An Easterner (ME) headed West (WA) - to live.

As a WA resident let me straight a few misconceptions out.

First Spokane is no more liberal, related to CA, or any other crap somebody wants to come up with. Spokane has always been a hard working town that benefited from being on the edge of forestry to the north, and agriculture to the south. Thats is why that town grew. It grew around shipping, first from the railroad and then from I90. As it is even now, 2 miles to the north of I90 your into the forest and 1 mile south your into the wheat fields. It is the second biggest city in WA but has none of the feel of the other big two, Seattle and Tacoma. Most WA residents don't even know it is the second biggest city. Real estate and rents are still affordable and there is some job growth unlike some other WA locals.

Get off the right-wing talk radio. Living in WA I have heard this crap for 40+ years and it hasn't happened yet.

That is the irony here; people saying to escape the politics and the Californians by moving to Idaho. Obviously some don't know the area and are making assumptions. Everybody in northern Idaho works in Spokane already; that's no thing. What most people don't realize, northern Idaho is mainly populated by transplanted Californians and CA and AZ snowbirds. As much as 50% of the people of Post Falls, Coeur d' Alane, and Bonners Ferry are recent transplants from CA.
http://articles.latimes.com/1994-08-20/local/me-29106_1_coeur-d-alene-californian-environmentalism
https://ww2.kqed.org/news/2017/02/1...ft-for-rural-idahos-conservative-homogeneity/
http://www.marketwatch.com/story/retire-here-not-there-idaho-2013-12-12

 

Obviously, their is some good information in this thread also. @JReding, @Lepton1, and @quatto know what their talking about. Although quatto is correct about finding lots $22-24 an hour jobs, that is primarily in the greater Seattle area. In an area that is tough to get started in because high rents and ridiculous real estate. Seattle has the highest rent growth with the average rent around $2000 a month: http://www.seattletimes.com/busines...now-growing-faster-than-in-any-other-us-city/
That good wage does not go far with that kind of rent.

Not all the trucking jobs in WA, or even Seattle, are offering that kind of wage. You still see ads for $15 trucking jobs in Seattle. Even those $20 can hustling jobs were CPM piece work 2-3 years ago before the Tacoma port strike.

Commuting from a residence outside Seattle-Tacoma is getting hard to impossible with todays traffic.

Like your thinking OP, Spokane is still a good source for work and reasonable living expenses. I would also consider, Tri-Cities, Yakima, Moses Lake, and Bellingham area for getting a good employable start. Towns like Wenatchee, Chelan, Walla Walla, Centrailia, Longview you will have a much tougher time finding a good gig. Port Angeles, Forks, Aberdeen, South Bend, Packwood are now small towns dying a slow death.

There is the unemployment map of WA. You can see what I mean. Great job possibilities and good wages in Seattle area, but since everybody is moving there for a job, real estate, rents, and traffic is ridiculous.

 

Just giving a heads-up that taxes have been going up in this state, and will continue to go up. No left or right about it. Both sides seem to be able to agree when it comes to taking more of our money.