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Revision as of 22:37, 13 February 2007 by Ostephy (talk | contribs) (→External links: added link to fyinorthidaho.com - a great resource website)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)Sandpoint is a city in Bonner County, Idaho, United States. The population was 6,835 at the 2000 census. The city is the county seat of Bonner CountyTemplate:GR.
Sandpoint's major industry is tourism and recreation, thanks to its proximity to scenic Lake Pend Oreille and Schweitzer Mountain Ski Resort. It is also home to the headquarters for the mail-order clothing catalog Coldwater Creek.
History
The Flathead Indians of Montana built encampments on the shore of Lake Pend Oreille every summer, fished, made baskets of cedar, and collected huckleberries before returning to Montana in the fall. The encampments ended before 1930.
In the 1880s the Northern Pacific Railroad brought European and Chinese settlement to the area.
In August, 1888, twenty-nine year old author and civil servant Theodore Roosevelt, visited Sandpoint on a caribou hunting trip in the Selkirk Mountains
Sandpoint was officially incorporated in 1898. Timber harvesting drove the economy for nearly a century after as lumberjacks moved in from the overharvested Great Lakes region. The economy was given a boost during World War II from Farragut Naval Station, a training center for the US Navy located at the south western end of Lake Pend Oreille.
The opening of Schweitzer Mountain Resort in 1963 turned the area into a tourism destination based on its natural beauty.
In the 1990s nearby Coeur d'Alene and Hayden Lake attracted nationwide publicity when white supremacist Neo-Nazi groups (most notably the Aryan Nations) set up headquarters in the area. Many Sandpoint residents reacted negatively to such groups; some formed the Bonner County Human Rights Task Force in opposition. In 2001 the Aryan Nations lost a lawsuit filed against them. The lawsuit bankrupted the organization and forced them to give up their Hayden Lake property and disband.
In contrast to the small contingent of white-supremacists that once lived in the area, in August of 2006, Sandpoint and the Panida Theater were host to the first ever International Film Festival in North Idaho - The Idaho Panhandle International Film Festival. IPIFF, as it was known, featured fifty-five films of various genres and lengths, over four days (August 23rd-26th) from nine countries. IPIFF has since been renamed Lakedance International Film Festival and will be held on September 12th-16th. This festival, along with The Festival at Sandpoint, and Lost-in-the-50's, among other events, continue to build Sandpoint's reputation of being an arts and culture capital of North Idaho and the Inland Northwest.
Notable residents
- Writer Marilynne Robinson, winner of the 2005 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, was born and raised in Sandpoint.
- Artist Akiane Kramarik, noted visionary painter and poet, resides in Sandpoint.
- In the 1990s, Sandpoint became a popular destination for retired California law enforcement professionals, the most notable being Mark Fuhrman best known for his controversial testimony at the O.J. Simpson trial.
- Actor, Poet and Photographer Viggo Mortensen has a home in nearby Clark Fork. Contrary to common belief, he did not begin his acting career in the local theatre, The Panida, as is apparently thought.
- Actor Ben Stein makes his summer home in Sandpoint.
- Director Remi Kramer is a longtime resident of Sandpoint.
- Former Green Bay Packers right guard Jerry Kramer is a graduate of Sandpoint High School (class of 1954).
- Patrick F. McManus, outdoor writer
Demographics
As of the censusTemplate:GR of 2000, there were 6,835 people, 2,873 households, and 1,680 families residing in the city. The population density was 676.7/km² (1,750.9/mi²). There were 3,188 housing units at an average density of 315.6/km² (816.7/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 96.24% White, 0.12% African American, 1.01% Native American, 0.41% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 0.47% from other races, and 1.71% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.46% of the population. The gay/lesbian/bisexual community in Sandpoint is limited, though both lesbian and gay couples, even those raising families, live in the area.
There were 2,873 households out of which 31.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.5% were married couples living together, 13.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 41.5% were non-families. 34.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.29 and the average family size was 2.94.
In the city the population was spread out with 25.8% under the age of 18, 9.8% from 18 to 24, 26.9% from 25 to 44, 22.0% from 45 to 64, and 15.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 87.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 83.2 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $32,461, and the median income for a family was $41,596. Males had a median income of $35,533 versus $20,795 for females. The per capita income for the city was $20,643. About 14.9% of families and 18.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 27.9% of those under age 18 and 5.1% of those age 65 or over.
References
External links
- City Government - City of Sandpoint
- County Government - Bonner County, Idaho
- The Guide to North Idaho
