Is Spokane & the Inland Northwest a Good Place to Live?
You've probably been priced out of the Seattle metro, or you took a hard look at the spreadsheet and realized the Puget Sound numbers no longer work. Someone mentioned Spokane — maybe a colleague who relocated there, maybe a job posting at Fairchild Air Force Base or Washington State University — and now you're trying to figure out whether the Inland Northwest is a real move or just a wishful one. The honest answer is that this region is genuinely different from Western Washington, and not just on price. The seasons are sharper, the distances are longer, and the communities are built around a different kind of self-sufficiency.
The economic backbone here is wider than most people expect from a region this far east. Spokane itself anchors healthcare, higher education, military, and logistics in ways that give it a stability rare for a city of its size. Major health systems, Gonzaga University, and Fairchild Air Force Base create a job base that doesn't rise and fall with a single industry. Pullman runs on Washington State University — almost everything in that city does — and Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories has grown into a genuinely significant employer in its own right. Liberty Lake has pulled in technology and financial services companies in ways that have quietly changed the eastern edge of the metro. The school districts across the region range from Cheney's EWU-adjacent system to Central Valley in Spokane Valley, and they're one of the real differentiators once families start comparing neighborhoods seriously.
On price, this region sits well below Seattle and the Eastside, below Snohomish County, and below most of the Puget Sound metro area — making it one of the more accessible regions in the state for buyers who want actual square footage and a yard. Within the region itself, Liberty Lake sits toward the pricier end, while Spokane, Spokane Valley, Pullman, Cheney, and Airway Heights cluster nearer the middle. What that spread means in practice: you can often find genuinely different lifestyles at roughly similar price points, which makes the city-to-city comparison less about budget and more about what kind of daily life you actually want. The Centennial Trail running through Spokane and into Spokane Valley, the Dishman Hills Natural Area, Riverfront Park, and Liberty Lake Regional Park give the region an outdoor texture that surprises people who picture the Inland Northwest as purely agricultural.
Whether you're choosing between Spokane's South Hill and a Liberty Lake subdivision, weighing Pullman's college-town trade-offs, or deciding how close you want to be to Fairchild Air Force Base, the city cards below break down each community by what actually distinguishes it — employers, landmarks, neighborhoods, and the kind of buyer who tends to land there and stay.
Explore All 6 Cities in Spokane & the Inland Northwest
Click into any city for the complete guide — neighborhoods, home prices, cost of living, pros & cons, schools, top employers, and mortgage help.
Spokane
Spokane is the undeniable center of the Inland Northwest — one of the state's larger cities, with a downtown anchored by Riverfront Park and Spokane Falls, a live music and arts scene built around the Martin Woldson Theater at the Fox and the Northwest Museum of Arts & Culture, and neighborhoods ranging from the historic character of Browne's Addition to the newer development of Kendall Yards. Major healthcare systems, Fairchild Air Force Base, Gonzaga University, and a growing logistics sector give the local job market real depth. Priced near the middle of this region, it's the right fit for buyers who want genuine urban amenities without the costs that come with Western Washington metros.
Full Spokane Guide →
Spokane Valley
Spokane Valley functions as a self-contained city in its own right — one of the state's larger cities — sitting east of Spokane along I-90, with its own industrial base in Kaiser Aluminum Trentwood and Wagstaff Inc., its own regional event space at CenterPlace, and natural assets like Dishman Hills Natural Area and the Centennial Trail running through the city. The Central Valley School District draws families seriously, and neighborhoods like Veradale, Mirabeau, and Ponderosa offer suburban layouts with easy access to both Spokane's core and the Idaho border. Home prices land near the middle of the region, making it competitive with Spokane proper while offering a quieter, more spread-out feel.
Full Spokane Valley Guide →- Is Spokane Valley Safe? A Data-Backed Look
- Cost of Living in Spokane Valley
- Best Neighborhoods in Spokane Valley
- Schools in Spokane Valley: A Family Guide
- Parks & Recreation in Spokane Valley
- Retiring in Spokane Valley
- First-Time Homebuyer's Guide to Spokane Valley
- Moving to Spokane Valley from California
Pullman
Pullman is Washington State University's city, full stop — and that shapes everything from the rental market to the energy of the downtown coffee shops to the pace of the streets in summer versus fall. The WSU campus, Martin Stadium, and Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories headquarters define the physical and economic landscape of this mid-size city, and Schweitzer in particular has turned Pullman into something more than a pure college town by drawing engineers and technical professionals who put down permanent roots. Priced near the middle of this region, it rewards buyers who want a close-knit community with a genuine intellectual current running through it, but it asks for patience during football weekends and genuine honesty about the trade-offs of a town where one institution sets the tempo.
Full Pullman Guide →
Liberty Lake
Liberty Lake is the Inland Northwest's most intentionally built community — a small city that incorporated relatively recently and has attracted technology and financial services employers like Itron, STCU, and Amphenol Network Solutions in ways that have made it feel distinctly different from its neighbors. The lake itself sits at the center of the community's identity, and Liberty Lake Regional Park and Pavillion Park give residents outdoor anchors that the more urban cities to the west can't quite match. It sits toward the pricier end of this region, and buyers who come here are generally trading some budget for planned neighborhoods, Ridgeline High School's reputation, and a quieter pace that still puts them on I-90 and within reach of Spokane's full amenity set.
Full Liberty Lake Guide →
Cheney
Cheney is a small city shaped by two very different forces — Eastern Washington University's campus runs through its core, and Fairchild Air Force Base sits on its edge, creating a community that is simultaneously a college town, a military-adjacent suburb, and a quiet historic downtown all at once. The EWU campus and Cheney Historic Downtown give the city a walkable center that most communities this size don't have, and Turnbull National Wildlife Refuge just outside town adds a natural draw that regularly surprises newcomers. Priced near the middle of the region, Cheney tends to suit buyers who want lower costs than Spokane's more desirable neighborhoods while staying genuinely close to both military installations and the university employment base.
Full Cheney Guide →
Airway Heights
Airway Heights is a small city on the western edge of Spokane County, defined in large part by its proximity to Fairchild Air Force Base and Spokane International Airport — two institutions that shape who lives here and what the local economy runs on. Northern Quest Resort & Casino is a significant regional employer and draw, and the Amazon fulfillment center has added logistics employment to a city that has been growing steadily. Priced near the middle of this region, it's the most practical choice for military families, airport workers, and buyers who want affordable housing with a straightforward commute west of Spokane's core, even as it offers fewer of the urban amenities you'd find closer to downtown.
Full Airway Heights Guide →- Is Airway Heights Safe? A Data-Backed Look
- Cost of Living in Airway Heights
- Best Neighborhoods in Airway Heights
- Schools in Airway Heights: A Family Guide
- Parks & Recreation in Airway Heights
- Retiring in Airway Heights
- First-Time Homebuyer's Guide to Airway Heights
- Moving to Airway Heights from California
Compare Every City in Spokane & Inland NW
Full ranked breakdowns across every city in the region — scored and compared side by side.
Local Expert Takeaway: The buyers who thrive in Spokane & the Inland Northwest are the ones who come having thought clearly about which city fits their actual daily life — not just their budget — because Pullman, Liberty Lake, Cheney, and Spokane are genuinely different places, not interchangeable suburbs of each other.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Helpful Washington Resources
Explore Other Washington Regions
Spokane & the Inland Northwest is one of 11 distinct regions that make up Washington. Each has its own climate, character, and housing market — explore them all.
Seattle and the King County cities around Lake Washington, out to the Snoqualmie foothills. 16 cities including Seattle, Bellevue, Kirkland.
Explore all 16 Seattle & Eastside cities →
Tacoma and the state capital anchor Pierce and Thurston counties at the south end of the Sound. 16 cities including Tacoma, South Hill, Lakewood.
Explore all 16 South Puget Sound cities →
Everett and the cities north of Seattle, from the Sound shoreline to the Cascade foothills. 12 cities including Everett, Marysville, Edmonds.
Explore all 12 Snohomish County cities →
The airport, warehouse and aerospace corridor between Seattle and Tacoma. 10 cities including Kent, Renton, Federal Way.
Explore all 10 South King County cities →
Just across the Columbia from Portland, with no state income tax. 8 cities including Vancouver, Longview, Camas.
Explore all 8 SW Washington cities →
Bellingham, the Skagit Valley and Whidbey Island, between Seattle and the Canadian border. 7 cities including Bellingham, Mount Vernon, Oak Harbor.
Explore all 7 North Puget Sound cities →
Yakima Valley farm and wine country, Wenatchee orchards and the Columbia Basin. 7 cities including Yakima, Wenatchee, Moses Lake.
Explore all 7 Central WA cities →
Kennewick, Pasco and Richland where the rivers meet, plus Walla Walla wine country. 6 cities including Kennewick, Pasco, Richland.
Explore all 6 Tri-Cities & Walla Walla cities →
Ferry-linked towns across the Sound from Seattle, from Bremerton to Bainbridge Island. 5 cities including Bremerton, Bainbridge Island, Silverdale.
Explore all 5 Kitsap Peninsula cities →
Towns between the Olympic Mountains, the Strait of Juan de Fuca and the Pacific coast. 5 cities including Port Angeles, Aberdeen, Shelton.
Explore all 5 Olympic Peninsula cities →Moving to Washington?
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