Sandpoint Airport recently expanded its airstrip to accommodate an increasing number of corporate jets and dozens of sport and recreational private planes.

Though Spokane International Airport is only one and a half hours away, demand for daily flights in and out of Sandpoint (direct to Seattle and Boise) has brought a strong consideration from commuter airlines.

Sandpoint may look larger than it is in reality due to the fact that three independent communities have grown in recent times to the point that the undiscerning eye would not know of the civic separation. The boundaries are not necessarily visible. From the air, Ponderay, Kootenai and Sandpoint look like one town. Yet each has its own city hall, city officials and police officers. Another bordering community already nearly drawn in to the overview is the little river town of Dover , west of Sandpoint. An expansion of waterfront condos and lake properties has created a nearly complete line of housing connecting city limits of each.

At the top of the four communities, Ponderay is probably the fastest growing in Bonner County . It has more available land for one thing, for commercial development and though residential accommodations are being constructed, its sure boom appears to be due to the strong likelihood that the Sand Creek Byway will soon be constructed on the Burlington Railroad right of way directly east of Sandpoint’s busy downtown. Separated from Sandpoint by Sand Creek, the city of Ponderay stretches north and west like the blade of a carpet cutter with its southern most point reaching nearly all the way to Sandpoint’s famous City Beach . It therefore became the natural path for receiving the reconstruction of Highway 95 now in the works with the Idaho Transportation Department (ITD).

North of Ponderay, along Highway 95 is the small rural town of Naples . It has a post office, a store, a bar and a very good restaurant (JJ Cookshack), some area lodging and an RV camping park. Further north is the small town of Bonners Ferry and east of it, Moyie Springs. West of Sandpoint, beyond Dover is Laclede, a small rural community similar to Naples . Beyond Laclede is the lumber town of Priest River , which in turn is about the size and texture of Bonners Ferry for culture. South of Sandpoint just a few short miles off the end of the Long Bridge is the growing community of Sagle. Much further (about halfway to Coeur d’Alene ) you’ll pass through the edge of Athol. If you turn left you’ll go to Bayview; turn right for Spirit Lake and Rathdrum; go straight south to Hayden and Coeur d’Alene . All of this is to hardly mention the fairly new alpine community of Schweitzer Basin , northwest and uphill from Sandpoint and visible to most county residents. This sometime eclectic and yet wisely built collection of homes and condominiums supports a thriving winter-time community at Schweitzer Mountain Resort.

So you can see, our rich and diverse region offers many lifestyle opportunities. It’s a little known fact that the Idaho Panhandle has the highest per capita number of millionaires living in the area smaller than New Jersey . It also has a substantial workforce of capable people willing to work, most of whom are by nature hard workers.

Meanwhile, drive safely. Keep your eyes open for moose and deer. You might even see a bear or two, certainly turkeys here and there. And if you get a chance to sample some of the lakes, you’ll catch a variety of healthy fish in the rich region of Northern Idaho .