Sandpoint, Idaho
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| Sandpoint, Idaho | |
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| — City — | |
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| Coordinates: 48°16′N 116°34′W / 48.267°N 116.567°WCoordinates: 48°16′N 116°34′W / 48.267°N 116.567°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Idaho |
| County | Bonner |
| Incorporation | 1898 |
| Area | |
| • Total | 4.7 sq mi (12.3 km2) |
| • Land | 3.9 sq mi (10.1 km2) |
| • Water | 0.8 sq mi (2.2 km2) |
| Elevation | 2,096 ft (639 m) |
| Population (2010) | |
| • Total | 7,365 |
| • Density | 1,750.9/sq mi (676.0/km2) |
| Time zone | Pacific (PST) (UTC-8) |
| • Summer (DST) | PDT (UTC-7) |
| ZIP codes | 83862, 83864, 83888 |
| Area code(s) | 208 |
| FIPS code | 16-72100 |
| GNIS feature ID | 0398095 |
| Website | www.cityofsandpoint.com |
Sandpoint is the largest city in, and the county seat of, Bonner County, Idaho.[1] Its population was 7,365 at the 2010 census.
Sandpoint's major economic contributors include forest products and light manufacturing, tourism and recreation and government services. As the largest service center in the two northern Idaho counties, as well as northwestern Montana, it has an active retail sector. It is the headquarters of Coldwater Creek, a national women's apparel retailer; Litehouse Foods, a national salad dressing manufacturer; and Quest Aircraft, a maker of utility aircraft.
Sandpoint lies on the shores of Idaho's largest lake, 43-mile-long Lake Pend Oreille, and is surrounded by three major mountain ranges, the Selkirk, Cabinet and Bitterroot ranges. It is home to Schweitzer Mountain Ski Resort, Idaho's second largest ski resort after Sun Valley, and is on the International Selkirk Loop and two National Scenic Byways (Wild Horse Trail and Pend Oreille Scenic Byway). Among other distinctions awarded by national media in the past decade, in 2011 Sandpoint was named the nation's "Most Beautiful Small Town" by Rand McNally and USA Today.[2]
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[edit] Demographics
| Historical populations | ||
|---|---|---|
| Year | Pop. | ±% |
| 1900 | 507 | — |
| 1910 | 2,993 | +490.3% |
| 1920 | 2,876 | −3.9% |
| 1930 | 3,290 | +14.4% |
| 1940 | 4,356 | +32.4% |
| 1950 | 4,265 | −2.1% |
| 1960 | 4,355 | +2.1% |
| 1970 | 4,144 | −4.8% |
| 1980 | 4,403 | +6.3% |
| 1990 | 5,203 | +18.2% |
| 2000 | 6,835 | +31.4% |
| 2010 | 7,365 | +7.8% |
| Source: United States Census 2000 and 2010[3] | ||
As of the 2000 United States Census,[4] there were 6,835 people, 2,873 households, and 1,680 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,750.9 people per square mile (676.7/km²). There were 3,188 housing units at an average density of 816.7 per square mile (315.6/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 96.24% White, 0.12% African American, 1.01% Native American, 0.41% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 0.47% from other races, and 1.71% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.46% of the population.
There were 2,873 households out of which 31.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.5% were married couples living together, 13.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 41.5% were non-families. 34.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.29 and the average family size was 2.94.
In the city the population was spread out with 25.8% under the age of 18, 9.8% from 18 to 24, 26.9% from 25 to 44, 22.0% from 45 to 64, and 15.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 87.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 83.2 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $32,461, and the median income for a family was $41,596. Males had a median income of $35,533 versus $20,795 for females. The per capita income for the city was $20,643. About 14.9% of families and 18.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 27.9% of those under age 18 and 5.1% of those age 65 or over.
[edit] History
The Salish Tribes, specifically the Kalispel and the Kootenai built encampments on the shore of Lake Pend Oreille every summer, fished, made baskets of cedar, and collected huckleberries before returning to either Montana or Washington in the fall. The encampments ended before 1930.[5]
The region was extensively explored by David Thompson of the North West Company starting in 1807. Disputed joint British/American occupation of the Columbia District led to the Oregon boundary dispute. This controversy ended in 1846 with the signing of the Oregon Treaty, whereby Britain ceded all rights to land south of the 49th parallel.
In the 1880s the Northern Pacific Railroad brought European and Chinese settlement to the area.
In August 1888, twenty-nine year old author and civil servant Theodore Roosevelt, visited Sandpoint on a caribou-hunting trip in the Selkirk Mountains[6] Roosevelt documented what a rough-and-tumble environment "Sand Point" was at that time (and for many decades following).
Sandpoint was officially incorporated in 1898.
Timber harvesting and railroads drove the economy for nearly a century as lumberjacks moved in from the over-harvested Great Lakes region. Several lumber companies operated in the region from as early as 1896 to present, the most notable being the Humbird Lumber Company which operated from 1900 to around 1944. The lumber companies bought land from the Northern Pacific Railroad and built a major mill at Sandpoint and adjacent Kootenai. Lumber company-owned railroads extended into many of the local drainages including Grouse Creek, Gold Creek and Rapid Lightning Creek. Although the trees were never exhausted in the area, Humbird Lumber succumbed to the low timber prices of the Great Depression.
"Stump ranches" were sold by Humbird to many families who slowly cleared much of the valley land of tree stumps. Farming and ranching became the third largest business in the area, behind lumber and railroads, prior to the "discovery" of Lake Pend Oreille as a sports fishery in the 1950s. The economy was given a boost during World War II from Farragut Naval Station, a training center for the US Navy located at the southwestern end of Lake Pend Oreille.
The opening of Schweitzer Mountain Resort in 1963 turned the area into a year-round tourism destination. The beauty of the surrounding Selkirk and Cabinet Mountains and Lake Pend Oreille has kept Sandpoint a tourist favorite for water sports, hunting, hiking, horseback riding, fishing and skiing.
In the 1980s and 1990s nearby Coeur d'Alene and Hayden Lake attracted nationwide publicity when white supremacist Neo-Nazi groups (most notably the Aryan Nations) set up headquarters in the area. Many Sandpoint residents reacted negatively to such groups; some formed the Bonner County Human Rights Task Force in opposition. In 2001 the Aryan Nations lost a lawsuit filed against them.[7] The lawsuit bankrupted the organization and forced them to give up their Hayden Lake property and disband.[8]
Community organizations stage a number of regionally known annual events, including Sandpoint Winter Carnival in February; Lost in the 50s vintage car show in May; the Festival at Sandpoint summer music festival in August; and Idaho State Draft Horse International show in September. Sandpoint's historic vaudeville-era Panida Theater hosts frequent performing art events and an ongoing independent film series. A robust visual arts community supported by the Pend Oreille Arts Council also contributes to Sandpoint's reputation as a center for arts and culture in northern Idaho and the Inland Northwest.
[edit] Economy
Local businesses in and around Sandpoint include Litehouse (a national salad dressing manufacturer), Coldwater Creek (a national clothing and apparel marketer), Encoder Products, and Percussionaire (medical instrumentation).
Since 2002, Sandpoint has been home to Quest Aircraft[9] the manufacturer of the Kodiak, a ten-seat, single-engine, turboprop airplane designed and produced to meet the needs of missionary and humanitarian organizations that travel to remote regions of the world.
[edit] Rail transportation
The Sandpoint Amtrak station serves as the only stop in Idaho. The Amtrak Empire Builder route carries passengers daily in both directions between Chicago, Illinois to the east and Seattle, Washington and Portland, Oregon to the west.
[edit] Climate
Sandpoint has a hot and dry-summer continental climate (Köppen Dsb) pattern, with cold, snowy winters. The record low was −37 °F (−38 °C) on December 30, 1968, while the record high was 104 °F (40 °C) recorded on both July 20, 1923 and July 24, 1994.
| Climate data for Sandpoint, Idaho | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 54 (12) |
61 (16) |
71 (22) |
86 (30) |
97 (36) |
96 (36) |
104 (40) |
100 (38) |
96 (36) |
81 (27) |
64 (18) |
57 (14) |
104 (40) |
| Average high °F (°C) | 32.3 (0.2) |
38.0 (3.3) |
46.3 (7.9) |
57.2 (14.0) |
66.3 (19.1) |
73.2 (22.9) |
81.9 (27.7) |
81.0 (27.2) |
70.5 (21.4) |
57.0 (13.9) |
41.5 (5.3) |
34.1 (1.2) |
56.61 (13.67) |
| Average low °F (°C) | 20.3 (−6.5) |
22.8 (−5.1) |
27.7 (−2.4) |
33.9 (1.1) |
40.2 (4.6) |
45.9 (7.7) |
48.5 (9.2) |
47.0 (8.3) |
41.0 (5.0) |
34.0 (1.1) |
28.3 (−2.1) |
23.1 (−4.9) |
34.39 (1.33) |
| Record low °F (°C) | −31 (−35) |
−35 (−37) |
−10 (−23) |
9 (−13) |
22 (−6) |
28 (−2) |
33 (1) |
28 (−2) |
16 (−9) |
4 (−16) |
−10 (−23) |
−37 (−38) |
−37 (−38) |
| Precipitation inches (mm) | 4.06 (103.1) |
3.13 (79.5) |
2.76 (70.1) |
2.08 (52.8) |
2.33 (59.2) |
2.26 (57.4) |
0.99 (25.1) |
1.18 (30) |
1.69 (42.9) |
2.63 (66.8) |
4.28 (108.7) |
4.57 (116.1) |
31.96 (811.8) |
| Snowfall inches (cm) | 22.8 (57.9) |
13.1 (33.3) |
6.3 (16) |
0.8 (2) |
0.0 (0) |
0.0 (0) |
0.0 (0) |
0.0 (0) |
0.0 (0) |
0.5 (1.3) |
6.6 (16.8) |
20.2 (51.3) |
70.3 (178.6) |
| Source: Sandpoint Experimental Station[10] | |||||||||||||
[edit] Education
Sandpoint is part of the Lake Pend Oreille School District. Sandpoint High School educates students in grades 9 through 12.
Sandpoint Charter School educates grades 6-12.
[edit] Local media
- Newspapers
- The Bonner County Daily Bee, daily paper since 1965
- The Sandpoint Reader, weekly paper
- Magazines
- Sandpoint Magazine, semi-annual magazine since 1990
- Radio
- KSPT AM 1400 (News/Talk)
- KPND FM 95.3 (Adult Hits)
- KIBR FM 102.5 (Country Music)
- KTPO FM 106.7 (repeater station for KPND 95.34)
- KRFY FM 88.5 (community-owned alternative programming)
- Television
TV Stations serving Sandpoint originate from the Spokane, WA market:
[edit] Notable natives and residents
- Forrest Bird, aviator, biomedical inventor, recipient of Presidential Citizens Medal
- Mark Fuhrman, Los Angeles Police Department detective, best known for his testimony at the O. J. Simpson trial
- Tinker Hatfield, athletic shoe designer and Nike Air Jordan architect
- Nate Holland, two-time Olympian, five-tiime X Games gold medalist, US Snowboard team
- Jerry Kramer, National Football League right guard, author
- Joe Mather, Major League Baseball outfielder
- Patrick F. McManus, outdoor writer
- Sarah Palin, former Governor of Alaska and 2008 Republican Vice-President nominee
- Jake Plummer, National Football League quarterback
- Marilynne Robinson, writer and winner of the 2005 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction
- Jake Rosholt, mixed martial artist and professional wrestler
- Ben Stein, Nixon speechwriter, actor, game show host, TV commentator, American Spectator columnist
[edit] References
- ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. http://www.naco.org/Counties/Pages/FindACounty.aspx. Retrieved 2011-06-07.
- ^ Bly, Laura (22 July 2011). "The five best small towns in America". USA Today. http://travel.usatoday.com/destinations/story/2011/07/The-five-best-small-towns-in-America/49573514/1?csp=hf. Retrieved 17 September 2011.
- ^ "Subcounty population estimates: Idaho 2000-2007" (CSV). United States Census Bureau, Population Division. 2009-03-18. http://www.census.gov/popest/cities/files/SUB-EST2007-16.csv. Retrieved 2009-04-25.
- ^ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
- ^ Green, Bob. "History of Sandpoint, Idaho - Remembering The Indians". sandpoint.com. http://www.sandpoint.com/Community/RememberingIndians.asp. Retrieved June 8, 2010.
- ^ Gunter, Bob. "History of Sandpoint, Idaho - Teddy Roosevelt in Early Sandpoint". sandpoint.com. http://www.sandpoint.com/Community/teddyroosevelt.asp. Retrieved June 8, 2010.
- ^ "Attorney Morris Dees pioneer in using 'damage litigation' to fight hate groups". CNN. September 8, 2000. Archived from the original on 2007-10-08. http://web.archive.org/web/20071008010401/http://archives.cnn.com/2000/LAW/09/08/morris.dees.profile/. Retrieved 2007-08-17.
- ^ "Keenan v. Aryan Nations". Southern Poverty Law Center. 2000. http://www.splcenter.org/legal/docket/files.jsp?cdrID=30&sortID=0. Retrieved 2007-08-17.
- ^ "Questaircraft.com". questaircraft.com. http://www.questaircraft.com/index.php?filename=quest_press_contact.php. Retrieved June 8, 2010.
- ^ "S ANDPOINT EXPERMNT STN, IDAHO - Climate Summary". wrcc.dri.edu. http://www.wrcc.dri.edu/cgi-bin/cliMAIN.pl?idsand. Retrieved 8 June 2010.
[edit] Further reading
- Edward S. Curtis, The North American Indian, Northwestern University, Digital Library Collections, "Kalispel", Page 51
[edit] External links
- City website
- Bonner County Profile from the Idaho Department of Labor
- The Festival at Sandpoint
- Sandpoint Online
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