CDA vs. Sandpoint... why is Sandpoint so Expensive? (Bonners Ferry, Priest River: real estate, home)

[Searching-01]

Hi All, was looking at home listings in the CDA area.

Sandpoint came up... the price per square foot there looks very "California"... which is to say very high.

Is there a reason for that?

[aiden_is]

Sandpoint is a tourist destination for lake activity in the summer and skiing at Schweitzer in the winter.

If you want to live in that area I would suggest looking at Sagle. If you're just wanting to be near the lake, also consider Clark Fork.

[Searching-01]

Originally Posted by aiden_is

Sandpoint is a tourist destination for lake activity in the summer and skiing at Schweitzer in the winter.

If you want to live in that area I would suggest looking at Sagle. If you're just wanting to be near the lake, also consider Clark Fork.

Thanks for the tips.

Do the lakes freeze over enough in winter to skate on?

Lived in Dubuque some time ago... the Mississippi actually used to freeze over.

[Cnynrat]

Prices are higher up here because Sandpoint, and Bonner county in general, is nicer than CdA/Kootenai county. The average buyer recognizes that, and their opinion is reflected in the real estate values.

Prices are not at CA levels though IMO. For 70% of what we sold our home for in LA county we bought a home that is 70% larger, 38 years newer, and it sits on 20 acres in paradise (well, at least we think it is) vs. 1 acre in the middle of the LA basin. A bargain at that price in our opinion.

Parts of Lake Pend Oreille freeze in some winters. Generally the bays and coves, not the main part of the lake itself. I've seen people out on the lake ice fishing. I've never seen anyone skating. I suspect that with the amount of snow we get the conditions for skating are generally poor.

Dave

[Willamette City]

We had always heard that Coeur D'alene was a hot bed of white supremacists, but this was in the 70's, so I don't know if it's that way anymore. We loved living in Sandpoint in the 70's. Pretty liberal community. The Hydra was a great vegetarian restaurant. Don't know if their still there. We also lived in Priest River for a time and the Pend Orielle river (pronounced Ponderay) froze over. We also lived in Bonners Ferry which was a small border town next to Canada.

[Cnynrat]

The Hydra a vegetarian restaurant?!?! Nowadays it's a steakhouse. It has plenty of local fans. The food isn't bad IMO, but ther interior could use an update.

The town of Sandpoint itself still reflects a bit of its hippy culture. There is a definite art vibe around town, and a fair amount a good local live music available. It does lean left politically. Bonner county overall is still right leaning though. Bonner county voted ~60% Republican in the last presidential election.

Dave