I found three articles in the Calgary Herald recently (I know there are more articles, I only read these 3). It seems that Calgarians are loving the Coeur d’Alene Idaho area. There are plenty of reasons why, that is for sure!
Calgarians flock to little slice of heaven
Calgarians have known what Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, has to offer for years. Located just 661 kilometres (411 miles) from Calgary, the beautiful lakeside city has long been a destination of choice for Alberta vacationers and outdoor enthusiasts — and with good reason. It’s an idyllic way of life, and one that is attracting Calgarians in growing numbers.
Buyers discovering hidden treasures
In Alberta, the name Mike Meldman probably means very little to most people — but in the U.S. resort development world, he’s right up there. Meldman, president and CEO of Discovery Land Co., is in the business of creating resort properties out of nothing. The newest development for Meldman is on the far shore of Lake Coeur d’Alene in Idaho, a 280-hectare golf resort on a bluff of basalt — rock that is formed during volcanic eruptions — that goes by the unromantic, but nonetheless intriguing, name of Gozzer Ranch.
Developer puts together pieces of land ‘puzzle’
Marshall Chesrown is the guiding hand behind Black Rock Developments — which, with at least seven projects, is one of the largest residential land developers in the Coeur d’Alene/Sandpoint area. “I could never figure out why this area had not grown like Sun Valley or Lake Tahoe,” says Chesrown.
Filed under: About the Area, For Buyers | Tagged: black rock, canadians love coeur d'alene, discovery land co, gozzer ranch, lake coeur d'alene, mike meldman, north idaho real estate, tom fazio
Marshal, Really I thought you were brighter than that! This area is not like Lake Tahoe for a number of reasons. No. 1 – within 2 hours driving distance of Lake Tahoe there are over 10 million people with over 60 percent of that population being highly educated with high paying white collar jobs. There are over 14 world class ski resorts which average over 20 feet of snow annually and they average 3500 feet of vertical. There is the bluest most beautiful lake in the world, surrounded by national forests with hiking, biking and boating, not to mention world class golf courses.
Lake Coeur d’Alene by comparison is brown and in the middle of a Superfund site, although we don’t like to talk about that dirty little secret! We don’t have world class skiing and the infrastructure to support skiing is abysmal with a distinct lack of hotels,condos, shopping and world class restaurants proximate to what paltry skiing opportunities exist. THAT’s why Lake Tahoe is what it is and Coeur d’Alene is not.
Cheryl –
Frankly I agree with Marshall’s thoughts. I also ask that you provide backup to the stats you posted (ie, population and demographic information). The whole “14 world-class” ski resorts is a pretty big exaggeration. While there are a lot of ski resorts in that area, the majority of them are not even close to world-class. I do agree that Tahoe is a beautiful lake.
Lake Coeur d’Alene (over Lake Tahoe) has been given the distinction of the most beautiful alpine lake in the world (National Geographic) despite it’s proximity to the CDA River Basin Superfund Site.
We have skiing that is on par with (and some better than) Colorado and the Alps (just asking Conde Nast, Ski Magazine and a host of other Winter Sports specific companies and magazines). The wonderful benefit to our skiing is that there isn’t infrastructure to support (yet) extensive hotels and condo’s – keeping it pristine and not over-run with crowds of people. There are many people around the world who have skied on our hills (as well as hills throughout the world) and they rank our hills very high (over most of CA’s hills to be honest). For more information on these – visit any of the winter sport magazine websites and review their articles about the area.
As far as hiking, biking and boating, Idaho boasts being one of the top states for the most national/state owned land for outdoor enthusiasts – we offer significantly more than California or Nevada (well, Nevada has more national/state owned land but it’s flat and barren).
When it comes to golf courses – I’m guessing you aren’t aware of Jack Nicholas, Tom Fazio, Jim Engh, Scott Miller, Gene Bates – all very well known golf course designers – all designers of golf courses surrounding Coeur d’Alene (with more courses to come). All of these courses received (and continue to receive) extensive awards and recognition nationally and world-wide.
Marshall knows what he is talking about. He has a vision for the area that is big – and I respect that vision.