Spring kicked off with Lost in the 50's, followed by months of great summer weather and so many more things to do in Sandpoint all season long. Coming up is the Wooden Boat Show, ArtWalk, fairs and rodeos, and our renowned Festival at Sandpoint two week musical extravaganza. We had a great ski season with Schweitzer Mountain Ski Resort having another record year with enough snow to satisfy even the most avid snowboarders. Our real estate market is heating up, and our economy, while down just a bit, is still moving forward with a state unemployment rate at 7%, with several new businesses opening their doors.
Since 1997 over 1,000 new jobs has been created in Bonner County in the manufacturing segment. With such 
national names as Coldwater Creek, Litehouse Foods, Encoder Products, Thorne Research, Airtow, Lignetics, and others making their headquarters around Sandpoint, we are the envy of neighboring regions. Businesses move here because of quality of life. We have a work ethic that is obvious when viewing data such as foreclosures. How does this show we have people that work hard? Ours is among the lowest rates for foreclosures in the nation. People pay their bills here. Old fashioned attitude perhaps, but that is North Idaho.
Tourism is strong here, much because of Lake Pend Oreille. At 148 square miles with 111 miles of coastline, our gargantuan freshwater lake is among the largest in the West, and 5th deepest in the U.S. Boating, sailing, fishing, diving, water skiing, and water sports are the daily norm. The lake is fed by numerous rivers, creeks, and streams, so kayaking, fly fishing, and tubing, as well as swimming under dozens of waterfalls are part and parcel of the mystique. Schweitzer Mountain is not the only winter sports outlet for outdoors lovers. Priest Lake has some of the finest snowmobiling in the world. We have ice skating, ice fishing, Nordic Skiing, and every kind of winter activity. Schweitzer Ski Resort was named to Ski Magazine’s Top 25 Ski Resorts as well as #3 for Tree Skiing last season, and AskMen named the Sandpoint/Schweitzer combo to its Top 10 Resort Towns this spring. Because of the majestic mountains surrounding Sandpoint, the Cabinets and Selkirks, and our great lake fun, with fantastic skiing, joined by 
world-class hiking, biking, hunting, and hundreds of events every year, the national press has made Sandpoint and Schweitzer the darlings of the travel media.
National Geographic named Sandpoint a Top 10 Adventure Town; Sunset called Sandpoint the West’s Best Small Town; Sandpoint was named to Outside Magazine’s Best Small Towns; and most recently Sunset honored Sandpoint again, naming it to their Top 10 Dream Towns. The NY Times, USA Today, Forbes, MSNBC, Smart Money, and many others all say the same thing. Sandpoint is one of America’s most outstanding places. Perhaps Cabin Life, Cabin Living said it best calling our community “the quintessential Western outdoor lover’s town.”
While it seems that our forte is oriented toward the outdoors, we also have a fine cosmopolitan way of fun and community. The saying goes, “Where are the best restaurants in Spokane? Sandpoint!” While our fine dining establishments have taken a hit lately, we have several wine bars, numerous cafés and coffee shops with Wi-Fi galore, and many types of cuisine. Formal balls, dancing, theater, live music, and dance are everywhere. Certainly we are an art town. Sandpoint has dozens of art events every year, and over 500 artists call our part of North Idaho home.
People moving here are often confused. They wonder where they met that guy waiving hello. It doesn’t take l
ong to realize, everybody waives hello. Neighbors help to clear snow, and donations to local charities is truly humbling.
We are growing, but not as rapidly as other Idaho cities. We have so much new construction, but are still a city well under 10,000 in population. Home prices have come down, but if places like Aspen, Tahoe, and Sun Valley are any example, our values will continue to rise. We have not been hit as hard as the rest of the nation, both with home sales and the economy. That is not to say times aren’t more difficult than years past, but we are so lucky here living in the mountain clouds.
While Sandpoint and North Idaho has its fair share of small town woes and growing pains, life here is more gentle and kind, more prosperous and optimistic, than most people are used to. It is small wonder that so many want to move here, that the press takes note, and those of us who live in this northern paradise are thankful for our place in the world.
To learn more about North Idaho, or help finding or selling a home,
call your 24/7 North Idaho REALTORS®
Jed Sigman Gary Lirette
E-mail Jed E-mail Gary
208-255-6739 208-610-1384
Tomlinson Sandpoint Sotheby's International Realty
200 Main St.
Sandpoint, ID 83864
800-282-6880
208-610-1384
Don't forget to listen to Gary on KSPT and KBFI with his radio shows North Idaho Business as well as North Idaho Arts & Adventure