Active couple seeking housing in Spokane area (South Hill, Cheney: renting, houses)

[MeerkatMark]

Hello all - I know I know... another out-of-towner moving in. I will say that my wife is from Montana, and I'm a big fan of the northwest. We are excited about relocating to Spokane from New Mexico. We are a very active couple with a dog, but no kids. My wife really likes to hike, and if we can live somewhere within walking distance of hiking trails, that is a huge bonus. I am a big runner, and I also would like to be able to run right from my house. I train for marathons pretty regularly, and my long runs get up to 20 miles. I know that the Centennial Trail will allow for that sort of run, which is great. I would be happy to at least be able to do 8-10 mile runs without hitting a lot of lights (i.e. I don't need to be on a designated trail, just a road that is wide enough and not too busy).

We have actually just returned from a house hunting trip. As the locals know, it is quite the sellers market now, and we didn't see a lot of houses, even though we are willing to spend in the low seven figures (we'd prefer to be closer to $600-$800k). We did not see any houses in Five Mile Prairie, but now a couple interesting ones have come on the market. My concern is that the Division corridor would be where we would be shopping, and it seemed a bit dicey in places. I also heard that there are not many trees there, which can make it seem very windy. Additionally, I can't seem to find any hiking trails in that area.

My wife will be working near where Division intersects Rt. 2. I will be working downtown. We'd like to keep each of our commutes to around 20 minutes, but we are flexible with that. The more important thing is to have a nice house with some space from the neighbors (or at least the appearance of space... i.e. if the house next door is close, it is the two garages that abut), a safe area, and hiking/running capabilities. Spokane Valley and Liberty Lake would seem to fit those bills, but are quite a bit longer of a commute to the north side. We also considered the south part of South Hill in the handful of neighborhoods just east of the 195 off Hatch Rd. or some of the larger properties in Latah Valley just west of the 195. Those neighborhoods offer a quick commute via the 195.

I'd love to hear thoughts from anyone, and thank you in advance!

[rumi79]

We are currently renting in the Ponderosa neighborhood of Spokane Valley. I know you said Spokane and short commute but check out this area - we are 5 min to the Flying L trailhead, 10 min to Iller Creek trailhead and 15 min drive to the Steven's creek trailhead. It does not have a town feel, it's more like a suburban sprawl but it's close to nature trails. And honestly traffic (even though it has gotten worse since 2016 when we first moved here) is nothing to worry about, I work in downtown Spokane and it takes me 20 min to get there, park and get out of my car. My husband works in North Spokane and says that it takes him about 25 min to get there using the back roads.

[MeerkatMark]

Originally Posted by rumi79

We are currently renting in the Ponderosa neighborhood of Spokane Valley. I know you said Spokane and short commute but check out this area - we are 5 min to the Flying L trailhead, 10 min to Iller Creek trailhead and 15 min drive to the Steven's creek trailhead. It does not have a town feel, it's more like a suburban sprawl but it's close to nature trails. And honestly traffic (even though it has gotten worse since 2016 when we first moved here) is nothing to worry about, I work in downtown Spokane and it takes me 20 min to get there, park and get out of my car. My husband works in North Spokane and says that it takes him about 25 min to get there using the back roads.

Thank you so much for the response! This is definitely an area we are considering.

[mistyriver]

Did you look in Kendall Yards?

[MeerkatMark]

Originally Posted by mistyriver

Did you look in Kendall Yards?

We are looking for a house with some land, or at least some separation from neighbors. I'm not super familiar with Kendall Yards, but from what I do know, I think it would be too urban for us. Please let me know if I'm mistaken. Thanks!

[mistyriver]

It is for me too. We live on the South Hill (Rockwood area) and love it.

[MeerkatMark]

Originally Posted by mistyriver

It is for me too. We live on the South Hill (Rockwood area) and love it.

We are definitely considering South Hill, and Rockwood seems great, but expensive for the space and square footage we would like. Thanks!

[KnightStar05]

Originally Posted by MeerkatMark

We are definitely considering South Hill, and Rockwood seems great, but expensive for the space and square footage we would like. Thanks!

There is a property off of Cedar Rd by Eagle Ridge matching what you want and within your price range. There are also other larger property’s off of Spokane Cheney Rd that offer acreage and easy access to the 195 highway.
You should check out fish lake trail if you want to do some distance training. It use to be an old train track, now it’s a paved nature trail that goes west for about 10 miles.

[MeerkatMark]

Originally Posted by KnightStar05

There is a property off of Cedar Rd by Eagle Ridge matching what you want and within your price range. There are also other larger property’s off of Spokane Cheney Rd that offer acreage and easy access to the 195 highway.
You should check out fish lake trail if you want to do some distance training. It use to be an old train track, now it’s a paved nature trail that goes west for about 10 miles.

Thank you - We were able to find a house near where you suggested. I saw the Fish Lake Trail on Google Earth, and will try it out one we move.