anyone familiar with Idaho?

cityevader

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I'm considering relocating, possibly Idaho, but haven't got a clue what areas are what. I'm thinking the Boise area because it seems to have a balance of city/jobs (Ford mechanic) and mountains (fun).

Anybody know what areas or towns to look for/avoid?
 

airsix

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Idaho is almost like a continent for its varied climates, topography, and economies. There's something there for everyone. Boise is the strongest economy, so that would put it high in my rankings. Other parts of the state are prettier but if you can't make a living there...
 

entoptics

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There are only four "big" towns in Idaho. Boise area (Boise, Nampa, Caldwell, Eagle), Coeur d'Alene, Idaho Falls, and Lewiston. Boise is truly a big city, the others are around 50-100K.

Generally speaking Idaho is VERY conservative politically, but Boise is actually a fairly "hip" and modern town with lots of goods and services available for any type of person. It has very good weather generally, with fairly mild winters, but mid-summer can be pretty friggin hot. Humidity is very low though, so it's not as bad as the thermometers would have you believe. The economy there is in the tank because of the housing bubble, so house prices are incredibly low, but jobs are pretty scarce.

Coeur D'Alene is in the northern panhandle, in absolutely beautiful mountainous country, but the weather in the winter is gonna be snowy/wet for 7 months a year. Couple of really nice ski basins nearby if you're into that. Spokane, WA is only 30 minutes away, so anything you can't find in CDA is available there (concerts, big malls, etc)

Idaho Falls is on the eastern side of the bottom part of the state and is an "average" city in pretty much every aspect (not a bad thing). It's clean, comfy, and big enough to have goods and services for pretty much anyone. It's only a couple hours from Yellowstone and Teton national parks. It's colder in the winter than most places in Idaho, and summers can get pretty damn toasty, but it's quite dry there. In terms of "culture" (music, art, etc) there won't be much to see since they are so far from any major city (SLC, UT is about 4 hours away).

Lewiston is in the northern panhandle, on the WA/ID border. It's got a very mild climate, with hot summers, and is situated near mountains. At 700' elevation, it's the lowest point in Idaho, and the Snake River runs through there. The culture is pretty much non-existent, and there's a giant stinky paper mill there, but it's actually not a bad town. Hells Canyon (the deepest canyon in N. America) is just up the river, and there's lots of river activities nearby (fishing, jet boating, swimming, etc).

Despite the extremely conservative political nature of Idaho, the people tend to be very friendly and quite tolerant of just about any type of person. They have the classic western attitude of "You mind your business, I'll mind mine". It is an EXTREMELY "outdoors" oriented culture, and there is space enough for any kind of outdoor activity you could want (shooting, off roading, horses, hiking, hunting, and fishing) within an hour of any of the above cities. The majority of the central part of the state is wilderness areas, so if you're the kind of person who likes to lose themselves in the wild for a few days without being bothered by other people, you can't beat Idaho.

In short, Idaho is probably my favorite state. As mentioned, it has a huge variety of climates (desert to jagged peaks) and people (tree huggers to Nazis), and the space and attitude are ideal for anyone that relishes the freedom to move about and do your own thing. Unfortunately, Idaho's economy is in the tank like so many other places right now, so job opportunities may not be that good.

Good luck with your plans! Hope that helped.
 
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bullfrog

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Not sure, but I would avoid Northern Idaho if I were moving there - it has the highest concentration of "hate groups" in America.

My father used to travel to Boise quite often and always thought it was a nice city.

Good luck with your move!
 

entoptics

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Not sure, but I would avoid Northern Idaho if I were moving there - it has the highest concentration of "hate groups" in America.

The Nazis have a pretty big presence in North Idaho, but even so, it's still only a very small percentage of the people (1 in a 1000 or less). Not surprisingly, they tend to segregate themselves from the rest of the population, so their "footprint" isn't that big. They do leave hateful fliers on doors and cars, and occasionally cause some sort of stink, but for the most part, they are very marginalized. The vast majority of people consider them like athletes foot or poison ivy. An irritating itch, but something that has to be put up with.
 

Praxis

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Not sure, but I would avoid Northern Idaho if I were moving there - it has the highest concentration of "hate groups" in America.

Most of the hate groups were run off years ago. Even when they were operating, they rarely made their presence known. Northern Idaho is a beautiful area and definitely worth considering.
 

guiri

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Dunno anything about Idaho other than that they've got huntin' and taters but I HAVE seen that there is some land for sale in the Coeur d'Alene area which might be interesting to you.
Let me know if you want me to find those links for you
 

LEDAdd1ct

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When we were driving across America, I remember seamlessly passing into Idaho from Wyoming behind a bunch of motorcycles. Absolutely gorgeous terrain. Good luck with the possible relocation!
 

guiri

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Considering they MAKE taters in Idaho (in them big tater factories I've heard of), does not mean Idaho is flat and if so, isn't that kinda boring country? Jez asking mind you..

:sssh:
 

Hogokansatsukan

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Will be taking my bike (hell no, I don't pedel and you sure don't want to see me in spandex) from Tucson to Coeur d'Alene this summer. My partner retired and moved there, so figured I would have a leisurely motorcycle trip up there to see him. He loves it. Said the folks are friendly, concervative, and mind thier own business.
I might just not come back to Tucson.
 

mojospapi

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Went to Boise for a wedding last fall. Nice town. Ski/snowboarding about 2 hrs away. The city is clean. The people are nice. The pace is a little slow. No traffic. Clean air. I was surprised I didn't find a french fry joint in downtown.
 
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