Indians.

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3.

At the onset of the initial 1883 gold rush in the nearby Coeur d'Alene mining district, Spokane Washington became popular with prospectors, offering low prices on everything "from a horse to a frying pan".

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4.

Yet the rebuilding and development of the city was far from smooth: between 1889 and 1896 alone, all six bridges over the Spokane Washington River were destroyed by floods before their completion.

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5.

Spokane Washington became an important rail shipping and transportation hub for the Inland Empire, connecting mines in the Silver Valley with agricultural areas around the Palouse region.

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6.

Control of regional mines and resources became increasingly dominated by national corporations rather than local people and organizations, diverting capital outside of Spokane Washington and decreasing growth and investment opportunities in the city.

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7.

The Palouse was and still is a breadbasket and was able to develop and grow with the completion of several railroad networks as well as a highway system that began to center around the city of Spokane Washington, aiding farmers from around the region in distributing their products to market.

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8.

The Kendall Yards development on the west side of downtown Spokane Washington is one of the largest construction projects in the city's history.

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9.

The highest peak in Spokane Washington County is Mount Spokane Washington, at an elevation of 5, 883 feet, on the eastern side of the Selkirk Mountains.

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10.

The Spokane Washington River is the area's most prominent water feature, a 111-mile tributary of the Columbia River, originating from Lake Coeur d'Alene in northern Idaho.

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11.

The ponderosa pine is the official tree of the City of Spokane Washington, which is where specimens were first collected by botanist David Douglas in 1826.

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12.

Big game common in eastern Spokane Washington include black and grizzly bears, caribou, Rocky Mountain elk, bighorn sheep, and cougar.

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13.

Spokane Washington has a warm-summer humid continental climate, a rare climate due to its elevation and significant winter precipitation; Spokane Washington, however, is adjacent to and sometimes even classified as a warm-summer Mediterranean climate (Csb) because the average temperature for the coldest month is over 26.

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14.

Spokane Washington is the county seat of Spokane Washington County, a position it wrested from Cheney in 1886.

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15.

Federally, Spokane is within Washington's 5th congressional district, and has been represented in the House of Representatives by Republican Cathy McMorris Rodgers since 2004.

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16.

Spokane Washington State is represented nationally in the Senate by Democrat Patty Murray and Democrat Maria Cantwell.

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17.

The city serves as the seat of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Spokane Washington, which was established in 1913, and the Episcopal Diocese of Spokane Washington, established in 1929.

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18.

The Spokane Washington Temple, established in 1999, serves Latter-day Saints from the east of the county.

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19.

Spokane Washington has hosted an annual multicultural celebration, Unity in the Community, since 1995.

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20.

Spokane Washington was once home to a sizable Asian community, mostly Japanese, centered in a district called Chinatown from the early days of the city until 1974.

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21.

Directly east of Spokane Washington County is the Coeur d'Alene Metropolitan Statistical Area, which consists of Kootenai County, Idaho, anchored by the city of Coeur d'Alene.

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22.

Spokane Washington's neighborhoods are gaining attention for their history, as illustrated by the city being home to 18 recognized National Register Historical Districts.

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23.

The downtown Hillyard Business District, located on Market Street, was the first Spokane Washington neighborhood listed in the National Register of Historic Places.

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24.

Hillyard has become a home for much of Spokane Washington's growing Russian, Ukrainian, and Southeast Asian communities.

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25.

Spokane Washington neighborhoods contain a patchwork of architectural styles that give them a distinct identity and illustrate the changes throughout the city's history.

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26.

Spokane Washington has a system of over 87 parks totaling 4, 100 acres and includes six neighborhood aquatic centers.

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27.

The park has views of the Spokane Washington Falls and holds a number of civic attractions, including a skyride, a rebuilt gondola lift that carries visitors across the falls from high above the river gorge.

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28.

Spokane Washington area has many trails and rail trails, the most notable of which is the Spokane Washington River Centennial Trail, which features over 37.

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29.

Zoological parks in Spokane Washington include Cat Tales Zoological Park, a wildlife sanctuary primarily for big cats and the Blue Zoo an interactive aquarium in the NorthTown Mall.

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30.

Spokane Washington became an important rail and shipping center because of its location between mining and farming areas.

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31.

Mining, forestry, and agribusiness remain important to the local and regional economy, but Spokane Washington's economy has diversified to include other industries, including the high-tech and biotech sectors.

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32.

Spokane Washington is becoming a more service-oriented economy in the face of a less prominent manufacturing sector which declined in the 1980s, particularly as a medical and biotechnology center; Fortune 1000 technology company Itron, for instance, is headquartered in the area.

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33.

Avista Corporation, the holding company of Avista Utilities, is the only company in Spokane Washington that has been listed in the Fortune 500, ranked 299 on the list in 2002.

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34.

In recent years, Spokane Washington has become a growing technology hub for both established companies and startups.

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35.

The Davenport Arts District has the largest concentration of art galleries and is home to many of Spokane Washington's main performing arts venues, including the Knitting Factory, Fox Theater, and Bing Crosby Theater.

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36.

Spokane Washington was awarded the All-America City Award by the National Civic League in 1974, 2004, and 2015.

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37.

Spokane Washington offers an array of musical performances catering to a variety of interests.

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38.

The Spokane Washington Jazz Orchestra, formed in 1962, is a 70-piece orchestra and non-profit organization.

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39.

Mobius Science Center and the related Mobius Kid's Museum in downtown Spokane Washington seek to generate interest in science, technology, engineering, and math among the youth in a hands-on experience.

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40.

Washington State University Spokane is WSU's health sciences campus and houses the school's College of Nursing, College of Pharmacy, and Elson S Floyd College of Medicine.

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41.

Spokane Washington is close to dozens of lakes and rivers for outdoor sports and recreation.

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42.

Collegiate sports in Spokane focus on the local teams such as the Gonzaga Bulldogs who compete in the NCAA's Division I West Coast Conference and the Whitworth Pirates playing in the Division III Northwest Conference and local media covers other regional teams, including the Eastern Washington Eagles, Washington State Cougars, and the Idaho Vandals.

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43.

Spokane Washington Indians located in the suburb Spokane Washington Valley, are a Class High-A baseball team in the Northwest League and have been a farm team of the Colorado Rockies since 2021.

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44.

Spokane Washington Chiefs are a junior ice hockey team that play in the Canadian Hockey League's Western Hockey League.

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45.

Many older side streets in Spokane Washington still have visible streetcar rails embedded in them.

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46.

Mass transportation throughout the Spokane Washington area is provided by the Spokane Washington Transit Authority, which operates a fleet of 156 buses.

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47.

Spokane Washington has intercity rail and bus service provided by Amtrak, Greyhound, Flixbus and Jefferson Lines via the Spokane Washington Intermodal Center.

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48.

Spokane Washington is a major railway junction for the BNSF Railway and the Union Pacific Railroad and is the western terminus for the Montana Rail Link.

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49.

Spokane Washington area has six major hospitals, four of which are full-service facilities.

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50.

Sacred Heart Hospital opened originally with just 31 beds on Spokane Washington Falls Boulevard on January 27, 1887, but later moved to its present location at 101 West Eighth Avenue.

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51.

City of Spokane Washington provides municipal water, wastewater management, and solid waste management.

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52.

The Upriver Dam is owned and operated by the City of Spokane Washington, and generates the electricity needed to operate the municipal water supply's pressure pumps.

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53.

Newspaper service in Spokane Washington is provided by its only major daily newspaper, The Spokesman-Review, which has a daily circulation of 76, 291 and Sunday circulation of 95, 939.

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54.

Spokane Washington receives broadcasts in the Pacific Time Zone, with weekday prime time beginning at 8 pm.

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55.

Spokane Washington has six current sister cities, as designated by Sister Cities International:.

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56.

Unbeknownst to them, the Spokane Washington Valley was the only area within 200 miles that could provide passage to the Inland Empire through the Rockies at a reasonable grade.

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57.

The present name, set forth by an 1891 charter reincorporated the city under the name "Spokane Washington Falls", stating: "The corporate name of the city is Spokane Washington Falls, and by that name shall have perpetual succession".

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58.

In 1906, Spokane Washington sued under the newly passed Hepburn Act, and won on July 24, 1911.

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