Sandpoint’s Survival Amazes NYTimes

A replica of the Statue of Liberty attracts at Sandpoint’s City Beach attracts visitors. (SR file photo: Kathy Plonka)

The New York Times visited Sandpoint to see why it is holding its own while economic forces today are turning other small western towns into ghost towns:

“But for some reason the center here is holding. Sandpoint, 400 miles from Boise, and 70 miles from Canada, is bucking a major demographic trend: In an era when many rural places are bleeding out, this one is holding its own. In the all-important sweepstakes of the West — where are people going, and staying — Bonner County, population 41,000, beat out Denver, Seattle, Silicon Valley and other booming urban hot spots, according to census figures. Only 13 other counties in the West did better last year in the net measure of drawing newcomers and holding on to the ones it had.” More here.

Question: How small was the smallest town that you’ve lived in, population wise?