Coeur D'Alene - Affordable Towns within Commuting Distance

[volosong]

Wallace is a great town for someone who wants to "disappear" and get away from it all. It is about an hour's drive east of CdA on Interstate 90. Cute town, but you will end up going to Missoula or CdA for any shopping over the basic necessities. There is a Walmart about twenty minutes west of Wallace. Not much else in the Silver Valley.

In winter, the worst you will run into is getting over the Fourth of July Pass. They try to keep it open, but it can be treacherous. Expect lengthy delays, spin-outs, and heavy, very slow moving traffic during active winter storms. Going the other way, you'll have to go over Lookout Pass. Higher and steeper, but seems to have less traffic.

[happygrrrl]

banjomike, I know that Wallace isn’t a “abandoned ghost town”! I have been there and the residents I talked to were very nice!

[mistyriver]

Everyone’s complaint about winter in northern Idaho is the gloom of cloudy days and the shortness of days.
Wallace would be so much worse in my opinion, in that narrow valley in winter with the Bitterroots looming on all sides blocking so much afternoon light.
Nice in summer though.

[Sandpointian]

Originally Posted by gonga

My husband has been offered a job in Coeur D'Alene. We would like to keep housing costs to 200,000 or under. Are there towns within commuting distance where we would be able to find a condo or house within our budget? Many thanks for the help.

Not many. Raise that to $300K and you might have options.

Suggestion: since you do not know the area, rent the first year. Make it a point to drive around to all neighborhoods and open houses. Within a year, you will know what you want and at what price. Towns with housing under $200k, a stretch, may only offer price.

S.

[elousv]

The median in Kootenai county is now $300,000, up 11% in one year.

[Sandpointian]

Originally Posted by mistyriver

Everyone’s complaint about winter in northern Idaho is the gloom of cloudy days and the shortness of days.
Wallace would be so much worse in my opinion, in that narrow valley in winter with the Bitterroots looming on all sides blocking so much afternoon light.
Nice in summer though.

I think the hardest month is February. Only then, does winter start to bother me as I am ready for it to end.