Boom times in Idaho
MARY MALONE/Press file This 2016 photo shows Darlene Carlton, center, and Sheelagh Lynn, right, looking for some of the many different species of birds along the trail of the Coeur d’Alenes near Medimont during a bird-watching bicycle expedition led by Carrie Hugo, wildlife biologist for the Bureau of Land Management’s Coeur d’Alene office, and organized by James Blakely from Idaho Parks and Recreation.
Taphouse Unchained assistant manager Sage Jensen hands out mac and cheese balls faster than you can say "That's so cheesy" during the second Mac and Cheese Festival on Saturday. (DEVIN WEEKS/Press)
It didn’t take Derrell Hartwick long to offer a few thoughts on why people are moving to Idaho in record numbers.
“Look outside your window today,” said the president and CEO of the Coeur d’Alene Chamber of Commerce. “You can see what the great draws are.”
And if you looked outside Friday, you saw beautiful blue skies, sunshine and plenty of green. You saw people biking, walking dogs and sitting down with coffee. And if you went one step further and stepped outside, you felt a warm 60 degrees — and it was still February.
Hartwick, who recently moved to Coeur d’Alene, spoke of a place where people can find a good life, a good job, meet good people, “and still have fun” in the great outdoors with rivers, lakes and mountains all around.
“That’s what makes it so great,” Hartwick said.
Idaho, according to the United States Census Bureau, was the fastest growing state in the United States, percentage-wise, from July 2018 to July 2019.
According to the Census Bureau, Idaho’s population increased to 1.79 million by July, up from 1.75 million 12 months earlier. Nevada was second, increasing 1.7% to 3.1 million, while Arizona was third, also at 1.7%, to 7.3 million people, the Census Bureau reported.
“Apparently, everyone wants to live in Idaho,” wrote Kathy Morris, marketing manager for Zippia, a resource site for job seekers.
Zippia reported that people were moving to Idaho from California, Washington, Utah, Oregon and Arizona.
“Idaho may be known for potatoes and Midwestern manners, but it has a lot more to offer new residents than just that,” the report said. “Idaho has low housing costs that mean home ownership is more than just a dream for Idaho residents — it’s an achievable reality. But you might want to get there soon, the housing market in Idaho is burning hot and rising fast.”
Jamé Davis, president and CEO of the Post Falls Chamber of Commerce, is a native Idahoan. She wrote that “the trends and data don’t lie — Idaho continues to welcome new residents for a few different reasons.”
Davis cited affordability, a strong job market, world-class health care system, and quality of life.
“Businesses like to relocate and expand into Idaho because of the business friendliness of the state and a skilled and educated workforce,” Davis wrote in an email to The Press.
Other factors have Idaho rising in public opinion, nationwide.
It has low unemployment, at 2.9 percent, and a cost of living that’s 7.8 percent lower than the national average, according to GO Banking Rates.
“Almost everything in Idaho is cheaper,” it said. “Transportation is a bit more expensive than the national average, but the scenic drives more than make up for it.
“Idahoans also enjoy one of the smallest tax burdens in the country. Overall Idaho’s tax burden is 29.6 percent below the national average and is the lowest among the western states,” according to GO Banking Rates.
And SafeWise, in its fifth annual Safest Cities report, said Idaho’s crime rate is lower than the national average.
“The Gem State gets high marks for keeping crime low across the board. Both violent and property crime rates are lower than nationwide rates. Your chance of falling victim to violent crime in Idaho is 2.67 per 1,000 people, compared to 4.49 nationally. And the state’s property crime rate is 21.27 per 1,000, while the national rate is 27.11,” SafeWise reported.
Mark Robitaille, executive director of the Coeur d’Alene Convention & Visitors Bureau, said he believes the population increase is easily explained: As more people have visited Idaho, they like what they see, and move here.
“The more population we get, that snowballs into more visitors coming that are visiting new friends and family,” he said. “People are starting to check us out.”
And, Robitaille said, North Idaho continues to be recognized nationally for its scenic beauty, vibrant outdoors life, balanced economy and has drawn attention for such events as the 2017 wedding of actress Julianne Hough to Brooks Laich, a hockey player.
He noted that Coeur d’Alene has added events like food and wine festivals and even a Mac and Cheese Festival, to keep people busy in the off-season, too. People are noticing.
“We’ve kind of been a hidden gem up here,” he said.
Josh Suhr, president of the Coeur d’Alene Association of Realtors and a broker with Windemere/Coeur d’Alene Realty, had no doubts about why people are flocking to Idaho.
“It’s a quality of life issue that we’re seeing,” he said. “It’s a pretty exciting time to be here.”
He pointed to North Idaho’s lakes and rivers and ski resorts as big attractions, but also said its proximity to the Spokane Airport is a big advantage for folks relocating here.
“It opens up a lot of options,” Suhr said.
As people move here, there is a rising demand for housing in North Idaho.
According to Zillow, Idaho home values have gone up 9.4% over the past year and Zillow predicts they will rise 5.5% within the next year. It reported that the median home value in Idaho was $289,989.
Suhr said Coeur d’Alene housing prices, while rising — Zillow reports that the median home value is $340,620, up 11% over the past year and predicts it will rise 6.2% within the next year — still compare well to West Coast markets. He added that North Idaho is increasingly popular with families and singles, and retirees, so the real estate industry expects to see continued growth.
“We don’t see any signs that’s tapering off,” he said.