Sandpoint is a city located in Bonner County, Idaho. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 6,835. The city is the county seat of Bonner County.
Sandpoint's major industry is tourism and recreation, thanks to its proximity to scenic Lake Pend Oreille and Schweitzer Mountain Ski Resort. It is also home to the headquarters for the mail-order clothing catalog Coldwater Creek.
Sandpoint is located at 48°16'32" North, 116°33'33" West (48.275603, -116.559151).
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 12.3 km2 (4.7 mi2). 10.1 km2 (3.9 mi2) of it is land and 2.2 km2 (0.8 mi2) of it is water. The total area is 17.72% water.
Geologist J. Harlan Bretz was the first to recognize evidence that this area was created by the periodic rupturing of ice dams (sometimes reaching heights of 2,000 feet) in what is now refered to as the Missoula Floods.
As of the census of 2000, there are 6,835 people, 2,873 households, and 1,680 families residing in the city. The population density is 676.7/km2 (1,750.9/mi2). There are 3,188 housing units at an average density of 315.6/km2 (816.7/mi2). The racial makeup of the city is 96.24% White, 0.12% African American, 1.01% Native American, 0.41% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 0.47% from other races, and 1.71% from two or more races. 2.46% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There are 2,873 households out of which 31.7% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.5% are married couples living together, 13.8% have a female householder with no husband present, and 41.5% are non-families. 34.5% of all households are made up of individuals and 14.1% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.29 and the average family size is 2.94.
In the city the population is spread out with 25.8% under the age of 18, 9.8% from 18 to 24, 26.9% from 25 to 44, 22.0% from 45 to 64, and 15.4% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 36 years. For every 100 females there are 87.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 83.2 males.
The median income for a household in the city is $32,461, and the median income for a family is $41,596. Males have a median income of $35,533 versus $20,795 for females. The per capita income for the city is $20,643. 18.0% of the population and 14.9% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 27.9% of those under the age of 18 and 5.1% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.
The Flathead Indians of Montana built encampments on the shore of Lake Pend Oreille every summer, fished, made baskets of cedar, and collected huckleberries before returning to Montana in the fall. The encampments ended before 1930.
In the 1880s the Northern Pacific Railroad brought European and Chinese settlement to the area.
In the 1990s nearby Coeur d'Alene and Hayden Lake attracted nationwide publicity when white supremacist Neo-Nazi groups (most notably the Aryan Nations) set up headquarters in the area. Many Sandpoint residents reacted negatively to such groups; some formed the Bonner County Human Rights Task Force in opposition. In 2001 the Aryan Nations lost a lawsuit filed against them. The lawsuit bankrupted the organization and forced them to give up their Hayden Lake property and disband.
Source:
Sandpoint, ID
HOTELS • REAL ESTATE • JOBS