Portland V. Coeur d'Alene V. Spokane (Boise, Spirit Lake: crime rate, safe neighborhoods, good schools)

[Cndgoose]

I am wanting to move to the Pacific Northwest region of the country but I cannot decide between Portland, Spokane and Coeur d'Alene. I am a Chiropractic Physician wanting to open up a family based wellness clinic and have a young family so safe neighborhoods, good schools and outdoor activities for young children are important to me. As a family we like to camp, mountain bike, swim, boat, ski, and do other similar activities. Any information/advice regarding the attitude toward Chiropractic or the area would be great! Thanks in advance for your help!!

[Keim]

3 VERY different communities. All have the things you mention as desirable-in abundance. Perhaps you should ask yourself what size of community you wish to live in.

[zitsky]

Coeur d'Alene is beautiful, but so is the Portland area. I just stopped in Spokane briefly on my way to Coeur d'Alene and MT, but I did talk to a few locals. I remember downtown Spokane as a place I have no interest in visiting a second time. Comments from *some* of the locals hinted than some of them acknowledge that Spokane isn't the most interesting city. I'd recommend Oregon as it's beautiful, has plenty of outdoor activities, hiking, skiing, wineries, etc.

Coeur d'Alene seems like somewhere you'd want to live if you want to be in a very small town. Along with that, you'll be missing a lot of the services of a bigger city. You could always drive to Spokane if you miss the big city.

Ask yourself this: Do you want to be closer to Montana/Idaho/Continental Divide, or Oregon/Washington/Pacific Ocean? That might help you start narrowing things down.

[TohobitPeak]

#1--Coeur d'Alene
#2--Portland
#3--Spokane

[lrmsd]

Just want to mention: Portland is known to have the highest per capita numbers of chiros, ND's and Acupuncturists-in the country-lol.
They have colleges for all 3, and it's a desireable place to live-so many stay, and many more move to the area (b/c the city is so accessible and it's residents readily use these forms of medicine). I have a family member who's a DC in the PDX area-their family moved there to attend school, and this person has been practicing there for a dozen years or so...the area has grown since then, so I'd imagine there are even more practitioners by now.

You should do the research-not saying the market is saturated, but it depends on what your style of practice is, and how you want to set up your life/business. Different cities will support different types of practices. Obviously, there are plenty of DC's in Spokane and Coeur D'alene, as well....(: I just wanted to add the bit about the large number of practitioners in PDX area. I don't know how this translates in terms of someone new to town and developing a new practice. Good luck, whatever you choose!

Also, don't know where you are moving from....but consider the rain/grey days factor for PDX, and the more conservative/Christian nature of CdA, vs. PDX which is one of the most liberal cities in the country. SO different-really depends on your background and lifestyle, as a wellness clinic would do well in either place. Both are touted as good for families, as well. PDX is MUCH larger than the spokane/cda metro area, too. Hopefully, you can visit all 3 locations before making a decision. I assume you've checked out chamber of commerce sites for them, too? (:

[Shaner]

I would nix spokane, just my opinion. CdA or Portland. Really, it would need to come down to religion, political outlook, and size of community you want. I would tell you CdA because of the business you are in, there seems to be a limited supply of its field in the area. If you want a relocation pack for CdA, pm me!

[esselcue]

Originally Posted by zitsky

Coeur d'Alene is beautiful, but so is the Portland area. I just stopped in Spokane briefly on my way to Coeur d'Alene and MT, but I did talk to a few locals. I remember downtown Spokane as a place I have no interest in visiting a second time. Comments from *some* of the locals hinted than some of them acknowledge that Spokane isn't the most interesting city. I'd recommend Oregon as it's beautiful, has plenty of outdoor activities, hiking, skiing, wineries, etc.

Coeur d'Alene seems like somewhere you'd want to live if you want to be in a very small town. Along with that, you'll be missing a lot of the services of a bigger city. You could always drive to Spokane if you miss the big city.

Ask yourself this: Do you want to be closer to Montana/Idaho/Continental Divide, or Oregon/Washington/Pacific Ocean? That might help you start narrowing things down.

I don't think of CdA as a "very small town". It has plenty of shopping, restaurants, services, at least as much as I'd ever want. Now where I live, in Spirit Lake, that's a very small town!

[Keim]

Not much love for Spokane here. I wonder why?

I think Spokane is a nice town. Has some great parks, very liveable, and a pretty nice downtown. Large enough to have anything I might need, small enough to be easy to get around.

[Sage of Sagle]

Lots of info here:
https://www.city-data.com/forum/boise...s-spokane.html

I'm personally not a fan of Spokane (city). Some nice areas and amenities, separated or surrounded by an awful lot of white trash and crime (property crime rate rivals Los Angeles). Then again, I'm not a fan of Beverly Hills' lower areas (south of Sunset) for the same reason. I see no reason to live where some pretty dangerous and/or thieving people can be at your front door in a quick drive from their place...

[Keim]

Heh-You just described my opinion of just about every city I've ever been in. Guess thats why I prefer living in smaller towns.

C-D lists Spokane as having a much higher crime rate than Boise, CDA and slightly higher than Portland. Evidently they aren't counting all the political crimes in Boise (ha ha!)

Originally Posted by Sage of Sagle

Lots of info here:
https://www.city-data.com/forum/boise...s-spokane.html

I'm personally not a fan of Spokane (city). Some nice areas and amenities, separated or surrounded by an awful lot of white trash and crime (property crime rate rivals Los Angeles). Then again, I'm not a fan of Beverly Hills' lower areas (south of Sunset) for the same reason. I see no reason to live where some pretty dangerous and/or thieving people can be at your front door in a quick drive from their place...