Deb Castellan grew up in the Garden District of Coeur d’Alene. 

She loves the well-kept homes, quiet tree-lined streets, green lawns, even a few white picket fences. 

Best of all, of course, are the people.

“This is not just any neighborhood,” Castellan said on a recent sunny day. “People talk with people. It looks and feels like a neighborhood should.”

She laments one thing: Being gone too long.

For decades, her career took her away from her hometown. But when Castellan retired in 2013, she knew where they wanted to go: The Garden District.

“I want to live in my old neighborhood,” she told a real estate agent. “I want to know my neighbors.” 

She soon bought a 1906 home at Ninth Street and Garden Avenue, and it’s been everything she hoped. 

In the winter, she slips on her Sorrels and walks a few blocks downtown for dinner. When fall rolls around, she strolls the neighborhood to admire the changing colors of the leaves. Come spring, she rides her bike on the nearby North Idaho Centennial Trail to Higgens Point. For summer, Lake Coeur d'Alene is a short stroll away.

“It’s perfect,” she said. “It's just exactly what I wanted.” 

Castellan, president of the Garden District board, was part of the team that worked on the district's successful effort to be listed in the National Register of Historic Places. 

A celebration is scheduled this weekend, with walking tours from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday and an unveiling of a National Register of Historic Places plaque during a celebration from 1 to 3 p.m. Sunday at Phippeny Park.

It was a long process over several years of confirming facts, counting buildings, taking pictures and documenting information. 

In the end, it was worth it. 

“It pulled the neighborhood together,” she said. 

She recalled when the historical designation first came up in conversation, some were leery it could limit their property rights. 

“We had to get people onboard to know we are not trying to restrict what you do to your home," Castellan said. "It doesn’t change what we can do in terms of the neighborhood.” 

When it was official and the Garden District was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in late April, Castellan called pretty much everybody she knew. 

“We wanted to be able to say, 'This is our district,' and now we could,” she said. “We aimed to get this and we did it. It took us forever, but we did it." 

Castellan said they want to keep the momentum going. A mix of people are arriving in Coeur d'Alene excited about where they live. The Garden District is unlike any other, she said.

“People move here because they like the hometown feel,” Castellan said. 

She said in some areas, people live in homes for years and never get to know their neighbors. That's never been the case in the Garden District, where people know each other.

“It’s really home for us," Castellan said.