My 2 bits; Spokane is the largest city in the eastern half of the state. I know many people who grew up or worked in Spokane and their biggest complaint was how terrible the drivers are. I didn't fact check this, but I've been told that it has one of the highest incidents of drivers running red lights in the North West. It's a fast growing and expanding city, especially on the outskirts. I think they have a pretty good radio/communications industry. They get all 4 seasons and are in a fairly mountainous area. I've never had a bad experience there and have visited many times for business. I will tell you this, it's a hell of a lot better city than Dallas.