The story of Bonner County's I(.)D(.)

SANDPOINT — Bonner County bucked the most of Idaho’s growth trends over the past decade according to recently released detailed census results.

 While the past 10 years have brought about increased urban migration and, in eight counties, a decrease in rural population, Bonner County enjoyed modest growth, expanding by 12.4 percent.

“The area tends to be different from most rural communities,” Idaho Department of Labor representative Bob Fick said. “That’s thanks in large part to the presence of large companies like Coldwater Creek, Litehouse and Quest and the tourism-based economy.”

 Despite those factors, Sandpoint ranked close to the bottom of Bonner County cities in growth percentages, gaining 530 people since 2000. At an expansion of 7.8 percent, those numbers were good enough to rank the town 85th out of Idaho’s 200 cities in overall growth.

“If we’re using the state numbers as a benchmark, clearly Sandpoint under-performed,” Fick said. “I suspect Sandpoint was really stifled since the recession began.”

However, the slower growth wasn’t an entirely negative development for the Sandpoint, according to officials.

“It certainly isn’t bad growth, and Sandpoint made the top 100,” Fick said. “For the city, it might even be better because it’s more easily manageable.”

The big Bonner County performers over the decade were Dover, Kootenai and Ponderay. Dover jumped by 214 individuals to a total of 556 for 62.6 percent growth, Kootenai grew by 237 for a total of 678 at 53.7 percent growth and Ponderay added 499 people for a total population of 1,137, representing 78.2 percent growth.

According to Fick, Bonner County’s expansion is particularly heartening when considering Lake Pend Oreille School District’s increased enrollment during the 2010-2011 school year.

“That shows that growth hasn’t been limited to older, retired people,” he said. “Younger families have come in, and they tend to contribute toward a more vibrant economy.”

Rural contraction wasn’t the only Idaho trend Bonner County missed. Population ethnicity in the panhandle remained largely Caucasian at 96.4 percent, while other areas of Idaho experienced significant growth in Hispanic populations. Steady Hispanic migration contributed more than a quarter of Idaho’s overall growth, increasing from 100,000 in 2000 to a current 176,000. Some counties, especially in southern Idaho, would have suffered population losses without the Hispanic growth.

“I think the attraction in south Idaho is the dairy industry, which is a year-round operation,” Fick said. “That would draw Hispanic individuals and families who are looking for steady work and want to settle down somewhere.”