Boise vs Coeur d Alene/ Spokane (Coeur d'Alene, Caldwell: ski resort, low crime, house)

[skibum18]

Hello all ! We are wanting to relocate to Idaho at the end of next year. I've been in love with it for years and am finally ready to make the jump ! (yes i know Spokane is in wa, but close to northern Id.) We currently reside in Dallas and are wanting to get away from all the drama of whats going on in our country these days in the major metropolises. We are looking for a conservative good ole American mountain town ! We are mountain gurus/outdoors enthusiast. From all the research I have done Boise seems like a great fit, but didnt want to leave out the other two options. Ive only been to Boise once and it was a brief visit, but I enjoyed. Any insight would be appreciated, thanks !

[IdahoBroker]

This forum has years of data cussing and discussing various parts of Idaho so you should be able to read through previous posts and pick the ones that sound like they would be of interest to you. Then, if you don't find the specific answers to your questions/curiosity, I suggest posting about that.

For example, since your name is "skibum18" you might ask about the skiing at:
Bogus Basin | Idaho Mountain Recreation Area and Ski Resort
Brundage Mountain Idaho Ski Resort in McCall | Ski Idaho
Book Your Family Ski Resort Vacation to Schweitzer Mountain - Idaho

Or if by chance the name implied water skiing that is summed up in Idaho as cold and wet. (grin).

[RotseCherut]

If you like greenery, lakes and scenic beauty I would say CDA area has what you want . In the case, scenery doesn't matter, but you like desert with big open plains and don't mind driving a few hours to do your mountain activities then Southern Idaho would be what you want. Of course, Boise has a way better job market in most industries than what Spokane/CDA has. If you are a retiree with cash, CDA would be an easy pick over Boise, unless, once again, you love desert scenery and barren hills over thick vegetation and trees. Boise also gets damn hot for a long time in the summer, whereas CDA is a bit more temperate, but also gets fairly hot too, less than Spokane though. But it also gets way, way more snow and colder and more dreary winters. Boise's weather for the most part is the pretty decent and almost every house has Central A/C and the summers are roasting but pleasantly dry after June.

[skibum18]

Thank you both. Yes I am drawn to the greenery of CDA, and the more abundance of big game. However, from all the reading I have been doing on the forums. Im heraing CDA is becoming over ran by liberals from California lol and getting overcrowded. We are in our early 30s, so job market, schools ect is important. We have lived in Dallas for awhile with 110 dgree summers with 90% humidity. So summers and brown plains up there will not bother us at all. My hobby side leans towrds CDA, but practicality side leans towards Boise... thanks again !

[TohobitPeak]

Both cities and landscapes are beautiful. The forest is visible on the Ridge from the valley Boise sits in.

There's plenty of big game in the south as well and all of Idaho has abundant wildlife. It's pretty common to see the beasts right in Boise. Last year a moose was walking through the Northend and ended up in Elm Grove Park before Fish and Game tranquilized it and relocated it in the Boise Mountains.

Also, there is nowhere in the large expanse of Southern Idaho that it takes 2 hours to get into the mountains.

[RotseCherut]

Originally Posted by TohobitPeak

Both cities and landscapes are beautiful. The forest is visible on the Ridge from the valley Boise sits in.

There's plenty of big game in the south as well and all of Idaho has abundant wildlife. It's pretty common to see the beasts right in Boise. Last year a moose was walking through the Northend and ended up in Elm Grove Park before Fish and Game tranquilized it and relocated it in the Boise Mountains.

Also, there is nowhere in the large expanse of Southern Idaho that it takes 2 hours to get into the mountains.

I find the Southern Idaho mountains to be beautiful, but not Boise itself. However, some people think desert scenery and hills are beautiful others like green and lush landscapes. I'm not a fan of barren landscapes, unless they are unique like what you have in Utah with all the red rocks and sandstone. Another thing I never will understand about Boise is how the most treeless city in the Northwest (as compared to the other NW cities, Seattle, Portland, Spokane, etc) got the name "City of Trees". I guess it is because Southern Idaho is so barren that when settlers came here it was a swampland with vegetation. I guess it functioned somewhat as an oasis, hence how it got the strange name "City of Trees". Growing up in Western Oregon, I guess I have an affinity to greenery, which makes Northern Idaho and the high alpine forests of Southern Idaho more appealing.

Sorry, I should rephrase, it takes about 2 hours to get into the high alpine forests. Once you drive out an hour you will be in dry pine forests which are nice, but not so appealing to people who want a real forest type of eco-system. Once you get up into the Sawtooth mountains, which are about 2.5 hour drive from Boise, you are truly in the most beautiful part of the entire state and there are lush forests surroundings jagged peaks, which are amazing. However, from Boise you have to drive quite a ways up mountain passes to get to the denser forests of the Boise National Forest. I say the scenery starts getting more and more appealing once you get past Idaho City.

[RotseCherut]

Originally Posted by skibum18

Thank you both. Yes I am drawn to the greenery of CDA, and the more abundance of big game. However, from all the reading I have been doing on the forums. Im heraing CDA is becoming over ran by liberals from California lol and getting overcrowded. We are in our early 30s, so job market, schools ect is important. We have lived in Dallas for awhile with 110 dgree summers with 90% humidity. So summers and brown plains up there will not bother us at all. My hobby side leans towrds CDA, but practicality side leans towards Boise... thanks again !

If Coeur d'Alene is too liberal for you, then Boise is going to feel like San Francisco, as I can tell you Boise is the most liberal city in the entire state of Idaho. The Treasure Valley is not as liberal outside of Boise, although towns like Caldwell, with a predominately Hispanic population are obviously going to be politically liberal, although maybe not as much culturally/socially.

Coeur d'Alene also has a great gun range right outside of town in Fernan Lake. You also have Glacier National Park a 5-6 hour drive away and the majestic and hidden Cabinet mountain range of Montana within a short driving distance. Spokane, as a city is more conservative than Boise as a city, ironically. Eastern Washington is the most conservative part of the entire Northwest in all honesty.

Seriously, if you are not going to move to Northern Idaho because you think it is too liberal, I think you will not survive anywhere in Idaho or the country for that matter. Dallas and Houston are probably more liberal than Northern Idaho.

[TohobitPeak]

Originally Posted by RotseCherut

I find the Southern Idaho mountains to be beautiful, but not Boise itself. However, some people think desert scenery and hills are beautiful others like green and lush landscapes. I'm not a fan of barren landscapes, unless they are unique like what you have in Utah with all the red rocks and sandstone. Another thing I never will understand about Boise is how the most treeless city in the Northwest (as compared to the other NW cities, Seattle, Portland, Spokane, etc) got the name "City of Trees". I guess it is because Southern Idaho is so barren that when settlers came here it was a swampland with vegetation. I guess it functioned somewhat as an oasis, hence how it got the strange name "City of Trees". Growing up in Western Oregon, I guess I have an affinity to greenery, which makes Northern Idaho and the high alpine forests of Southern Idaho more appealing.

Sorry, I should rephrase, it takes about 2 hours to get into the high alpine forests. Once you drive out an hour you will be in dry pine forests which are nice, but not so appealing to people who want a real forest type of eco-system. Once you get up into the Sawtooth mountains, which are about 2.5 hour drive from Boise, you are truly in the most beautiful part of the entire state and there are lush forests surroundings jagged peaks, which are amazing. However, from Boise you have to drive quite a ways up mountain passes to get to the denser forests of the Boise National Forest. I say the scenery starts getting more and more appealing once you get past Idaho City.

[mod cut]

The Boise National Forest that begins above Boise is where two ecosystems collide; the desert and the forests, and it is indeed a real forest eco-system and very scenic. It is true the further north you drive towards Central Idaho/the Sawtooths and McCall that the forests become more lush, but don't discount the drier forests between Boise and those areas because it is beautiful and also has some pretty dense and lush areas. The forests which are minutes from the city up around and behind Bogus are beautiful forests. The Owyhee Desert has some beautiful pink rocks and deep canyons and is a scenic area as well. One of Boise's best elements imo is the varied and beautiful landscapes that surround the city and valley.

[mod cut]

[mikelutgen]

We're from New Jersey, and looking at the Pacific Northwest as well. Points so far we found that may or may not be important to you. Boise has a low crime rate, little higher than Sandpoint, but CDA has a pretty high crime rate, higher than Jersey City. If you are one of the "diversity" types, than Boise is introducing a lot of Muslims, whereas CDA less, and Sandpoint near zero. We are retired, so it matters not about work, and we can work through phone, mail, or internet. Right now, we are tabulating a lot of data between various places in the USA, and New Hampshire comes up high as well. Personally, we have always liked the Western USA.

[IdaD]

Originally Posted by RotseCherut

I find the Southern Idaho mountains to be beautiful, but not Boise itself. However, some people think desert scenery and hills are beautiful others like green and lush landscapes. I'm not a fan of barren landscapes, unless they are unique like what you have in Utah with all the red rocks and sandstone. Another thing I never will understand about Boise is how the most treeless city in the Northwest (as compared to the other NW cities, Seattle, Portland, Spokane, etc) got the name "City of Trees". I guess it is because Southern Idaho is so barren that when settlers came here it was a swampland with vegetation. I guess it functioned somewhat as an oasis, hence how it got the strange name "City of Trees". Growing up in Western Oregon, I guess I have an affinity to greenery, which makes Northern Idaho and the high alpine forests of Southern Idaho more appealing.

Sorry, I should rephrase, it takes about 2 hours to get into the high alpine forests. Once you drive out an hour you will be in dry pine forests which are nice, but not so appealing to people who want a real forest type of eco-system. Once you get up into the Sawtooth mountains, which are about 2.5 hour drive from Boise, you are truly in the most beautiful part of the entire state and there are lush forests surroundings jagged peaks, which are amazing. However, from Boise you have to drive quite a ways up mountain passes to get to the denser forests of the Boise National Forest. I say the scenery starts getting more and more appealing once you get past Idaho City.

Shafer Butte is about 12 miles (17 by road) from downtown Boise and I'd say a densely forested 7500'+ peak counts as a high alpine forest. [mod cut]