Where in Coeur D'Alene (Post Falls, Hayden: homes, neighborhoods, to buy)

[Snowangel]

We are going to be heading up to the area at the end of the month, and wondered if anyone had any suggestions for areas we should look at to buy. The web never does an area justice. We have 5 young kids, and are not looking for employment. I am confused about the area because there is post falls, coeur d alene, and hayden so close. Does anyone have opinions on where is better for families with young kids. I would love a nice neighborhood with trees and parks and sidewalks. And of course good schools. PS...any suggestions on great schools up there too? Thanks a lot for your help.

[gc57]

Take a look at Rathdrum.

[RodFarlee]

There certainly are great schools in CdA. Take a look at the ratings here, and click their menu of nearby cities for comparisons (all are pretty good!).
http://www.greatschools.net/city/Coeur_d'Alene/ID

For walkability, trees, parks, all that is quintessentially Coeur d'Alene! So you might prefer to be right in town. Realize there's a premium on home prices closer to the lake. But there's a wide variety of housing within a 1 to 2 mile radius of city center. The city isn't so big that you can't have a good overview of all the neighborhoods within a day or two. There are blue-collar and white-collar neighborhoods, but none that are bad per se. It's a great town for raising a family.

Post Falls also has parks and is very walkable, is growing fast (schools are good, but crowded) and is more affordable. Hayden, too. Rathdrum is a much smaller community.

[Snowangel]

Thank you so much for the info...great schools.com is an amazing site!!! and WOW CDA does have some great schools. What do you think about the area around Dalton Gardens east of the 95 (i think?)? Below Hayden? Or around Hayden Lake?

[RodFarlee]

Snowangel, alas, I can only offer the most superficial answer: they sure look nice when I'm passing by! Hopefully, others with more knowledge will comment.

[burdell]

Not trying to hijack a thread, just trying to avoid clutter.

Curious if any on the board have spent time in both CDA and Lake Tahoe?

If so, aside from the gambling issue, how would you compare the two?

[looneytoon]

Originally Posted by burdell

Not trying to hijack a thread, just trying to avoid clutter.

Curious if any on the board have spent time in both CDA and Lake Tahoe?

If so, aside from the gambling issue, how would you compare the two?

Have spent time in both.

LT - One road around the lake....tourist traffic can be big issue.
CDA - You can take alternate routes to avoid traffic.

LT - Very expensive cost of living.
CDA - Affordable living

LT - A little yuppie when it comes to outdoor sports. No shooting facilities, expensive golf.
CDA - Much more small town with all sports accessible. Good sporting goods stores, golf very reasonable, but no skiing.

LT - A post card view at each turn of the road around the lake.
CDA - One of kind resort at the lake. Easy access to many other lakes and rivers. An hour and half to St. Joe river for great cut-throat fishing.

The money you would have to spend to get a nice home in Tahoe would buy you a mansion in Coeur d Alene. I bet the taxes are lower as well.

The gambling is limited in the CDA area..........no alcohol in casinos.

[Haydenlake]

My family and I moved here a year ago from Bend, Oregon. Hayden, Hayden Lake and Dalton Gardens are all great areas to live and raise a family. Technically these areas/towns do not have traditional "downtown" core areas. ie. sidewalks, shops, "old quaint" neighborhoods. That distinction is left to Coeur d' Alene which has a super cute vibrant downtown core and very nice older historic neighborhoods.
With that said we live in Haydenlake and love it. I also think Dalton Gardens is a wonderful area. It is basically a very small city/ area with all homes on 1+ acre lots. The one thing you will notice about this area is that everything sort of blends together. Hayden/ Haydenlake/Dalton Gardens are really all one and the same to a certain extent.
When we started looking for a home we definitely narrowed our search down to areas that lie east of Government Way. More trees this side of the town and we liked being so close to Hayden Lake. Plus you can get to downtown Couer d' Alene(CDA) in 10 minutes.
Not sure the age of your children but both Hayden Meadows Elementary and Dalton Elementary are good schools and are rated very well. We only have a 6 year old in 1st grade so I can't comment on the junior high school and senior high school but they seem like good schools for the most part.
We find this area to be friendly and a so far we enjoy the convenience and access to a larger city(Spokane) when we need our city fix.
Hope this helps out.
Haydenlake

[Snowangel]

WOW Haydenlake...thank you so much...our kids would be in elementry school so your in put is great.

[6 FOOT 3]

Originally Posted by looneytoon

Have spent time in both.

LT - One road around the lake....tourist traffic can be big issue.
CDA - You can take alternate routes to avoid traffic.

LT - Very expensive cost of living.
CDA - Affordable living

LT - A little yuppie when it comes to outdoor sports. No shooting facilities, expensive golf.
CDA - Much more small town with all sports accessible. Good sporting goods stores, golf very reasonable, but no skiing.

LT - A post card view at each turn of the road around the lake.
CDA - One of kind resort at the lake. Easy access to many other lakes and rivers. An hour and half to St. Joe river for great cut-throat fishing.

The money you would have to spend to get a nice home in Tahoe would buy you a mansion in Coeur d Alene. I bet the taxes are lower as well.

The gambling is limited in the CDA area..........no alcohol in casinos.

What about this same comparrison you just made between these two cities but substitute Missoula Mt.for Lake Tahoe if you've ever been to Missoula Mt.