The Coeur d'Alene region takes its name from that given the local natives by French fur trappers.

Canadian fur trade came to the region starting in 1809, marking the tribe's first contact with Europeans.

Christian missionaries would follow with the first Christian meeting officiated by Father Nicolas Pointe on the north bank of Coeur d'Alene Lake at its junction with the Spokane River on December 2, 1842.

[4] The Mullan Road was constructed through the area in 1859 with the route originally running on the southern side of Coeur d'Alene Lake.

Mullan's men celebrated Independence Day of 1861 at Fourth of July Canyon east of Coeur d'Alene.

[5][6] The Idaho Territorial Legislature created Kootenai County on December 22, 1864.

A county government was not immediately organized as a result of lack of significant settlement in the region.

Kootenai County contained 81 residents at the 1864 Census of Idaho Territory.

[9] At the 1870 census, the region was reported under Nez Perce County as the Kootenai District with 31 residents.

[12] After almost 17 years of existence, Kootenai County finally organized on July 9, 1881.

[16] Clarksville, Hayden Lake, Huetter, State Line, and Eddiville were all incorporated in 1947.

At the time of the Coeur d'Alene Mission's establishment, the territory of Kootenai County was claimed by both the United States and Britain.

Kootenai County is part of the Inland Empire in the Idaho Panhandle.

[32] The changing demographics of the county and region have altered the political landscape of the community and can be viewed as part of a nationwide ideological polarization trend.

[33] North Idaho had once been made up of largely progressive districts populated by a significant proportion of union laborers who worked the mines in the Silver Valley; these districts moderated, particularly in the 1980s, after mine and mill closures and union busting, and they had more competitive elections until the late 20th century.

[33][32][34][35] Coeur d'Alene is among a small group of cities in the United States that has elected a socialist mayor; they elected John T. Wood, a Socialist Party of America member, to office in 1911 on a campaign platform of clean water, better health and sanitation standards, and anti-corruption.

[36] Since the high-growth period beginning in the 1990s, continuing outmigration of conservatives from the west coast states has made elections in the two-party system less competitive over time as the newer residents see the city as a place that represents their social and political values, which are sometimes more conservative than the city as a whole.

[32][35] Many of the new migrants to the state of Idaho came from California, which accounted for over half the net in-migration between 1992 and 2000 and three of the top four counties that had out-migration to Kootenai County were from the birthplace of modern American conservatism in southern California–San Diego, Los Angeles, and Orange.