Spokane's Browne's Addition is a Top Ten

Great neighborhoods make great cities. Fortunately, Washington State has plenty of both.

Like Browne's Addition, a 176-acre neighborhood just west of downtown Spokane that Mayor Mary Verner says is �bursting with activity.�

It was first platted from the homestead of John Browne - the area's first, but certainly not last �transplant� - in the 1880's. Today, the City and County Historic Preservation Office reports, it's a �concentrated architectural aggregate including nearly every residential style fashionable in the Pacific Northwest between 1880 and 1930.� As one of the state's oldest neighborhoods, no surprise, it's listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Old? Sure. But stodgy? Not in the least.

In fact, calling it �a mosaic of past and present� that's become �increasingly vibrant,� the American Planning Association has just named Browne's Addition as one of America's 10 Greatest Neighborhoods. It is, says the Association, the City's �most culturally diverse neighborhood� and, indeed, is the kind of place where you'll find plenty of condos priced at $350,000 and above but also find apartments renting for $300 or $400 a month.

"We're very excited to single out Browne's Addition as one of this year's Great Neighborhoods,� said Association Chief Executive Officer Paul Farmer. "Historic residential architecture, landscape designs from the Olmsted brothers, access to the Spokane River gorge and a full range of housing prices and choices are just a few of the many characteristics that contribute to the neighborhood's distinctive sense of place.�

�Absolutely awesome,� Browne's Addition resident Mary Moltke told KXLY-TV on hearing the news of the neighborhood's selection. �Absolutely wonderful!�

Obviously, it's great to be a part of a great neighborhood - even if it's just a small part, like the role HUD has had the privilege to play in the area. Over the years the City of Spokane and the Browne's Addition Community Development Steering Group have made use of one of HUD's most flexible programs - Community Development Block Grants - to spruce up the neighborhood.

To reconstruct sidewalks. Install transit benches. �Calm� traffic. Sponsor clean-up drives. Operate programs for young people and seniors. And, most recently, build a new, state-of-the-art playground in Coeur d'Alene Park.

In the grand scheme of things, of course, these kinds of bricks-and-mortar projects are far from what makes or breaks a great neighborhood. That depends more - much more - on the thousands of contributions, big and small. that over the years were made by those who have chosen to live, work and build their futures in a place like Browne's Addition. To them we say, �Congratulations, and thanks for letting us be a part of the great neighborhood you have the privilege to call home.�