Spokane - Good news, bad numbers

March 5, 2008

There are a lot of good things happening in Spokane, and it all starts with River Park Square. Whatever you think about the way that infamous parking garage was financed, there's no denying that River Park Square worked. It brought new life to a mostly moribund downtown district, and with its shops, restaurants, bars and cinema, gave Spokane residents a reason to be downtown.

With that new life came new investment. The once-abandoned Davenport Hotel is now the renovated heart of a new arts district, which includes theaters, galleries and nightlife.

Speaking of investments, Spokane is home to a couple aggressively expanding Northwest banks: Sterling Savings and AmericanWest. There's more money in Spokane these days - FDIC figures show that Spokane County bank deposits have more than doubled over the past decade - a growth rate that's slightly faster than the growth for the state as a whole.

By: Bryan Corliss

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