Coeur d'Alene

Coeur d'Alene is the seat of Kootenai County. I-90 passes through east-west and US 95 connects the city north and south.

Coeur d'Alene, like many places in the Northern Region, received its name from French traders. They applied the term, meaning "sharp-hearted", to a group of local Native Americans (who had their own name, Scheechu'umsh).

Fort Coeur d'Alene, later Fort Sherman, was erected in 1876. The city burgeoned around the stockade after the 1883 discovery of silver, lead and zinc, then the mining boom of 1884.

Today Coeur d'Alene, population about 35,000, is a recreation destination fronting on beautiful Coeur d'Alene Lake. The area also boasts grass seed farms, lumber mills and facilities producing manufactured homes and electronic gear.

Points of interest include a 3,300-foot floating promenade on the lake, perhaps the world's longest. Idaho's oldest public building, Mission of the Sacred Heart, is nearby. Coeur d'Alene National Forest, Kanisku National Forest and St Joe National Forest are also nearby.