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Letter Re: Relocating to Bonner's Ferry, Idaho
Jim,
When I sell my place in Coeur d' Alene, I will be looking to relocate in the
Bonners Ferry area. Is there anything that I should be aware of? Are there
any areas to avoid other than property near the railroads?. Thank You and
Best Regards, - John
JWR Replies: I highly recommend the Bonner's Ferry area as
a retreat locale. Railroad tracks are indeed a key issue in both Bonner County
and Boundary
County. (It
is confusing
to
first-time
visitors
to the area, but Bonner's Ferry is in Boundary County.) It seems that
most of the private land in both counties with river frontage are either
right on
the highway, or right on the railroad tracks. (Or both!) If I lived there,
I would worry about the railroad tracks as both an additional "line
of drift" and a derailment hazard. (And I dislike hearing close-by trains.)
Some train traffic "funnel" areas,
especially Sandpoint, get a
huge
volume of rail traffic. Three major rail lines pass through Sandpoint. Bonner's
Ferry has similar traffic--up
to 40 trains a day.
Another key issue in north Idaho is home siting. Elevation and exposure are
crucial to have a viable gardening season. Some properties at 2,500
feet and southern or western exposure only have snow
that
"sticks"
for three month of the year. But if you were to buy a higher elevation
property with a northern-facing home site, then you might have snow for 6+
months
of the year!
I recommend that you contact Todd Savage, a real estate agent that formerly
had an office in Sandpoint, but recently opened a new office in Bonner's
Ferry. (He was with Coldwell Banker, but went independent.) Todd specializes
in retreat
properties. He is one of the few real estate agents that I've met who really
"gets it"--both in terms of self-sufficiency and defendable terrain.
On a recent consulting
trip, I spent some time with Todd and walked a 150+ acre
property, near Bonner's Ferry that is presently on the market. It has exceptional
privacy, plenty of timber, some decent pastures, and two different creeks running
through
it.
It has
US Forest Service land on three sides and already has an off-grid (PV-powered)
squared-log house. The house has a really nice exposure. There
is plenty of wild game. One nice thing is that this property sits a half
mile back from the highway, and it is nowhere near any railroad tracks.
It is just
about ideal for a semi-remote retreat. You can contact Todd Savage via e-mail:
toddsavage47@gmail.com or via cellular phone: 208-946-1151.
