The Sandpoint Community
LAKES, MOUNTAINS AND RIVERS … music, art and culture. Those are the images many people have of Sandpoint, Idaho, our town of barely 10,000 people located in the tip of the Idaho Panhandle only 60 miles south of the Canadian border. That image has been amplified around the country, as the town has for years attracted national media attention. Among the media’s accolades, Sandpoint was judged “Most Beautiful Town in the USA” in a national contest by USA Today and Rand McNally. Sunset Magazine named Sandpoint one of the West’s “best small towns,” while National Geographic Adventure labeled it a great adventure town, and Outside magazine listed it among 20 “dream towns.” Bracketed by the Selkirk and Cabinet mountain ranges, home to the Schweitzer ski resort and set right on the shores of magnificent Lake Pend Oreille, Sandpoint offers outstanding recreation in all four seasons.
But Sandpoint also has a vibrant community culture that abounds with music, the performing arts, and is home to may visual artists who share their work through art galleries and frequent showings and receptions. Scroll down for a community profile.
Sandpoint History
The historic homeland of the Kalispel Indian tribe, Sandpoint began to experience white settlement when fur trappers built a trading post on the Hope peninsula in 1809. Succeeding eras brought mining, steamboats and then construction of railroads in the late 1880s. Sandpoint was incorporated in 1901 and grew for decades as a logging town; in the 1940s a trophy trout fishery in Lake Pend Oreille brought renown, and founding of the Schweitzer ski area in 1963 propelled the town into a four-season recreation destination.
Sandpoint Today
Sandpoint is now a vibrant community, rich in arts and culture. The population of the city, as of the July 2025 census update, is 10,635. As the county seat, Sandpoint also services much of Bonner County, population 54,420. A wide range of people make up the Sandpoint community; many are native residents – 30 percent were born in Idaho – but most were born elsewhere, relocating after experiencing Sandpoint’s friendly atmosphere and beautiful setting.
- See 35-plus years of our town at Sandpoint Magazine
What we look like
Surrounded by heavily forested mountains and nestled on the shore of the state’s largest lake, Sandpoint is known for its exceptional natural beauty. The town itself is attractive with many buildings of architectural distinction, several nice parks including City Beach and bustling events that reflect the vigor of the community.
- See imagery on Visit Sandpoint Instagram
Weather
The weather in Sandpoint changes dramatically throughout the year, creating four distinct seasons. Summer temperatures, such as in July, reach average highs in the 80s and lows in the 40s. On occasion, the mercury spikes to 100, making it an ideal time to take advantage of the lake. Fall is a popular time for camping and sports activities; temperatures are cooler with long Indian summers, and the autumn leaves and beautiful weather make it the preferred season for many residents. Winter in Sandpoint revolves largely around Schweitzer Mountain Resort, which boasts an average annual snowfall of 300 inches. Winter temperatures in January, for example, average 26 degrees. The Spring thaw brings warm weather and rushing creeks, making it a popular time for sports such as hiking and whitewater rafting. The rapid weather shift also offers the unique chance to ski in the morning in the mountains and golf in the valleys in the afternoon.
- See current National Weather Service forecast
local government
The City of Sandpoint is governed by a mayor and six city council members. Together they manage the city’s general operations, control the budget and oversee public safety, the planning department, and parks and recreation. Bonner County has three commissioners who oversee the courts, elections, assessor’s office, county roads, planning and the sheriff’s office.
- Go to website for City of Sandpoint
- Go to website for Bonner County, Idaho
schools
Lake Pend Oreille School District comprises Sandpoint High School – the largest of three high schools in the district – Clark Fork Junior/Senior High School, Lake Pend Oreille High School, Sandpoint Middle School and seven area elementary schools. Sandpoint High School serves around 1,400 students and is a focal point for the community, hosting sporting events, concerts and plays. In return, the Sandpoint community provides strong support for the education system through supplemental levies, private sponsors, scholarships and community support.
The Sandpoint area is also served by Forest M. Bird Charter Schools for students in grades 6-12.
Several private schools are also available, including: Sandpoint Waldorf School, serving preschool through 8th grade students; the Sandpoint Junior Academy, serving grades 1-10; the Sandpoint Community Christian School, serving grades K-10; and The Selkirk School, serving grades preschool-2.
As for higher education, North Idaho College is a comprehensive community college based in Coeur d’Alene, located 45 miles south of Sandpoint, that also has an outreach facility here, the NIC Sandpoint Center. The University of Idaho also maintains a Sandpoint Research & Extension Center.
Libraries
Sandpoint is blessed with an excellent library that has one of the highest per-capita circulation rates in the state, the East Bonner County Library. The main branch is right here in Sandpoint, located at 1407 Cedar Street, with a satellite branch in Clark Fork at 601 Main Street, and the Bookmobile, which stops at seven locations over the course of each week.
Renovated, expanded and improved in the past few years, the West Bonner Library District is the only other public library in Bonner County. It is located in downtown Priest River at 219 Main Street, and can be reached at 208-448-2207.
Community and civic organizations
Sandpoint is home to a whopping number of community-based nonprofit organizations – literally several hundred, across the spectrum of interests, from advocacy to the arts to youth and professional groups. Find listings for nonprofit groups in the Sandpoint Online Directory. One excellent resource to connect up with social aid organizations is the Community Resource EnVision Center, which offers some 350 resources for those in need, nonprofit connections and tools to volunteer.
Churches
The area has numerous churches and religious organizations, with more than 30 in Sandpoint alone and many more around the county. Churches provide a wide range of options for spiritual enrichment.
- Find churches in the Sandpoint Directory.
media & communications
For a small town, Sandpoint has a vigorous media environment. The area has one daily paper, the Bonner County Daily Bee, along with a number of regular publications and periodicals, including the weekly Sandpoint Reader, published each Thursday, and Sandpoint Magazine, our town’s biannual color glossy magazine published each May and November. Blue Sky Broadcasting operates multiple radio stations in Sandpoint, including KPND 95.3 FM, K102 FM and KSPT 1400 AM, featuring local news and talk shows, plus KRFY Community Radio at 88.5 FM, also with live streaming on their website.
transportation
Bonner County is home to some beautiful stretches of highways and roads, including the Pend Oreille National Scenic Byway, a 33.4-mile stretch on Highway 200 that contours around Lake Pend Oreille. Sandpoint is also the principal southern town on the International Selkirk Loop that circles up into souther British Columbia. For those planning a trip to Sandpoint there are a number of transportation options to get here. The Spokane, Washington International Airport, about 90 minutes by car, is the major hub; a number of car rental agencies serve the airport, as well as a handful are available in Sandpoint. Sandpoint also has Idaho’s only passenger rail service with an Amtrak station right in town. For getting around in town, the free SPOT bus operates daily.
- See transportation options in the Travel Center.
Labor market and major employers
The Sandpoint area labor market, once dominated by the mining and lumber industries, has now diversified and is home to large employers in several business sectors, including a growing number of manufacturers. The steady pace of construction and the real estate industry is also contributing to an increasing employment base. Though relatively smaller than it once was, the lumber industry is still a large employer in the area. Litehouse Foods, the salad dressing and specialty foods manufacturer, is one of the largest private employers in the county. Unlike most other parts of the nation, manufacturing companies here continue to develop and add jobs, contributing to a doubling in manufacturing jobs, from 1,171 in 1996 to an estimated 2,485 as of 2026. Major employers include Daher Aircraft, Unicep Packaging, Cygnus, Encoder Products and Kochava data analytics company. The Lake Pend Oreille School District is the largest public employer in the county.
- Click for U.S. Census Bureau labor force profile
Doing business in Sandpoint
Multiple groups provide resources for those interested in learning more about doing business in and around Sandpoint.
- Click for the Greater Sandpoint Chamber of Commerce
- Our primary economic development group is the Pend Oreille Economic Partnership.
- North Idaho College’s Small Business Development Center provides myriad coaching and support services.
- Search hundreds of local business in the Sandpoint Business Directory.
Arts in Sandpoint
Sandpoint is known as an arts town for good reason; we have an extensive network of artists, galleries and arts organizations. The visual arts are represented in several art galleries downtown, including the artists’ cooperative Artworks Gallery, and the Pend Oreille Arts Council. Major performing arts venues include the historic Panida Theater, The Hive and the Music Conservatory of Sandpoint, while the Festival at Sandpoint brings world-class music to its annual eight-concert summer series held under the stars at Memorial Field.
- Find all local arts groups and business in the Sandpoint Directory.