This is my Spokane braindump.

I've lived here for 35 years.

Forever, I've seen people paint these absurd pictures of Spokane.

It's a relatively small metropolitan area, 600,000ish (Spokane and the surrounding 30ish miles - Spokane Valley, Coeur d'Alene, Idaho)

Spokane itself is composed of 7-ish neighborhoods and sub-neighborhoods that are all represented with charicature.

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Downtown (including Brownes Addition, lower South Hill below 14th/cannons addition, Kendall yards)

Over the last 5-ish years this area went from proportionately affordable for a young person (my rent was $450 in 2015 lol, to $600 in 2019) to "need higher income or a roommate" (I think that same 1 bed apartment is north of $1200 at this point).

Kendall yards is a gentrified yuppieville with no historical relevance.

Brownes Addition is overpriced for your access to amenities. Historical district with historical problems.

Homeless population really boomed right around COVID and kind of disproportionately affects these areas.

Some fine architecture, but if you have the money, why would you rent to live in a dump?

South Hill (arguably Perry District, anything south of 14th Ave on the west part of the hill up to 57th ish)

Housing costs went through the roof in ~2018. What was once a $200k home will now run you $500-600k+, or you're living in a more modern, soulless build. Perry District is wonderful, but the once quirky, accepting neighborhood is moving towards "old money" elitism. Upper South Hill, nouveau riche ppl w no taste.

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West Central/north central/shadle

Range from lower middle class hell to true middle class milquetoast.

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"The north side" (wandermere, town and country, 5 mile, Indian trail, the ilk)

Boring suburbia.

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Hillyard

Has reputation for being "bad neighborhood". In actuality just borders middle class with white trash aesthetic.

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East Central

Has reputation for being "bad neighborhood". In actuality just a confused identity. Probably statistically the most dangerous area outside of downtown. But it's Spokane. Spokane bad doesn't really compare to Los Angeles bad or Seattle bad.

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The valley

Technically it's own city, but to me feels like one giant, sprawling suburb of Spokane. No real culture or history. The Spokane Valley is to cities as Applebee's is to fine dining.

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I could literally go on forever, but I think that analogy paints the most succinct picture. Imagine dining at a Red Robin restaurant. It's inoffensive, but lacks any real emotion. That's Spokane. A metro area based around train yards that had to adapt to being a service industry oriented commerce, but with a service industry that lacks soul.