Idaho Panhandle

The Idaho Panhandle is the northern region of the U.S. State of Idaho that encompasses the ten northernmost counties of Benewah, Bonner, Boundary, Clearwater, Idaho, Kootenai, Latah, Lewis, Nez Perce, Shoshone. Residents of the panhandle refer to the region as North Idaho. The southern part of this region from Moscow south is sometimes referred to as North Central Idaho, with the rest as North Idaho. The panhandle is bordered by Washington state to the west, Montana to the east and British Columbia to the north.

Coeur d'Alene is the largest city within the Idaho panhandle; however, nearby Spokane, Washington is the region's largest city and also the location of the regional airport, Spokane International Airport (GEG). Other important cities include Lewiston, Moscow (home of the University of Idaho), Post Falls, Hayden, Sandpoint, and the smaller towns of St. Maries and Bonners Ferry. East of Coeur d'Alene is the Silver Valley, which follows Interstate 90 to the Montana border at Lookout Pass.

The region has a land area of 21,012.64 square miles (54,422.49 km²), or 25.39 percent of Idaho's land area; there is also 323.95 square miles (839.07 km²) of water area. The estimated population of the Idaho Panhandle as of 2004 was 295,160, or slightly more than 21% of Idaho's estimated population of 1,393,262. The 2000 census number was 278,866 residents, or 21.55% of the state's population at the time.

The Idaho Panhandle region observes Pacific Time north of the western-flowing Salmon River in the southern part of Idaho County. The rest of the state to the south observes Mountain Time, which begins at Riggins. The reasons for the different time zones, even though cities and towns in North Idaho are at the same longitude as their southern Idaho neighbors, are: one, because the main media market that covers the entire region is out of Spokane, which is on Pacific time; and two, there are many cross-border connected towns and cities. Of the latter, the two biggest are Spokane with Coeur d'Alene, and Clarkston with Lewiston, Moscow (University of Idaho), and Pullman (Washington State University). Unlike the Idaho-Montana border, which consists of a long mountain range, and much of the Idaho-Oregon border, which is the Snake River, there isn't a natural boundary between Idaho-Washington. The panhandle is isolated from the southern part of the state due to the east-west mountain ranges that naturally separate the state. Had the border been made today the Panhandle of Idaho would be part of Washington due to local geography.

The Automobile Association of america (AAA) separates Idaho into 2 parts where the Panhandle is part of AAA Washignton and the southern part is part of AAA Oregon/Idaho

History

The Idaho Panhandle was originally created when the Montana Territory was organized from the Idaho Territory in 1864.

When the seat of territorial government was moved to Boise from Lewiston in late 1864, it was thought that the panhandle region was hard to govern. A proposal was made to make the northern part of the state its own state. The proposal failed, but was attempted again in 1901. This time it was proposed to join the panhandle with Eastern Washington to form the "State of Lincoln", but failed a second time. To this day there is a once-per-generation talk of either the Panhandle joining Washignton or the Panhandle, Eastern Washington and possibly Eastern Oregon forming a 51st state. As an olive branch to North Idaho, the University of Idaho was placed in Moscow in 1889.

Influence

Although the Coeur d'Alene area has experienced growth, southwestern Idaho has grown at a faster pace.

North Idaho has not elected a governor since Cecil Andrus (D) in the 1970s (Andrus, an Oregon native, was a resident of Orofino; Boise was his residency during his later campaigns), or a member of the U.S. Congress since Compton I. White, Jr. (D) in the 1960s.

Attractions

• Panhandle National Forests
• Priest Lake
• Lake Pend Oreille
• Lake Coeur d'Alene
• Kootenai River
• Silverwood

Indian reservations

• Coeur d'Alene Indian Reservation
• Kootenai Indian Reservation
• Nez Perce Indian Reservation

Major communities

• Bonners Ferry
• Coeur d'Alene
• Dalton Gardens
• Grangeville
• Hayden
• Kellogg
• Lewiston
• Moscow
• Orofino
• Post Falls
• Rathdrum
• Sandpoint
• St. Maries

External links

• Visit Idaho.org - official state site - North Idaho
• U.S. Forest Service - official site - Panhandle National Forests
• History of the Columbia Region Territories- Washington State Historical Society