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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

CdA touted for young retirees

Coeur d’Alene is one of the top 10 places to retire young, according to picks released online Thursday by Money magazine and the head of Portland-based Sperling’s BestPlaces.

Money Magazine’s Web site, CNNMoney.com, featured the lakeside North Idaho city along with other U.S. locales offering “thriving economies and plenty to do,” according to the online package. Other top picks in the West include Anacortes, Wash., and Logan, Utah.

“Non-French-speaking types tired of figuring out how to pronounce the name of this nice spot in Idaho simply call it ‘CDA,’ ” according to the site. “No matter. Barbara Walters loves it here, as do the natives who never tire of the city’s babbling brooks and stunning scenery.”

Bert Sperling, head of Sperling’s Bestplaces chose places to fit “retirees whose lifestyle is active and engaged,” according to an article on CNNMoney.com. Each selected town was located near a “sizable city or urban cluster” that includes an airport and cultural activities.

Kenn Gimbel, president of the Coeur d’Alene Association of Realtors, said this is just the latest time Coeur d’Alene, population 38,388, has garnered national media attention.

“I think there’s quite a few people who understand the vast difference in lifestyle once they make a move to Coeur d’Alene or visit Coeur d’Alene,” he said.

But Jonathan Coe, president and general manager of the Coeur d’Alene Area Chamber of Commerce, said national exposure doesn’t have the effect it once did.

“We’re no longer being discovered,” he said. “A lot of people know we’re here.”

It’s tough to track how much national exposure affects the city, although his organization will probably see an increase in inquiries, Coe said.

The Inland Northwest is still a mystery to many East Coast residents, and this type of attention benefits both North Idaho and Spokane, said Harry Sladich, president and CEO of the Spokane Regional Convention and Visitors Bureau.

“I subscribe to the attitude that any additional coverage is great for our region,” he said. “We, being Spokane, have longed enjoyed the assets of North Idaho. I think we all realize you have to fly into Spokane Washington, to get to north Idaho, and we’re all beneficiaries of that.”

While the online package states the median asking price for homes as $311,700, the Coeur d’Alene Multiple Listing Service states the median was $208,400 for homes sold in the Coeur d’Alene and Dalton area during the six-month period ending Feb. 28.