Living in the Spirit Lake, Idaho area??? (foreclosures, condo)

[Stormilady]

So on the whole, Spirit Lake is a pretty decent place to live and raise kids?? I have gotten a little confused as someone else jumped in to get advice on where to live when they retire(?)....so many of the posts are addressed to them....

[esselcue]

Sorry, Stormilady, that was probably me and I didn't mean to hijack your post. I am just curious about the area, too. From the posts above it appears Spirit Lake is a good place to raise a family...and to retire . And since I have grandkids I am also glad to know about the theme park and the sex offenders, although sex offenders are everywhere. I don't worry about the ones that are registered and show up on the maps...it's the ones who live in secret that are worrisome.

Good luck in your quest

[Stormilady]

Thanks esselcue... you are right....the ones we have to worry about are the ones no one knows about!! Our family has first hand experience, unfortunately!
Good luck in your quest also.

[IdahoEagle]

Spirit Lake does have a litter problem...



And sometimes the roads can get bad in the winter...


any town that has lawn mower races in the summer has to be a good place to live.

You can see some more spirit lake area wilderness pictures by clicking HERE

It is a beautiful area and there are many reasonabily prices properties there.

[Stormilady]

IdahoEagle, thanks so much for the photos! I am a little concerned about the litter problem though! LOL

[esselcue]

Ooooh, we have the same litter-bug here in Arizona!

[Stormilady]

Does anyone have any info on the old church camp "Wilderness Spirit Camp" or something like that, that is just north of Spirit Lake and is for sale?

[sandistreak]

If you want a nice sleepy peaceful town...Spirit Lake in not the place. I am in my 40's. I spent 24 years of living in apartments and rentals dreaming of owning my first home. I thought Idaho would be a great place to enjoy nature and wind down from the rat race.

I bought a home and discovered that our neighbors are violent criminals...they shot into our home while we were eating dinner. The bullet missed my husband by seconds. He was standing in its path, but sat down on the couch before it passed through the living room window.

To spare you the whole story...we spent a year of our lives pushing the sheriff's dept and prosecutor's office to send these people to prison. Only one of the offenders went to jail for 142 days for "disturbing the peace" and violating a no contact order.

If you are victimized here don't expect anyone any sympathy or justice. You are on your own.

The other reality is housing may be affordable, but food and service costs are sky high. Salaries are scant and employees are treated like dirt in Idaho.

This is a great place to retire. Too boring for teenagers. Meth is everywhere. Keep looking for a better place. My life is a living hell right now. The housing market is bad for sellers and I have a real moral problem selling this home, I have worked so hard on, to an innocent family that will not doubt be victimized as well.

[MrGerardo]

Originally Posted by sandistreak

If you want a nice sleepy peaceful town...Spirit Lake in not the place. I am in my 40's. I spent 24 years of living in apartments and rentals dreaming of owning my first home. I thought Idaho would be a great place to enjoy nature and wind down from the rat race.

I bought a home and discovered that our neighbors are violent criminals...they shot into our home while we were eating dinner. The bullet missed my husband by seconds. He was standing in its path, but sat down on the couch before it passed through the living room window.

To spare you the whole story...we spent a year of our lives pushing the sheriff's dept and prosecutor's office to send these people to prison. Only one of the offenders went to jail for 142 days for "disturbing the peace" and violating a no contact order.

If you are victimized here don't expect anyone any sympathy or justice. You are on your own.

The other reality is housing may be affordable, but food and service costs are sky high. Salaries are scant and employees are treated like dirt in Idaho.

This is a great place to retire. Too boring for teenagers. Meth is everywhere. Keep looking for a better place. My life is a living hell right now. The housing market is bad for sellers and I have a real moral problem selling this home, I have worked so hard on, to an innocent family that will not doubt be victimized as well.

Is this real? I've read many positive posts on northern Idaho. Are the police that callous and unsympathetic that they are not moved by flying bullets in your home, which I assume would leave holes in the walls. Is this the mentality that lead white supremacists to find a stronghold in this part of the country? If this is the case, then I may consider Charlotte North Carolina with its lower taxes, more pleasant weather, and just overall southern charm. Please tell me I'm wrong on these points because I've always thought about northern Idaho.

[esselcue]

Sadly, this type of activity can, and does, happen everywhere to some degree. I'm really sorry that sandistreak had that experience but I find it oh, so hard to believe that the perpetrators were not held on tougher charges IF the whole thing happened as sandistreak stated. I have a feeling there was more to it...but that's beside the point.

I believe everyone should investigate an area on their own before moving anywhere. If you contact local law enforcement they should be able to provide you with crime statistics for various areas...I know I have done that for people who were moving to my area in AZ many, many times over the years. Talk to neighbors, read newspapers, not just for the price of groceries but for an idea of criminal activity. It's a Buyer Beware situation, always.

And...never base your decisions on what you read in City Data or any other forum. For every 100 people who love an area there is always someone who has had a bad experience and hates the place. I'm just sayin'.....