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The Idaho panhandle—locally known as North Idaho, Northern Idaho, or simply the Panhandle—is a salient region of the U.S. state of
Idaho Idaho ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest and Mountain states, Mountain West subregions of the Western United States. It borders Montana and Wyoming to the east, Nevada and Utah to the south, and Washington (state), ...
encompassing the state's 10 northernmost counties: Benewah, Bonner, Boundary, Clearwater,
Idaho Idaho ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest and Mountain states, Mountain West subregions of the Western United States. It borders Montana and Wyoming to the east, Nevada and Utah to the south, and Washington (state), ...
, Kootenai, Latah, Lewis, Nez Perce, and Shoshone (though the southern part of the region is sometimes referred to as North Central Idaho). The panhandle is bordered by the state of Washington to the west,
Montana Montana ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is bordered by Idaho to the west, North Dakota to the east, South Dakota to the southeast, Wyoming to the south, an ...
to the east, and the Canadian province of
British Columbia British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that ...
to the north. The Idaho panhandle, along with Eastern Washington, makes up the region known as the Inland Northwest, headed by its largest city,
Spokane, Washington Spokane ( ) is the most populous city in eastern Washington and the county seat of Spokane County, Washington, United States. It lies along the Spokane River, adjacent to the Selkirk Mountains, and west of the Rocky Mountain foothills, south o ...
. Coeur d'Alene is the largest city within the Idaho panhandle. Spokane is around west of Coeur d'Alene, and its Spokane International Airport is the region's main air hub. Other important cities in the region include Lewiston,
Moscow Moscow is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Russia by population, largest city of Russia, standing on the Moskva (river), Moskva River in Central Russia. It has a population estimated at over 13 million residents with ...
, 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 , around 25.4% of the state's total land area; there is also of water area. As of the 2020 Census, the population of the Idaho panhandle was 363,642, around 19.8% of the state's total population of 1,839,106. The town of Bonners Ferry has two Canada–US border crossings: Porthill-Rykerts Border Crossing connects with Creston, British Columbia; Eastport–Kingsgate Border Crossing connects with Yahk, British Columbia.


History

The eastern border of Idaho follows the Bitterroot Range, producing the narrow northern border.


Politics

No resident of North Idaho has been elected
governor A governor is an politician, administrative leader and head of a polity or Region#Political regions, political region, in some cases, such as governor-general, governors-general, as the head of a state's official representative. Depending on the ...
since the re-election of Cecil Andrus (D) in 1974. An
Oregon Oregon ( , ) is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is a part of the Western U.S., with the Columbia River delineating much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while t ...
native raised in Eugene, Andrus had lived at Orofino and was a resident of Lewiston when first elected in 1970. ( Boise was his residence during his later campaigns of 1986 and 1990). The most recent member of the U.S. Congress from the panhandle is Compton I. White Jr. (D) of Clark Fork, last elected in 1964. North Idaho leans Republican, as does the state as a whole. Latah County, home of the
University of Idaho The University of Idaho (U of I, or UIdaho) is a public land-grant research university in Moscow, Idaho, United States. Established in 1889 and opened three years later, it was the state's sole university for 71 years, until 1963. The un ...
in
Moscow Moscow is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Russia by population, largest city of Russia, standing on the Moskva (river), Moskva River in Central Russia. It has a population estimated at over 13 million residents with ...
, is the only one of the region's 10 counties that does not. While Bonner County is also strongly Republican, the tourist town of Sandpoint located in the county is somewhat more centrist. The panhandle has traditionally been one of the strongest areas for Democrats in statewide elections, largely because of its unionized miners and a smaller Mormon 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 a right-to-work law. Additionally, the influx of conservatives from Southern California beginning in the 1970s, many of whom were retired LAPD officers who chose to move to Coeur d'Alene, also shifted the politics of the region. In the 1990 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 from 1982 through 2006; Keith Allred received 30.9% in Northern Idaho vs. 32.9% statewide in
2010 The year saw a multitude of natural and environmental disasters such as the 2010 Haiti earthquake, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, and the 2010 Chile earthquake. The 2009 swine flu pandemic, swine flu pandemic which began the previous year ...
, A.J. Balukoff received 36.5% in Northern Idaho vs. 38.6% statewide in
2014 The year 2014 was marked by the surge of the Western African Ebola epidemic, West African Ebola epidemic, which began in 2013, becoming the List of Ebola outbreaks, most widespread outbreak of the Ebola, Ebola virus in human history, resul ...
, Paulette Jordan received 34.6% in Northern Idaho vs. 38.2% statewide in 2018, and Stephen Heidt received 16.8% in Northern Idaho vs. 20.3% statewide in 2022. Notably, anti-government activist Ammon Bundy came in second place with 20% of the vote in 2022.


Attractions

* Bird Aviation Museum and Invention Center * Clearwater River * Idaho Panhandle National Forest * Kootenai River *
Lake Coeur d'Alene Coeur d'Alene Lake ( ), is a natural dam-controlled lake in North Idaho, located in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. At its northern end is the city of Coeur d'Alene. It spans in length and ranges from 1 to wide with over ...
* Lake Pend Oreille * Lookout Pass Ski and Recreation Area * North Idaho College * Priest Lake * Schweitzer Mountain * Snake River * Silver Mountain * Silverwood Theme Park *
University of Idaho The University of Idaho (U of I, or UIdaho) is a public land-grant research university in Moscow, Idaho, United States. Established in 1889 and opened three years later, it was the state's sole university for 71 years, until 1963. The un ...


Geography and climate

The Idaho panhandle 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. Though the Idaho panhandle is at the same longitude as southwestern 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 of Washington State University) with Moscow (home of the
University of Idaho The University of Idaho (U of I, or UIdaho) is a public land-grant research university in Moscow, Idaho, United States. Established in 1889 and opened three years later, it was the state's sole university for 71 years, until 1963. The un ...
); and Clarkston 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 on U.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).


Regional agriculture

The North Idaho region is most noted for silvaculture, the growing of trees and the production of lumber through the region's 12 lumber mills. The production of grass seeds and
hops Hops are the flowers (also called seed cones or strobiles) of the hop plant ''Humulus lupulus'', a member of the Cannabaceae family of flowering plants. They are used primarily as a bittering, flavouring, and stability agent in beer, to whic ...
for
beer Beer is an alcoholic beverage produced by the brewing and fermentation of starches from cereal grain—most commonly malted barley, although wheat, maize (corn), rice, and oats are also used. The grain is mashed to convert starch in the ...
production are also significant in the region. Nine microbreweries have operations in the area, making North Idaho highly characteristic of the
Pacific Northwest The Pacific Northwest (PNW; ) is a geographic region in Western North America bounded by its coastal waters of the Pacific Ocean to the west and, loosely, by the Rocky Mountains to the east. Though no official boundary exists, the most common ...
. There are also many cattle ranches. Notable crops from the
Palouse The Palouse ( ) is a geographic region of the northwestern United States, encompassing parts of North Central Idaho, north central Idaho, southeastern Washington (part of eastern Washington), and by some definitions, parts of northeast Oregon. ...
region include wheat, lentils, peas, and
canola file:CanolaBlooms.JPG, Close-up of canola blooms file:Canola Flower.jpg, Canola flower Rapeseed oil is one of the oldest known vegetable oils. There are both Edible oil, edible and industrial forms produced from rapeseed, the seed of several ...
.


Native American 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 * Lenore *
Moscow Moscow is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Russia by population, largest city of Russia, standing on the Moskva (river), Moskva River in Central Russia. It has a population estimated at over 13 million residents with ...
* Orofino * Post Falls * Rathdrum * Sandpoint * St. Maries * Wallace


References


External links


Visit Idaho.org
- official state site - North Idaho
U.S. Forest Service
- official site - Panhandle National Forests

- Washington State Historical Society {{coord, 47, N, 116, W, format=dms, display=title, type:country_region:US-ID Regions of Idaho