Kootenai County is a strong conservative/libertarian county in Idaho.
It is the third most populous county in Northern Idaho (Idaho Panhandle). According to the 2010 Census the county's population is 138,494.[1]
Coeur d'Alene is the largest city and the county seat.[2]
Kootenai County is east of Spokane, Washington.
Like most Idaho counties Kootenai is mostly conservative Christian libertarian, but not as conservative as its northern Idaho neighbors, Boundary County which vote conservative 85% of the time, and Bonner County, Idaho which votes conservative 80% of the time.[3]
"According to The Kootenai County Sheriff's Office completed processing 2,830 concealed weapons permit applications last year, which is 10 times more than seven years earlier. The number of permit applications increased every year since 2007, except from 2013 to 2014, when the number decreased by 3 percent. The numbers provided Monday by the sheriff's office to The Press are the numbers of permits approved each year, except for those applications submitted in December or later that are still being processed for approval. "It's crazy how much they've increased since 2007," said Undersheriff Dan Mattos. According to the numbers, 2,830 were processed last year, compared with 2,928 approved in 2013. There were 293 approved in 2007. The numbers show more people taking action to ensure their personal safety."[4]
Kootenai County Commissioner David Stewart also has a concealed weapons permit, and open carries a pistol and holster to public meetings.[5]
Coeur d'Alene National Forest and Kaniksu National Forest cover portions of this county and also extend beyond the county's borders.