Welcome to Priest River ...
The city of Priest River is located in the Idaho Panhandle.
Priest River is located in Bonner County<1> (at the time of its founding, Priest River was located in Kootenai County).
While we don't have a date for the founding of Priest River, you might get a feel for it by knowing that the earliest mention that we've found (so far) was in a book dated 1895.
A typical abbreviation for Priest River: Priest Riv.
From the Census Estimates for 2019, Priest River has a population of 1,896 people<2> (see below for details).
The community of Priest River is 2,170 feet [661 m] above sea level.<3> In other words, the elevation of Priest River is about ½ mile above sea level.
Time Zone: Priest River lies in the Pacific Time Zone (PST/PDT) and observes daylight saving time
Note: If you leave Priest River and travel east, you will leave Pacific Time and cross into the Mountain Time Zone (MST/MDT).
Telephone area codes for Priest River: (208) and (986)<4>
The ZIP code for Priest River: 83856<5>
Population Details ...
Taken from the 2019 Census Estimates, Priest River had an population of 1,896 people. This is an increase of 8.28% since the 2010 Census (or an increase of 8.1% since the 2000 Census).
At the time of the 2010 Census, Priest River had a population of 1,751 people. This makes Priest River the county's 2nd most populous community.
The population of Priest River represents 0.11% of the total population of Idaho (which has 1,567,582 people), making it the state's 63rd most populous community.
With a 2010 count of 1,751 people, the population of Priest River has remained roughly the same as the 2000 Census (with a count of 1,754 people).
More information can be found on the Census Page for Priest River.
Communities near Priest River ...
We have created a list of 10 communities that are near Priest River.
- Sandpoint
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sandpoint
- Sandpoint is located in Bonner County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 9,273 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Sandpoint <6>
- Spirit Lake
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Spirit Lake have been provided by the GNIS.<7> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spirit Lake
- Spirit Lake is located in Kootenai County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 2,559 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Spirit Lake <6>
- Newport
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newport
- Newport is located in Pend Oreille County (WA)
- Population from the 2020 Census: 2,266 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Newport <6>
- Ponderay
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ponderay
- Ponderay is located in Bonner County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,180 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Ponderay <6>
- Dover
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Dover have been provided by the GNIS.<7> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dover
- Dover is located in Bonner County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 968 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Dover <6>
- Athol
(18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Athol
- Athol is located in Kootenai County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 809 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Athol <6>
- Oldtown
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Oldtown have been provided by the GNIS.<7> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oldtown
- Oldtown is located in Bonner County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 205 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Oldtown <6>
- Laclede
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Laclede have been provided by the GNIS.<7> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Laclede
- Laclede is located in Bonner County
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Laclede <6>
- Wrencoe
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wrencoe
- Wrencoe is located in Bonner County
- Blanchard
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Blanchard have been provided by the GNIS.<7> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blanchard
- Blanchard is located in Bonner County
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Blanchard <6>
To Help With Your Genealogy Research ...
We have a couple of sections for those tracing their genealogy.
We created a list of cemeteries that are in the area around Priest River. Our list includes the location of those cemeteries and we provide an overhead view. See our Cemetery List for Priest River.
Using the information from an 1895 Atlas, we've created a list of communities that were in the area of Priest River. Our list includes information such as whether the 1895 community had a post office or railroad service. See our List of 1890's Communities around Priest River.
We also have a detailed list of newspapers that have been published in the area around Priest River. See our Newspapers Page for Priest River.
TripAdvisor Tourism Pages for Priest River ...
Looking for more information about Priest River? A wonderful source is the TripAdvisor website. We always start with the TripAdvisor Tourism page, where you can read an overview with links that will help you find lodging, restaurants and attractions.
In addition to the Tourism page for Priest River, there are neighboring communities that also have Tourism pages. More information about those communities can be found on our TripAdvisor Page for Priest River.
Adding Priest River to Our Gazetteer ...
We originally found mention of Priest River in both the FIPS-55 and the GNIS. For more information, see the FIPS and GNIS Codes sections on our Miscellaneous Page.
From our notes, the earliest published mention we've found for Priest River was in the book titled Business Atlas and Shippers' Guide (1895).
For more details, see References and Mentions for Priest River.
Off-the-Road Links ...
Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Priest River. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.
The official website for Bonner County: www.co.bonner.id.us/
The official website for State of Idaho: https://idaho.gov/
Footnotes ...
| <1> | If you're interested in how the shape of Idaho's counties, including Bonner, have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries. |
| <2> | Population counts have been provided by the U.S. Census Bureau. For more detail, please visit our Census Page for Priest River. |
| <3> | The elevation is an estimate for the area around Priest River - it will be higher in some places and lower in others. |
| <4> | Area code (986) is an overlay for area code (208). |
| <5> | ZIP Codes have been created by the United States Postal Service (USPS) as a way of grouping addresses to make delivery more efficient. The boundaries of the ZIP Code can be changed, re-assigned, eliminated or overlapped with other ZIP Codes. So keep in mind that any given ZIP Code is only 'loosely' associated with a city (such as Priest River). When looking for a ZIP Code, whether Priest River or elsewhere, it's always best to check the website of the United States Postal Service (USPS). |
| <6> | While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program. |
| <7> | The location has been supplied by the Geographic Names Information System - which is maintained by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). While these values should be definitive, we found that accuracy can vary and you should double-check the location if accuracy is required. |