SPOKANE - Washington State, U.S.A.

• Delegation from Spokane - 14th of September 2004

The Limerick- Spokane sister-city relationship was officially begun on March 4, 1990 when the Mayors of Spokane and Limerick signed a joint agreement linking the two cities.

Spokane is situated in Washington State in a scenic area of the USA. It lies in eastern Washington adjoining the Rocky Mountains, 280 miles east of Seattle, 100 miles south of the Canadian border and near the Idaho border.

It is nicknamed The Lilac City because in the springtime the City's Lilac trees are overwhelmingly in bloom. A festival is held each spring called the Lilac Festival. Begun in 1938, the Lilac Festival is a spring tradition with ten days of festivities and activities culminating in a Torchlight Parade.

The most famous son of Spokane is Bing Crosby, the renowned singer. He was brought up in a large family and, from the age of 3 to the age of 22, he lived with his family in Spokane.

Spokane Industry includes a thriving high-tech sector with many large technologically advanced companies located in the region. As a city it has a world-class telecommunications infrastructure with more miles of fibre per capita than any other area in the world.

The weather in Spokane is warm and dry and it is reputed to have the second-best summer weather in the nation, according to US National Polls. However it also has a number of ski-resorts in the locality, including breathtaking ski runs on the majestic Mt Spokane, 23 miles from Spokane.

The population of Spokane is 196,000 thus it is larger than Limerick. However it is the third city in the state of Washington and Limerick is the third city in Ireland so there are similarities in that.

Foremost amongst the objectives of the relationship is to foster and encourage bonds of friendship and understanding between the two cities and to bring events of Irish culture to Spokane.