NY Times Assignment America: Sandpoint, Idaho
Sandpoint, Idaho, hugging the edge of Lake Pend Oreille, is bucking a major demographic trend: In an era when many rural places are bleeding out, this one is holding its own.
Sandpoint, 400 miles from Boise, and 70 miles from Canada, is bucking a major demographic trend: In an era when many rural places are bleeding out, this one is holding its own. In the all-important sweepstakes of the West — where are people going, and staying — Bonner County, population 41,000, beat out Denver, Seattle, Silicon Valley and other booming urban hot spots, according to census figures. Only 13 other counties in the West did better last year in the net measure of drawing newcomers and holding on to the ones it had.