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Well, last time I posted I was asking about Grangeville. It's been ruled out due to mainly the long, cold winters. We're really trying to get away from that, as we're in the Panhandle of Idaho and winter lasts a long time.
At any rate, we've just traveled south through Idaho on a road trip to AZ. We looked around a few days and liked the Emmett area, Horseshoe Bend, and along the Black Canyon Dam route. There are other areas we loved but I'm afraid they're snowy, Garden Valley and NE of Boise (Lucky Peak Lake) on Hwy 21. Anyone familiar with that area?
We'll be back to visit in June but a really big concern we have is the "Fracking". I don't like seeing it happening and I worry about the water and land becoming contaminated. There are a lot of leases apparently and we're concerned with buying a property only to find out a neighbor has sold mineral rights and/or lease their land to an oil company.
Any input on the above would sure be appreciated. BTW, we're horse people and would like to be able to ride from our property. :-)
Well, last time I posted I was asking about Grangeville. It's been ruled out due to mainly the long, cold winters. We're really trying to get away from that, as we're in the Panhandle of Idaho and winter lasts a long time.
Winter is pretty much the same length all over Idaho.
Right now it's 3 degrees warmer in Boise than up here.
The difference is how hot it gets in SW Idaho in summer.
For a month or more it's like Phoenix down there.
If you can handle that, you'll do okay.
I couldn't take it anymore.
Concerning fracking, I say drill baby drill!
I beg to differ. Boise's elevation is 1650 higher than Phoenix's. Night times in the high desert are completely different, and simply divine. Occasionally cloud cover will lock in some of the day's heat and it remains warm at night, but that's the exception, not the rule.
Boise's average July daytime highs and night time lows are 91°/60°.
Boise's average August daytime highs and night time lows are 90°/60°.
Phoenix's July average daytime highs and night time lows are 106°/84°.
Phoenix's August average daytime highs and night time lows are 105°/83°.
Winter is pretty much the same length all over Idaho.
Right now it's 3 degrees warmer in Boise than up here.
The difference is how hot it gets in SW Idaho in summer.
For a month or more it's like Phoenix down there.
Not even close.
From anothers post several years ago:
"The difference in weather is dramatic. North Idaho has long and gray winters (which I don't mind but bother some people), rainy spring season, short but gorgeous summers, and really nice fall seasons. The long days of summer make up for the short days of winter to me. But it's so different from Boise. We go to Boise for sports during the winter, some of those parents whine when it gets into the low 30's...a few even want to pull their kids (teens, mind you) like they're going to get hurt by the cold. Sheesh. North Idaho girls stomp down snow to see the lines on the soccer fields sometimes...our girls are tough.
A warm summer day for us is when it hits 90. This weekend it's supposed to hit 95-96 which is AWFULLY hot for us and people will be melting here. Usually summer days peak around 85-88 and back down to mid-60's at night."
I used to think Boise had hot summers and then I started traveling to the southeast for work. Boise summers are great and generally very comfortable. It can get hot in the summer but it only hits 100 degrees an average of 8 days a year. By comparison, Phoenix hits 100 an average of 107 days a year. That being said, the climate difference between Boise and up north is definitely more distinct in the summer. Average lows in Boise are actually a tad cooler than they are in Couer d'Alene in December and January, albeit with less snow. The bigger difference in the winters to me is how much less sunlight there is up north - it gets dark really early in the peak winter season there.
Garden Valley would be pretty snowy in the winters. Emmett gets its share too but would be a lot more manageable. If you like Emmett you might also check out Parma, Greenleaf, Marsing and the other little towns in rural Canyon County.
I believe most of the fracking, if not all fracking in SW Idaho is near New Plymouth and Payette.
Garden Valley, because of being situated up in the mountains is going to get a lot more snow compared to the valley/Boise.
Are you referring to the Robie Creek area on Highway 21 which is where Lucky Peak begins along the highway?
Some are saying it is coming to Emmett......I don't think this is a rumor.
Possibly this is why not much is for sale in the Emmett area or Horseshoe Bend.......be careful to ask about water for a well. Water may be plentiful as far as creeks and such, not so much on well drilling. Lots of land is presented as developing when it has been used for pasture land.
Going up toward Idaho City or Garden Valley you will have more snow to deal with in the winter but the main roads typically are maintained pretty well and seldom actually close. I am more concerned about hitting deer and elk along the roads than the ice.
I need to get more up to speed on Fracking since it is becoming a bigger issue locally and nationwide. From what little I think I know about it is after the process is complete, they need a delivery system to deliver the end product so if there are no lines in or proposed to an area, it might be safer (for now). There was recently a large public forum on Fracking held in Eagle and they made a point to state that the companies would NOT be fracking in the city of Eagle. My trust but verify mentality immediately questioned if that means they were going to be across the street from city limits or further?
There is some successful drilling for natural gas in the Payette Valley. It is not 'fracking'. That's a procedure only used on 'tight' oil or gas fields, which this apparently is not. As of now, the gas field hasn't been shown to extend outside the immediate area. The gas produced is being used locally for power generation and domestic supply, so a modest step up on local self-sufficiency for SW Idaho.
The Eagle anti-frackers IMO are NIMBY alarmists (I live there) who'd rather yap loudly than find out what's actually going on.
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