Some portions of rural Idaho that suffered
economically 15 years ago are doing well today. Formerly sleepy
spots like the Teton Valley are faced with exploding populations,
and Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, and Spokane, Wash., are growing together
along a corridor of development. But not all of Idaho is booming.
The state’s third Profile of Rural Idaho, a 33-page report with
color maps, charts and multiple demographic breakdowns, reflects a
“two-Idaho” phenomenon, says Richard Gardner, executive director of
the Idaho Rural Partnership, which helped produce the study. For
each trophy home, “there are probably half a dozen mobile homes
parked somewhere else less visible. When you read about increasing
income disparity in the U.S., rural Idaho is a good example of
that.” Fifteen counties lost population between 1997 and 1998, hit
by downturns in agriculture, timber and mining. The report says the
loss of jobs in higher-wage industries, such as wood products and
mining, is not eased by the increase in lower-wage jobs in tourism
or other service jobs. “There’s a sense of grieving in a lot of
rural areas; there’s a sense of loss,” Gardner says.
To obtain a copy of the report, contact the
Idaho Department of Commerce, 700 W. State St., P.O. Box 83720,
Boise, ID 83720-0093 (208/334-2470), or try their Web site,
http://www.idoc.state.id.us.
* Karen
Mockler
This article appeared in the print edition of the magazine with the headline Hard times in rural Idaho.
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