City of Spokane Valley, Washington | ||
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City | ||
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Nickname(s): The Valley | ||
Motto: "A community of opportunity where individuals and families can grow and play, and businesses will flourish and prosper." | ||
Coordinates: 47°40′24″N 117°14′22″W / 47.67333°N 117.23944°WCoordinates: 47°40′24″N 117°14′22″W / 47.67333°N 117.23944°W | ||
Country | United States | |
State | Washington | |
County | Spokane | |
Incorporated | March 31, 2003 | |
Government | ||
• Mayor | Rod Higgins | |
• Deputy Mayor | Arne Woodard | |
Area | ||
• City | 38.06 sq mi (98.57 km2) | |
• Land | 37.77 sq mi (97.82 km2) | |
• Water | 0.29 sq mi (0.75 km2) | |
Population (2010) | ||
• City | 89,755 | |
• Estimate (2015) | 94,919 | |
• Rank | US: 324th | |
• Density | 2,376.4/sq mi (917.5/km2) | |
• Metro | 547,924 (US: 100th) | |
• CSA | 698,170 (US: 69th) | |
Time zone | Pacific (PST) (UTC-8) | |
• Summer (DST) | PDT (UTC-7) | |
ZIP code | 99206 | |
Area code(s) | 509 | |
FIPS code | 53-67167 | |
Website | Official website |
Spokane Valley is a city in Spokane County, Washington, United States, and the largest suburb of Spokane. It is located east of Spokane, west of Coeur d'Alene, Idaho and surrounds the town of Millwood on three sides. The city incorporated as the City of Spokane Valley on March 31, 2003. The Washington State Office of Financial Management estimates the city’s population as 94,919 as of 2015. Spokane Valley is named after the valley of the Spokane River, in which it is located. Before becoming an incorporated city, the area was and still is referred to as "The Valley" by residents of the Spokane Metro Area.
For thousands of years, the Spokane Valley area was populated by members of the Upper Band of the Interior Salish Indians, calling themselves “Sn-tutuul-i”, the meaning of which is not known. In about 1783, fur traders from the North West Company began traveling through the area. They called these Indians the “Spokanes” which has been interpreted as meaning “Children of the Sun.” The Spokanes were a peaceful people, on friendly terms with neighboring tribes and later the fur traders and missionaries who came to the area. They fished salmon, hunted game, and ate camassia roots and berries they gathered.
Despite their many years of acceptance of the white settlers, and the calming influence of Chief Garry (sometimes Spokan Garry), the Spokanes protested the loss of their lands by joining in the Indian Rebellion of 1857. The final battle, in 1858, culminated in the Spokane Valley with the destruction of over 800 of their horses, their food, and teepees. The Spokanes were eventually forced from the lands of their ancestors to a reservation north of the Spokane River, just west of the Spokane area.