Glenrose is an

unincorporated community An unincorporated area is a region that is not governed by a local municipal corporation. Widespread unincorporated communities and areas are a distinguishing feature of the United States and Canada. Most other countries of the world either have ...

in Spokane County,

Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered on ...

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. It is a rural and suburban community split between sections of farmland with many canola fields and new construction of single-family homes. The community is bounded by mountains on two sides and the Spokane urban area on the other two.

Geography

Located on a prairie of the same name, Glenrose sits immediately to the east of the Lincoln Heights and

Southgate Southgate or South Gate may refer to: Places Australia *Southgate, Sylvania *Southgate Arts and Leisure Precinct, an area within Southbank, Victoria Canada *Southgate, Ontario, a township in Grey County * Southgate, Middlesex County, Ontario Ed ...

neighborhoods of the South Hill section of the city of Spokane, and immediately north of the city of Spokane Valley. The prairie slopes upward to the east and south towards

Krell Hill Krell Hill, also known as Tower Mountain, is a peak at the southern end of the Selkirk Mountains in Spokane County, Washington. It rises abruptly to the southeast of the relatively flat Neighborhoods in Spokane, Washington#South Hill, South Hill ...

and the associated Dishman Hills, some of the southernmost peaks of the

Selkirk Mountains The Selkirk Mountains are a mountain range spanning the northern portion of the Idaho Panhandle, eastern Washington, and southeastern British Columbia which are part of a larger grouping of mountains, the Columbia Mountains. They begin at Mica Pe ...

. Main thoroughfares include Glenrose Road, which bisects the prairie north to south, and 29th and 37th Avenues, which cross west to east from the developed area of Spokane. There are no roads crossing over the ridges to the east. Numerous drainageways cut through the prairie giving it a rolling appearance similar to that of

Palouse The Palouse ( ) is a distinct geographic region of the northwestern United States, encompassing parts of north central Idaho, southeastern Washington, and, by some definitions, parts of northeast Oregon. It is a major agricultural area, primaril ...

, located just south of the community beyond Krell Hill. There are wetlands to the south and east of the prairie that serve as the source of these drainageways. Mostly fed by rainwater and runoff, many of these drainageways are ephemeral streams that only carry water after a storm. The community is predominantly rural, with approximately 500 households with many located on five to 10 acre parcels. However, suburban developments have encroached on the community. The municipal boundaries of both Spokane to the west and Spokane Valley to the north extend right up to the edge of Glenrose, with a small portion of Spokane's city limits extending onto the prairie itself in the vicinity of 29th Avenue. Parts of the community now fall within the Spokane's defined urban growth area. Subdivisions and suburban developments extend eastward from Spokane as far as Glenrose Road on the southern portion of the community.

History

The Mullan Road, the first wagon road to cross the

Rocky Mountains The Rocky Mountains, also known as the Rockies, are a major mountain range and the largest mountain system in North America. The Rocky Mountains stretch in straight-line distance from the northernmost part of western Canada, to New Mexico in ...

into the

Pacific Northwest The Pacific Northwest (sometimes Cascadia, or simply abbreviated as PNW) is a geographic region in western North America bounded by its coastal waters of the Pacific Ocean to the west and, loosely, by the Rocky Mountains to the east. Though ...

, passed through Glenrose. That brought settlers in the 1860s and 1870s who were attracted to the area's potential as farmland. The

Spokane and Inland Empire Railroad The Spokane and Inland Empire Railroad Company (S.&I.E.R.R.Co.) was an electrified interurban railway operating in Spokane, Washington and vicinity, extending into northern and central Idaho. The system originated in several predecessor roads be ...

, an electrified,

interurban railway The Interurban (or radial railway in Europe and Canada) is a type of electric railway, with streetcar-like electric self-propelled rail cars which run within and between cities or towns. They were very prevalent in North America between 1900 a ...

came to Glenrose in 1908. It connected Glenrose and farming areas to the south with the city of Spokane. At the time, Glenrose was home to many orchards. The railroad operated in the area through 1939 and the tracks were removed in the following decade. Over the decades, as the Spokane area has grown, the rural character of Glenrose has come under threat due to suburban expansion. In 2013, Spokane County's urban growth area was extended into Glenrose. A youth sports complex development was proposed in 2008, drawing protest from Glenrose residents. The controversy surrounding the proposed development is ongoing as of 2020.

References

{{authority control Unincorporated communities in Spokane County, Washington Unincorporated communities in Washington (state)