Don’t expect much from in Spanaway ...
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2/26/2019
I have been living in Spanaway since 1973 ... over the years I’ve seen its ups and downs ... and lately its been down. This is due, in large part, to the immigrants from other states who want to work in Seattle, but they can’t find or afford housing in the Seattle area.
Spanaway has always been a community with a transitory population ... largely due to the huge military bases (Ft. Lewis / McCord AFB) ... with about 65,000 people working at the bases. But this new crop of people are different ... they want all the trappings of a big city at the expense of the long time residents of Spanaway.
Beyond the huge popution and real estate growth over the last 8 years, the school district in Spanaway has always sucked ... mismanagement and misuse of funds top its biggest problem. For example: a bond measurement was passed in the early 1990’s, but then they never built the school. Now they want more money to build on the exact same spot because they no longer have the money from the previous bond (a violation of state law???).
Another problem is crime and the poor service from the Sheriff’s dept. About the only time one sees the Sheriff’s dept. is when they’re responding to a 911 call. You rarely see the Sheriff’s dept simply patrolling the area, unlike other ares around Spanaway. So there tends to be a lot of minor crime activity in Spanaway. Given state Hwy 7 runs through Spanaway, you do see the state troopers a lot more often, but they tend to concentrate on the highway.
Yes, there are positive things I can say about Spanaway ... long time residents are generally community oriented and friendly. The cost of living is still fairly reasonable and there is a very nice county park and recreational facility. Finally, there is a very diverse population, largely due to a huge population of active and retired military population.
Lars | Spanaway, WA