Dirt cheap. Inexpensive land, energy and miles of fiber-optic cable make Grant County, Wash., attractive to big business

Just a couple of hours west of Kootenai County, there’s an industrial boom in progress that may be the largest in the history of the Inland Northwest.

Inexpensive energy and miles of unused fiber-optic cables, combined with dirt-cheap dirt have made Grant County one of the most attractive sites for a variety of industrial and high-tech industries, and with only about 140 miles of flatland freeway separating North Idaho from the central Washington cities of Moses Lake and nearby Quincy, the benefits could easily extend to this area’s economy.

"We’re both on I-90, and we both benefit from through tourists," said Jonathan Coe, president of the Coeur d’Alene Chamber of Commerce. "People coming from the west heading to national parks, or coming from the east going to Seattle might stop here."

By RICK THOMAS
Staff writer

Full Story: http://www.cdapress.com/articles/2006/09/18/business/bus01.txt