Spokane is the closest major city to Fairchild AFB. It has about 210,000 people, and is in Spokane County, which has a population of about 471,000 people. Other nearby small communities include Spokane Valley (about 90,000, but on the far side of Spokane), Airway Heights (about 6,000), Cheney (about 11,000), and Medical Lake (about 5,000).

It is about 14 miles from downtown Spokane city to Fairchild; this takes about half an hour to commute, but the city is mostly on the other side of downtown (most of the city is on the other side of the river) and travel times can be longer. The average commute in Spokane County is about 21 minutes.

Local Housing Rental Prices: The average apartment rent in Spokane area ranges from $500 to $1000 per month, with a median of $685 per month.

Local Housing Purchase Prices: The average price for a house in Spokane is about $162,000, compared to $271,000 for Washington.

Short Description of the Area: Spokane is the second largest city in Washington. It is on the far east side of the state, near the Washington-Idaho border. The city is in a river valley, in an agricultural area, and is the center of farming, timber, and mining industries. While the contrast between eastern and western Washington may appear stark, this was not always the case. Tremendous flooding from a glacial lake in Missoula towards the end of the last ice age carved Eastern Washington into its modern form.

Climate and Weather: The area has a cool Mediterranean climate, switching between cold, wet winters with temperatures in the low 30s to low 20s and warm, dry summers, with temperatures in the low 80s to mid 50s. The area is generally not rainy, but does get winter snow, up to and over one foot. Unlike western Washington, Spokane has distinct springs and falls.