CQ Politics

With beautiful forests and lush fields, the 5th is anchored by the greater Spokane region, which takes in slightly less than two-thirds of the district’s population and is a trade hub for the inland Northwest.

Spokane used to rely on manufacturing, but growth in the electronics sector and the health care industry have offered new opportunities for workers. It also serves as a hub for retail and telecommunications businesses. The largest city between Minneapolis and Seattle, Spokane also has the nation’s largest municipal wireless Internet-access zone.

North of Spokane, no city surpasses the 6,000-resident mark. This region is home to numerous national and state forests, and it once relied on logging and mining, but both industries have been hard-hit by recent productivity decreases and employment losses. Okanogan County grows apples and pears, and ranchers there raise sheep and goats.

The fertile soil of the district’s south produces some of the most desired wheat in the world. The Walla Walla Sweet Onion is another well-known product grown in the district. Nestled at the foot of the Blue Mountains near Oregon, Walla Walla is the district’s second-most-populous city, has a thriving arts community and attracts tourists to its dozens of local vineyards and wineries.

Spokane County can be politically competitive, but the natural resource-dependent economy in rural communities make for voters who eschew federal interference and support private property rights. George W. Bush won all 12 of the 5th’s counties in the 2004 presidential election, and the 5th included his four best Washington counties.

Major Industry

Agriculture, manufacturing, health care

Military Bases

Fairchild Air Force Base, 4,534 military, 1,267 civilian (2004)

Cities

Spokane, 195,629; Walla Walla, 29,686

Notable

Ranald MacDonald, the first person to teach the English language in Japan — he taught the samurai who later interpreted trade negotiations between Commodore Perry and the Tokugawa Shogunate — is buried in a Ferry County cemetery.