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Home                       Vol  IV   Issue 10         March 10, 2009                     Previous Issues

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Scenic Coeur d'Alene, Idaho Boasts Small Town Ambiance, Rugged Landscape, Healthy Living and High Quality of Life

Cost of Living:  Above the National Average

 

International Retirement Spots

 

 

Active Retirement

 

 

Real Estate for Retirement

 

 

Active Adult

 

 

Master Planned Communities

 

Shopping is plentiful, with more than 310 restaurants, trendy shops and art galleries dotting the quaint, trendy downtown.  The Plaza Shops is an upscale enclosed mall and the site of book signings, fashion shows, concerts and art displays.  Five-star restaurants, wine shops, bookstores, large retailers, antique stores, box stores, brew pubs and coffee houses are all here (and the beautiful new library is a treat), but for those in need of even more shopping options, big-city fun and cultural amenities, Spokane, Washington, with its theaters, malls, restaurants and museums, is just 35 miles to the west. 

 

 

The lake along which the town is nestled is the center of activity here.  With 135 miles of shoreline, it brings out boaters, parasailers, water skiers, fishermen and anyone else who enjoys the water (a boardwalk and picnic areas near downtown welcome those who prefer to stay on dry land).   The massive Coeur d'Alene Resort and its championship golf course (with a floating 14th hole and voted by Golf Digest as America's most beautiful resort golf course) is spread along the lake's horizon and makes for an impressive backdrop.  The views from anywhere on shore are indeed spectacular, with steep, rugged mountains seeming to jut out of the amazingly blue water.  

 

During winter months, residents ice fish on the frozen lake and snowmobile, cross country ski and snowshoe across hundreds of miles of nearby mountain trails.  Two downhill ski resorts are also within close proximity.

For a small city, health care is quiet good.  The primary care facility is Kootenai Medical Center (337 beds and home to the respected Kootenai Heart Center), a winner of the Five-Star Hospital award and named a Top 100 Hospital, in a survey of 2,000 hospitals nationwide, by Cleverley and Associates.   Spokane  is also home to several major hospitals. 

Senior services are provided through the Area Agency on Aging and by the Lake City Senior Center (208-667-4628), founded in 1983, which has the mission of "providing for the nutritional, social and educational needs of citizens age 60 and better." 

Coeur d'Alene is located on I-90 and US Highway 95, so it is accessible, but it is still "way up there" and can feel a little isolated.   The Spokane International Airport has daily non-stop flights to all major hubs, and the Coeur d'Alene Airport accommodates small private aircraft.   North Idaho Community Express travels to and from neighboring towns.

Crime rates meet the national average.

Retirement in here has a few drawbacks.  One may be the winter weather, which can bring 80 inches of snow in a season and last from October to April.   January temperatures average in the low 20s, and the humidity averages 45%,  but summers are glorious with average temperatures rarely rising above 85 degrees (the elevation is 2,187 feet).  Coeur d'Alene is also a popular tourist spot, and summer traffic is thick and heavy.   To those from larger cities, retirement here may feel a bit too far off the beaten path.   

For anyone in search of a healthy lifestyle, a cooler clime and a scenic mountain location, though, Coeur d'Alene is a gem and should be on the list of potential retirement destinations. 

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Great Retirement Spots Newsletter is published four times a month by Webwerxx, Inc.  2770 S. Elmira St., #152, Denver, CO  80231. (303) 358-0512.  Copyright © 2006-2009.  All rights reserved.  No part of this electronic publication may be reproduced without the express written consent of Webwerxx, Inc.  All attempts were made to verify the accuracy of the information contained in this bulletin, but some information may have changed since publication. Webwerxx, Inc. cannot be held responsible for information that has changed since this publication appeared online.  Please contact us at staff@greatretirementspots.com if you have questions or comments.  


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