Ceour D'Alene (Coeur d'Alene, Hayden, Sandpoint: environment, wages, jobs)

[omicronkappa278]

Anyone from Ceour D'Alene? It seems like a wonderful place... How is the weather? The amount of snow? Job market? How is the job market?

[wurd4wurd]

We have lived in Coeur d'Alene for two years. Moved here from New England.
For positives -
You cannot beat the summers here! You can count on sunshine every day, temps as high as 100 (on occasion), but primarily 80s and 90s during the day and nice and cool at night. Very rarely do we need AC during the evening hours. The lake is beautiful, although personally we prefer Lake Pend Orielle over Lake Coeur d'Alene and we are just ten minutes from the latter. One thing is certain - there isn't a shortage of beautiful lakes in this region - Hayden Lake, Priest Lake and so on.
The winters in Coeur d'Alene are mild and for the two years that we've been here there was very little snow. Of course, should you like to ski/snowboard/snowmobile etc. there is plenty of that just a short drive (Schweitzer is a little over an hour away). We moved here from Vermont, so please keep in mind that we were used to 30 to 40 below zero in the winter for weeks at a time. Also, snowfalls in Vermont could range from several inches to 3 feet at a time. After spending two winters here, I am certain that I could never go back to the bitter cold winters of Vermont.
The negatives-
Employment is definitely a challenge in this area. Wages are low, and good opportunities are not the norm. Seven or eight dollars an hour is more common than not. I know several husbands who work 2 and 3 jobs in order to help provide for their family. One thing is certain - the wages are disproportionate when compared to the cost of housing.
I hope this information is helpful to you!

[wurd4wurd]

hehehehe Maybe someone should clue the United States Post Office as to the correct spelling of Coeur d'Alene as well! I absolutely refuse to write or type it that way - "Coeur D Alene". And equally annoying are those individuals who choose Coeur D'Alene.

[elfyum]

Ok I see how to spell it... Would someone be kind enough to tell me how to PRONOUNCE it?! Thanks! (real simple phonetics please)

[Lehi]

Originally Posted by elfyum

Ok I see how to spell it... Would someone be kind enough to tell me how to PRONOUNCE it?! Thanks! (real simple phonetics please)

core-duh-lane

1. The message you have entered is too short. Please lengthen your message to at least 20 characters.

But that's all I wanted to say.

[Hunter Wold]

Having lived in Sandpoint years ago and having had to leave..now I can hardly wait to get back to No. Idaho. Coming from the Seattle area which is totally nuts anymore. I feel very claustrophobic here.
I am looking to be somewhere around Coeur d'Alene.
I miss all that the country and people have to offer. I am lucky enough to have a place to stay and a job waiting. Good to keep and have true friends.

I also was fortunate enough to have worked and lived in the area for many years and I am sure it has changed, but, what area hasn't. I have hunted many areas and fished most lakes. Just need to be in the wild.

I have seen that Sandpoint has grown beyond its environment...now they are looking to put a "tunnel" thru town for the traffic...jesh...

Well to all those that have never lived in No. Idaho,(and there is a diff. from the Southern part)..good luck...
Keep yur head down...and 5" isn't a lot of snow..wait until you have 3-5' and do a little shoveling.
Oh, yeah..I am putting another plow on the truck..just in case..

Happy trails..
HW

[AZNative]

I am back in AZ now but lived in Sandpoint for five years. Well, between Sandpoint and Bonners Ferry. I don't miss the winters there but the rest of it was pretty nice! I go back to visit now and then.

Main Street through Sandpoint was always a bottleneck. It's narrow and too many turns. They talked about a bypass when I was still living there but I guess it never happened? I was never sure where they could put one anyway. Where would they put a tunnel??

I always liked Coeur d'Alene and it's proximity to Spokane. I miss Spokane too but being back home in AZ I feel so much better, physically. Too cold up there for me!