Sandpoint (Coeur d'Alene, Post Falls, Hayden: ski resorts, fit in, transplants)

[MEfree30]

Originally Posted by Sage of Sagle

Broadband: No DSL/Cable available in most places. Satellite internet sucks...not bad in download speed and not bad packet loss, but horrible latency. Surfing light pages like Yahoo is much slower than dialup. Surfing YouTube is livable since I can open several concurrent browser windows and it's mid-DSL download speeds (300-500'ish).

Thanks Sage...internet is a big issue for me because I work from home and often connect into an office server located in FL. Never worked on a satellite connection...Any idea how the latency issue would affect a terminal services/remote desktop connection? (I think this involves small packets that basically provide a screen shot of the remote computer which is usually not a problem with high speed, but with which I have had mostly poor results with dial-up) You said "most places" don't have cable/dsl- are there any areas that you know of that do?

[Sage of Sagle]

Originally Posted by MEfree30

Thanks Sage...internet is a big issue for me because I work from home and often connect into an office server located in FL. Never worked on a satellite connection...Any idea how the latency issue would affect a terminal services/remote desktop connection? (I think this involves small packets that basically provide a screen shot of the remote computer which is usually not a problem with high speed, but with which I have had mostly poor results with dial-up) You said "most places" don't have cable/dsl- are there any areas that you know of that do?

Things that require multiple small packet relay (i.e. online gaming with fast frame rate fps or point-to-point data exchange) like you're talking about would have trouble with satellite. Right IN Sandpoint city you can get true high speed. There is DSL in some areas close to a switch. There is also a broadband network off transmitters at mountain tops, so if you're in that area you can get coverage from the WiFi network.

I would start at sandpoint.com or sandpointonline.com to check out local providers. These are local business/events/social resource websites where I found many service providers when we moved here.

[whatever]

Originally Posted by Sage of Sagle

Broadband: No DSL/Cable available in most places. Satellite internet sucks...not bad in download speed and not bad packet loss, but horrible latency. Surfing light pages like Yahoo is much slower than dialup. Surfing YouTube is livable since I can open several concurrent browser windows and it's mid-DSL download speeds (300-500'ish).

I don't know why they rate air/water quality lower...NEVER EVER smog, and the lake is clean and nice, and everyone we know fishes it and eats the fish. We don't get any warnings or "don't swim in the lake" or "don't eat lake fish" notices (like the Spokane River).

Maybe because this area allows burn piles which causes unregulated smoke? I don't know...but I can tell you that compared to many places (including where I moved from) the air is night-and-day better up here...

If you ever have to do a VPN session over satellite, the combination of encryption and compression (respectively) will turn your high speed connection experience into a dial up one. That'll keep me from getting as remote as I'd like to be for the time being.

Could water quality concerns be related to runoff from mines?

[Sage of Sagle]

We don't CURRENTLY have a problem with mine run-off that I know of...but there's a pending mine construction project in Montana that would send an awful lot of damaging stuff down the Clark Fork River right into our lake, so Idaho is suing to stop the project over environmental damage potential.

[RLangben]

very white sheltered town. But great snowy weather for skiers and snowboarders. I love schweitzer , great mountain, great snow, and it is never to crowded to the point that you wait at the lifts all day long or anything.

[RLangben]

Originally Posted by Sage of Sagle

And compare that to SoCal (I'm here for a few days visiting family)...where we went to Mission Beach and had to lock our cars in the parking lot 30' from us because of the transients walking around looking in car windows in the parking lot...and I had to remind my wife to take her purse off the front seat of the car when we stopped places....yeah...it's different...

Haha yea thats California for ya.

[stephanie firey]

sorry, did not read the adv. just wanted to let esselcue know there are great home buys out there right now. some in the 200's, there is a home down the street that has been on the market for over 1 year. people are willing to neg.

[Asthedeer]

I agree! Now is the time to buy in North Idaho. In my town housing prices dropped $10-20K this week. I hope things pick up soon!

[esselcue]

Thanks! I've been watching the market in NID for quite a while. I know I can afford what I am looking for...but still have to sell my place in AZ first. The old, familiar story . I am flying up in September to make some decisions of which areas I want to live...or not...and things will get defined after that. So far, on previous trips, I have seen nothing but beauty and met no one that was not friendly and welcoming. I am very excited and hopeful about my retirement!

[Joby G]

I recently saw this town featured on an episode of "Forensic Files." It was about the 1994 murder of retired schoolteacher Paul Gruber. His handyman, Daryll Kuehl, was convicted in 1997. Very interesting case. Kuehl assumed Gruber's identity, paid Gruber's bills on time, and even sent birthday cards to Gruber's family out of state while draining Gruber's accounts. I wonder if anyone in Sandpoint remembers this case?