I can't imagine anyone even noticing a pig farm in DOWNTOWN Rathdrum. Nevermind on the outskirts of town.
To sum up Rathdrum as a community... It looks as if the local honky tonk just up and grew into a town. Even the town church has a neon cross on the steeple.
I imagine that there was lots of talk about "controlling sprawl" which of course is nonsense because Rathdrum is the northern end of Post Falls, the western end of Hayden, and the eastern end of Spokane.
LOL! I used to play in a band in a Rathdrum honky-tonk (the Shady Rest - wonder if it's still there?) and you are absolutely correct.
This is all about how the community deals with/cashes in on an influx of affluent and aging population from California and Seattle (and elsewhere, of course) that wants to establish a rural enclave with all the amenities of downtown San Diego. On somebody else's dime because that's how it's done.
I dunno - my property taxes have doubled in five years south of Sandpoint and it's getting a little irritating to hear the newcomers bitch and moan. No, I don't want to turn that elk pasture into a soccer field so little Bobby can live out his daddy's adolescent fantasies. Leave it be.