The Tiny Community In Idaho That's Unlike Any Other In The World

Those that know of the town know it from the historic Farragut State Park, memories of the former Farragut Naval Training Station, or - if you've read this previous post - the unique submarine research that takes places here at the U.S. Navy's Underwater Acoustic Research Detachment.

Located on the Southwest end of Lake Pend Oreille, Bayview is a small, quiet town along and on the water. The town is home to its famous "Bayview Daze" every July, consisting of a street parade, a lighted boat parade, pancake breakfast, street fair, and 4th of July fireworks. People from all over Northern Idaho and Eastern Washington come to join in on the festivities, as well as enjoy the bounty of outdoor recreation.

Lake Pend Oreille is famous for its crystal clear waters and plunging depths, after all.

Historically, the stunning floating neighborhood started building along the shoreline in the early 1900s.

The original floating homes were simple fishing shacks used to shelter Kokanee salmon fishermen. The homes were connected to the shore by crude walkways, and ruggedly built on cedar deck rafts that could be moved along the lake. As fishing, boating, and vacationing on the lake became more popular, more float homes appeared in all of the marinas. The homes were decked out, spruced up, and built up through all 5 of the Bayview marinas, no longer as mobile as in the past. Thus, permanent docks stretched into the bay from the shoreline and the homes connected to the city's main systems.

And a community is exactly the right term for it! This year, and in years prior, heavy snowfall has threatened the stability of some of the floating homes, and residents have banded together to battle flooding, toppling boats, and more.

New homes are no longer allowed to be built in the marina - only expanded upwards, and improved upon, so long as the original bluebrints remain the same.

Want to grab some takeout without leaving the water? Take the drive-through at the Floating Patio. Looking for a historical gem? Check out the Bayview Lime Kilns.