Alex_angel,
I know what you mean about the “cars sliding around & hitting each other”. I already lived in Spokane for 5 years before returning to SD, and I was actually one of those cars (on the freeway no less)! Very scary & I was very fortunate to live to tell about it. That happened in my first couple years there. We Californian’s take a while to get used to driving on “black-ice” as they call it.
FormerSanDiegan,
Thanks for the kind words. I have to say the “You’ve ruined our state, Move Back to Cali” campaign is alive & well. The sad thing is we ex-Californians have really taking over that town in particular. I am returning to my previous employer where 20 out of 40 people in my department are from SoCal. We’re all very careful not to bring it up however. I can’t say I blame them for their animosity. I think the median income in Spokane is about $35k and 5 yrs ago a nice, big house would sell for around $130K. Now you need $250k for a fixer-upper. That’s not entirely our fault, but you hear many instances where SoCal folks come up & pay cash for house that the typical Spokanite can no longer afford. For instance, we sold our last Spokane house to a young couple from Manhattan Beach for just under $200k. They paid cash for it & the husband boasted how he did not plan on working for a few years because of all the $$ in the bank. It’s pretty easy for the homegrown folks to become resentful. Spokane has experienced a kind of appreciate that we might consider normal here, but there it is considered shocking.
Sdduuuude,
I actually looked for a Spokane Bubble site, but couldn’t find one. If things keep appreciating there the way they have, maybe I’ll start one myself. The realtor told us the South Hill area has gone up 27% in the last year. And she says many of the buyers are from out of state. They’re actually buying properties “site-unseen”.
Lostkitty,
You are great! I enjoyed your comments over the last couple of years as well. I guess I just assumed you were still living down here. In what area up North are you residing? People from Easter Washington always make it a point to clarify that they are not from the West side (the land of gray days & liberals). Not to get political, but I am a steadfast centralist/independent, but in ultra-conservative Spokane I’m considered a screaming “Pinko”. My friends down here get a good laugh at that. I try to explain to the Spokane folks that Orange County is the Republican stronghold of the west, but they just can’t believe it – Cali is the land of fruits & nuts… as they say.
Even if the San Diego market gets better in a year or two, I’m a done deal. After all of the change I’ve put my little family through, I am determined to stay in Spokane for a long while. At least until the kids are out of school. Maybe after that I’ll just get a double-wide in a senior living trailer park in Encinitas for just under $1 Mill.
