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Hello,
I'm 19 years old, and I am moving to Boise with my family in just a FEW months. I'm a little nervous because California is all i've known. People are always asking "WHY IdAHO?" and i really dont know why myself, it scares me because i'm afraid that boise, culture and activities wise will go away. I mean in california there are many things to do, especially shopping. I've visited Boise now a couple of times and seen the BOD and well.. its not very big.. not to be mean or anything, its uncomparable to LA. I'm just worried that there isnt going to be much do... seriously, i could shop that center in like 1 day and be bored later. I'm into outdoors activites, but there is also no amusement parks. It just... it seems a little boring compared to california. Right now at least. So... Why DO YOU like living there.. other then the people are nice, and its pretty. What is there to DO? I'm also going to BSU, or hoping to... so what is BSU, college kids, like as well??
Sorry if i sound rude, its just a really big change.
When I was eight years old, my family decided to move from beautiful San Diego (Point Loma, even) to move to ... Fairbanks, Alaska. You cannot imagine a starker contrast or disruption. Boise is San Francisco compared to Fairbanks. But, looking back, I'm glad we did. I got to experience a world and a culture few people have, and made friends that have lasted me a life time. My suggestion to you would just be take a deep breath, and open yourself up to what your new situation has to offer. Boise will never be like LA, so put that out of your mind now. Don't keep reminding yourself that there's no Kitson, no Grove Mall, no Santa Monica beach there. You might have to do without fig gorgonzola pizza with a gluten-free crust for a while, but you'll adjust. Whatever you do, don't keep comparing the two places out loud to your new friends and acquaintances. It won't endear you to them.
Treat it as a growing experience, and you'll be fine. Best of luck.
The OP, sunberries, posted her plea 7 years ago, so I doubt she is still awaiting replies to help with her pending move. And, we really don't know if she made the move with her family or if those plans changed. The post she made back then is the only one she has made on this Forum, so we may never know the outcome. It would be nice to know what happened and if she did make the move, how did she like living in Boise.
Don't get me wrong, I loved your post, Telzey. Folks moving to a new environment (be it Boise, somewhere else in Idaho, or to any different and unfamiliar location), are usually a bit apprehensive about the coming changes. Your story and suggestions are spot on. As you said, "Treat it as a growing experience, and you'll be fine."
The OP, sunberries, posted her plea 7 years ago, so I doubt she is still awaiting replies to help with her pending move. And, we really don't know if she made the move with her family or if those plans changed. The post she made back then is the only one she has made on this Forum, so we may never know the outcome. It would be nice to know what happened and if she did make the move, how did she like living in Boise.
Don't get me wrong, I loved your post, Telzey. Folks moving to a new environment (be it Boise, somewhere else in Idaho, or to any different and unfamiliar location), are usually a bit apprehensive about the coming changes. Your story and suggestions are spot on. As you said, "Treat it as a growing experience, and you'll be fine."
Thank you for a great post.
pimit2 (Bob)
I look at boards like this as so many messages put in bottles and thrown into the ocean. It may take years to reach another shore. Doesn't mean you shouldn't answer them.
I'll be gentle. The OP is long ago, but this may help others.
What you are basically saying is what I have heard many times from many big city folk: "But what is there to DO?" It's common and normal, if a bit immature, because it expects the area to provide one with entertainment, rather than accepting the mature responsibility of entertaining oneself. Yes, surely Boise will provide less entertainment than LA, it being a fraction the size. You could not try all the restaurants in LA in a lifetime (and based on my experience there, you wouldn't want to bother; many suck). One could manage that here, with effort. You could probably go to a concert in LA every weekend and several weekdays, as often as you chose. Here, not so much.
One thing to consider is what you don't have. Are there areas of LA you wouldn't go to at any hour for any reason? Probably, unless Compton sounds like a fun-filled getaway. There is no such place in Boise. Crime is very low. Is LA big-city impersonal (often mistaken for unfriendliness)? Of course it is. That's how big cities are; people preserve their privacy, what little there is, by politely ignoring everyone unless there's a need. You might find it refreshing that all your interactions matter more. It might make you a better person, overall, more considerate of others. How are the taxes in CA? Are the laws oppressive, even quixotic? Right now, they are not very relevant to you. Soon they will be. Your burden of law and tax in Idaho is far less. And if traffic doesn't matter to you, it soon will. A Boise traffic jam is a minor inconvenience for an Angeleño. So, there are always tradeoffs. You are leaving behind some serious headaches.
So, you'll have to adjust. You'll have to get over the idea that California is all, and (if you imagine so) that 'flyover states' are nowheres populated by gun-toting Bible-thumping three-toothed Cletuses straight out of Deliverance. If you do not get over that--if you ever believed it to begin with--you'll be an unpopular snob, and you won't like Boise at all, because here no one is impressed with LA as a starting point, and they are better educated about LA than you probably are about Idaho. Most people won't prejudge you, but those who do will see it negatively, because of the stereotype. The LA stereotype is the selfish, self-absorbed Californian obsessed with fashion, image, frippery, style, and everything but reality, selling their spendy townhome in CA and buying their dream mansion for comparative peanuts, living high on the hog. You will not want to exemplify that in Idaho. People are prepared to believe you to be that, but open-minded enough to let you show your hand first.
Here's an analogy: remember American History X? I remember one point at which the confirmed white supremacist was in jail, and a black guy said to him: "In here, you da n****." The point is somewhat relevant here: you're starting at no advantage, and only not at a disadvantage because people here tend to take you as you present yourself, rather than just assume the worst. The irony is that this semi-apt analogy makes it sound like you're leaving freedom for jail, when in my opinion it's just the opposite. I see you as about to be sprung from the very worst hellhole in all the western US, absolutely bar none, and coming to freedom and peace and civility. And I was born in Anaheim. My annual pay rate to move back to LA would be about ten times what I can make in Boise. Less than that, they can pound sand; to live in hell, they'd have to throw money at me in bundles. I am fifty. I would rather make $40K here than $200K in LA. For $400K, I'd at least consider it. (I suppose Bakersfield would be worse than LA in some ways, but only because Bakersfield is Bakersfield.)
My take is that you either embrace a new area or reject it. If you look for the good in it, you'll find it. If you look only for what you now lack, that you once had, you will find that as the bad. Time to mature. Time to realize that you're in charge of your outlook on life. And above all, time to realize that you decide what makes you happy. If, to be happy, you must have eternal stimulation and options, well, you can't be as happy here. If you decide that being happy involves being safe, having enough to 'do', being treated politely, enjoying ease of getting around, great scenery, lots of outdoorsy stuff, and less overall BS, you might be able to embrace Boise.
And amusement parks are not 'the outdoors.' The outdoors is floating the river, biking the greenbelt, heading up toward McCall, heading south to the wildlife refuge, going to Yellowstone, fishing, hunting, hiking, climbing, camping. Just to make that clear. The outdoors is where you might meet wildlife of some sort, at least a snake. Places with concrete under your feet are not outdoorses.
You're nineteen. Time to decide what you want to be. Think on it well, because after 18 you're playing with live ammunition, so that's now. Your call.
I am moving to Boise in 2 more years to retire. My son moved up there from south Orange County in southern California and loves it. Everything costs about half compared to Southern CA, especially housing.
I'm tired of the worst traffic congestion in the US, the highest gas prices and DMV fees in the US and not being able to purchase a house for less than $750,000. It costs alot to Iive here. I'm looking forward to leaving. I plan to buy a house when I get there and my mortgage will be less than a 1 bedroom rental in south Orange County. Even if I wasn't at retirement age I still would not want to live in southern California. I've been here since junior high school and it was great living here. But that has all changed with the massive influx of people and sadly it will continue to increase. I look forward to Boise.
You might want to look at some newer posts. This particular post started in 2007 and got bumped up in 2013. By the time you get here this post will be 12 years old.
Boise is changing rapidly and the newer threads and posters can get you up to speed.
Best regards,
JR
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Been there, done that.
