A lot of schools are in the city area but not the city.
I’ve brought up on the CC U of Arizona numerous times as it’s in the heart of Tucson but not downtown and people say - it’s not urban or in the big city.
U of Richmond is definitely not “in the city”.
Lewis and Clark is in Portland - but most consider it not in the city.
So yes, everyone’s definitions / interpretations are different
You’re right. When compared to San Francisco, San Diego, Seattle, Portland, SoCal, Spokane could be considered a small city. 
Again, it is up to OP’s son as to whether or not he views Spokane in the same light as San Francisco, Portland, or Seattle.
Definitely look at Seattle U., among the west coast Jesuit schools. It’s in the Capitol Hill neighborhood of Seattle, which (as you probably know from your time living there) is also the center of LGBTQ+ life/culture in the city. It has been mentioned about other Jesuit schools that business and nursing programs are dominant, and this is true at Seattle U also, but the history department seems reasonably large and active. They have a Public History internship program that looks interesting if that aspect appeals.
Is your son considering an Early Decision application to Occidental? This seems to be the best-fit school by which all others are being measured. The “bump” in acceptance rate in the ED cycle at Oxy is not huge (47% vs. 36% RD) and likely accounted for by athletic recruitment, but it’s a smaller applicant pool that allows for a closer read of his application. Oxy fills 30% of their class with Early Decision acceptances.
Certainly his GPA is strong enough for Oxy. His SAT is below their median but still within the middle 50%. His EC’s don’t tell a story in and of themselves, so the burden will be on his essay to paint a picture of what pursuits are important to him. (Don’t underestimate the value of part time work, though.) His URM background will work in his favor, as will being full pay, since Oxy is need-aware. (The latter amplifies the benefit of ED. Many students who don’t qualify for need-based aid are floating a lot of applications and comparing merit offers; the pragmatic reality is that a full-pay candidate who is willing to commit up front is particularly appealing in the early cycle, benefiting both the yield numbers and the financial bottom line.) I see him as a “could go either way” candidate for Oxy, for whom ED could tip the decision in the right direction.
I think he’s a slam-dunk, admissions-wise, for both Seattle U and U of SF. (Seattle U has a higher acceptance rate then USF, but also has higher median stats, which speaks to the popularity of SF as a destination and the fact that USF is the only truly residential campus in the city.) As schools that have fewer Black/multi-ethnic students than they would like, and for that matter fewer men, I cannot envision a circumstance where they turn down a highly-qualified applicant who’s in both of those categories and doesn’t even require need-based aid. (And that’s before you even consider his personal attributes, which I’m sure will only strengthen the odds further.) My bet is that he gets nice merit offers from both.
Outside of the target geographical area… Macalester could be a great reach school for him. It’s an urban LAC with good diversity and a strong history major. The median stats at Macalester are identical to Pitzer’s, but the acceptance rate is triple the painfully-low 13% rate at Pitzer.
I thought about suggesting Gonzaga as well, but I’d have to guess that the difference between Spokane and Seattle/SF/Portland/SD would be even more pronounced for an LGBTQ student than if the only factor were general “urban-ness.”
It’s more than the city or population, it’s where it is in the city.
American is in DC, but it’s not in DC …a la GW or Gtown.
I think that we are in agreement. Not sure if you intended to direct your last post to me. Regardless, it is up to OP’s son to define “big city”, not us.
Yes, I don’t think my NYC-raised kid would consider Spokane to be a big city. Also, although I said that lack of diversity was not a deal breaker, I think he would like to at least be in a more racially and ethnically diverse urban area.
Thank you so much for this very thoughtful response. Yes, my son is planning to apply early decision to Occidental and I hope he will be able to use his personal statement and short essays to tell his story and why Occidental would be a great fit for him.
Also thanks for recommending Seattle U. When we lived in Seattle, I would walk to Capitol Hill daily because it most reminded me of home (NYC).
Right. My daughter toured Ohio State and didn’t feel like Columbus, at 900,000 population felt big city enough. Truth was it just seemed very white and midwestern, so a no go.
I agree with Oxy ED. Show them the love. OP: Glad you visited- make sure your son avails himself of opportunities to interview, talk to his rep, etc. They want joiners, so make sure he is prepared to talk about the clubs, sports etc he would participate in. Community service also highly valued.
Yeah - wasn’t per se - but you had mentioned 3 big big cities vs. Spokane - but as you said, it’s up to the OP. I was just getting more granular than the city name.
I still say U of Az is urban - and 99.9% of people or 100% on the CC still say i’m wrong 
I meant to type Unversity of Seattle – not University of San Diego, which is not Jesuit but we are very interested in USD as well!
Seattle University
What would you like to know about Santa Clara? My DD graduated from there in 2010 and we have nothing but good things to say about the college.
Hi! Thanks so much. From everything I have heard, SCU sounds like a great school. How would you describe the social scene/ culture? How much emphasis is there on religion? How LGBT-friendly would you say the school is? What is the surrounding community like? Are there places to socialize off-campus?
SCU is a Jesuit college, but is actually quite ecumenical as are most Jesuit colleges. My kid was never short on things to do. She had a great cohort of friends and they sure kept busy.
There is a three course religion requirement but there are well over 100 courses from which to choose. My kid took an ethics course, and women in religion, and one other.
My kid was a member of Ruff Riders (the school athletic boosters), went to their very nice gym almost everyday, swam in their very nice pool at least once a week, played in the student orchestra.
I honestly don’t know what she did off campus. I also don’t know how LGBTQ friendly the school is, but I would think this isn’t an issue. I’ll ask my kid.
The school is about 5% Greek but all the greek activities are open to all.
Big sport is soccer. And basketball. Both well attended. Both men’s and women’s soccer.
The greater San Jose are is right there.
The school is on the pricey side. But we felt it was worth it.
UPDATE: My son was accepted early decision to Occidental.
He took the SAT again in October and scored 1360 and ended up submitting his scores since it fell within Oxy’s median scores. I also want to thank those of you who reassured me that Occidental was not a high reach as I had thought.
If you or your child is still going through the process, I want to wish you the best of luck and assure you that chances are things will work out in the end.
This thread was so helpful as we started the college search process so I want to thank everyone who took the time to give suggestions and input.
Congratulations to your son and thank you for the update! It is always nice to hear how an individual navigated the process and made decisions and how those decisions did or did not change throughout the process.
May he have a great experience at Occidental!
Great news - congratulations!!!