Steve and Sheri Beckerman
Steve and Sheri Beckerman knew what they wanted when they began looking for a place to call home.
Spokane satisfied everything on their five-point list: Good medical care. Convenient airport. Friendly people. Proximity to family. Culture.
“And I don’t just mean the symphony,” Sheri says. “We wanted to live somewhere with a sense of self, something Spokane definitely has,”
“Everyone we’ve talked to, as soon as they move here, they say, ‘Yeah, this is it,’ “says Steve. “We haven’t talked to anyone who says they can’t wait to get out of here.”
The couple are familiar with the feel of living in the wrong place. Before Steve retired after 22 years with the U.S. Coast Guard, the couple lived in seven places, including Alaska, Hawaii, Virginia, New York and Western Washington.
Shortly after Steve’s retirement, they settled in Reno, Nev. But it wasn’t a good fit, Sheri says. “There was no sense of welcome.”
They knew a bit about Spokane before they began exploring the area. Sheri grew up in Great Falls. She came here with her parents and five siblings to buy shoes.
“We have narrow feet,” she says with a laugh. “Even though I hadn’t been back since I was a child, we thought ‘let’s go check it out.’ “
The couple visited twice before buying a home last April in a new, 44-home subdivision in Greenacres. Behind their house is a wetlands, and nearby, a big, open pasture. From their living-room window, they can see Mica Peak.
“It’s lovely,” Steve says.
While Sheri works downtown as an accounting temp, Steve is looking for something permanent. For now, he keeps plenty busy, walking their three Basenjis, planting trees and entertaining family who come to visit, including those who hint they might like to stay. “They say, ‘Maybe Spokane would be a good place for us, too,’ ” he says.
Why Spokane
“We like mountains. We like seasons,” Steve says. “We could afford a really nice house here.”
“Spokane has really friendly people,” Sheri says. “We’ve lived all over, and there are just some places you don’t feel welcome.”
Real estate
“We wanted to be part of a city but to have a sense of space,” Sheri says.
“It’s nice to take the dogs for a walk and look at all the deer, all the coyotes, all the mountains,” Steve says. “That’s definitely not true in Reno.”
A place in the community
“The people in our neighborhood are so friendly. It seems so small town,” Steve says. “But it has all the conveniences of a big city.”
“We know everyone in our neighborhood already,” Sheri says. “We have progressive dinners together. We’ve had a couple of open houses … You just have to be willing to take that first step.”