Commuting from Sandpoint to CDA (Post Falls, Hayden: rental, houses, to buy)

[cliff949]

We will be moving to the CDA/Sandpoint area in January 2011. We are looking to rent a property with at least 5 acres. We prefer the outskirts of CDA but have found the best deals and nicest houses for the money to be in the Sandpoint area...

Do many people in in the Sandpoint area and commute to work in CDA?
What about that commute in Winter, right after a big storm. How long of a commute would that be and are the roads usually by sunrise?

Thanks!

Cliff

[Sage of Sagle]

Cliff,

If you're right in town (assuming within a mile or so of the Long Bridge) it's an hour to CDA in average traffic. When it's snowy, the plows run 24/7 and you either have 4WD or studded tires so you still will drive 40mph-plus on ice/snow or 60mph+ on cleared-to-pavement (wet or dry) road. So in a snowstorm it's about 90 minutes. I'm in Sagle, and I've had plenty of times where it snowed so bad it took me nearly 2 hours to get home, but that's an anomaly, not the norm. GENERALLY you can always expect to do 40mph or more even in storms.

Remember that in the dead of winter it's dark by about 3:30PM and not light until after 8AM. So you just plan on doing a lot of dark-hours driving in the winter.

For your own happiness, I would choose to live in a cheaper place in CDA/Hayden than commute from Sandpoint. You could even go over toward Post Falls (Poleline Road area off Hwy 41) and be a LOT closer to CDA while still finding a cheaper place to live.

[Toyman at Jewel Lake]

cliff, I live off Dufort Road by Jewel Lake (past Round Lake), and commute to Hayden every day. It's about 50 minutes (42 miles) From Dufort road on in (all '95) it's about 35. The state does a great job of maintaining H-95. If this is a long-term plan, I'd really try to buy/rent south of the Long Bridge. Traffic can get backed up on it, and an accident on the bridge snarls traffic for hours. Where in CDA will you be working? N. Side of town isn't bad, getting downtown once the traffic backs up a bit will be another 15 minutes or so.

Any idea what your hours will be? A couple of us carpool from Westmond, might be able to add another.

[cliff949]

Thanks for the info, it definetly was helpful. My wife is not working now and I make my own hours. Eventually she will go back to Nursing.

Keep me in mind if you hear of a rental with 5 plus acres...

Thanks,

Cliff

[dieselperformanceidaho]

it's not bad if you know how to drive in snow/ice. i do it all the time, more worried about the other drivers then the roads most of the time

[cl723]

CDA gets dark in the winter at 3:30? How many months is it like this?

[plainsman48]

Originally Posted by cl723

CDA gets dark in the winter at 3:30? How many months is it like this?

Actually 4:30pm

Coeur d'Alene, Idaho - Sunrise, sunset, dawn and dusk times for the whole year - Gaisma