Population Count Key To Progress
Officially, the Spokane area has a population of just over 400,000, but the area where we live, work and play is much larger. Traveling from Spokane International Airport to Coeur d’Alene, the landscape is one continuous urban corridor.
To reflect this reality, the federal government is rethinking how it counts the number of people in the Inland Northwest.
By combining the populations of Spokane and Kootenai counties, the metropolitan area could boast a population of more than half a million people.
The 500,000 figure is seen by economic-growth experts as a magic figure that draws the attention of those looking to relocate businesses.
The Spokane metropolitan area ranked 97th in the 1997 population estimates by the U.S. Census Bureau. By adding Kootenai County, the area would leapfrog about 20 other communities and possibly crack the top 75.
Inland Northwest leaders have been thinking this way for some time, knowing that the whole can be presented as stronger than its parts. That’s the driving force behind the area’s universities banding together to provide a high-tech curriculum that none of them could provide alone.
The key to boosting the economic fortunes of this area is to show potential employers that we have the critical mass of potential employees necessary to sustain businesses, without the big-city hassles.
The average commute time for the region is 15 minutes. Houses are affordable. The scenery sells itself. We know this, but many people around the country do not. As far as they’re concerned, Spokane is a Seattle suburb.
The establishment of an official Spokane-Coeur d’Alene corridor would help shake off those perceptions and let people know that we are a distinctive economic option that resides on the dry side of the state.
The benefits of a higher population count don’t end with economic development. Federal funds and grants for social programs, education and transportation often are tied to a region’s population.
Kootenai County, in particular, could see a boon in federal funds that are tied to complicated population formulas that work against rural areas.
For example, Kootenai Medical Center is a modern hospital that delivers an impressive array of services, but the feds treat it as if it were a rural clinic. Thus, the hospital struggles to retain top-notch doctors, nurses and other health-care professionals because it is reimbursed for Medicare treatment at lower rates than the Spokane hospitals are.
If Coeur d’Alene were considered part of the Spokane metropolitan area, KMC could get an estimated $2 million to $3 million more per year.
Some Kootenai County residents may balk at the town losing its bucolic resort image, but examples abound of such areas thriving inside large metro areas. For example, La Jolla, Calif., has an identity distinct from San Diego, but it benefits from being part of the urban mix.
The statistical merger considered by the federal Office of Management and Budget would merely make official what residents already know. We are big enough to accommodate growing businesses, yet small enough to offer a desirable lifestyle.