Spokane ( ) is the largest city and county seat of Spokane County, and is the metropolitan center of the Inland Northwest. It is located along the Spokane River in Eastern Washington about from the Washington-Idaho border.

The city was settled in 1871 as "Spokan Falls" (without an 'e' at the end), drawing on the Native American tribe known as the Spokane, which means "Children of the Sun.” The city's name is often mispronounced "Spo-CANE", while the correct pronunciation is "Spo-CAN". Spokane's official nickname is the 'Lilac City', named after the flowers that have flourished since their introduction to the area in the early 20th century.

According to 2006 census estimates, Spokane has a population of 198,081, making it the second most populous city in the State of Washington, and the fourth largest in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States, after Seattle, Washington, Portland, Oregon, and Boise, Idaho. 446,706 residents live in Spokane's official metropolitan area, Spokane County, as recognized by the U.S. Census). With neighboring Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, the city is unofficially a part of the Spokane-Coeur d'Alene metropolitan area, which accounts for a population of nearly 600,000 people.