Plummer Idaho anyone? (Coeur d'Alene, Sandpoint, Heyburn: real estate, motel, trip)

[Trace_Rinaldi]

Hello everyone:
We will be moving to Plummer Idaho soon(about 35 miles south of CDA). We bought 25 acres off Highway 95 just south of Plummer. Does anyone have any info on this area? What are the winters like, is there any notable crime, people friendly etc.?
Im one of those FREAKIN Californian's invading Idaho, BUT I like to think I'm alot more like Idaho natives than a Californian.
I make custom knives for a living, and hope to be starting a small production company there also. California is not the best place to do what I do, plus I like my right to own guns, and also like to speak english, and have it spoken to me;-)

I cant wait to blow this place, and move back to America. I absolutely love it in North Idaho, and already think of it as home. California now feels like a foreign country, and Im not just talking about the illegal immigrants.

Any info or opinions would be appreciated..

BTW Im posting a few pics of the area right around my shop, and soon to be home location.

Take care
Trace.

[cleosmom]

Back up the truck, I'm confused. You bought 25 acres in an area you know nothing about?

You're not moving to my neck of the woods, so I'm of no help, just curious as to why you'd buy that much land and not know the area.

[Trace_Rinaldi]

Well we have wanted to move to the Coeur D'Alene area for about 10 years now.. I couldnt afford land in that area, so we had to venture out a bit away from there. I have spent time in Plummer while building my shop, and have been there several times, but I was looking for more of a local view of things.
Im fully prepared for winters, so thats not a real issue, just more curious as how the winters there are compared to further North.

As far as I can tell it seems very friendly, and Plummer is just about what I need in a small town. The more Im up there CDA seems a bit more resort/Big town than I actually care for, BUT its nice to be a stones throw away from it, just like Spokane.
I wouldnt say I know nothing about the area, I probably know more about North Idaho than just about anyone. Ive been researching and wanting to live there for quite a while now, but until now we just couldnt swing it.
Im not a typical Californian selling his house for a bundle to move to Idaho and stink up the place. I just want a place where I can do my thing, and not be hassled or damn near prevented from what I do like in Calif.

Anyway I hope that clears up what may seem to be a pretty stupid post..

[moneymonkey]

I moved to Plummer Idaho in 1985, I was 11 years old. Let me tell you what a culture shock that was coming from a big city. I hated Plummer, Idaho for a good many years and I'll have to admit it's still not my favorite place. I am now 35 years old and have been away from Plummer for 13 years give or take. I have been in Arizona for 12 years and I do miss Idaho, maybe not Plummer so much but the northwest definately. I do visit there frequently but havent had the chance to lately. Check out the Hiway-motel & sport shop, my mom still runs the place tell her that her daughter posted a reply to your questions about Plummer, Idaho. Seriously though if your into hunting, fishing, horseback riding and the great outdoors you'll love it there. The winters get pretty bad but not unbearable much more fun if you enjoy snowboarding, skiing, and snowmobiling. I wish you the best in your move.

[esselcue]

I envy you!!! I can't buy and move until I retire in January and then sell my home in AZ, but I am SO anxious to do so. Just returned from a scouting trip to NID...I am looking up around Sandpoint to Bonner's Ferry, north of you, but the scenery looks similar!!!!! Good luck!!!

[elousv]

I too reside in California, but do not identify myself as Californian. Glad you are working out your escape, I'm right behind ya. Did you get waterfront, is that your dock? BTW, I LOVE knives!!!

[Trace_Rinaldi]

Originally Posted by moneymonkey

Check out the Hiway-motel & sport shop, my mom still runs the place tell her that her daughter posted a reply to your questions about Plummer, Idaho. Seriously though if your into hunting, fishing, horseback riding and the great outdoors you'll love it there. The winters get pretty bad but not unbearable much more fun if you enjoy snowboarding, skiing, and snowmobiling. I wish you the best in your move.

What a small world! I already have met your Mom We've stayed at the Hiway-motel several times. Its good to hear from a local, and I will mention hearing from you next time I'm up there!! Im sure Plummer wasnt a real exciting place to grow up, but to me it looks like a slice of heaven MoneyM.

Elousv: That dock is the closest water from my place on the south end of lake CDA. Its about 10 minutes away near Heyburn state park. The pic with the horses is right behind the property, and that tree line is roughly where my land begins.. About the knives, Im thinking just about everyone up there can appreciate the value of a good knife, that cant be said for the many of the people in Ca. BTW if ya google my name you can see a bit of what I do.

[skittles2u]

Hey Trace.... what a cool website you have.

I'm so glad I found this post... I've been thinking about you... and envying the fact that you are going to get to Idaho sooner than I can..... .have you come up with an estimated time when you'll be leaving the wonderful area of Calif you call home now and get to live in Idaho?

[Trace_Rinaldi]

Skittles, we have a few things to wrap up here still. I was hoping it would be this year, but it may not be until sometime next year, most likely after winter.
Its been a long time coming and I'm patient.
BTW I havent gotten up there yet, Im hoping it will be in the next few weeks. I will collect up some newspapers and real estate guides etc when I do and send them over. Also thanks, the website really needs an update pretty badly though;-)

[PlummerTech]

Hi Trace,

I live a couple miles south of Plummer and have lived in or near Plummer off and on since I was 6 years old.

What are the winters like? Temp and precip can vary greatly within a mile or two in any direction, since Plummer is just east of the edge of the rolling hills of the Palouse, just west of the Bitterroot Range, and a few miles from Coeur d'Alene Lake. All of these geographical features have an impact on climate. Generally, we tend to be slightly colder in winter than Coeur d'Alene and Spokane, and therefore tend to have more snow on the ground throughout the winter. Note: there is a snow belt just north of Coeur d'Alene that results in much more snow there than Plummer. And about five miles south of Plummer on Highway 95 the terrain breaks out of the mountains into the very edge of the Palouse, so the winter weather is in that area. For the valley that Plummer sits in, we usually see a snow that covers the ground by Halloween, but it often melts within a day or two and that pattern repeats until somewhere between Thanksgiving and Christmas when the snow finally stays, often covering the ground through the end of February. Coldest temps (daytime highs in single digits or even below zero and nights of 10-20 below) are usually in mid-January to mid-February and coincide with the deepest snow - 20-30 inches - and clear sunny skies. This cold period sometime lasts for a couple of weeks without a break. Sometime in March temps get back up to the high 50s or low 60s.

Is there any notable crime?
Some vandalism by teens with not enough supervision and positive role models - limited to Plummer city limits except for rare circumstances. Some drug-related stuff around, maybe more than some towns of similar size, but not as prevalent as in any larger city I've spent much time in.

People friendly?
As long as you get rid of your California license plates immediately, I think you'll find people as friendly as anywhere else. If you keep them on and cruise around Coeur d'Alene, however, you'll probably run into people you know. You may know more people in Coeur d'Alene than I do. My wife is from the Fresno area, and we both have lived in Santa Barbara - we often meet people in CDA from those areas.