- Post Falls has the most homes in the county, and a third as many places to eat per home as downtown Coeur d'Alene
About 10,800 Post Falls homes earn $75,000 or more, the most of any ZIP code here because it is the biggest. The city had 92 places to eat and drink at the last federal count, or 4.6 for every 1,000 homes.
Post Falls · November 13, 2026 - Mountain West Bank opens its headquarters in the old Spokesman-Review building
The Coeur d'Alene bank paid $9.5 million for the four-story building on Northwest Boulevard in 2024. Its headquarters and a branch are now open there.
Coeur d'Alene · November 11, 2026 - What went up in Post Falls: a 151-room hotel, 24 pickleball courts and a run of drive-thrus, side by side
The city has added about 8,100 people since 2020. Here is where the new buildings landed: the west side by the state line, the Highway 41 side, the old mill by the river and the prairie to the north.
Post Falls · November 11, 2026 - Two reasons growth does not pay for itself in Kootenai County, and they are not the same
One is about how we build. The other is about a state law. Cities here point at both, and fixing one does nothing for the other.
November 11, 2026 - Thirteen golf courses, one county: what each one costs, who can play, and what is in the clubhouse
Kootenai County has a floating green, a casino course that bills itself as the top public course in Idaho, a nine-hole par 3 that takes dogs, and four clubs you need a membership to see. Here is the whole list, with 2026 prices from each course's own page.
November 11, 2026 - The Post Falls mayor's plan: the city says it will be $16.8 million short every year by 2035
Mayor Randy Westlund's draft plan names four ways to close the gap: run leaner, bring in more money, cut services and change state law. He is asking residents to weigh in before he takes it to the City Council.
Post Falls · November 10, 2026 - Kootenai Health is cutting 80 jobs
North Idaho's largest employer says rising costs, led by a $60 million-plus jump in its yearly drug bill, are behind the cuts. Workers are being told this week.
Coeur d'Alene · November 10, 2026 - New Chipotle opens Wednesday on Neider Avenue
Doors open at 10:45 a.m. Nov. 11 at 167 W. Neider Ave. in Coeur d'Alene.
Coeur d'Alene · November 10, 2026 - What the Hagadone companies own, and how far their reach goes
The county's daily newspaper, the resort, the floating green, 1,600 boat slips and $225 million in land. A look at the public record on one of Coeur d'Alene's best-known companies.
November 8, 2026 - What Kootenai County's businesses do, what we're missing, and who's opening and closing
Builders, loggers, real estate agents and coffee stands are everywhere. Shoe stores, temp agencies and psychiatrists are scarce. A full look at the county's 6,221 businesses with employees.
November 8, 2026 - Kootenai County runs on drive-thru coffee: the stands, mapped
We've found 59 parking-lot espresso stands so far, and only a handful belong to national chains. Here's who runs them and how long they've been pouring.
November 8, 2026 - Most espresso companies in Kootenai County didn't last. Here's what the state's records show
Of 42 businesses with "espresso" in their company name, the state has dissolved 31. Half of those were gone within about two years.
November 8, 2026 - What's going up: 24 commercial projects under construction in Kootenai County
Two hotels downtown, a small hospital in Post Falls, a new temple, a new Rathdrum City Hall and a new SEL factory. Here is every active commercial project we found, mapped.
November 8, 2026 - Who lives in Coeur d'Alene: the renters' city on the lake
Four in 10 Coeur d'Alene households rent, the most of any city we cover. Homes are smaller here, and more of the neighbors are new from out of state.
Coeur d'Alene · November 5, 2026 - Who lives in Hayden: a city of homeowners
Three in 4 Hayden households own their home, and most are married couples in single-family houses. Here's who your neighbors are.
Hayden · November 5, 2026 - Who lives in Hayden Lake: older, settled and well off
Hayden Lake has the oldest neighbors and the highest typical income of any city we cover. It's small, so the survey numbers are rough, but the picture is clear.
Hayden Lake · November 5, 2026 - Who lives in Rathdrum: young families, and the most Idaho-born neighbors
Rathdrum has the biggest share of households with kids of any city we cover, and more of its people were born in Idaho than anywhere else we looked.
Rathdrum · November 5, 2026 - Who lives in Dalton Gardens: big lots, long-settled neighbors, pricey homes
Dalton Gardens has the priciest homes and the fewest households with kids of any city we cover. Many neighbors have been in the same house for decades.
Dalton Gardens · November 5, 2026 - Who lives in Athol: owners, mobile homes and the lowest prices we found
Athol has the lowest home values and typical income of any city we cover, and about 1 in 5 homes is a mobile home. It's small, so the numbers are rough.
Athol · November 5, 2026 - Who lives in Post Falls: the youngest of the cities we cover
The typical Post Falls resident is 35, the youngest of any city we cover. One in three homes has kids, and more neighbors rent here than in most of the county.
Post Falls · November 5, 2026 - How Post Falls grew: from a sawmill on the river to the county's next big city
Post Falls has grown almost twentyfold since 1970 and is on track to pass Coeur d'Alene. Here's what's being built, what homes cost, and what all that growth is doing to the roads, the sewer plant and the river.
Post Falls · November 5, 2026 - How Dalton Gardens didn't grow: the orchard town that kept its one-acre lots
Hayden grew more than thirteenfold since 1970, based on 2025 population estimates. Dalton Gardens, right next door, grew about 60%. Here's how a town of acre lots and septic tanks stayed small while the county boomed around it.
Dalton Gardens · November 5, 2026 - How Rathdrum grew: from the first county seat to homes on the prairie
Rathdrum had 741 people in 1970. Today it's past 13,000, up 44% since 2020 alone. Here's what's being built, what homes cost, and what the growth means for Lakeland schools and the roads.
Rathdrum · November 5, 2026 - How Athol grew: the town that stayed small while Silverwood and US-95 grew around it
Athol is home to Silverwood Theme Park, but it's still a town of about 700. Five-acre lots and no city sewer kept it that way. The growth landed just outside the city line.
Athol · November 5, 2026 - How Hayden grew: from orchard crossroads to a city of 17,000
Hayden has grown more than thirteenfold since 1970, and its biggest neighborhood, Hayden Canyon, is still going up. Here's what's being built, what homes cost, and the sewer fight that comes with growth.
Hayden · November 5, 2026 - How Coeur d'Alene grew: from an Army fort on the lake to a city of 58,000
Coeur d'Alene is more than three times the size it was in 1970, but the towns around it are now growing faster. Here's what's rising downtown, what homes cost, and what's happening to the roads and schools.
Coeur d'Alene · November 5, 2026 - How Kootenai County grew: five times bigger since 1970, and almost all of it from people moving in
The county has gone from 35,000 people to nearly 192,000. Here's where the newcomers come from, what happened to home prices, and what the growth is doing to roads, water, sewer and schools.
November 5, 2026 - How Hayden Lake grew: the resort town that stayed small
The city of Hayden Lake has fewer than 700 people, barely changed since 2020. Here's how a Spokane getaway became a quiet lake town, what homes cost, and why its sewer is tangled up with Hayden's growth.
Hayden Lake · November 5, 2026 - One county, a lot of neighbors: who lives where in Kootenai County
A young renter in Coeur d'Alene, a family of five in Rathdrum and a retired couple in Hayden Lake all call this place home. Here is how the towns differ, street by street.
November 4, 2026
