Coeur d'Alene, Idaho


Coeur d'Alene is the largest city and county seat of Kootenai County, Idaho, United States. It is the principal city of the Coeur d'Alene Metropolitan Statistical Area. In 2019, the United States Census Bureau estimated the city's population at 52,414. The city is a satellite city of Spokane, which is located about to the west, in the state of Washington. The two cities are the key components of the Spokane–Coeur d'Alene combined statistical area, of which Coeur d'Alene is the third-largest city. Coeur d'Alene is the largest city in North Idaho. The city is situated on the north shore of Lake Coeur d'Alene, in length. Locally, Coeur d'Alene is known as the "Lake City", or simply called by its initials: "CDA".
The city is named after the Coeur d'Alene People, a federally recognized tribe of Native Americans who lived along the rivers and lakes of the region, in a territory of extending into Washington and Montana. They were first encountered by French fur traders in the late 18th and early 19th century, who referred to them as Cœur d'Alêne, meaning "heart of an awl", reflecting their experience of the tribal traders as tough businessmen, "sharp-hearted" or "shrewd".
Traditionally a center for mining and logging activities, the city of Coeur d'Alene has grown significantly in recent years, in part because of a substantial increase in tourism, encouraged by several resorts in the area. The Coeur d'Alene Resort and a 165-acre natural area called Tubbs Hill take up a prominent portion of the city's downtown. There are several ski areas nearby: Silver Mountain Resort to the east in Kellogg, Lookout Pass Ski and Recreation Area also to the east on Lookout Pass at the Montana border, and Schweitzer Mountain Ski Resort to the north in Sandpoint. The largest theme and water park in the Northwest, Silverwood Theme Park, is located approximately 20 miles to the north.

History

The Coeur d'Alene people called themselves by the autonym Schitsu'umsh in Coeur d'Alene, one of the Salishan languages, meaning "those who are found here" or "the found ones". The area was extensively explored by David Thompson of the North West Company starting in 1809 when he established the Kullyspell House. Thompson, who usually used native names to describe the places and people he came across for unexplained reasons ascribed the name of “Pointed Hearts” to one the tribes he traded with and “Pointed Heart Lake” for the lake they lived near. As French was the spoken language of the Canadian fur traders, it is likely that “pointed heart” has its origins in the French transliteration of Coeur or “heart”, d’ or “in the middle of” and Alene or “awl” meaning they had hearts as sharp as the tip of an awl and were sharp, witty traders.
The Oregon boundary dispute arose as a result of competing British and American claims to the Pacific Northwest of North America in the first half of the 19th century. The British had trading ties extending from Canada and had started settlements in present-day British Columbia and at Fort Astoria on the Pacific coast near the mouth of the Columbia River. The Oregon Treaty of 1846 ended the disputed joint occupation of the area in present-day Idaho when Britain ceded all rights to land south of the 49th parallel to the United States.
With the discover of gold out west and the establishment of Idaho Territory in the 1860s, there was an increase in settlers to the region. When General William T. Sherman was commander of the US Army during the Indian Wars and following the defeat of General George Armstrong Custer at the Battle of Little Big Horn, he erected several forts in the west. During a tour of the Inland Northwest on his way to Fort Walla Walla, he was impressed by the scenery of the area and ordered a fort constructed on the lake in 1877 and gave it the name Fort Coeur d'Alene but it was later changed to Fort Sherman to honor the general. North Idaho College, a community college, now occupies the former fort site which gave the city its name.
Miners and prospectors came to the region after gold and silver deposits were found in the mountains and the Northern Pacific Railroad came to town in 1883. The town was the location where ore from the mining district was transferred to the rail lines. The township was officially incorporated by petition on August 22, 1887. In the 1890s, two significant miners' uprisings took place in the Coeur d'Alene Mining District, where the workers struggled with high risk and low pay. In 1892, the union's discovery of a labor spy in their midst, in the person of Charlie Siringo, sometime cowboy and Pinkerton agent, resulted in a strike that developed into a shooting war between miners and the company. Years later Harry Orchard, who owned a share of the Hercules Mine in the nearby mountains before it began producing, confessed to a secret, brutal and little understood role in the Colorado Labor Wars. He later confessed to dynamiting a $250,000 mill belonging to the Bunker Hill Mining Company near Wardner during another miners' uprising in 1899. He later returned to Idaho to assassinate former Idaho Governor Frank Steunenberg in 1905.
When it became widely known after a US Geoloegoical Survey done in the 1890s that there were large quantities of white pine, a highly prized softwood, in the Coeur d’Alene Mountains, the lumber industry from the eastern US began to inventory the timberlands, acquire land and invest in facilities across much of northern Idaho. This was welcome relief to the town of Coeur d’Alene which had been losing population and reeling from the Panic of 1893, a flood, and the closure of Fort Sherman. In the years ahead, Coeur d’Alene became incorporated as a city on September 4, 1906 and by 1908 it had become county seat. The city would experience a lot of growth from the timber boom, the development of the railroads and steamboats, and tourism. From 1900 to 1915, there were 70 additions platted and hundreds of homes built. With the advent of the automobile and the internal combustion engine, with trucks and chainsaws, the felling and transporting of trees became more productive and efficient and lumber production reached its height in the late 1910s and 1920s; in 1925 there were seven lumber mills operating in the area and was producing 500 million board feet of lumber.
After the 1929 stock market crash and during the Great Depression, the lumber industry began to wane and by the mid 1930s about half the woodworkers in northern Idaho were laid off and the surviving mills were producing only 160 million board feet of lumber per year. Although a tough time, the depression years saw the creation of North Idaho College in 1933, Northwest Boulevard through the Works Progress Administration program in 1937 and the building of the popular Playfair Pier on the lake in the early 1940s. Coeur d’Alene benefited from its proximity to the Farragut Naval Training Station established in 1942 on the south end of Lake Pend Oreille, which employed 22,000 people and needed 98 million board feet of lumber to build 650 buildings.
Due to the scenic lake, tourism has always been a factor in the local economy, where it had become popular in Spokane to travel and picnic in the City Park, shop downtown, and take steamboat cruises on the lake and Saint Joe River, it had also received national publicity in magazines where it had been called a “wonderland” and “The Lucerne of America”. However, tourism began to become a mainstay of the economy with the completion of highway infrastructure projects in the 1950s and 60s and the Coeur d’alene Chamber of Commerce began to promote the city as a tourist destination as well.
As tourism increased, lodging facilities and demand for other amenities catering to them such as motels, convention space, restaurants, and cultural activities began to increase. By 1976, the city had over 30 motels with about 1,500 rooms. On June 14, 1958 the city hosted the first Diamond Cup Hydroplane race which was one of the largest events in its history and the event garnered national publicity and media coverage. The event attendance was 30,000 people and was considered a success by the Diamond Cup organizers and the race was held at Lake Coeur d’alene for the next eight years until it was eventually discontinued due to persistent difficulties in raising funds for the event.
in 1994
Tourism has taken on even more prominence and became one of the main drivers of the local economy since the start of the 1980s, which saw new investment into recreational tourism in the area. In 1982, the city saw the opening of a $2 million Wild Waters aquatic theme park, and spring 1986 saw the opening of the $60 million and 18 story Coeur d’alene Resort. The waterfront resort featured a well manicured frontage and a publicly accessible floating boardwalk gave visitors the impression of a park-like environment and made Coeur d’alene a major tourist destination in the eyes of many as it attracted the attention of publications nationwide.
In the 1990s, the Coeur d'Alene area started experiencing a substantial amount of population growth; many of these initial transplants came from California citing earthquakes, crime, and overcrowding as reasons for their move. According to Census Bureau data in 2018, the city and county were among the fastest growing metropolitan areas in the nation with a net migration of about 3,200 residents from 2015 to 2016. The sources of the newest transplants are still mainly from western states and are moving for economic as well as political reasons, seeking a lower cost of living, more affordable housing, an outdoor lifestyle and a place that is more conservative.

Geography

Coeur d'Alene is located at , at an elevation of above sea level. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of, of which, is land and is water.
Coeur d'Alene is east of Spokane, Washington and east of Seattle, Washington. The city is part of the Spokane–Coeur d'Alene metropolitan area and Inland Northwest region, consisting of eastern Washington, north Idaho, northwestern Montana, and northeastern Oregon.
The city located on the north shore of Lake Coeur d'Alene near the outlet of the Spokane River and is in the Northern Rockies ecoregion.
The wooded lands east of the city have been designated for protection and management as the Coeur d'Alene National Forest. The city is surrounded by lakes and forests that support a variety of wildlife. The large lakes in the Idaho panhandle attract birds on the Pacific Flyway and bird watching is popular on Lake Coeur d'Alene, especially from November to February when bald eagles come annually to feed on the spawning kokanee.

Climate

Coeur d'Alene has, depending on the definition, a dry-summer continental climate, or a warm-summer Mediterranean climate, characterized by a cold, moist climate in winter, and very warm, dry conditions in summer. It straddles the border between USDA Plant Hardiness Zones 6B and 7A. The monthly daily mean temperature ranges from in December to in July and August. Temperatures exceed on 13 days per year, only occasionally reaching, while conversely, there may be several nights below. Snowfall averages per year; precipitation is generally lowest in summer. The average first and last freeze of the season are October 12 and May 3, respectively.

Cityscape

Demographics

As of the 2010 census of 2010, there were 44,137 people, 18,395 households, and 10,813 families residing in the city. The population density was. There were 20,219 housing units at an average density of. The racial makeup of the city was 93.8% White, 0.4% African American, 1.2% Native American, 0.8% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 0.9% from other races, and 2.8% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.3% of the population.
There were 18,395 households of which 29.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.2% were married couples living together, 11.6% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.0% had a male householder with no wife present, and 41.2% were non-families. 31.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.33 and the average family size was 2.92.
The median age in the city was 35.4 years. 22.9% of residents were under the age of 18; 11.6% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 26.7% were from 25 to 44; 24% were from 45 to 64; and 14.6% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 48.6% male and 51.4% female.
According to the Association of Religion Data Archives' 2010 Metro Area Membership Report, the denominational affiliations of the Coeur d’Alene MSA are 60,657 Evangelical Protestant, 3,064 Mainline Protestant, 7,597 Catholic, 162 Orthodox, 8,492 Other, and 58,522 Unclaimed. Idaho is part of a region called the Unchurched Belt, a region in the far Northwestern United States that has historically low rates of religious participation.
A great deal of the influx of new residents are retirees seeking lower cost of living and traffic; the number of residents aged 65 years and older doubled from 2001 to 2019 according to the Idaho Department of Labor.
An Idaho transplant, Richard Butler, a retired engineer from California came to the Coeur d'Alene area due to its low diversity in 1974 to establish a white supremacist church called the Aryan Nations and began preaching and recruiting. The group went bankrupt and ceased operations in 2000 when the Southern Poverty Law Center filed a lawsuit which ended in a $6.3 million judgement and the closure of their compound. In 1986 Coeur d'Alene was presented the Raoul Wallenberg Award for its stand against neo-Nazis.

Economy

Coeur d'Alene is the healthcare, educational, media, manufacturing, retail and recreation center for north Idaho. After mining and logging declined in the 1940s, tourism came to be the main influence in the local economy ever since. In 2009, Coeur d'Alene ranked No. 12 on Newsmax magazine's list of the "Top 25 Most Uniquely American Cities and Towns," a piece written by current CBS News travel editor Peter Greenberg. In determining his ranking, Greenberg commended the city for "embracing its natural beauty and creating a small-business-friendly environment that has helped develop its thriving tourism industry." Giant statues of bird feathers line Northwest Boulevard, celebrating the rich heritage associated with the Coeur d'Alene Tribe. Art galleries and cafes are along Sherman Avenue, Coeur d'Alene's main street. During summer, artists and musicians frequent Sherman Square. Coeur d'Alene's retail has expanded greatly in recent years with the opening of new stores and entertainment venues. Coeur d'Alene's Riverstone development houses a 14-theater Regal Cinemas, condominiums, a Hampton Inn, a park, restaurants, and local retailers. The North Idaho Centennial Trail bike path cuts through the Riverstone complex alongside an abandoned railroad right of way. The Citylink transit system adjoins the northwest entrance of the Riverstone complex.
The city has become a major tourist attraction, being at the heart of north Idaho's scenic Lake Country where water sports and activities like wake boarding, parasailing, kayaking, paddleboarding, jet skiing, fishing and other lake recreation is popular. In addition to the natural attractions like the Coeur d'Alene City Park and Beach, McEuen Park, and Tubbs Hill, the Coeur d'alene area has two major resorts on the lake, the Coeur d'Alene Resort and the WorldMark Arrow Point resort directly across the lake in Harrison, Idaho, the Coeur d'Alene Casino in Worley, Idaho, and the Pacific Northwest's largest theme park in the Silverwood Theme Park in Athol, Idaho. There are three major ski resorts in within a short driving distance, Silver Mountain Resort in Kellogg, Lookout Pass Ski and Recreation Area at Lookout Pass near Mullan, and Schweitzer Mountain Ski Resort in Sandpoint. Tourism is the main driver of growth in the community and tourism and hospitality related jobs employed over 10,000 people in north Idaho in 2010.
Companies that have their head offices in Coeur d'Alene include mining company and owner of the Lucky Friday mine in Mullan, Hecla Mining and Canada-based restaurant, Pita Pit. The knife manufacturer, Buck Knives is the most recognizable brand name is in the area, where they relocated the head office and factory from southern California to the Coeur d'Alene suburb of Post Falls, Idaho reportedly due to high energy costs. In 2017, the Coeur d'Alene metropolitan area had a gross metropolitan product of $5.93 billion.

Events and attractions

There are many events and activities that can be enjoyed in and around Coeur d’Alene year round but most occur during the warm summer months. The event that receives the most attention is most likely the Ironman Coeur d'Alene. The Ironman Triathlon alternates between full and half distance Ironman events on a rotating basis from year to year. The course takes athletes takes athletes through a double-loop swim in Lake Coeur d’Alene before transitioning to a double-loop bike course that is routed along the lake and then through the countryside and finally ends in a multiple-loop run through McEuen Park to a finish in downtown on Sherman Ave. Other less intense and rigorous athletic events in town include the Coeur d'Fondo bike race and the Coeur d'Alene Crossing, a 2.4 mile swimming challenge where participants attempt to cross the lake.
Other annual events that the city has big turnouts for include the Fourth of July Festival and the Holiday Light Show that begins at the end of November. Coeur d’Alene has been known for hosting big Fourth of July celebrations since its early days as a fort town. The Fourth of July Festival usually includes a parade down Sherman Avenue, food and craft vendors, carnival rides, and live music and entertainment. Many watch the fireworks by the waterfront and beach; the Coeur d’Alene resort offers fireworks cruises that depart from Independence Point. The Holiday Light Show festivities are kicked off at the end of November and the lights are on display until January 1. The event also begins with a parade down Sherman Avenue and ends with a fireworks show. The resort's light show features over 1.5 million bulbs and the resort offers “Journey to the North Pole” cruises; the light show was named in USA Today’s list as one of the best public holiday lights displays in the country in 2019 Another event in the winter months that often gets media attention is the Polar Bear Plunge every year on January 1. Event participants run into the cold waters of Lake Coeur d’Alene at Sanders Beach.
Other popular events include "Car d' Alene," which is held annually in June, where all the hot cars, both new and old, are brought out on display for admiration and bragging rights. and Art on the Green, which is held on the first weekend in August and hosted by North Idaho Community College. Art on the Green is an arts and crafts outdoor festival sponsored by Citizens' Council for the Arts.
Coeur d'Alene has become a destination for golf enthusiasts. The city is home to five golf courses and there are another eight more within 20 miles. Coeur d'Alene Resort Golf Course is considered one of the best resort courses in the United States. Its 14th hole features the world's only movable floating green. There is also the Circling Raven Golf Club at the Coeur d'Alene Casino resort.
For history enthusiasts, the Museum of North Idaho located in downtown Coeur d'Alene chronicles the history of the region. Permanent exhibits include "Schitsu'umsh, “The People Who Were Discovered Here" which explores the lives of the Coeur d'Alene people, "The Mullan Road" which commemorates Idaho's first road through the Fourth of July Pass, "The Scandinavians Settled Here" which examines the Nordic influences on Coeur d'Alene, and "Steamboats", which displays artifacts and photographs of the steamboats that used to cruise the lake. The museum does walking tours of the Fort Sherman grounds and also rents out the Fort Sherman chapel, the oldest building in the city as a wedding venue.

Parks

The natural environment allows many activities to be enjoyed. The biggest natural attractions and parks in and around the city include Tubb's Hill, City Park and Beach, and McEuen Park all near downtown.
Tubb's Hill is a 120-acre park that is bordered by downtown Coeur d’Alene and McEuen Park to the north and the by lake Coeur d’Alene on the south, east, and west sides. The park features a somewhat rugged 2.2-mile interpretive trail that offers excellent views of the lake and the city. People often cliff jump into the lake from outcroppings in the park. The City Park is occupies 17 acres along the lake near downtown and features is a beach, sand volleyball courts, basketball courts, public drinking and restrooms and shower facilities, picnic tables and a large picnic shelter for events, and a Fort Sherman themed playground for children. McEuen Park, which reopened in 2014 after a remodel, is a 22.5-acre park just north of Tubb's Hill that has a large playground, children's climbing rock, splash pad, two tennis/pickle ball courts, four basketball courts, and an off leash dog park. It also features a large pavilion and grassy amphitheater with concessions and restrooms for hosting large events as well as a boat launch and mooring facilities.
The North Idaho Centennial Trail and Trail of the Coeur d'Alenes are also popular attractions for outdoor activities. There is also a popular camping and recreation area in southern Kootenai County along Lake Coeur d'Alene, Heyburn State Park.

Education

Library services for the city of Coeur d’Alene are met by two public libraries, the Coeur d'alene Public Library in downtown and the Lake City Public Library near Lake City High School. the Community Library Network maintains seven libraries in the wider communities in Kootenai and Shoshone counties, including branches in Post Falls, Hayden, Rathdrum, Spirit Lake, Athol, and Harrison.
The Coeur d'Alene School District#271 serves around 11,000 students in 18 schools which includes two high schools, an alternative high school, three middle schools, 11 elementary schools, and a dropout retrieval school. District #271 students who qualify are also eligible for dual enrollment with North Idaho College and the University of Idaho. Also on offer in the district are magnet schools that focus on specific curricula such as the Sorensen Magnet School of the Arts and Humanities and Ramsey Magnet School of Science elementary schools and the Fernan STEM Academy, offering a STEM focus.
The district is the sixth largest in the state and second largest employer in Kootenai County. Coeur d'Alene also has a charter school, the Coeur d'Alene Charter Academy.
in 2018
Post secondary education is fulfilled by North Idaho College, a public community college founded in 1933 in downtown Coeur d’Alene on the former site of Fort Sherman. The college has an enrollment of about 6,000 students and has outreach branches in Kellogg, Sandpoint, and Bonners Ferry, Idaho. The University of Idaho has a Coeur d’alene presence and has a research park in the area.

Infrastructure

Transportation

Roads and highways

Coeur d'Alene is accessed from Interstate 90 at Exits 11 through 15. The greater Coeur d'Alene area is almost entirely dependent upon private automobiles for transportation. Combined with the city's rapid growth since 1990, relative congestion now occurs on a significant portion of the area highways, notably U.S. 95 between Northwest Blvd. north to Hayden. Before the construction of I-90, the city was served by U.S. Route 10, which ran through downtown. This route is Northwest Boulevard and Sherman Avenue. The former US 10, between I-90 exits 11 and 15, is now designated as Interstate 90 Business.

Public transportation

Free public bus service is available to area residents, provided by Citylink. Citylink buses operate in the urbanized area of Kootenai County, leaving the Riverstone Transfer Station every sixty minutes, seven days a week, including holidays. Buses are wheelchair-accessible and can transport up to two bicycles.
The bus system comprises four separate routes:
As of April 2012, major changes were made to the current routes, including the elimination of the "Urban Route A", which went out to Stateline, 125 new stops added to the system, the "Urban Route B" and the "Urban Route C" changing to two-way service instead of loop service, and the routes leaving from Riverstone more frequently, from every eighty-five minutes down to sixty. Changes were made primarily due to budget cuts.

Airports

The closest major airport serving Coeur d'Alene and North Idaho is Spokane International Airport, which is served by six airlines and is to the west in Spokane, Washington. Coeur d'Alene Airport – Pappy Boyington Field is a general aviation airport in Hayden, north of the city near U.S. 95.
The local Coeur d'Alene Airport is a public-use, general aviation airport. In 1941, the Coeur d’Alene Chamber of Commerce promoted the purchase of of land on the Rathdrum Prairie for the Coeur d’Alene Airport. The facility was built in 1942 by the Army Engineers at a cost of over $400,000. It was designated as an alternate to Weeks Field when a war training program was in operation for World War II.

Utilities

The city of Coeur d'Alene provides for municipal water, sewer and stormwater management, street lighting, garbage collection, and recycling.

Media

Coeur d'Alene is part of the Spokane, Washington TV and radio media market however the city does have its own newspaper, the Coeur d'Alene Press which covers local issues in north Idaho and has an estimated circulation of about 17,300.

Healthcare

Kootenai Health is the primary medical center serving the Coeur d'Alene and north Idaho area. With over 3,400 employees, it is the largest employer in Kootenai County.

Notable people

Coeur d'Alene has one sister city: