Near the lights

For mega-fans of Christmas, few places can be as magical as North Idaho — especially if it snows on or around Dec. 25.

Plenty of our neighbors go all out with holiday lights and decorations, enough so that you can easily spend an entire evening driving around and marveling at all the festive displays. And, if that weren’t enough, you can stroll in downtown Coeur d’Alene and take in the massive collection at The Resort Boardwalk, part of the Journey to the North Pole experience offered by Coeur d’Alene Cruises.

What if you wanted to spend every night in December admiring the lights? Living close would sure help. Of course, in downtown Coeur d’Alene, you might need a few bucks to your name. Active listings within a couple of blocks of the McEuen Park and The Resort right now are limited to high-end condos and homes that will set you back three-quarters of a million dollars. The new high rise on First Street near Independence Point has single bedroom condos currently listed for just under $400,000, if that sounds any better.

Prices come down as you move a bit away. If you save money that way, just invest in some quality hiking boots and a warm jacket. You can hoof it a few more blocks.

OK, enough about downtown Coeur d’Alene. It gets all the attention. There’s a pretty fun and spectacular display touting more than 50,000 lights at the Suntree RV Park in Post Falls. Follow the semi-trucks off the I-90 exit at Pleasant View and turn east on Fifth Avenue. The entrance of the RV park is covered with lights, all synched up to 101.5 FM radio.

A little west of Pleasant View, past the Love’s Travel Stop, is a pocket of new construction at the Woodbridge South neighborhood, which we covered more extensively back in March of this year. It’s the work of Painted Rock Homes by the Architerra Group, and available floor plans range from around 1,800 square feet to 2,300 square feet with prices ranging from about $295,000 to $325,000. You can get more info on Woodbridge South by visiting www.MyPaintedRockHomes.com.

Head south on Pleasant View toward the river and you’ll find a couple other active listings, including a riverfront lot priced at $184,000, or check out the existing home on River Heights Drive that touts four bedrooms and more than 2,600 square feet for about $320,000.

There’s another massive holiday display in our neck of the woods, although Idaho residents will have to, gasp, cross a little into Washington to check it out. The Winter Glow Spectacular is at Liberty Lake’s new Orchard Park this year. It’s a large collection of colorful light displays, including animated zoo animals, snowmen, Christmas trees and various members of Santa’s entourage. The walkable display at Orchard Park is located at 20298 E. Indiana Ave., which is northwest of the Liberty Lake freeway exit. The park connects to the city’s River District community, which is home to a number of nice, new homes, with prices of current listings ranging from about $425,000 for a four-bedroom, 2,400-square-foot home to an actual river view home with more than 3,100 square feet listed at just under $600,000.

If you have a wad of cash in your pocket, you could also just invest that money into your own massive light display — although you might want to double check on all those HOA rules. And, if you’re running several extension cords out from the garage, make sure you switch on the garage light, Clark.

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Let us know about more standout neighborhoods and developments that we may feature in an upcoming Neighborhood of the Week. Contact Tyler Wilson at twilson@cdapress.com.

Real Estate Agents, take advantage of Neighborhood of the Week by sending in your suggestions for featured areas, including sites outside the normal confines of Coeur d’Alene, Post Falls and Hayden.