Spirit lake current issue (Coeur d'Alene, Moscow: homeowners association, home, pros and cons)

[6eight]

Hi all, my wife and I spent the last week looking at properties ranging from Sagle to CdA, we have been looking for a couple of years...starting to narrow the search. We found a particular property in Spirit Lake east that has many good points to what we are looking for in a home and property. In speaking with various local residents, in other areas, lots of thumbs down to Spirit. I have read all the threads here...hoping for more insight from others..especially people living in or near Spirit area. Thx much. Btw...we enjoy meeting so many pleasant folks each time we are in the panhandle. We are looking forward to being part of the community in the next couple of years.

Rob

[jadbad2004]

One of my best friend from church has a daughter and son in law who live there and they love it, that is the only info I have but you will always get people who dislike an area for one reason or another, it is always best to go and visit and look around and if it has what you are looking for then do what feels right. Best of luck to you.

[6eight]

Thx for the reply, we have been up there, had a good chat with a local pastor, just getting as much pros and cons to help with our decision. Much appreciated.

[oldafretired]

One thing about Spirit Lake East is that there is a HOA with their rules and annual dues which is probably a negative for some people. The HOA seems to do a decent job with the maintenance of the gravel roads though.

Spirit Lake East Homeowners Association

[6eight]

Thx...I did read trough the cc&rs dated from the 70's....looking at board minutes and talking to people in that community, they also seem to have trouble getting a quorum at their board meetings...hard to enforce rules that way...but a concern. Much appreciated...

[javatom]

Spirit Lake gets considerably more snow than cda.

[Hklbrries]

New to city-data, Rob, but found your post interesting. I've lived in Spirit Lake (Spirit Lake East, actually) for 20 years and, unless you particularly enjoy snow removal, would recommend you rethink. We are in the "shadow" of Mt. Spokane which curtails our growing season on either end by about 3 weeks (6 weeks total). Although I like the people well enough, it's a very conservative area (I'm not) and the "good old boy" attitude is still prevalent. Depends on what you want, I suppose.

Were I to do it over again I would have settled either further north (Sandpoint or Bonners Ferry areas) or perhaps down in the Palouse (Moscow-Pullman) or Grangeville areas. Problems down there might include "down-winder" stuff from the Hanford nuclear plant (not sure if they're affected but know it's an issue in Washington's Tri-Cities and I've heard talk of Hanford becoming a waste repository for some of the nation's spent nuclear fuels.

On the plus side, there is a growing sustainability movement happening in parts of Idaho and Washington state is becoming much "greener" with a progressive governor and people who "get" it.

Just scanned another post above. The Spirit Lake East Homeowner's Association isn't great. This is the worst year we've had since I've lived here in terms of roads not being cared for. Roads have been icy (a family member recently slid off and incurred $5000 damage) and they are currently severely rutted (axle-breakers) in places.

I've endured it here this long, my kids were raised here and we plan to stay as, after all, this is our community and we care about people here. But I wouldn't do it again.

As I said, not online much and only happened along here today but hope this has been helpful.

[Hklbrries]

Rob:

To clarify, what I meant re: "shadow" of Mt. Spokane was that we get dumped upon snow-wise (snow-belt) while other places mightn't receive nearly as much. There are times I've gone to Coeur d'Alene and encountered bare roads and streets while we still have several feet. Since the snow is slow to leave where we live, it means we can't garden as early. And in the fall, we seem to get the cold and snow earlier as well - a bit of a micro-climate if you will.

[6eight]

That is very helpful. Growing season is of interest...and from what I have been gathering, and observation while there, more snow than some parts of the state. I also noticed road clearing in the east community was not as thorough than in many other areas. Not a big fan of HOAs as well. Beautiful area though and nice sized lots which are flat and usable. The search continues! Thx again...

[esselcue]

I've just passed my 4th year anniversary in Spirit lake, and I would never live anywhere else. I have retired here from a career in law enforcement in Arizona and it is all I was looking for. In fact my daughter and her family are planning to relocate here, also from Arizona, in the next year. It's probably not for everyone, but it has everything I need, including beauty, serenity and great people.

Snow removal in my area is fine and thorough, by the way