Spokane Falls was a gathering place for the area's indigenous people because the Spokane River had large amounts of salmon. Camp Spokane was established by the U.S. Army at a location 56 Miles Northwest of Spokane as a consolidation of the garrisons at Fort Colville, and Camp Chelan on October 21, 1880. The intent was to protect the construction of the Northern Pacific Railway, and to secure the location for U.S. settlement. By 1881, the Northern Pacific Railway was completed at this point, bringing European settlement. The city of Spokan Falls (without an 'e') was officially incorporated on November 29, 1881. In 1883, the name was changed to Spokane. The President of the first City Council, was mill owner and Methodist minister Samuel G. Havermale

The Great Fire

In the summer of 1889, a fire destroyed the city's downtown commercial district. Due to technical problems with a pump station, there was no water pressure in the city when the fire started. When volunteer fire fighters attempted to quench the flames, they found their hoses were unusable. Eventually winds died down and the fire exhausted of its own accord. 27 blocks of Spokane's downtown were destroyed.

Great Northern Railway

While the damage caused by the fire was a devasting blow, Spokane continued to grow. Just three years after the fire, in 1892, the Great Northern railroad reached Spokane and built a rail yard that made Spokane a transportation hub for the area. The first rail yard, built by James J. Hill, was completed in 1902. The clocktower currently in Riverfront Park was built as part of the depot and is one of the biggest in the northwest, with each side measuring 9 feet (2.7 m) across. The clocktower is the only part of the depot that remains to this day.

1974 World's Fair

Spokane hosted the environmentally themed Expo '74, becoming the then-smallest city to ever host a World's Fair. This event transformed Spokane's downtown, removing a century of railroad industry that built the city and reinventing the urban core.

Many of the structures built for the World's Fair are still standing and in use. The United States Pavilion now houses an IMAX theater, and the Washington State Pavilion became the Inland Northwest Bank Performing Arts Center. The Expo site itself became the 100-acre (400,000 m²) Riverfront Park, containing, among other features, the U.S. Pavilion, the turn-of-the-20th-century (and meticulously preserved) Looff Carousel, and the Great Northern Railway clock tower, the last remnant of the vast rail depot that was demolished for Expo '74. The U.S. Pavilion and the clock tower are prominently featured in the park's logo.

Geography and climate

Spokane is located at the eastern edge of the Columbia Plateau's wheat farms and steppe, where they meet the forested Rocky Mountain foothills, the Selkirk Mountains. The Spokane River, a major tributary of the Columbia River, passes through the city, tumbling through a series of falls in the middle of downtown.

Spokane has a continental, semi-arid climate, with moderately cold winters and warm summers. The Cascade Mountains to the west shield the city from the direct modifying effect of Pacific Ocean air, and Idaho's mountains to the east help to protect it from the worst effects of arctic air in winter. Precipitation is concentrated in the cooler half of the year, with the summer typically having dry and stable weather.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 151.6 km² (58.5 mi²). 149.6 km² (57.8 mi²) of it is land and 2.0 km² (0.8 mi²) of it (1.30%) is water.

Demographics

As of the censusGR2 of 2000, there were 199,630 people, 81,512 households, and 47,276 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,307.7/km² (3,387.0/mi²). There were 87,941 housing units at an average density of 587.8/km² (1,522.6/mi²).

The most recent ethnic percentages are as follows:

• 86.4% White
• 2.10% African American
• 1.8% Native American
• 2.2% Asian
• 0.2% Pacific Islander
• 0.9% from other races
• 3.0% Hispanic
• 3.4% two or more

There were 81,512 households out of which 29.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 41.3% were married couples living together, 12.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 42.0% were non-families. 33.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.32 and the average family size was 2.98.

In the city the population was spread out with 24.8% under the age of 18, 11.1% from 18 to 24, 29.6% from 25 to 44, 20.5% from 45 to 64, and 14.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 93.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.9 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $32,273, and the median income for a family was $41,316. Males had a median income of $31,676 versus $24,833 for females. The per capita income for the city was $18,451. 15.9% of the population and 11.1% of families were below the poverty line. 19.3% of those over the age of 18 and 9.6% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line.

Since February 2005 the population has seen a rapid increase, which attributed to the decrease in the average cost of living and and increase in the job market.[citation needed] Spokane was #49 on the Men's Journal 2005 "50 Best Places to Live", #5 on the Forbes Magazine 2005 "Safest Places to Live" , and #35 on the Inc. Magazine 2005 "Top US Cities for Doing Business"