Getting Around In Spokane

Whether you'll be arriving by plane from your Toronto condo with no car or driving in from the next town over, it never hurts to do a little checking up on the transit situation in your new home city. Some cities have woefully inadequate public transit, others have confusing highways, and still others are a network of freight train crossings; so it's best to be prepared. Like many other aspects of Spokane, its transportation system is very average. People coming in from other cities or towns in North America will find there is very little to get used to. All the same, however, we've written this brief guide to transportation in Spokane to give you a clear picture.

Road

In an effort to make navigating the city as painless as possible, Spokane's planners arranged its roads in a simple grid of east-west avenues and north-south streets; so if you're driving to work you don't have to worry so much about getting lost in a warren of spaghetti streets. The major highway serving Spokane is the Interstate 90, which runs east-west through the city and is the primary route to Seattle, so expect a lot of congestion there at peak times. U.S. Routes 2 and 395 both enter Spokane from the west and exit to the north, providing access to northern Washington, Idaho and Canada. Construction has also begun on a north-south toll highway.

Public Transit

In the early days, public transit was provided by a streetcar line that allowed people to travel from their work to enjoy their hours of liberty on the park system's trails. Though the rails remain in many places, the streetcars themselves were replaced by buses in 1933. The Spokane Transit Authority currently operates 151 buses on routes that originate at the transit plaza downtown and radiate outward to serve an area of 143 square miles. Intercity transit, primarily east to Chicago and west to Seattle, is provided by Greyhound Bus and Amtrak rail, but as of yet no light rail system exists to connect Spokane to it suburbs.

Air

Spokane International Airport (identifier GEG) is the primary passenger destination for people arriving from London, Ontario condominiums on their way to anywhere in eastern Washington or northern Idaho. Passenger service at Spokane International is provided by 11 regional and international airlines to destinations in the continental United States and Canada. Cargo is processed in facilities belonging to ABX Air, FedEx an UPS. The airport is about five miles from the city center. The smaller Felts Field airport in east Spokane used to be the primary airport but today serves private aviators, flight schools, and other small aircraft not affiliate with major airlines. There are small general aviation airports in the nearby towns of Mead and Deer Park as well.

Water

The Spokane River is excellent as a backdrop for replicas of Poughkeepsie NY Homes but unfortunately not as a means of transportation. Fast currents, jagged rocks, rapids, and the presence of a number of dams prevent any sort of commercial boating. However, the river does present opportunities for experienced kayak, canoe, and rafting enthusiasts.