Idaho panhandle | |
|---|---|
 Red: The ten counties of the Idaho panhandle | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Idaho |
| Largest city | Coeur d'Alene |
| Area | |
• Total | 21,012.64 sq mi (54,422.5 km2) |
| Population (2020) | 390,640 |
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1900 | 58,486 | — | |
| 1910 | 106,360 | 81.9% | |
| 1920 | 112,504 | 5.8% | |
| 1930 | 119,940 | 6.6% | |
| 1940 | 135,776 | 13.2% | |
| 1950 | 142,059 | 4.6% | |
| 1960 | 152,613 | 7.4% | |
| 1970 | 154,843 | 1.5% | |
| 1980 | 209,986 | 35.6% | |
| 1990 | 216,792 | 3.2% | |
| 2000 | 278,866 | 28.6% | |
| 2010 | 317,751 | 13.9% | |
| 2020 | 363,642 | 14.4% | |
| 2023 (est.) | 390,640 | 7.4% | |
| sources:[1] | |||
TheIdaho panhandle—locally known asNorth Idaho,Northern Idaho, or simplythe Panhandle—is asalient region of theU.S. state ofIdaho encompassing the state's 10 northernmostcounties:Benewah,Bonner,Boundary,Clearwater,Idaho,Kootenai,Latah,Lewis,Nez Perce, andShoshone (though the southern part of the region is sometimes referred to asNorth Central Idaho). The panhandle is bordered by the state ofWashington to the west,Montana to the east, and the Canadian province ofBritish Columbia to the north. The Idaho panhandle, along withEastern Washington, makes up the region known as theInland Northwest, headed by its largest city,Spokane, Washington.
Coeur d'Alene is the largest city within the Idaho panhandle. Spokane is around 30 miles (50 km) west of Coeur d'Alene, and itsSpokane International Airport is the region's main air hub. Other important cities in the region includeLewiston,Moscow,Post Falls,Hayden,Sandpoint, and the smaller towns ofSt. Maries andBonners Ferry. East of Coeur d'Alene is theSilver Valley, which followsInterstate 90 to the Montana border atLookout Pass.
The region has a land area of 21,012.64 square miles (54,422 km2), around 25.4% of the state's total land area; there is also 323.95 square miles (839 km2) of water area. As of the2020 Census, the population of the Idaho panhandle was 363,642, around 19.8% of the state's total population of 1,839,106.[2]
The town of Bonners Ferry has twoCanada–US border crossings:Porthill-Rykerts Border Crossing connects withCreston, British Columbia;Eastport–Kingsgate Border Crossing connects withYahk, British Columbia.
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The eastern border of Idaho follows theBitterroot Range, producing the narrow northern border.[3]
No resident of North Idaho has been electedgovernor since the re-election ofCecil Andrus(D) in1974. AnOregon native raised inEugene, Andrus had lived atOrofino and was a resident of Lewiston when first elected in1970. (Boise was his residence during his later campaigns of1986 and1990). The most recent member of theU.S. Congress from the panhandle isCompton I. White Jr.(D) of Clark Fork, last elected 61 years ago in1964.
North Idaho leansRepublican, as does thestate as a whole.Latah County, home of theUniversity of Idaho inMoscow, is the only one of the region's 10 counties that does not. While Bonner County is also strongly Republican, the tourist town ofSandpoint located in the county is somewhat more centrist.
| Year | Republican | Democratic | Third parties |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 72.3%145,376 | 25.3%50,821 | 2.5%4,990 |
| 2020 | 68.0%130,215 | 29.3%56,221 | 2.7%5,128 |
| 2016 | 64.0%96,440 | 26.7%40,261 | 9.3%14,018 |
| 2012 | 61.6%86,372 | 34.2%47,910 | 4.2%5,871 |
| 2008 | 59.0%86,309 | 37.8%55,301 | 3.2%4,621 |
| 2004 | 63.3%85,537 | 34.9%47,132 | 1.8%2,461 |
| 2000 | 64.1%74,113 | 30.1%34,777 | 5.9%6,783 |
| 1996 | 43.7%49,515 | 38.9%43,976 | 17.4%19,721 |
| 1992 | 33.2%36,383 | 36.9%40,478 | 29.9%32,861 |
| 1988 | 50.9%45,778 | 47.4%42,573 | 1.7%1,516 |
The panhandle has traditionally been one of the strongest areas for Democrats in statewide elections, largely because of its unionized miners and a smallerMormon population than Southern Idaho. However, it largely changed in the 1980s with the drop in silver prices, slump of metal markets, mine closures and passage of aright-to-work law. Additionally, the influx of conservatives from Southern California beginning in the 1970s, many of whom were retiredLAPD officers who chose to move to Coeur d'Alene, also shifted the politics of the region.[5][6][7]
In the1990 gubernatorial election, all counties were won by the incumbent Andrus, a popular moderate who easily won a fourth term. The Democratic nominee for Governor outperformed their statewide result in Northern Idaho in all elections from1982 through2006; Keith Allred received 30.9% in Northern Idaho vs. 32.9% statewide in2010, A.J. Balukoff received 36.5% in Northern Idaho vs. 38.6% statewide in2014,Paulette Jordan received 34.6% in Northern Idaho vs. 38.2% statewide in2018, and Stephen Heidt received 16.8% in Northern Idaho vs. 20.3% statewide in2022. Notably, anti-government activistAmmon Bundy came in second place with 20% of the vote in 2022.
| Year | Republican | Democratic | Third parties |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 61.5%83,808 | 16.8%22,852 | 21.8%29,657 |
| 2018 | 63.6%82,474 | 34.6%44,914 | 1.8%2,272 |
| 2014 | 54.1%49,700 | 36.5%33,517 | 9.4%8,589 |
| 2010 | 62.1%63,563 | 30.9%31,600 | 7.0%7,127 |
| 2006 | 50.1%48,204 | 46.8%45,065 | 3.1%2,945 |
| 2002 | 53.8%47,722 | 44.1%39,120 | 2.2%1,909 |
| 1998 | 64.0%54,829 | 32.7%28,064 | 3.3%2,830 |
| 1994 | 48.0%43,397 | 46.6%42,189 | 5.4%4,872 |
| 1990 | 29.7%20,616 | 70.3%48,880 | 0.0%0 |
| 1986 | 36.1%29,365 | 62.4%50,764 | 1.6%1,287 |
| 1982 | 42.4%30,423 | 57.6%41,412 | 0.0%0 |
The Idaho panhandle observesPacific Time north of the western-flowingSalmon River in the southern part ofIdaho County. The rest of the state to the south observesMountain Time, which begins atRiggins. Though the Idaho panhandle is at the same longitude assouthwestern Idaho, they have different time zones because (1) Spokane is the commercial and transportation center for the region, and (2) there are many cross-border towns and cities that are connected, including Spokane with Coeur d'Alene and Post Falls;Pullman (home ofWashington State University) with Moscow (home of theUniversity of Idaho); andClarkston with Lewiston.
The panhandle is isolated from southern Idaho by distance and the east–west mountain ranges that divide the state. The passage by vehicle was arduous until significant highway improvements were made onU.S. Route 95 in North Central Idaho, specifically at Lapwai Canyon (1960),White Bird Hill (1975), the Lewiston grade (1977), and Lawyer's Canyon (1991).
The North Idaho region is most noted forsilvaculture, the growing of trees and the production of lumber through the region's 12 lumber mills.[9] The production of grass seeds andhops[10] forbeer production are also significant in the region. Ninemicrobreweries have operations in the area, making North Idaho highly characteristic of thePacific Northwest. There are also many cattle ranches.
Notable crops from thePalouse region include wheat, lentils, peas, andcanola.
State ofIdaho | |
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Boise (capital) | |
| Topics | |
| Society | |
| Regions | |
| Larger cities | |
| Smaller cities | |
| Counties | |
