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Welcome to Lewiston!

Located at the confluence of the Snake and Clearwater Rivers, it’s no wonder that life here revolves around the water. Named after half of the famed Lewis & Clark duo, Lewiston is a vibrant city, population just shy of 32,000. The residents of Lewiston are proud of their home, its rich traditions, thriving economy, and are equally happy to share the bounty.


A Place to Float Your Boat

When Meriwether Lewis and William Clark made their way through the area in 1805, the landscape was much the same as it is today although today you won’t see many canoes in the river. Instead, locally manufactured high-tech jet-boats, and tugs loaded with grain heading to the Pacific Rim have taken their place.

More than 13 boat manufacturers are located in Lewiston and the surrounding area area. No wonder it’s called the jet-boat capital of the world! “In the aluminum jet boat industry this is an amazing place – right out my backdoor I have a river and in five minutes we are in the river testing products and taking people for demonstration rides,” said Steve Stajkowski, owner of SJX Jet Boats.

Located 465 miles from the Pacific Ocean, the Port of Lewiston is the most inland seaport on the West Coast, and supports Whitman County Washington – the largest grain producing county in the country. The Columbia-Snake River system has inland barge service that transports bulk commodities and containerized cargo. 

“The majority of what we ship is paper products manufactured by Clearwater Paper, peas and lentils grown in the area, and container loads of wheat,” said Dave Doeringsfeld, Port Manager.

The area is also famous for soft white wheat -- a commodity used for crackers and noodles in Asian countries along the Pacific Rim. “Everything we grow within a hundred miles radius is exported overseas,” said Doeringsfeld. “The port allows us to cater to export markets.”

The Port of Lewiston provides the largest crane, warehouse facility and grain storage on the inland river system, and plans to expand the container dock will double its loading capacity. This will allow new business opportunities with oversized cargo from three different areas: heavy cargo to the oil sands area in Alberta; Canada, the second largest oil reserve in the world right now, wind turbines built overseas destined for the midwest, and coal equipment destined for Wyoming.

Business Climate

Lewiston isn’t only a pretty face – it’s a dynamic hard-working region with more than 110 manufacturers. 

Two munitions manufacturers in Lewiston are doing a bang-up business; in fact, one just announced (2009) it will add another 90 employees, in part due to sizable government contracts. Howell Machinery has outgrown its downtown location, prompting a move close to the airport.

And Clearwater Paper, formerly Potlatch, has been a cornerstone business for the area, according to Debbie Baker, Business Relations Specialist with Valley Vision and the economic development office for the Valley.

The Lewis-Clark Valley has also been discovered as an excellent location for renewable energy. “Puget Sound Energy Wind Farm will hire 300 workers and be up and running by August 2009,” said Baker. “All the EPA testing is done and their office is almost finished.”

A good number of manufacturers located in Lewiston are in Idaho’s growing “rec-tech” sector. The Idaho Department of Commerce defines “recreational technology” as a cluster of 17 different industries, including the manufacturing of outerwear; sporting and athletic goods; search, detection, navigation, guidance, aeronautical, nautical systems and instruments; and boat building.

Businesses looking to relocate in Lewiston have a good supply of shovel-ready building sites in the Port District, and the area around the airport. Zoned land, available industrial and research parks, utility capacity, natural resource management and transportation have all been addressed in planning for new industry and population. 

The Valley has a number of established companies with the capacity and interest in providing production or services under contract, and/or to enter into joint projects with other companies. “Valley Vision can help with one-stop sourcing,” said Baker.


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Lewiston Quick Facts

Workforce

The Lewis-Clark Valley has a stable and quality workforce, in fact, 35,000 people are in the labor force blending their skills, talents and expertise to create a productive environment for business.

Two universities, a four year college and a community college provide a diverse curriculum in continuing education for employees of growing businesses. Many programs are available for employers to train employees in groups as small as five, and there are financial resources to support training.

Valley Vision and the North Idaho Manufacturers Association are working together to develop programs for senior high students to be trained in order to be employable right out of high school. Other instruction available in conjunction with the regular high school curriculum is the CAD program training which equates to jobs with smaller manufacturers.


Distance to Major Cities in the Pacific Northwest

  • Portland, Oregon: 335 Miles
  • Seattle, Washington: 318 Miles
  • Spokane, Washington: 110 Miles
  • Missoula, Montana: 218 Miles
  • Boise, Idaho: 273 Miles

An Eye on the Future

Sascha Albrecht, executive director of Beautiful Downtown Lewiston, has her focus on turning Lewiston's quaint historic downtown into a valuable and revitalized social and shopping destination.  First year projects include developing a web site for news, events, available properties, business information, and launching a monthly Alive After 5 event.

 “The next two years we will focus on establishing an inventory of available downtown properties and current businesses, continue to support rehabilitation efforts for historic buildings, and strengthen mixed use development by encouraging second level housing growth,” Said Albrecht.

One such business owner is Michelle Witthaus of Northwest Media Productions. Witthaus needed to expand the business and began looking for a larger space. "We briefly contemplated building, but decided we really wanted something that had a lot of character and soul," said Witthaus.

The unoccupied Pinch Building in downtown Lewiston caught her eye. The renovation began July 2007 and was finished fall 2008.

All Work and No Play...

Even though Lewiston is a mere 200 miles from the Canadian Border, residents are quick to point out they have an exceptional climate with hundreds of sun-filled days to allow for the plethora of recreational opportunities available, including year-round golf. Hiking, camping, fishing, skiing, biking and watersports are a stone's throw from the largest contiguous wilderness area in the lower 48 states. This area includes the Salmon River (the famous "River of No Return"), Selway-Bitterroot, Gospel Hump, Mallard-Larkings, Sawtooth, and Eagle Cap Wilderness Area.

Granite Lake is known for uncrowded waterways perfect for sailing and waterskiing. Hell's Canyon, North America's deepest river gorge (deeper than the Grand Canyon by more than 3,000 feet) is accessible by jet-boat and inflatable raft. Dworshak Reservoir is home to a houseboat community; Winchester Lake State Park has 211 acres of campsites, yurt and canoe rentals, and nature trails.

Washington, D.C. may have bragging rights for their cherry trees, but Lewiston is home to the month-long Dogwood Festival, celebrating the hundreds of trees and vibrant blossoms that grace the area each spring. Community events are a year-round affair-from Newcomer's Club coffee dates, to the prestigious NAIA Baseball World Series held annually.