The community of Sandpoint, at an elevation just over 2,000 ft., serves as the county seat of Bonner County (population 35,226 in 1999). For more than a century, its economy depended heavily on the lumber industry. Beginning in the late 1980's, the tourism industry began to grow rapidly in response to increasing awareness of the region's four season climate.
With an annual average rainfall of 33.5 inches and annual snowfall of 71.7 inches, residents experience few sub-zero days in the winter, while summer days rarely exceed 90°. The average year-round temperature is 47° and there are close to 125 frost-free days each year. The humidity level is comparatively low, the nights are generally comforting and summertime typically offers weeks of blue sky, sunny days. This is, of course, to the delight of boating, fishing, swimming, water skiing and hiking enthusiasts!
The people of Sandpoint enjoy community amenities quite remarkable for a "small town." Bonner General Hospital (BGH) is a nonprofit hospital (62 beds) providing care for more than 25,000 patients each year. Its 24-hour emergency department is capable of handling trauma, cardiac, pediatric and neurological emergencies for Bonner County and the surrounding areas. They also use a helicopter service out of Spokane, WA. for emergency services which cuts the response time in half. Around 30 physicians in the area are on active medical staffs, providing comprehensive specialty needs to Bonner County.
Sandpoint's government includes a mayor and six councilors elected to four-year terms. Police protection is provided by 16 sworn officers and 14 department vehicles, and crime is low at 6,919 total crimes per 100,000 population (1997 figures). Sandpoint's fire department employs seven full-time fire fighters and 20 volunteers.
The Sandpoint Airport offers private and chartered aircraft a 5,500 foot asphalted surface runway. Commercial airline travel accessibility is available at Spokane International Airport, which is located just 78 miles from Sandpoint.
Many people choose to live in other areas of Bonner County. These nearby areas have their own unique character, but also benefit from their close proximity to Sandpoint.
Bonners Ferry | Clark Fork | Hope, Idaho | Laclede | Ponderay | Priest River | Priest Lake | Sagle, Idaho | Dover, Idaho
Bonner County Historical Society - Operates as a museum for the purpose of sharing and preserving our county's history.
Bonner County Search and Rescue - Reach Sheriff Wheeler and locate his team's support throughout the year.
City of Sandpoint - Information on our businesses, mayor, recreation, city council and agenda.
East Bonner County Library District - Check out our local library for research purposes or to find the next book on your reading list.
Lake Pend Oreille School District - Information about our school system, driver's education, state performance reports and more. Sandpoint
Bonner County Sheriff's Office - The mission of the Bonner County Sheriff’s Office is to consistently contribute to Bonner County’s reputation as a safe place to live, work, learn, play, and visit. We accomplish our mission by providing the highest quality law enforcement, investigations, support, and public safety educational services possible, within the resources provided to us.
Sandpoint, Idaho Real Estate for Sale - Whether you’re listing a property with us or searching for Idaho land for sale, we are here for you. Our northern Idaho real estate company is dedicated to providing you with every service you need to make your real estate transaction successful.
Farmer's Market - A non-profit association that treats you to locally grown produce, baked food and arts/crafts.
Spuds Waterfront Restaurant - Enjoy Sandpoint's great waterfront Soup and Sandwich Restaurant located on Sand Creek.
Arlo's Italian Restaurant - Authentic New York style Italian Food located downtown Sandpoint next to the Cedar Street Bridge- Live Music
Trinity at the City Beach Restaurant and Lounge - Trinty has some of the best fine dining cousine in Sandpoint located on the city beach.
Ivano's Italian Restaurant - Hometown local Italian restaurant with a broad pectrum of foods and wines.
Jalapeno's Mexican Restaurant - Sandpoint's best Mexican Food as well as a wonderful lounge to relax with friends.
Mick Duff's Brewing Company - A Sandpoint Micro Brewery with all sorts of great North Idaho beers, but also some of the best food in town!
Lost in the 50's Car Show - Get Lost in the 50's! Sandpoint's annual car Show and Street Party with great music from a great erra.
Festival at Sandpoint - Sandpoint's local Music Festival! Every year the Festival brings in famouse bands and local talent for a great concert time.
Lake Pend Oreille Boat Cruises - Take a tour of beautiful Lake Pend Oreille and see why people are raving about North Idaho.
Western Pleasure Guest Ranch - Events Welcome - Weddings, Corporate Retreats, Family Reunions, Stay at our Bed & Breakfast Summer Activities - Horseback Trail Riding, Lake to Lodge Kayak Adventure, Fishing, Youth Horsemanship Camps, Cabin Rentals, Camping Winter Activities - Sleigh Rides, Cross-Country Skiing, Snow Shoeing, Down Hill Sledding .
LaQuinta Inns & Suites - The LaQuinta Inn is conveniently located in the heart of Sandpoint, within walking distance of shopping, restaurants, entertainment and the city beach.
Quality Inn Sandpoint - Located in the northern Idaho Panhandle off Route 2, the Quality Inn® hotel in Sandpoint, ID is nestled near Sand Creek. We’re 5 minutes from Sandpoint City Beach Park and Lake Pend Oreille.
The Inn At Sandcreek - The Inn at Sand Creek and the Sand Creek Grill invite you to experience an intimate retreat on the waterfront in historic downtown Sandpoint.
Best Western Edgewater Resort - This lakefront Sandpoint, ID hotel is conveniently located in downtown Sandpoint, close to Schweitzer Mountain Resort, City Beach and Cedar Street Bridge.
Talus Rock Retreat - A stunning bed and breakfast-like lodge full of whimsical surprises and a tasteful array of treasures from 6 continents, Talus Rock is perfectly situated on 32 private and secluded acres.
Sweet Magnolia Bed & Breakfast - Enjoy our beautifully restored 1907 Victorian Manor. Each room has one-of-a-kind antique furnishings, king or queen bed and a private bath.
Huckleberry Hill Bed and Breakfast - A Town and Country Inn ~ is nestled at the edge of charming Sandpoint, Idaho and the foot of Schweitzer Mountain. Situated on 2½ acres our welcoming Sandpoint B and B is the ideal base for your north Idaho active adventure or romantic week-end away.
To experience the charm of a town one must live there. Bob Selle is an old-timer in the Sandpoint area. Here, in his own words, he gives us a peek at a young person's Sandpoint of yesteryear.
There used to be a creek come from out of where the airport is now and it ran all down through and it probably ended up in the river. Each street it crossed, they either had to have a little bridge or a culvert, and they had wooden sidewalks then.
The sidewalks were elevated up on eight, ten-foot standards. They were four foot wide. They all were made out of wood and nailed down.
I remember about those wooden sidewalks because there was one place on Lake Street where we used to plug the culvert and make the slough flood in the fall, on purpose. We would stuff anything we could find in there so the water couldn't get through and we'd have a skating pond.
Then we got to taking planks off of the sidewalks to build our bonfires for our skating get together.
The police came and arrested me one night and took me downtown and then I had to go and report to the truant officer for about six months.
Every Saturday I had to go and tell her I was being good and all that kind of stuff. So I remember about the wooden sidewalks. They picked on me because I was probably the instigator of the whole thing. They had to take somebody out of the bunch that had the bonfire going and the boards were lying there that we tore off of the sidewalk.
They just had one city police when I was young and they were usually nice guys. We'd bump into 'em once in a when we would make too much noise downtown or something. There were very few cars back then but some people had the old Model A cars and they had a muffler whistle on 'em.
We wired 'em up through the floorboards and had a branch off of the exhaust coming from the engine and had a whistle in there and we'd pull that and go down and drive down First Street and blow that whistle. They'd always chase us down and stop us for that. I don't think kids tore things up and destroyed things in those days like they do now. Because things were too hard to come by. Boy, it was hard.
All photographs have been used with permission of the Bonner County Museum.
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