Page 25 - ARUBA TODAY

BUSINESS Monday 13 august 2018
A25

Growing Spokane, Washington, sheds its sleepy city image

By NICHOLAS K. GERANIOS columnist Shawn Vestal
Associated Press thinking it might be time for
SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) — locals to retire the whole
Ramsey and Amy Pruchnic “Spokane doesn’t suck”
lived in the Seattle area for attitude when talking to
five years before deciding outsiders.
they wanted to escape “There’s no reason to go
the Puget Sound rat race around insisting that some-
and move closer to family thing doesn’t suck when it
on the opposite side of the truly doesn’t suck,” Vestal,
state. also an award-winning fic-
Now they own their own tion writer, opined.
businesses and live in a Mielke said Spokane’s se-
1928 farmhouse on 10 ru- cret weapon might be
ral acres they bought just higher education. The
south of Spokane, near the area is home to Eastern
Idaho border, where they Washington, Gonzaga and
are raising three children Whitworth universities, plus
and 18 chickens. a large branch campus of
“The honeymoon phase In this photo taken June 4, 2018, a construction crane looms over downtown and the Monroe Washington State Universi-
of Seattle wore off,” said Street Bridge in Spokane, Wash. ty that includes one of the
Amy Pruchnic, 31, who Associated Press nation’s newest medical
just opened a specialty flee soaring housing costs “We’ve exceeded the job to 556,000 in 2016. Throw in schools. There are also two
doughnut shop in a hip up and down the West level at the peak of the last the 150,000 residents of ad- large community colleges.
development downtown. Coast. expansion,” said Grant For- jacent Kootenai County, Enrollment is growing rap-
“Why not work in a town Spokane has long been syth, chief economist for Idaho, and the combined idly. About 40,000 college
like Spokane?” known as a sleepy place Avista Corp., the region’s statistical area has 710,000 students live in the immedi-
The Pruchnics are among with slow growth that electric and gas utility. “We residents. ate Spokane region, and
a wave of new residents in chugged along in the have recovered all of the The rising population has more than 70,000 within a
Washington’s second-larg- shadow of much larger lost jobs and then some.” jolted the housing market. 100-mile (160-kilometer) ra-
est city, which is experienc- and richer Seattle, 280 Numbers tell the story. The median sale price of a dius, Mielke said, providing
ing a growing population miles (450 kilometers) west. The Spokane Metropolitan home in Spokane County an educated workforce.
thanks to more jobs and But the country’s economic Statistical Area, consisting was $240,000 in May, up People in bigger cities are
an influx of people leaving recovery has finally trickled of Spokane and adjacent $32,000 from May 2017, noticing.
larger West Coast cities. down to the city of nearly Stevens and Pend Oreille the Spokane Association The Seattle Times reported
They include young fami- 220,000. counties, had 232,500 jobs of Realtors said. Demand that in recent years more
lies like the Pruchnics — Spokane doesn’t have a in 2007, just before the re- for homes outstrips sup- than 2,000 people per year
many in search of cheaper dominant employer like cession. In March the area ply. Still, Realtor.com re- move from King County to
housing, easier commutes, Boeing or Microsoft. But it reported 244,700 jobs. cently named Spokane Spokane County. That’s
good schools and a work- does have a lot of smaller A big mystery project pro- first among “10 Affordable more than move to Phoe-
life balance — and retirees companies, plus a growing posed near the Spokane Midsize Cities.” nix or Portland, Oregon,
with disposable income. number of good-paying International Airport was Spokane is surrounded by the newspaper reported.
“We are getting both ends jobs in government, higher recently revealed to be an large lakes, five ski areas, For the Pruchnics — trying
of the spectrum,” said education and medicine. Amazon fulfillment center. mountains and rivers, and to juggle jobs and children
Todd Mielke, chief execu- Fairchild Air Force Base re- The building will be more outdoor recreation has al- in the booming and crowd-
tive of Greater Spokane mains the region’s largest than 2.5 million square feet ways been a draw. It also ed Seattle area — the
Incorporated, the region’s single employer. (232,300 square meters), has a lively nightlife and lit- move was a no-brainer.q
chamber of commerce. It’s good news for a city have more than 1,500 full- erary scene and lots of new
The trend is also visible in that suffered during the time employees and cost upscale dining choices.
other midsize western cities Great Recession. $181 million. Construction National Geographic Trav-
like Boise, Idaho, as people has already started. eler magazine recently
“Amazon will be one of the named Spokane one of 29
Average US price of gas rises largest businesses in the “Cities on the Rise,” noting
Spokane region,” Mielke the region is “hipster friend-
2 cents per gallon to $2.93 said, and it might lure oth- ly” and “caffeinated.”
ers. Spokane has shown up on
Associated Press weeks ahead, however, Meanwhile, the Spokane numerous other rankings of
CAMARILLO, Calif. (AP) and could actually drop metro area’s population cool cities in recent years.
— The average U.S. price slightly. She says that’s grew from 470,000 in 2000 That has local newspaper
of regular-grade gasoline because refiners have in-
has risen 2 cents a gallon creased capacity and cur- Salina Cerca 23-i
over the past two weeks, to rent demand is weak.
$2.93. The highest average price 4 Bedroom
Industry analyst Trilby Lund- in the contiguous 48 states
berg of the Lundberg Sur- is $3.69 in the San Francisco 3 bathroom
vey says that’s 53 cents a Bay area. apt in the back
gallon higher than at this The lowest average is $2.53 in front of Marriott
time last year. in Jackson, Mississippi. Price $ 1.4 million
Lundberg said Sunday it The average price of diesel
appears unlikely prices rose one cent over the past
will continue to rise in the two weeks, to $3.81.q