The Slice: Not to be confused with substandard or subsidiary

Last week, in a story set here, a national publication referred to Hillyard as a “suburb of Spokane.”

As you no doubt know, it’s actually been a part of the incorporated city of Spokane for almost 100 years. But no matter.

What if Hillyard really was a suburb? How would that change life for residents?

Would it lead to upscale housing developments named after wildlife that had been supplanted? Would it magically conjure up tony shopping clusters? You know, “The Hill Collection,” “Galleria at the Yard” or whatever.

Truth is, much of the Spokane area has a troubled relationship with the concept of suburbs.

Quite a few years ago, at some panel discussion, a local developer noted that Spokane has a suburban vibe. I think I know what he meant. But the editor of this newspaper took exception and argued that such a perspective denied Spokane’s true status as a city.

I can’t remember where the conversation went from there. But in a sense, it’s still going on today.

Does the city of Spokane have primacy? Are all other area communities in orbit around its urban center?

If you ask residents of Spokane Valley if they regard themselves as living in a suburb of Spokane, you are apt to hear little enthusiasm for that designation.

In Liberty Lake or Airway Heights, you might find greater acceptance.

And in Hillyard? Oh, yeah. Hillyard is in Spokane.

Let’s move on.

Slice answer: What would it take to get you to go to the fair?

“Grandkids,” wrote Jerry Hilton on Friday morning. “They are already asking when.”

Multiple choice: In the Inland Northwest, which of these is most reliably predictive of political leanings?

A) Pickup truck ownership. B) Religious affiliation. C) Beer preference. D) Amount of time spent thinking about the National Football League. E) Facial hair. F) Relationship with kale. G) Are your children dressed in sports jerseys? H) Attitude about the STA. I) Attitude about bike riders. J) Attitude about firearms. K) Military service. L) Attitude about country music. M) Married couple with different last names. N) Fondness for car-chase/explosions movies. O) Other.

Warm-up question: If you saw a large person stepping gingerly as he or she walked through a room where a vinyl record album was playing, would you be able to correctly interpret the scene?

Today’s Slice question: Are you old enough to remember what air travel was like before the events of this date in 2001?

Write The Slice at P. O. Box 2160, Spokane, WA 99210; call (509) 459-5470; email pault@spokesman.com. What’s the No. 1 difference between your neighborhood and Mayberry?