Coeur d'Alene

 

(kûrdəlān') , indigenous people of North America whose language belongs to the Salishan branch of the Algonquian-Wakashan linguistic stock (see Native American languages). They occupied N Idaho and E Washington and were also called the Skitswish. Long known as a peaceful group, the Coeur d'Alene were placed on reservations after an encounter with U.S. forces, sometimes called the Coeur d'Alene War, in 1858. Many are now on the Coeur d'Alene reservation in Idaho, and some live on the Colvile reservation in Washington. In 1990 there were 1,048 Coeur d'Alene in the United States.

Coeur d'Alene, Idaho
Coeur d'Alene
Location in Kootenai County and the state of Idaho
Coordinates: 47°41′34″N 116°46′48″W / 47.69278, -116.78
Country	United States
State	Idaho
County	Kootenai
Founded	1878
Incorporated	1887
Government
- Mayor	Sandi Bloem
Area
- City	sq mi (km²)
- Land	sq mi ( km²)
- Water	sq mi ( km²)
Elevation	ft ( m)
Population (2006)
- City
- Density	/sq mi (/km²)
- Metro
Time zone	Pacific (UTC-8)
- Summer (DST)	Pacific (UTC-7)
Area code(s)	208
FIPS code	16-16750
GNIS feature ID	0379485
Website: www.coeurdaleneidaho.org

Coeur d'Alene (IPA: [kɚ də liːn]) is the county seat and largest city of Kootenai County, Idaho, United States.⁶ It is the principal city of the Coeur d'Alene Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of the 2000 Census the population of Coeur d'Alene was 34,514 (2006 estimate: 41,328)^[1]. The city is located about 30 miles east of Spokane, Washington, which combined with Coeur d'Alene and North Idaho has population of about 600,000. Coeur d'Alene is also the largest city in the north Idaho Panhandle.

The city of Coeur d'Alene has grown significantly in recent years due in part to a substantial increase in tourism, encouraged by several resorts in the area. Barbara Walters called the city "a little slice of Heaven" and included it in her list of most fascinating places to visit. Coeur d'Alene is also located near two major ski resorts in Silver Mountain Resort to the east in Kellogg and Schweitzer Mountain Ski Resort to the north in Sandpoint. Coeur d'Alene is is also located at the northern end of Lake Coeur d'Alene, a 30 mile long lake. Locally, Coeur d'Alene is known as the "Lake City," or simply called by its initials: "CDA" or also "Cd'A."

Geography

Coeur d'Alene (pronounced by the locals as core da lane) is located at 47°41′34″N, 116°46′48″W (47.692845, -116.779910).¹

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 35.2 km². 34.0 km² of it is land and 1.2 km² of it (3.46%) is water.

Coeur d'Alene sits on the western edge of the Coeur d'Alene National Forest. The city is surrounded by forest, which contains several lakes and campgrounds.

The elevation of the city is 2180 feet (664 m) above sea level.

Climate

There is an average annual rainfall of 26 inches (660 mm) and an average annual snowfall of 50 inches (127 cm). The frost-free season runs about 120 days from mid-May to mid-September. The mean summer temperature is 63.5 degrees Fahrenheit (17.5 °C), and the mean winter temperature is 31.5 degrees Fahrenheit (–0.3 °C).^[2]

Demographics

As of the census² of 2000, there were 34,514 people, 13,985 households, and 8,852 families residing in the city. However, the 2006 estimate is that Coeur d' Alene is home to nearly 50,000 residents. The population density was 1,014.9/km². There were 14,929 housing units at an average density of 439.0/km². The racial makeup of the city was 95.80% White, 0.22% African American, 0.77% Native American, 0.61% Asian, 0.09% Pacific Islander, 0.63% from other races, and 1.88% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.70% of the population.

There were 13,985 households out of which 31.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.7% were married couples living together, 11.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.7% were non-families. 28.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.39 and the average family size was 2.93.

In the city the population was spread out with 24.9% under the age of 18, 11.7% from 18 to 24, 27.9% from 25 to 44, 20.7% from 45 to 64, and 14.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 93.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.3 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $33,001, and the median income for a family was $39,491. Males had a median income of $31,915 versus $21,092 for females. The per capita income for the city was $17,454. About 9.3% of families and 12.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 13.5% of those under age 18 and 8.1% of those age 65 or over.

History

French traders allegedly named the local Indian tribe the Coeur d'Alene out of respect for their tough trading practices. Translated from French Coeur d'Alene literally means "heart of the awl" which might mean "sharp-hearted" or "shrewd." Others interpret "Heart of the Awl" to translate to "Eye of the Needle", perhaps referring to the narrow passage through which the lake empties into the Spokane River on its way to the Columbia. When General William Tecumseh Sherman ordered a fort constructed on the lake in the 1870's he gave it the name Fort Coeur d'Alene; hence the name of the city that grew around it. The name of the fort was later changed to Fort Sherman to honor the general.

The Coeur d'Alene district has had a history of miners' disputes. Harry Orchard, who owned a share of the Hercules Mine in the nearby mountains before it began producing, and who later confessed to dynamiting a $250,000 mill near Wardner during a contentious 1899 miners' dispute, would also confess to a secret, brutal and little understood role in the Colorado Labor Wars before returning to Idaho to assassinate former Idaho Governor Frank Steunenberg.

Education

The city is home to North Idaho College located next to Lake Coeur d'Alene, on the original site of Fort Sherman, the first settlement in the area. Located on the NIC campus is the Fort Sherman Museum, which gives the history of the Fort grounds. The University of Idaho Coeur d'Alene Campus and Lewis-Clark State College Coeur d'Alene Campus are satellites of their respective institutions located a few hours to the south. They share a building on Northwest Boulevard near NIC. In partnership with NIC, many of UI and LCSC's classes are taught at NIC's facilities.

The city has three High Schools; Coeur d'Alene HS (9-12) [1], Lake City HS (9-12) [2], and the Coeur d'Alene Charter Academy (6-12) [3]. In the spring of 2006, Coeur d'Alene HS and Lake City HS were authorized to offer the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme. The Coeur d'Alene Charter Academy was started in 1999 by Dr. Bill Proser. In 2007 it was named National Charter School of the Year. In Coeur d'Alene, there are also four alternative high schools: Project CDA, The Bridge, Riverbend Professional Technical Academy, and the Juvenile Detention Center School. In addition, Coeur d'Alene has four Middle Schools: Woodland MS, Lakes MS, Canfield MS, and the Charter Academy. The public schools in Coeur d'Alene are a part of Idaho School District 271 [4].

Transportation

Coeur d'Alene is accessed from Interstate 90 at Exits 12 though 15. The greater Coeur d'Alene area is almost entirely dependent upon private automobilies for transportation. Combined with the city's rapid growth since 1990, congestion now occurs on a significant portion of the area highways, notably U.S. 95 between Northwest Blvd. and Hayden, and on several under-developed arterial streets such as Atlas, Ramsey, and Government Way. On November 1, 2005, Coeur d'Alene added a free, basic public transportation system called Idaho City Link. The bus system currently operates 4 routes:

Urban Route A runs a clockwise beltway around Coeur d'Alene, Post Falls, and Hayden.

Urban Route B is the same as Route A, but runs counter-clockwise.

Link Route runs from the new Riverstone development to the Coeur d'Alene Casino in Worley.

Rural Route links the casino with the small towns of Worley, Plummer, and Desmet.

The closest major airport serving Coeur d'Alene and North Idaho is the Spokane International Airport which is served by nine airlines and is located 40 miles to the west in Spokane, WA. Coeur d'Alene also has the Coeur d'Alene Air Terminal which is a general aviation airport located north of the city near Highway 95.

Trivia

• Coeur d'Alene is the home of Ironman Coeur d'Alene, which started in 2003. This Ironman Triathlon is held each year on the fourth Sunday in June and starts at the Coeur d'Alene resort as triathletes start their day with a 2.4 mile swim in Lake Coeur d'Alene, followed by a 112 mile bike, finishing with a 26.2 mile run.
• Coeur d'Alene has become a destination for golf enthusiasts. The Coeur d'Alene Resort Golf Course is considered one of the best in the United States. Its 14th hole features the world's only movable floating green.
• Iris DeMent's song, "Easy's Gettin' Harder Every Day", from her 1994 album, My Life, features a protagonist who laments that she will "never make it to Coeur d'Alene".
• Listed as one of the places to visit in Patricia Schultz's book 1,000 Places to See Before You Die.
• In the book Walk Two Moons, Coeur d'Alene is a stop on the main character Salamanca Tree Hiddle's trip.
• Coeur d'Alene is the birthplace of Seattle SuperSonics Point Guard Luke Ridnour.
• Coeur d'Alene is one of the spots that Antagonist Morrison, used as a hide out and place to get some ammunition. This was in Tom Clancy's 4th book in the Net Force Series, Breaking Point (ISBN 0-425-17693-2). They hide out in an Aryan Nations compound (now destroyed) in Hayden (mentioned as Coeur D'Alene)
• Coeur d'Alene was mentioned in Sam Bourne's novel: The Righteous Men as a spot that the main character quickly drove past. It is stated that Coeur d' Alene is the home of the Aryan Nations. However, the Aryan Nations' home was in nearby Hayden Lake, not Coeur d'Alene specifically. The compound is no longer in Hayden Lake due to a heated lawsuit and the bankruptcy of the Aryan Nations.
• World War II flying ace Colonel Gregory "Pappy" Boyington was born in Coeur d'Alene on December 4, 1912 and was a member of the AVG (Flying Tigers) and later the commander of the famous Black Sheep Squadron.
• Coeur d'Alene is the fictional home of Lisa Kimmel Fisher (character played by actress Lily Taylor) from the HBO series Six Feet Under.

Sister cities

Coeur d'Alene is twinned with

• - Cranbrook, British Columbia (Canada)

References

External links

• Official website of the city of Coeur d'Alene
• Coeur d'Alene Press
• National Weather Service - NWS Spokane Office

Coordinates: 47.692845° N 116.77991° W

Municipalities and communities of Kootenai County, Idaho
County seat: Coeur d'Alene
Cities	Athol | Coeur d'Alene | Dalton Gardens | Fernan Lake Village | Harrison | Hauser | Hayden | Hayden Lake | Huetter | Post Falls | Rathdrum | Spirit Lake | State Line | Worley
Community	Garwood

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