Losing the little house on the prairie

RATHDRUM — With a rising population, Rathdrum residents are being challenged to keep up with housing costs, road infrastructure, and loss of small-town feel.

Rathdrum has almost doubled since the turn of the century from about 4,600 residents to nearly 10,000 this year, according to U.S. Census data. Residential developments have been the most noticeable component of the city's change, as many longtime residents say they're losing something they hold dear.

"It used to be a little house on the prairie. Now there are many houses on the prairie," Jerry Mann said. "We are losing our farmland, we're losing all of it, and I don't like that."

A retired veteran, the 69-year-old Mann lived in Rathdrum for the last 12 years, but after losing his wife, he is now almost homeless, living in a motorhome.

Driving around the prairie his whole life, Brett Surplus said he remembers Rathdrum's sprawling views before national companies entered the horizon.

"Everything was just fields," the 47-year-old said. "You didn't have McDonald's, or Taco Bell or those big things. The main road was hardly anything."

Surplus believes new residents to the area are pushing locals out. While he recognized city officials are doing their best to accommodate growth, the city will continue to be tested.

"We don't have places to put people, and everyone is still going to keep coming, so all these farmers are going to start feeling the pressure to sell their land," Surplus said. "People can't buy properties fast enough, and people living here can't afford it."

It's a story shared by others.

"We are pricing ourselves and our residents out of a lot of markets," Kandi Johnson said. "My husband is on disability, and I work for a nonprofit, so if I went and looked for a place, I couldn't afford it."

Johnson recently attended the Parade of Homes, where a real estate agent told her a reasonable price for an older facility would cost between $350,000 and $400,000. This is out of reach for Johnson, who said if her father hadn't passed down their home - Rathdrum's old train depot - they wouldn't be able to live in the area.

One thing residents are hopeful for is an increase in commercial and industrial businesses entering the community to provide jobs.

"We need some light industry to employ people because right now, we don't have anything," Mann said. "We need to keep our people in Idaho, not file them out."

Leon Duce, Rathdrum's city administrator, said the city is hopeful that more of the business developments will come to the southwest portion of town and bring livable wages.

"The city is working harder to encourage businesses and industries so that we can be a more self-sufficient community," Rathdrum's 10-year Mayor Vic Holmes said.

Ashley Moore, executive director for the Rathdrum Area Chamber of Commerce, said they've seen an uptick in information requests from companies looking to set up shop.

"We have seen a dramatic increase in interest for commercial property and rentals," Moore said. "We had a Bi-Mart open this year and it has been a great addition to our city."

Infrastructure is another hot topic for Rathdrum residents who use highways 41 and 53 daily. Recent construction on Highway 41 will ease the problem, but it isn't a complete fix.

Rathdrum is working on several projects, Duce said, including a span of improvements on Meyer Road and adding intersections around 53 and 41. He said the city should start construction on a lighted intersection on Highway 53 and Meyer Road in the fall of 2021 and a new roundabout at Boekel and Meyer Road that same year.

"Because of our area, a lot of the traffic is passing through," Mayor Holmes said. "The Idaho Transportation Department has plans to make improvements to Highway 41 and 53. All of those will help our community."

Still, people have their doubts any changes will come soon enough for them to stay put.

Dannie Griffin, 32, and her husband moved to Rathdrum three years ago after falling in love with the city on vacation. Since then, the two have been living in a five-wheel trailer and struggling to find a home.

"People like me can't afford anywhere up here. It's driving residents out that have been here for years," Griffin said. "A little studio apartment down at Westwood Drive is over $1,000, and duplexes down the street are ridiculously priced."

Griffin is a server at the Main Street Tavern, and her husband commutes over an hour every day to Spokane for work. Even with both of their jobs, the Griffins can't afford to buy a house.

"It's a gorgeous place, but it's getting harder and harder to stay," Griffin said.