Wallace Idaho Today

Today's Wallace is much different than historic Wallace. Although mining and lumbering are still a big part of our economy, neither is anything like the boom town industries that they were in the first part of the 20th century. Today historical tourism and outdoor recreation are becoming more and more important each day, as more people from far away become aware of the fascinating charm of the town (with its three museums, mine tour and melodrama) and the unlimited possibilities for mountain adventure all around it in a county where 80% of the forest is public land and the population density is 5 people/mile˛.

This page shares information on what the outside world has had to say about us recently, and also provides access to the civic and promotional organizations that shape our future.

The Center of the Universe in Wallace, Idaho
 :
click to buy Danny Wallace and the Centre of the Universe from Amazon.com
Silver Summit 2008 will be held in Coeur d'Alene and Wallace on September 18-21, 2008. This sixth annual meeting of silver enthusiasts will again gather mining company CEO's, investors, and pundits together from around the world to discuss silver mining, silver stocks, silver investments, silver strategies, silver as money, and the future of silver in society.
click for information on Silver Summit 2008
Reprise with Photos

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click to see the current weather at Lookout Pass
current weather on Lookout Pass

 
In High Prices, Moribund Mines Find a Silver Bullet.
By WILLIAM YARDLEY
Published: April 3, 2008, New York Times

The high price of silver has revived an Idaho mining community, where miners are, once again, the backbone of the local economy.

WALLACE, Idaho — The strangest thing happened here in the Silver Valley as it began the transformation from historic mining camp to yet another Western confection of ski slopes and condos for newcomers with money. The real estate market slowed, and the price of silver soared.

Two condominium projects under construction in Kellogg, just west of Wallace, are stalled, while once-struggling or -shuttered mines like Lucky Friday, Galena and the historic Sunshine Mine have been revived and are expanding into the hillsides.

Though real estate developers continue to have faith in the area for the long term, speculators who maneuver for land these days may well want to build underground. Miners are feeling less like fading local color and more like the backbone of the local economy.

“This is the Silver Valley, not the Tourism Valley,” Greg Riley, a miner who takes an elevator 5,900 feet down into the earth each workday, said between sips of beer at the Metals Bar and Lounge. “I’ve actually had people right here in this bar say to me, ‘Oh, they still mine here?’ ”

continue reading....

 

Wallace is starting to get noticed on the internet as a place where people should consider buying a second home.

According to a May 30, 2003, article at CBS.MarketWatch.com, Wallace is ranked 24 in a list of the top 30 places in the nation where prospective second-home purchasers can find the best value for their money. Andrew Schiller, a Ph.D. in geography and operator of neighborhoodscout.com, has compiled a database that includes census, crime and other statistics, and allows prospective homebuyers to plug in search criteria to research communities nationwide.

    "Focusing on mountain and coastal areas, Schiller looked for places that were not congested, had some residents with a college-level education, a mix of rentals and owner-occupied houses, good public schools, low levels of crime, and a good price point relative to other houses in the area. ... Also on the list is Wallace, Idaho, 'framed in by national forest lands,' Schiller said. 'It had all of these characteristics pegged terrifically and it had a median house value of $63,000.'"

 
 
The 80 page "Best of Boise 2002" issue of the decade old Boise Weekly announced that according to its readers, the BEST CITY IN IDAHO IS WALLACE!
 
    "In 1890, Wallace -- tucked away in a valley in Idaho's Panhandle -- was the third largest town in Idaho. But the Great Fire of 1910 wiped out a third of it. The good news is that townsfolk rebuilt with brick and stone -- lovely buildings that remain today. In a region of Idaho that has suffered greatly from economic slowdowns in the timber and mining industries, Wallace kind of hops. It may be the closest thing Idaho has to an intact, compact metropolitan grid where people actually want to be. A bit of trivia: Wallace gets more rainfall than any town in Idaho; the volcano drama, Dante's Peak, was filmed there, and old Interstate 90, which ran through town before it was rerouted, had the only highway stoplight between Seattle and Boston."
 
Wallace Chamber of Commerce
Visitors' Center
I-90, Exit 61
10 River Street
Wallace, Idaho 83873
phone/fax (208) 753-7151
location on aerial photo
A comprehensive view on the present economic situation and future business opportunities in Wallace may be obtained from the Silver Valley Economic Development Corporation
703 Cedar Street
Wallace, Idaho 83873
(800) 523-7889          fax machine: (208) 556-2351
(208) 752-5511          cell phone: (208) 691-3301
Silver Valley Economic Development website
Friends of the Coeur d'Alene Trails
 
The Friends of the Coeur d'Alene Trails promotes, educates, encourages and assists in the development and maintenance of the Trail of the Coeur d'Alenes and other bicycle trails in the region.
The Silver Valley Mining Association is a corporation dedicated to promoting the Silver Valley of northern Idaho and its mining industry. Their mission includes informing the public of the history and merits of the region, serving various beneficiary needs of the mining industry, and serving those who work in the industry and the investing public.
click to learn about the Silver Valley Mining Association

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Wallace History
October 08, 2017
Wallace Festivals
August 16, 2018
Recreational Opportunities
November 23, 2015
Photo Album
December 29, 2003
Wallace Business
August 06, 2018
Relocation Information
January 17, 2018
Wallace Homepage
August 06, 2018
Today's Weather
(updated every hour)
January 02, 2018
Dates indicate when the content or structure of a page was modified. This MODERN Wallace page was last modified on October 10, 2008.

 

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Marsh Scientific Services


 
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Wallace is at the center of a universe filled with mountain recreation and Old West history that you will want to visit more than once. Please tell me what you would like to see on this and other pages at my Historic Wallace Idaho webworks.
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Greg Marsh, Ph.D.
    doing business as
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last update on Friday, October 10, 2008