Editing Spokane Valley, Washington (section)

==History==
[[File:Home surrounded by orchards, Greenacres, Washington, approximately 1903 (WASTATE 1660).jpeg|thumb|left|Orchard in [[Greenacres, Washington|Greenacres]], c. 1903]]

The City of Spokane Valley incorporated on March 31, 2003.<ref>{{cite web|title= History of the Spokane Valley|url= http://www.spokane.net/town_resources/OurHistory/OurHistorySpokaneValley.aspx|work= Spokane.net|access-date= July 12, 2009|url-status= dead|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20091202014323/http://www.spokane.net/town_resources/OurHistory/OurHistorySpokaneValley.aspx|archive-date= December 2, 2009}}</ref>  At its creation, it was the third-largest newly incorporated city in US history (after [[Centennial, Colorado]], which incorporated in 2001; and [[Miami Gardens, Florida]], which incorporated about five weeks before Spokane Valley).

The city formed from combining the urbanized unincorporated areas east of Spokane City, including [[census-designated place]]s (CDPs) of [[Dishman, Washington|Dishman]], [[Opportunity, Washington|Opportunity]], [[Trentwood, Washington|Trentwood]], [[Veradale, Washington|Veradale]], part of [[Greenacres, Washington|Greenacres]], and East Spokane. The new city boundaries did not include the incorporated areas such as [[Millwood, Washington|Millwood]] and [[Liberty Lake, Washington|Liberty Lake]], nor the protected areas such as the [[Dishman Hills|Dishman Hills Natural Area]]. It was initially delayed by a petition from Spokane, because it included the Yardley industrial area, to which Spokane had already extended utilities, and had plans to annex. Prior to the successful vote May 21, 2002, there had been four failed attempts to form a city in the Valley. The main arguments for incorporation centered around increased voice in local governance and the threat of annexation by the [[Spokane, Washington|City of Spokane]]. The main arguments against incorporation included contentment with [[Spokane County, Washington|Spokane County]] provided services and the threat of increased taxes and bureaucracy by the new city. Both sides claimed their opponents' arguments were entirely untrue scare tactics.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Hutson |first1=Lorie |title=Ads for Valley city called misleading |agency=The Spokesman-Review |date=May 18, 2002 |page=B1}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Incorporation 101 |agency=The Spokesman-Review |issue=Valley Voice |date=May 18, 2002 |pages=4–8}}</ref>