I don’t know how many times I have had to correct people that think Sandpoint, Idaho is in a different time sone than it is! There are obviously reasons behind why we are in a different time zone than what much of the rest of Idaho is in, but it doesn’t make it easy.
So what time zone is Sandpoint, Idaho in? Sandpoint, Idaho is in the Pacific Time Zone. This makes us on the same time as larger cities like Spokane, Seattle, Portland, and even San Diego and Las Angeles. However this likely won’t stop people that live in those cities from telling you that, that meeting is a certain time in mountain time.
Why is Sandpoint and North Idaho in the Pacific Time Zone?
Idaho is a bit of a strange state, in that the large portion of the state is down south, however the panhandle, which is much smaller is smaller! Because of this, during the time they were deciding time zones in the USA, our state was bunched in with two other states.
During that time, it was decided that all of the counties east of Washington would be in Pacific Time, including cities like Sandpoint, Coeur d’alene, and even down to Lewiston. Meanwhile all of the counties east of Oregon would be in Mountain Time. This would include our largest city Boise.
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Does this time zone difference cause issues?
I think the major issue I have run into, is trying to convince, and get people to remember that I live in the Pacific Time Zone, rather than Mountain Time. Most people tend to believe because we are so close to the Rockies, that we live in the Mountain Time Zone, however due to this strange way of having our time zone decided we are not.
Conclusion
Having our time zone in the Pacific Time, while the majority of the rest of the state is in Mountain Time Zone really is not too big of a deal, and is rather just an interesting note to be taken!
I hope this article though, helped you understand a little bit more about our time zone, and how it is split up!