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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

The Slice

This isn’t really a put-down

I have come across more than a few people over the years who regard Spokane as the second-best place they have ever called home.

And these are not people who have just lived in two places.

When I have brought that up in the past, some listeners have gotten defensive and wondered why those individuals don't move back to their respective No. 1 cities.

Answers vary. Sometimes it is a matter of family circumstances. Sometimes it has to do with a job. Others could not afford to live there anymore. And once in a while people are willing to admit that maybe living in, say, the beloved college town of memory would not be idyllic today.

This city-ranking business is pretty subjective, of course. Different places have different sets of attributes and challenges. And the stage of your life experienced there can seriously influence your recollections.

Maybe it is disloyal to Spokane to say that the Lilac City isn't your lifetime No. 1. I don't know.

But perhaps it's just realistic.

Some people here act like Spokane is the worst place in the West. Others pretend it is practically perfect.

You know neither is true.

  



The Slice

The online home for Paul Turner's musings and interactions with disciples of The Slice.