By Patrick Ronay, admission counselor and alum
Perhaps I don’t need to remind you, but your arrival to Gonzaga is a mere six weeks away! The faculty and staff of the University look forward to welcoming you, and so too does the city of Spokane. Gonzaga is a new educational frontier that you – along with your classmates – will be exploring. And for the majority of you the city of Spokane will be a new frontier as well. Needless to say, a lot of newness awaits you.
With college comes the chance for you to carve out your own experience: you get to establish a local knowledge and, what I would consider, an ethic of place. You’ll come to know fellow first-year students who hail from the Inland Northwest. You’ll meet upperclassmen who have spent a year or more at GU and can offer insight on their “dos and don’ts” for life on and off-campus. And the faculty and staff you’ll interact with are folks who have come to call Spokane “home.” All of these resources can help build and shape your understanding of this city, but it will all be for nothing if you don’t get out and see the campus surroundings and involve yourself.
Like any city, Spokane has a narrative all its own. What follows is my own best attempt to share with you some of the city’s foremost qualities.
Spokane is the second largest city in the state of Washington. The Spokane metro area boasts a metro population of about 535,000 people, which puts it squarely at #100 among U.S. metros. With that size, Spokane has traditional urban amenities, but within a more intimate atmosphere. Some might say that the feel of Spokane is like a really big small town dressed up as a city, while others may experience it as a city with the charm and pluck of a small town. Either way, our size allows students to enjoy those urban amenities—nice restaurants, entertainment options, shopping— in downtown Spokane, which is less than a 20-minute walk from Gonzaga’s campus. And for you Californians reading this, fear not—we have a Trader Joe’s too!
But maybe you’re the student who wants more than the standard city. Complementing the intimate atmosphere of Spokane is a plethora of outdoor opportunities that await you all seasons of the year. Whether it be the ski slopes of eastern Washington and the Idaho panhandle, the rivers and lakes of the region, or scenic Riverside State Park (which is only three miles from campus), there are many ways to reach that recreational nirvana. Spokane’s cred among outdoors aficionados got a further boost in 2013 when Outside Magazine chose it as one of its “Best Towns.” And while you may wish to pursue many of these outdoor activities on your own, it’s important to know that Gonzaga Outdoors and GU’s Ski & Snowboard club are there to guide you too! Even Spokane’s downtown area is brimming with natural beauty, as the Spokane River runs right through the heart of the city where it meets up with Riverfront Park, a lovely urban riverfront space right inside the city center. In fact, a recent USA Today reader poll voted Spokane the #2 “Best American Riverfront.” (Side note: the Spokane River also runs right along the GU campus, too, which we think is pretty rad.) Thus, the city’s motto of “Near Nature. Near Perfect.” is quite fitting—even if a bit cheesy.
Another gateway to learn and involve yourself in Spokane is through CCASL (Center for Community Action and Service Learning). CCASL serves as the origin for nearly all of the community service that Zags take part in. Whether it be working with students in the area, helping the city’s homeless population, fighting hunger, or serving the elderly, CCASL can help you break beyond the perimeters of campus and enhance your education in every sense of the word.
So however you choose to absorb Spokane – be it through a walk downtown with friends after one of the initial days of classes, a service project with CCASL, a hike in Riverside State Park, or a morning jog along the river – you can’t go wrong. The only wrong choice is not making one at all.
Finally, if you want to learn more about Spokane and what’s happening here, here are some great websites to check out:
- http://www.inlander.com/
- http://www.spokane7.com/
- http://www.visitspokane.com/blog/
- http://www.fieldandcompass.com/reports-attractions-events-what-to-do-spokane/
- http://blogs.gonzaga.edu/zagstakespokane/
Patrick Ronay (’13)
Admission Counselor