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Looking up at East Hope

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Schweitzer from Hwy 200

The Story of Sandpoint, North Idaho

So, now that Sandpoint, North Idaho, Schweitzer Ski Resort, and Lake Pend Oreille have got your attention, you want to know the inside story. In the last few years we have had literally dozens of articles, television shows, news reports, etc., that have touted our area as the paradise of the West. Sure, we have some of the same issues that most communities our size have to tackle, but the good far outpaces the bad. Tourism and traffic has grown, but that has grown our business base, and it still only takes minutes to get anywhere. Crime is so low that many never lock their doors. Charity and neighborly help abound more here than most of the rest of the country, businesses keep moving here, and in spite of small town politics and the occasional Peyton Place episode, good karma tends to ameliorate the bad and make us remember just how lucky we are here in North Idaho. Besides, it's amazing how attitudes can change while driving across the Long Bridge.

Every place has at least these problems or very similar ones. Most places have so much more that detract from their ambiance. This is North Idaho. The place and the people are unique. Friendly to a fault. Great neighbors. Most people not from here have never had as many friends in their circles as they find here. Low, low crime. Quality of life. Spectacular and beautiful surroundings. More fun than should be allowed by law. Forget the petty politics. Forget the 'so-called' rising housing prices.

We have a growing manufacturing base that is typical in Idaho. Sandpoint has the national headquarters for Coldwater Creek, over a billion in sales and 500 new stores within five years (Business Week article on Coldwater), a new aircraft manufacturer - Quest Aircraft Company, an Aircraft Towing manufacturer, Harrison Dock Builders just moved here, Litehouse Salad Dressings, Encoder Products, Diedrich Roasters, a manufacturer of coffee roasting equipment, generators, wood products, etc., etc. Others capturing a national and/or regional audience are Unicep Packaging, Thorne Research, and let's not forget to mention the tremendous expansion of Panhandle State Bank.  In an Article in 2004 in the Bonner Daily Bee BCEDC Executive Director Mark Williams stated, "Over the past three years, manufacturing jobs in our county have increased by 21 percent while Idaho has lost 14 percent and the nation 16 percent," That trend for Idaho overall has now increased like fold. Other national companies are moving to the area also. Last year, Buck Knives moved their national HQ to the Coeur d’Alene area. In Boise, we are creating a new Silicon Valley. Finally, Idaho set a record for exports in 2006.

We have a fantastic tourist industry. Schweitzer Mountain Ski Resort wins accolades year after year. In fact, 2007 ski season set a record. For the 2008 season they began plans to put another $10,000,000 into their infrastructure. According to weather reports, we were one of the few places that even had a ski season in 2006-2007. And we didn’t even have that harsh a winter. Except for 1996, we have had wonderfully snowy, yet mild winters. People who come here from places like Minnesota and Colorado find our winters so pleasant they never want to leave. Roads are passable, and life is good. 2008 saw record snowfall, and though Schweitzer Ski Resort had already been named to Sunset Magazine's Top 10 Resorts, for the 2007-08 season, Schweitzer was named to Skiing Magazine's Top 25, a milestone. Even better, Schweitzer was named #3 for Tree Skiing.

Summers are even better. With the second largest fresh water lake in the West, Lake Pend Oreille affords some of the best water skiing, boating, and fishing in the world. We have numerous marinas, boat docks, and boat launches. And that is only one of many, many spectacular lakes. Hayden Lake, Lake Coeur d’Alene, Lake Cocolalla, and Priest Lake are surrounded by mountains and primeval forests, and are at once serene and exciting.

We have hosted the NORBA bike championships, and ironman events, and have so many celebrations it is hard to keep up. (See Calendar of Events) Madcap Mardi Gras is a week-long end of winter fest. We have three (or is it four) Oktoberfests. Last year we had our first international film festival (IPIFF now called Lakedance). Many people call our area a banana belt, with the lake influencing our climate for the good.

Art communities are everywhere, and with over 400 local artists, it is no small surprise we have two Artwalks, a Plein Aire Art fest, an Arts and Crafts fest, and many galleries and studios. In fact, this year our group sponsored a new five day art event in support of the Lakedance Film Festival called the Sandpoint Art Break at the Cedar Street Bridge Mall. On the Hope Peninsula the world-famous artists Edward Kienholz and Nancy Redin-Kienholz settled over a quarter century ago, and so many have followed that if you  live here and don’t have at least a handful of artist friends, you probably are a hermit.

The music scene is constant. We have many venues, many bands and artists, and lots of styles. One of our most popular places is the Panida Theatre. Every kind of play, comedy, and music reverberates within those walls. Writers also make our area home. Ben Stein and Mark Furmann live here. So does Viggo Mortensen. Lots of others, but we don’t like to mention too many of them. They like their privacy, and we like them, so we respect their lives. Most important of all our musical activities is the world-renown Festival at Sandpoint. This is our 25th year celebration, and the lineup in the past have included names like Lou Rawls, Jim Messina, Wynton Marsalis, Tony Bennet, The Beach Boys, The Bellamy Brothers, Natalie Cole, Alison Krauss & Union Station, Neil Sedaka, George Benson, The Doobie Brothers, Al Jarreau, The Pretenders, The Robert Cray Band, Peter Frampton, Little Feat, Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Los Lobos, Tanya Tucker and many more. The range is from Jazz to Country, Symphonies to Blue Grass. And it is always, very, very cool.

So it is no wonder that jobs are plentiful. Entrepreneurs are creating wealth for themselves and the community. We have consistently had lower unemployment than the rest of the nation at 3.6%, and the state of Idaho at 3.3% is even lower than the rest of the nation, which is hovering around 4.5%. Add to that Idaho's wages are on the rise. Construction may be driving the boom, but retail, manufacturing, engineering, internet and virtual companies, and intellectual endeavors are creating a place that many envy, and few can copy.

There are so many events and festivals that it is hard to keep up (see Calendar of Events). Besides Lakedance, The Festival at Sandpoint, and the ArtWalks complete with live music, there is Lost in the 50s, with its vintage car parade, the Wooden Boat Festival, the Arts and Crafts Fair, The County Fair, Winter Carnival, Mardi Gras, boat races, bike races (the NORBA Nationals were held here), The Long Bridge Swim, live music everywhere every week, five (or is it six?) wine bars, five (or is it six?) new top restaurants, chili cook offs, the Holly Eve Gala, events and concerts at the Panida, as well as free music and concerts everywhere for every event, gun shows, horse shows, the Taste of Sandpoint,  Schweitzer Summer Celebration and concerts, Oktoberfests, and much, much more. In fact, this has been our busiest event year ever. Schweitzer had a record season, and so did Sandpoint. The message is clear. On my North Idaho Business  radio show, we featured Mayor Ray Miller, the editor of the Bonner Daily Bee, David Keyes, and the head of the Chamber of Commerce, Amy Little, on a show we called our State of the Village. With record numbers of people visiting and enjoying our community, as well as record numbers of things to do, our future looks bright indeed.

So, as you read in the first part of this web page, we have gotten quite a lot of press, due to everything we have going for us. The Herbert family was featured on Extreme Home Makeover, and recently, our amazing Dr. Bird was featured on 60 Minutes. We are continually getting very positive press, and while we have had good growth, our community is far from the fastest growing in Idaho. We are growing at an even pace, and we are maintaining our wonderful, small town atmosphere. 

Even with that growth, houses really are reasonable, no matter what they are saying down at the coffee shop. While many lament the rising cost of housing, both nationally and locally, it is important to keep in perspective the reality of housing costs here. We were featured once again in the New York Times in the summer of 2006 for having a great place to live coupled with quality of life and low home prices. Sure, with a median price of $230,000, it is no longer the incredible bargain of $70,000 to $100,000 of just a few short years ago. But it is still cheaper to buy a home here than much of the United States. You can still buy ten acres overlooking the water, mountains, or valley, or all three for less than $10,000 an acre if you look diligently. Houses are appreciating faster here than any other part of the country. We were first out of all 50 states in appreciating values at 17.5% for 2006. Utah was second at 17.4%. So buying a house in North Idaho is still a very good investment. Yet there are still bargains out there. Guess that’s why USA Today, Money Magazine, and other national rags think we are so smart. (See graphs on region)

Shopping isn’t bad either. So, we don’t have the mega malls, and some of our stores and shops cater to tourists. But we have unique offerings, eclectic little places where you can find unique North Idaho styled wares and furnishings. We have great ski and winter wares. We have fantastic sporting goods. Some of the auto dealers not far away are rated #1 in the nation for price and service. And we have good big box stores like a Super Wal-mart, Home Depot, and Safeway. Yokes is a great regional supermarket, and smaller places like Merwyn’s Hardware have a surprisingly varied selection of merchandise. A short drive away is Coeur d’Alene (We call it CdA) and Spokane, which have every conceivable kind of offering, from antiques to Target. Nope, shopping ain’t bad.

Health is another of our wonderful assets. While quality of life is an oft-mentioned term nowadays, we have it here. We live it. Fresh air, some of the tastiest water in the world, and good health facilities. We have a decent local hospital for our size. Bonner General does most of what a population needs. However, a very close drive away is Kootenai Medical Center, world-class in many areas of health care. And Spokane is known throughout the Inland Northwest for some of the finest medical facilities anywhere.

Traffic is generously bearable. Traffic jams are things of the past. We have good roads, a local airport, and Spokane’s Airport is better than airports servicing cities two or three times larger. It takes about an hour and a half to drive from downtown Sandpoint to the Spokane Airport. How long does it take to get to LaGuardia or San Francisco airports during traffic. We are in the process of getting Highway 95 widened all the way to Canada, and sooner or later we will have a byway going around (or under) Sandpoint. Even in the much larger cities of CdA and Spokane, the roads have already been improved for future growth, and traffic jams are bearable and infrequent.

Hunting is a dream for the sportsman here. We have wildlife that has disappeared in other parts of the country. Fishing is also great. Our lakes have more and bigger fish. You can hike for hours without seeing another human being. We are surrounded by National and State Forest lands. Estimates are that these two entities hold 75% of the land. That insures we will have limited growth in the future, and make hunting something that will be a sport for much of the population as long as it is legal. 

While we don’t have that much in the form of college or university education, CdA and Spokane have some fine universities. We will have our own university soon. One of the founders of Coldwater Creek, David Pence, has donated $20 million for the establishment of an extension of the University of Idaho to be built here within the next three years. The state has put up matching funds, so our own college will be here soon. We also have a very good K-12 school system, and very well behaved students. We win accolades in many areas. Arts thrive in our schools, and we have programs that other schools have abandoned because of budget cuts. When is the last time you heard of a high school that had a Men’s Glee Club. Ours has one. And we have so many state championships in virtually every sport, that if you aren’t a supporter, you probably don’t live here. We have programs for teaching high school kids to pilot airplanes, a non-profit dedicated to instructing young film students, a culinary program, and much more dedicated to the education of our youth and adults.

Sports and outdoor recreation are big here. We take our bike riding seriously with hundreds of miles of off road trails, and one of the most extensive paved bike trail systems in the region. We hike, parasail, bowl, run, and sail. You name it, we do it. Try cross-country skiing, horse riding of all kinds, kayaking, Mogul skiing, water skiing, biking, sky diving, scuba diving, jet skiing, boating, volleyball, archery, spelunking, snowmobiling, basketball, softball, Frisbee golf, regular golf...wait...let me catch my breath. Jack Nicklaus just bought Hidden Lakes Golf Course and community and renamed it Idaho Club. It was already an award-winning course, but now with Jack at the helm... And rumors are that Arnold Palmer will soon be gracing our rolling hills. And all with a population that would make Mayberry proud. There are approximately 8,000 people in Sandpoint, and under 50,000 in the county. We may have a larger population up on Schweitzer in the winter, and in the other parts of the county during the rest of the tourist seasons, but still, only a few of us. Another gratifying aspect of our community is that we have literally dozens of State Championship trophies in virtually every sport, from wrestling to softball, football to volleyball. And high school isn't the only winning we do here. Though the Boise State/Oklahoma game has been called the most exciting win in collegiate history, Boise State has been in the top twenty for the better part of the last decade, not just their fifth place finish in 2007. Not bad. Not bad.

Let's not forget the parks. We have miles of trails, sure, but we also have City Beach, numerous city parks, and the Bonner Healing Garden. Just make sure you bring a doggy bag, and not for the take-home.

And let’s not forget that we have great communities all around us: Historic Hope, Coeur d’Alene, Spokane and Seattle, Washington, Creston, BC, Bonners Ferry, Montana, Boise, Hells Canyon and the Snake River. We have wine growing regions, mountains, and so much more. Not only do we have two Starbucks, and two wine bars, we even have our own award-winning winery: Pend Oreille Winery.

But we have one thing that makes us truly special. We have our neighbors. The best in the world, in the world’s best place.

Some Information About the Best Areas for Real Estate in Sandpoint and North Idaho

Here is a little info on the best areas. Most of the people moving here are looking to be close in to Sandpoint because that is the center of most activity in the county. I have included a map so that you can get the best perspective. The best areas of appreciation and with some of the nicest houses and views are directly north and west of Sandpoint in the foothills beneath Schweitzer Mountain Ski Resort. Those include Baldy Mountain Road and a few others. South Sandpoint is in town and is considered a tony area. Many of the homes along the lake in Sandpoint are fantastic, but the prices are among the highest in the county. Many parts of Sagle are desirable because of the easy access to town and Coeur d’Alene (We call it CdA). Also, in Sagle there are several areas of that large peninsula that are nice, but harder access such as Garfield Bay. Across the Long Bridge from Sandpoint are two areas that are great: Lakeshore Drive and Bottle Bay. As you drive down Highway 2 west toward Washington are a couple of areas that have better values and still afford mountain, valley, and river views: Laclede and Priest River. There are two other peninsulas that are considered to be the best in the area: Hope Peninsula and Sunnyside Peninsula. There are advantages to each area. As you probably know, Hope is a wildlife sanctuary with Sam Owen Park. There are hundreds of tame deer and  turkey, some bear, etc. It is also where the Kienholz family, Max Factor family, and the Groenke's live. The Gronke Estate is where the Berlin Wall is, with millions of dollars of sculptures and art. The first white trading post in Idaho is the Kullyspell House, built in 1811. Sunnyside is slightly crowded and more urban, but it is close to town. Between these two areas is Oden Bay, one of our most exclusive communities. Other areas are south on the Lake in Bayview, but with the higher Kootenai County taxes. There are numerous other lakes, and I have some literature for you when you visit to check those out.

One last note. Like elsewhere, many homes have been on the market for some time, so many sellers are more willing to deal. However, prices seem to have stabilized and are generally much lower, and sales in the county are much better than other areas. It is always good in this market to make lower offers and see what we can get. The only areas that haven't slowed down in popularity and appreciation are lakefront, though some prices there too have come down, and at Schweitzer Mountain Ski Resort.
 

Skiing Magazine names Schweitzer Ski Resort in its Top 25

SANDPOINT - This is not your grandfather's Schweitzer Mountain Resort. For the 2007-2008 ski season, the mountain will replace one of the original chairlifts, add another and increase skier capacity by nearly one-third.

It's all part of a master plan that has seen a total of $20 million invested in new improvements and infrastructure this year alone.

Schweitzer might be wise to prepare for a crowd -- Skiing Magazine just added the local hill to its annual list of the 25 Top Ski Resorts. Ranked 21st overall out of a field of more than 500 ski areas, Schweitzer came in third for tree skiing.

"It's great to receive national recognition for something the locals have always known," said Jennifer Ekstrom, communications manager for Schweitzer Mountain Resort.

Ekstrom, who grew up in eastern Washington, has skied and boarded the slopes above Sandpoint for the past 15 years. She joined Schweitzer about a year ago, hopping on board a recreational juggernaut that is pouring millions into on-mountain amenities.

Visitors this year will find a new ski-check area, heated patio, more grooming equipment and another snowmaking machine, along with new seats on the Great Escape chairlift. The most noticeable improvement, however, will be in how quickly skiers can get to their favorite runs.

The Basin Express -- a high-speed detachable quad chairlift -- will begin its 1,063-foot ascent from the heart of the village area. Beginning skiers who used to find the Midway offload somewhat daunting will be relieved to know that the new lift removes that departure point from the equation, while also getting them a bit higher up the mountain in barely more than three minutes.

From there, the new Lakeview Triple will climb another 775 vertical feet to reach the top of Schweitzer Bowl in about four minutes.

"These two lifts give us a skier-friendly progression from the beginners' hill to the main part of the mountain," Ekstrom said. "They also provide easier access for snowboarders to reach the Stomping Grounds Terrain Park. Before now, boarders rode the existing quad and then cut over to the park, which created some dangerous cross-traffic."

Combined with the mountain's other chairlifts like the Stella six-pack and the Great Escape quad, the Basin Express and Lakeview Triple are part of a system of 10 lifts designed to optimize access to a network of 84 designated trails. The addition of two, faster lifts is expected to reduce the lines of people waiting for a ride up the hill and put a greater number of skiers on the slopes.

"We typically see upwards of 200,000 skier visits a year and now, with the new chairlifts in place, we're increasing capacity by another 28 percent," Ekstrom said.

When all the seats are full, the lift system can transport more than 12,500 skiers per hour, she added. That's the equivalent of moving the entire population of Sandpoint up the slopes one-and-a-half times every hour.

The local turnout is not quite that aggressive, but still makes up a considerable percentage of Schweitzer's customer base.

"A lot of people come from Seattle, Portland or California, and we're seeing a rise in visits from the Midwest," the communications manger said. "But the local community -- North Idaho and Eastern Washington -- are the majority of our visitors."

Skiers continue to represent the largest mountain population, though snowboarders are gaining ground. On both counts, customer satisfaction is high and word-of-mouth advertising has remained strong, according to a recent national survey of ski resort users.

"We received the second-highest score in the survey for customers who said they had recommended the mountain to friends," Ekstrom said. "And not just for terrain -- we had a lot of comments about how friendly the employees and the locals are. That atmosphere is what highlights the whole experience."

With a 2,400-foot vertical drop and 2,900 acres of skiable terrain, Schweitzer is actually a larger resort than more famous names like Sun Valley, Breckenridge and Beaver Creek. Unlike those resorts, the local ski hill has had fairly limited apres-ski opportunities -- a situation that also has been changing as the mountain grows. Last season, the nightlife at Schweitzer was stepped up considerably, according to Ekstrom, who said even more events and activities are planned for this season.

On Oct. 27, a pre-season Halloween party with live music in Taps Lounge and a showing of the ski movie "Yeah Dude!" -- a film that features some of the world's top skiers in action on the slopes at Schweitzer Mountain Resort-will kick things off. A total of more than 30 additional daily events are scheduled between the December holidays and the end of the season in April.

The write-up in Skiing Magazine will undoubtedly introduce the hill to a broader audience, but Schweitzer officials say the notoriety hasn't caused them to forget the mountain's roots in Sandpoint. Targeting locals, the resort is offering a Sunday-Friday season pass for $399 from now until the end of October and a "Sunday Solution" lift ticket priced at $15 for Sunday afternoons, holidays excluded.

Information: www.schweitzer.com