Manito/Cannon Hill, Spokane Explained

Manito/Cannon Hill
Subdivision Type:Country
Subdivision Name:United States
Subdivision Type1:State
Subdivision Name1:Washington
Subdivision Type2:County
Subdivision Name2:Spokane
Subdivision Type3:City
Subdivision Name3:Spokane
Unit Pref:Imperial
Population As Of:2017[1]
Population Total:4,867
Population Density Km2:auto
Demographics Type1:Demographics 2017
Demographics1 Title1:White
Demographics1 Info1:93.7%
Demographics1 Title2:Black
Demographics1 Info2:1.0%
Demographics1 Title3:Hispanic
Demographics1 Info3:3.5%
Demographics1 Title4:Asian/Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander
Demographics1 Info4:1.1%
Demographics1 Title5:Native American
Demographics1 Info5:0.4%
Timezone:PST
Utc Offset:-8
Timezone Dst:PDT
Utc Offset Dst:-7
Coordinates:47.636°N -117.4108°W
Postal Code Type:Zip codes
Postal Code:99203
Area Code:509
Footnotes:[2]

Manito/Cannon Hill is a neighborhood on the South Hill of Spokane, Washington. It is named after the two public parks that dominate its setting: Manito Park and Cannon Hill Park. Manito/Cannon Hill is a predominantly residential neighborhood made up mostly by single-family homes and city park land.[3]

Geography

Manito/Cannon Hill is located on the South Hill of Spokane, Washington. The neighborhood is bounded on the east by Grand Boulevard from 17th to 29th Avenues, on the south by 29th Avenue from Grand Boulevard to High Drive, on the west along High Drive and Cedar Street from 29th Avenue to 17th, then along 17th Avenue from Cedar Street to Grand Boulevard.[3]

The neighborhood is named after two parks which lie within its bounds: Manito Park and Cannon Hill Park. Manito is one of the flagship parks of the City of Spokane[4] while Cannon Hill is a neighborhood park.[5]

Downtown Spokane is located just over one mile from the northern edge of the neighborhood, down a steep hill into the Valley of the Spokane River, with the hillside neighborhood of Cliff/Cannon between Manito/Cannon Hill and the CBD.[6] Manito Park, and its parkways, dominate the eastern half of the neighborhood. The western half, west of Bernard Street, is mostly residential though Cannon Hill Park and the 21st Avenue Parkway break up the housing on the northern edge of the neighborhood. The High Drive Parkway descends dramatically to Latah Creek on the neighborhood's western edge.[3] [6]

Most of the neighborhood is laid out along the plan of the city's street grid system, though there are exceptions. Like other neighborhoods on the South Hill, local topography interrupts the grid in places. The grid is also interrupted by the neighborhood's parks. Additionally, the eastern and western boundaries of the neighborhood are defined by streets that do not follow the grid system. High Drive follows a ridge rather than the grid and Grand Boulevard is at a slight angle. There are also three parkway boulevards that run through the neighborhood. One starts at Manito Park and follows Manito Boulevard to the south. Another starts at Manito Park on Bernard and runs along 21st Avenue to the High Drive, where it meets the High Drive parkway which follows that road to the south.[1]

Community

The Manito/Cannon Hill neighborhood is served by three public elementary schools: Hutton, Roosevelt and Wilson. Though Wilson is the only school located within the neighborhood. The three schools feed into Sacajawea Middle School, which is located three blocks south of the neighborhood's southern boundary. They then feed into Lewis and Clark High School.[7]

Single family zoned residential areas dominate the neighborhood, though there are a few areas that act as community centers. The 29th and Grand commercial district spills into the neighborhood at the southeast. There is a small commercial area across the street from Wilson Elementary at 25th and Monroe.[3] The Scoop, an ice cream shop serving handmade ice cream, has been located there since 2006 and has become a neighborhood landmark.[8] Another area that diverges from the single-family zoning is located around 18th and Bernard where a church, fire station and Cataldo Catholic School are located.[3]

During the holiday season, the Gaiser Conservatory and gardens at Manito Park put on a light show that draws crowds from around the region.[9]

As is the case in other, neighboring areas of Spokane that have well-developed urban forest settings, wild turkeys live in Manito/Cannon Hill.[10] The turkeys are not native to the region, having been introduced in the early 1900s, and their presence in the neighborhood is a point of contention between those who enjoy the turkeys and those who find them to be a nuisance.[11]

Demographics

As of 2017, the population of Manito/Cannon Hill was 4,867, across 2,008 households. 16.3% of those households were rented. 31.8% of households had children and 24.4% of residents were age 19 or below. Persons of color made up 5.1% compared to 15.1% for the city. Eight percent of the population had only a high school diploma while 66.2% had a bachelor's degree or beyond. The neighborhood is relatively affluent compared to the rest of the city, with a median household income of $79,875, compared to $44,768 for the city. The unemployment rate of 4.2% is below the citywide rate of 6.5%. 16.4% of students qualify for free or reduced lunch, compared to 54.5% in the city as a whole. Rentals account for 16.3% of households, compared to 43.5% citywide.[1]

94% of the residents were born in the United States or its territories. Of residents born outside of the U.S. or its territories, Canadians make up 29.4%, people from the United Kingdom make up 14.6%, people from Poland account for 11.5% and people from Romania account 11.5% as well.[1]

History

The area that is now Manito/Cannon Hill was first developed by European settlers in the 1880s surrounding a clay deposit in what is today known as Cannon Hill Park. The clay was used to make sandmold bricks. The small brickyard was founded in 1879 by a bricklayer and the clay from the site was used to build several buildings in Spokane, of which only the Fernwell Block remains today; the company ceased operations in 1910, after which, the land was gifted to the city.[12] In 1888, Francis Cook built a streetcar through the neighborhood to facilitate growth on land that he owned in the area. Cook's streetcar ran up Grand Boulevard to 37th Avenue, about a mile beyond the neighborhood's southern limit. A handful of other streetcar lines drew tracks through the neighborhood, encouraging its development.[3]

Manito Park was dedicated in 1904, though it had been used as a park since 1886. The area was known as "Montrose Park" until 1903, when the "Manito" name was adopted.[13] Cannon Hill was initially known as Adams Park, as the land was owned by John Quincy Adams’ grandson. It was renamed for A. M. Cannon, a local banker and developer.[14]

The Cannon Hill Park area of Manito/Cannon Hill was laid out by the Olmsted Brothers in 1907. They designed Cannon Hill Park, replacing the brick making area with a wading pond that remains there to this day. The brothers also designed the parkway system that runs through the neighborhood for the purpose of "pleasure driving and walking."[3]

Wilson Elementary was opened in 1927 and helped spur development in the neighborhood. The Spokesman Review reported that 12 homes were built directly as a result of the construction of the school.[3]

Historic places

Manito/Cannon Hill is home to 7 places listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

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Education

Manito/Cannon Hill is served by Spokane Public Schools. Wilson Elementary is located within the neighborhood and serves the southwestern portion of the neighborhood. Roosevelt Elementary, located two blocks north of Manito/Cannon Hill in the adjacent Cliff/Cannon neighborhood, serves the central and northern areas of Manito/Cannon Hill. Hutton Elementary, located in the adjacent Rockwood neighborhood, serves the southeastern section of Manito/Cannon Hill. All three feed into Sacajawea Middle School in the adjacent Comstock neighborhood, before feeding into Lewis and Clark High School in Cliff/Cannon.[15] [16]

Transportation

The neighborhood is well integrated into the city's transportation system. It is bounded on three sides by roads classified as urban principle arterials. In addition, Lincoln and Bernard Streets are classified as urban minor arterials.[17] The neighborhood and its arterials have increased significance during the winter months when there is snowy or inclement weather because Bernard Street and Grand Boulevard within the centrally located neighborhood is one of the north/south "snow corridors" in the city Snow Corridor Plan that leads to downtown and Division Street on the notoriously narrow and hilly streets of the South Hill; this means those roads are prioritized for plowing when the city snowplows are unable to effectively keep all the arterials passable.[18]

Public transit provided by Spokane Transit Authority also serves the neighborhood. Route 4, a frequent main line that traverses the city from north to south, runs along Grand Boulevard. Route 144, a frequent express line that connects the south side of the city with downtown, runs along 29th Avenue and cuts through the middle of the neighborhood on Bernard Street. Route 43, a basic main line, runs along 29th from Bernard to Lincoln then runs down Lincoln through the neighborhood.[19]

Dedicated bicycle lanes run along 29th Avenue, Bernard Street, High Drive and Cedar Street. Listed bicycle routes that do not have dedicated lanes run along 25th Avenue and 17th Avenue.[20]

Public Transit

The Spokane Transit Authority, the region's public transportation provider, serves Manito/Cannon Hill with seven fixed schedule bus lines.[21]

RouteTerminiService operation and notesStreets traveled

4
Moran Prairie

! width="240px" align="center" Downtown Spokane
STA Plaza
! width="240px" align="center" Glenrose
Moran Station Park & Ride
High-frequency routeGrand Boulevard

43
Lincoln/37th Avenue

! width="240px" align="center" Downtown Spokane
STA Plaza
! width="240px" align="center" Lincoln Heights
South Hill Park & Ride
Basic-frequency routeLincoln Street, 29th Avenue

144
South Express

! width="240px" align="center" Downtown Spokane
STA Plaza
! width="240px" align="center" Glenrose
Moran Station Park & Ride
Express route at peak hoursLincoln Street, 29th Avenue

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Manito Cannon Hill Neighborhood Snapshot . spokanecity.org . City of Spokane.
  2. Web site: GNIS . nationalmap.gov . U.S. Geological Survey . 6 May 2022 . GNIS No. 1506447.
  3. Web site: Manito/Cannon Hill Neighborhood Profile . spokanecity.org . City of Spokane . 6 May 2022.
  4. Web site: Manito Park . spokanecity.org . City of Spokane . 6 May 2022.
  5. Web site: Cannon Hill Park . spokanecity.org . City of Spokane . 6 May 2022.
  6. Web site: Spokane NW Quadrangle . usgs.gov . U.S. Geological Survey . 6 May 2022 . Map . 2020.
  7. Web site: Elementary Boundary Map . spokaneschools.org . Spokane Public Schools . 6 May 2022 . Map.
  8. News: Utley . Riley . I scream, you scream, we all scream for The Scoop's ice cream . 6 May 2022 . The Gonzaga Bulletin . Gonzaga University . April 28, 2021.
  9. News: Cabeza . Garrett . Popular Manito Park holiday lights drive-thru brings plenty of traffic, but neighbors don't fret . 6 May 2022 . The Spokesman Review . December 16, 2021.
  10. News: Criscione . Wilson . Trapping Turkeys . 6 May 2022 . The Inlander . February 11, 2016.
  11. News: Francovich . Eli . Love, revenge, politics and turkeys: A South Hill story . 6 May 2022 . The Spokesman Review . August 30, 2018.
  12. Web site: Deshais. Nicholas. Beneath the asphalt: Spokane's historic brick streets endure the decades. The Spokesman-Review. August 3, 2017. July 17, 2022.
  13. Web site: Manito Park and Boulevard . historicspokane.org . City – County of Spokane Historic Preservation Office . 6 May 2022.
  14. Web site: Rebstock . Tracy . From Brickyard to Park: Cannon Hill Park . spokanehistorical.org . Eastern Washington University . 6 May 2022.
  15. Web site: Elementary Boundary Map . spokaneschools.org . Spokane Public Schools . 23 June 2022.
  16. Web site: High School Boundary Map . spokaneschools.org . Spokane Public Schools . 23 June 2022.
  17. Web site: Official Arterial Street Map . spokanecity.org . City of Spokane . 6 May 2022.
  18. Web site: Snow Corridor Plan Plowing Routes. City of Spokane. May 1, 2022.
  19. Web site: STA System Map . spokanetransit.com . Spokane Transit Authority . 6 May 2022.
  20. Web site: Spokane Regional Bike Map . arcgis.com . City of Spokane, Spokane County . 6 May 2022.
  21. Web site: STA System Map . spokanetransit.com . Spokane Transit Authority . 18 June 2022.