SANDPOINT, IDAHO

'Sandpoint' is a city in and the county seat of Bonner County, Idaho, United States. Its population was 6,835 at the 2000 census.
Sandpoint's major industry is tourism and recreation, thanks to its proximity to scenic Lake Pend Oreille and Schweitzer Mountain Ski Resort. It is also home to the headquarters for the mail-order clothing catalog Coldwater Creek.

Contents

History

Notable residents

Demographics

References

External links

History

The Flathead Indians of Montana built encampments on the shore of Lake Pend Oreille every summer, fished, made baskets of cedar, and collected huckleberries before returning to Montana in the fall. The encampments ended before 1930. [1]
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
[2] 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 after 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 company was the Humbird Lumber Company that 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, Grouse Creek, Gold Creek and (Rapid) Lightening Creek. Although the trees were never exhausted in the area, the Humbird company suffered and finally succumbed to the low timber prices of the great depression. "Stump ranches" were sold by the company to many families who slowly cleared much of the valley land of tree stumps. Farming and ranching became the third business behind lumber and railroads prior to the "discovery" of Lake Pend Oreille as a sports fishery in the 1950's. The economy was given a boost during World War II from Farragut Naval Station, a training center for the US Navy located at the south western end of Lake Pend Oreille.
The opening of Schweitzer Mountain Resort in 1963 turned the area into a year around tourism destination based on its natural beauty. The beauty of the surrounding Selkirk and Cabinet Mountains and Lake Pend Oreille have kept Sandpoint a tourist favorite for water sports, hunting, hiking, horseback riding, fishing and skiing.
In the 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.^[1] The lawsuit bankrupted the organization and forced them to give up their Hayden Lake property and disband.^[2]
In August of 2006, Sandpoint and the Panida Theater were host to the first ever International Film Festival in North Idaho - The Idaho Panhandle International Film Festival. IPIFF, as it was known, featured fifty-five films of various genres and lengths, over four days (August 23rd-26th) from nine countries. IPIFF has since been renamed Lakedance International Film Festival and will be held on September 12th-16th. This festival, along with The Festival at Sandpoint, and Lost-in-the-50's, among other events, continue to build Sandpoint's reputation of being an arts and culture capital of North Idaho and the Inland Northwest.
Significant local businesses that have developed and flourish in and around Sandpoint include Litehouse (a salad dressing manufacturer), Coldwater Creek (a national clothing and apparel marketer), Encoder Products, Percussion Aire (medical instrumentation), and Quest Aircraft.
Since 2002, Sandpoint has been home to Quest Aircraft where the Kodiak, a new 10-seat, single engine, turbo prop airplane is designed and produce. The Kodiak is unique among airplanes because it is designed for humanitarian purposes.
Sandpoint is now a primary spot on the International Selkirk Loop, The Wild Horse Trail, and most recently the Highway 200 Scenic Bi-way.

Notable residents

★ Writer Marilynne Robinson, winner of the 2005 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, was born and raised in Sandpoint.

★ Artist Akiane Kramarik, noted visionary painter and poet, resides in Sandpoint.

★ In the 1990s, Sandpoint became a popular destination for retired California law enforcement professionals, the most notable being Mark Fuhrman best known for his controversial testimony at the O.J. Simpson trial.

★ Actor, Poet and Photographer Viggo Mortensen has a home in nearby Clark Fork. Contrary to common belief, he did not begin his acting career in the local theatre, The Panida, as is apparently thought.

★ Actor Ben Stein makes his summer home in Sandpoint.

★ Director Remi Kramer is a longtime resident of Sandpoint.

★ Former Green Bay Packers right guard Jerry Kramer is a graduate of Sandpoint High School (class of 1954).

★ Patrick F. McManus, outdoor writer

★ Attorney and controversial author Edgar J. Steele

★ The late Stephen Lyman, an artist best known for his warming pictures of campfires.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 6,835 people, 2,873 households, and 1,680 families residing in the city. The population density was 676.7/km² (1,750.9/mi²). There were 3,188 housing units at an average density of 315.6/km² (816.7/mi²). 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. The gay/lesbian/bisexual community in Sandpoint is limited, though both lesbian and gay couples, even those raising families, live in the area.
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.

References

1. Attorney Morris Dees pioneer in using 'damage litigation' to fight hate groups
2. Keenan v. Aryan Nations

External links

★ City Government - City of Sandpoint

★ Sandpoint Online - Community website

★ County Government - Bonner County, Idaho