Coeur d'Alene (English: Heart of an Awl (Cœur being French for 'heart', and Alène meaning 'awl'), pronounced /ËŒkÉ”r dəˈlein/) is the largest city and county seat of Kootenai County, Idaho, United States. 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). The city is located about 30 mi (48 km) east of Spokane, Washington, which combined with Coeur d'Alene and northern Idaho has population of 590,617.[3] Coeur d'Alene is also the largest city in the northern 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. On November 28, 2007, Good Morning America broadcast the city's Christmas Lighting Ceremony because its display is among the largest in the country. Coeur d'Alene is also located near two major ski resorts with Silver Mountain Resort to the east in Kellogg and Schweitzer Mountain Ski Resort to the north in Sandpoint. Coeur d'Alene is located on the north shore of Lake Coeur d'Alene, 25-mile (40 km) in length. Locally, Coeur d'Alene is known as the "Lake City," or simply called by its initials: "CDA".
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 21.8 sq mi (56 km2). 21.1 sq mi (55 km2) of it is land and .745 sq mi (1.93 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.
Climate
The average annual rainfall is 26 inches (66 cm) and the average annual snowfall is 49 inches (120 cm). The frost-free season runs about 120 days from mid-May to mid-September. The mean summer temperature is 82.1 °F (27.8 °C), and the mean winter temperature is 31.5 °F (–0.3 °C).
As of the census 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. Coeur d'Alene's racial makeup was:
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
14.8% 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 Canadian fur traders allegedly named the local Indian tribe the Coeur d'Alene out of respect for their tough trading practices. Translated from French Cœur d'Alêne 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. However the true meaning may refer to the biblical adoption of a devoted slave following his release at the time of jubilee by piercing his ear to the doorpost with an awl. Hence the heart of the awl or heart of the bond slave symbolizing great devotion, loyalty and fealty. The area was extensively explored by David Thompson of the Northwest Company starting in 1807. The Oregon boundary dispute (or Oregon question) arose as a result of competing British and American claims to the Pacific Northwest of North America in the first half of the 19th century. The Oregon Treaty ended disputed joint occupation of the area when Britain ceded all rights to land south of the 49th Parallel in 1846.
When General William T. Sherman ordered a fort constructed on the lake in the 1870s, 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. North Idaho College, a junior college, now occupies the site.
Kootenai Medical Center is the primary medical center serving the Coeur d'Alene and north Idaho area. With over 1700 employees, is also the largest employer in Kootenai County.
Education
Coeur d'Alene School District 271
The Coeur d'Alene School District 271 serves 10,300 students with its 2 high schools, 3 middle schools, an alternative high/middle school, a dropout retrieval school and 10 elementary schools. The district has a dedicated staff of 550 teachers, 47 administrators and 552 support personnel to provide quality education for the Coeur d'Alene, Hayden and Dalton communities. All schools are accredited and two high schools and one middle school have merit status.
District staff and students have received numerous state and regional awards. Those include a Student Council of Excellence award for Lake City High School and a second place School of Excellence award for Coeur d'Alene high School from the Idaho High School Activities Association. The District is especially proud to be home of five of the past 10 Idaho Teachers of the Year. For the 11th year, the District has received a "What Parents Want" designation from SchoolMatch, a national family relocation business.
District 271 provides myriad learning and enrichment opportunities to help students meet Idaho's Performance Standards. In addition to numerous Honors and Advanced Placement courses, Coeur d'Alene and Lake City High Schools began offering the International Baccalaureate Diploma Program, and two of the elementary schools are implementing the IB Primary Years Program.
District 271 students who qualify are also eligible for dual enrollment with North Idaho College and advanced technical and specialized courses at Riverbend Professional Technical Academy in Post Falls.
A partnership with the City of Coeur d'Alene Police Department provides five School Resource Officers. Through an alliance with Kootenai Medical Center, the District is served by seven school nurses.
Coeur d'Alene also boasts a highly successful Charter school which has won numerous academic awards including being recognized for Best Overall Academic Performance in the State of Idaho by BussinessWeek, as well as being listed as one of the best 100 high schools to enroll into in America. Its ISAT, PSAT, SAT, ACT, and AP tests scores are significantly higher then it's local counter-parts as well as having better SAT scores in general then those of other national high schools. Charter itself has an extremely high rate of it's graduates attending post-secondary schools. It's teaching curriculum focus heavily on setting higher college-preparatory standards then many other schools, with a strong emphasis on teaching the Latin language. The reading and math levels of the attending students score generally a level higher then required in the state of Idaho. The school also enforces a strict dress code policy on all enrolled students to maintain a professional academic atmosphere. Coeur d'Alene Charter Academy is a regular middle/high school publicly funded with open admission to any students residing in the state of Idaho, not just those restricted to a particular district of the county. However, public transportation is not provided to the school. Admissions into the school are many times difficult to obtain as there is frequently a large waiting list. The Coeur d'Alene Charter Academy is currently undergoing expanding into neighboring lots for the purpose of adding additional classrooms.
Transportation
Roads and highways
Coeur d'Alene is accessed from Interstate 90 at Exits 11 though 15. The greater Coeur d'Alene area is almost entirely dependent upon private automobiles for transportation. Combined with the city's rapid growth since 1990, relative congestion now occurs on a significant portion of the area highways, notably U.S. 95 between Northwest Blvd. north to Hayden, and on several under-developed arterial streets such as Atlas, Ramsey, and Government Way.
Public transportation
Free public bus service is available to area residents. Called Citylink Transit all buses are wheel chair accessible, and can transport up to four bicycles. The buses operating in the urbanized area of Kootenai County leave the Riverstone Transfer Station every eighty minutes, seven days a week, including holidays. The bus system comprises five separate routes.
Link Route - Connects the two transfer stations at Riverstone and Worley.
Commercial
Coeur d'Alene has expanded greatly in recent years with a much larger number of retail and entertainment venues opening up. Local retail chains such as the Coeur d'Alene area Costco, Best Buy and Wal-Mart stores rank among the top ten as revenue procedures for their respective companies.
Coeur d'Alene's Riverstone development also houses a 14 auditorium Regal Cinemas, multiple condos along the river and above retail shops, an orthodontist, a bank, a Hampton inn, a park, several restaurants and some local businesses. The North Idaho Centennial Trail bike path also cuts right through Riverstone along the old railroad tracks, with detours throughout the property deviating around a man-made lake with a fountain in the middle and taking bikers next to a Brewery restaurant, a Red Robin, a playground with picnic pavilion, and up to an amphitheater where musicians play in the summertime. The Citylink Transit system also meets up by the north-western entrance of the Riverstone complex where one can catch the other Citylink buses. Giant statues of bird feathers line Northwest Boulevard next to Riverstone celebrating the rich heritage of Coeur d'Alene's history with the local Indian Tribes.
Coeur d'Alene itself has a rich culture that many of the locals take pride in with multiple art shops and popular local coffee shops lined up along it's main street; "Sherman Avenue." There is also a small park right on the street itself called Sherman Square where local artists and musicians can play in the summer. One of the local burger grills named "Hudson's Hamburgers" towards the west end of Sherman is one of the cities oldest businesses being over 100 years old with it's burgers being recognized by many burger enthusiasts as well as in multiple books, magazines and even being featured on food network. During holiday seasons, the old fashioned light poles and sidewalk trees are lit-up with festive lights to illuminate the street at night.
Airports
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 (64 km) to the west in Spokane, WA. Coeur d'Alene also has Pappy Boyington Field Airport (KCOE) which is a general aviation airport located in Hayden, north of the city near Highway 95.
Utilities
The city of Coeur d'Alene provides for municipal water, sewer & stormwater management, street lighting and garbage collection. Verizon provides local phone service, while Time Warner Cable provides cable television. Avista Utilities provides natural gas and electricity to the area.
Events and attractions
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 (3.9 km) swim in Lake Coeur d'Alene, followed by a 112-mile (180 km) bike, finishing with a 26.2-mile (42.2 km) run.
Coeur d'Alene holds the Christian Youth Theater CYT North Idaho headquarters.
Annually in June, CdA hosts "Car d' Alene," where all the hot cars both new and old, come out to display themselves for admiration and bragging rights.
The local college art program had a campaign called "Moose on the Loose," where local artists and college art students painted and decorated a dozen or so life size moose statues with various colors and accessories. After their beautification, they were auctioned off to local businesses as a fundraiser. Their locations range from downtown near Sherman Ave. to Government Way on the CdA/ Hayden boundary. The moose have become both a town landmark and a popular scavenger hunt item.
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.
Coeur d'Alene is a shortlisted town, for when APEC next meet in the U.S.A
Coeur d'Alene and the surrounding area also provides many other recreational opportunities, such as: mountain biking, hiking, camping, fishing, hunting, etc.
Every year in November, the Friday after Thanksgiving marks the start of Coeur d'Alene's Christmas Lighting Ceremony in which ensue a parade, fireworks and special holiday candles given out by the local downtown businesses.
In popular culture
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 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 Lake (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.
Coeur d'Alene is the fictional home of Lisa Kimmel Fisher (character played by actress Lily Taylor) from the HBO series Six Feet Under.
Coeur d'Alene is mentioned in the lyrics "Everything is frozen north of Wichita, I'm standing in this truck stop in Coeur d'Alene" in the Gary Jules song "Wichita."
Coeur d'Alene is mentioned in the song Wings by Josh Ritter.
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".
