Spokane Doesn't Suck!

As a local this is an ongoing joke. By the outside world Spokane can be viewed as the "ugly" counter part to the better known Seattle. I'm here to tell you, it just isn't true....in fact, there are a ton of reasons we love our city and why it is a great place to visit and even better to settle and call home.

Let's start with a little background and quick facts on our "Near Nature, Near Perfect" city:

• Spokan Falls was founded in 1872

• The greater Spokane area is home to just over 522,800 residence (this includes several small towns)

• The City of Spokane is ranked 2nd largest population in Washington State at 227,580 residence, compared to Seattle which has 776,555. (2021 census)

• On average Spokane sees 171 days of sunshine each year and only 17 inches of rain. Don't forget the snowy winters though!! We get about 44 inches of snow in total each year.

• Voted one of the 10 All-American cities in 1974 and 2004

• Founding hometown of Father's Day. First celebrated in 1910.

Big Scale Events:

Bloomsday - Spokane is home to the largest timed running race in the nation! Each year, on the first Sunday of May over 50K people participate in the 12K course on the downtown streets. Runners from around the world, walkers, and families of all abilities all gather rain or shine for the fun. Local bands pump out the jams from the sidelines while vendors and neighbors cheer everyone on. Just beware Doomsday Hill which gains 120 feet in about a half mile....near the end of the course.

Pig Out In The Park - For over 40 years, Pig Out has been held the first week of September. Located downtown at Riverfront Park this event is made for the food and music lovers. Over 40 booths offer a huge variety of snacks, food and adult beverages. Over 80 concerts take stage throughout the festival. Entry is free and open to everyone to wonder through the grasses next to the river, play on the Big Red Wagon, splash in the water park, enjoy the delicious local food and lounge in the "adult beverage" gardens.

Hoopfest - The biggest 3 on 3 basketball tournament on EARTH! This awesome event is for serious sportsmen and all around basketball lovers that want to spend the last weekend of June in Hooptown USA. Over 6,000 team, 3,000 event volunteers, 225,000 fans and 425 courts span 45 city blocks!!! There is also live music, food vendors, shopping and all around fun being had at this summer sports event.

Outside of the big ticket events that Spokane is known for there are a ton of other smaller fun activities that make this town not suck. From off-broadway productions and local theatres, museums, music festivals, ice skating ribbons, fruit farms on Greenbluff, tons of local breweries, nearby lakes and rivers, ski resorts, hiking trails, and swanky historic hotels there is something for everyone in this beautiful place we call home.