When people think of Washington State, the misty green western half usually springs to mind. This is a place of inland ocean waters, lush temperate rainforests, swift mountain rivers, and the city of Seattle — the biggest metropolis in the Pacific Northwest. However, if you head over the volcanic Cascade Range into the eastern part of the state, you enter a whole new world of wide-open vistas, high-desert wine country, rolling wheat fields, and cool college towns like Cheney.
Situated just a stone’s throw from Spokane — Washington’s second-largest city — Cheney is home to just over 12,000 residents, as well as the campus of Eastern Washington University (EWU), one of six four-year public institutions in the state. The presence of the school imbues this otherwise agricultural community with a hip, youthful spirit, as well as a nice splash of culture. In Cheney, you’ll find not just the bones of the university in the form of lecture halls, dormitories, and a stadium, but also plenty of interesting shops as well as eateries serving tasty fare. Cheney can be surprising in this regard, and is well worth a visit when you’re in the area.
“I moved to Cheney 5 months ago. I like it here. It is a college town, but it most definitely is not a ‘college town,'” observed one commenter on a discussion about the town on Reddit. “Restaurant selection is good for the town size. You can get 95% of necessities from the stores here …”
Browse the cool and quirky shops of Cheney, Washington
When it comes to shopping, nearby Spokane — Washington’s “River City” with a waterfall, scenic trails, and one of America’s most iconic urban parks — certainly has more options, but Cheney punches well above its weight when it comes to stores to check out. You can probably thank the university for this, which helps provide both the cash and customers to support these vital local businesses…