If you're down with this blog, you're probably familiar with Walk Score. The site calculates the walkability of an address based on the distance to nearby amenities and measures how easy it is to live car-less.

I had fun with it recently and noticed some site changes including a score for each neighborhood in Spokane. When I entered my address in Browne's Addition, I received the following message:

Brownes Addition is the #3 most walkable neighborhood in Spokane. This neighborhood is Very Walkable with an average Walk Score of 76. Brownes Addition has 2,601 people—or 1% of Spokane's population. Brownes Addition is similar in walkability to Peaceful Valley and Logan. Brownes Addition's Walk Score is 22 points higher than Spokane's Walk Score of 54

Walk Score: 76

Population: 2,601

Pretty cool. Of course, Spokane has such a Balkanized neighborhood governing structure with a total of twenty-seven neighborhood councils you can walk from Cliff-Cannon to Manito, the former earning a much higher score, and not know the difference when crossing boundaries. Even though Browne's Addition came in at number three, a nearby neighborhood like West Hills came in at a low twenty-four ranking. Why? West Hills has a few of the best walking views in the city. It's beautiful with several parks but grocery stores and places of employment are a drive down steep Sunset Hill with not much pedestrian connectivity.


Unfortunately, Walk Score ignores how pretty an area is for walking. But it's a valuable tool to look at for choosing a neighborhood when your priorities are saving transportation costs and improving your health.

Here's the full list for Spokane neighborhoods. Go here to use the neighborhood map and geek out on your walkability. Note the site errors: Moran Prairie should be Southgate and Thorpewestwood should be Grandview-Thorpe.

Neighborhood Score