Being Transferred to Boise, Please help with Questions.

[mejaka]

The folks behind the wheels of those SUVs are for the most part not native Idahoans. I can't tell you how many people I've met who are new to snow (something native Idahoans are not) who think that an SUV doesn't need snow tires. It's ridiculous.

Anyone raised here knows that size and a higher center of gravity doesn't make a vehicle handle snow better.

[lmartinez508]

I moved here over 7 years ago from Salt Lake (5 year resident) and the Buffalo/Niagara Falls area ( born and raised). Idaho City isn't really a city anymore. It's a very small mountain town of about 450 people (give or take a dozoen). I love it here and you couldn't pay me enough to move back to a city, ever. My husband commutes to Boise every day for work and while he hates going down he loves the drive home. I work for the county and have no commute at all. The highway is generally well maintained during the winter, but heavy storms sometimes make it slick. If you are used to driving mountain roads in the winter already it shouldn't be a problem. It is a 40 - 45 minute drive from Idaho City to Boise. There is no such thing as rush hour here. There are subdivisions that are closer to Boise but the drive time could still be the same depending on how far into the sub you live. We are totally surrounded by National Forest and BLM lands. Even here in town I can walk 20 minutes or less in any direction and be in the forest. It's wonderful here. We have lots of trails for dirt bikes, atv's, snowmobiles, horses and cross country skiing. In fact, many folks ride all of the above through town. There are many fishing spots and swimming holes. We hunt deer, elk, mountain lion, bear, coyotes and numerous birds. If the city totally turns you off, this is the place to be. Horseshoe Bend and Garden Valley are other towns on the other side of the county and it is much busier over there. Lowman is another hour up the highway from Idaho City and even smaller. Most folks here are really nice and helpful when their neighbors need help. There are some exceptions, of course. But it doesn't take long to figure out who they are. Everybody knows everybody. Hope this helps.

[YOU-CANT-EAT-SCENERY]

Originally Posted by lmartinez508

I moved here over 7 years ago from Salt Lake (5 year resident) and the Buffalo/Niagara Falls area ( born and raised). Idaho City isn't really a city anymore. It's a very small mountain town of about 450 people (give or take a dozoen). I love it here and you couldn't pay me enough to move back to a city, ever. My husband commutes to Boise every day for work and while he hates going down he loves the drive home. I work for the county and have no commute at all. The highway is generally well maintained during the winter, but heavy storms sometimes make it slick. If you are used to driving mountain roads in the winter already it shouldn't be a problem. It is a 40 - 45 minute drive from Idaho City to Boise. There is no such thing as rush hour here. There are subdivisions that are closer to Boise but the drive time could still be the same depending on how far into the sub you live. We are totally surrounded by National Forest and BLM lands. Even here in town I can walk 20 minutes or less in any direction and be in the forest. It's wonderful here. We have lots of trails for dirt bikes, atv's, snowmobiles, horses and cross country skiing. In fact, many folks ride all of the above through town. There are many fishing spots and swimming holes. We hunt deer, elk, mountain lion, bear, coyotes and numerous birds. If the city totally turns you off, this is the place to be. Horseshoe Bend and Garden Valley are other towns on the other side of the county and it is much busier over there. Lowman is another hour up the highway from Idaho City and even smaller. Most folks here are really nice and helpful when their neighbors need help. There are some exceptions, of course. But it doesn't take long to figure out who they are. Everybody knows everybody. Hope this helps.

I was strictly thinking of the Panhandle for my relocation, but you certainly make Idaho City sound pretty good. Guess I'll have to add it to my short list.

[KarLee]

Oakhurst...and by the way, that is one of my favorite little communities in Calif...rent a condo in Boise, and buy a small ranch out in the sticks for weekend and vacation living. Traffic around Boise is similar to San Jose/Sacramento /Fresno type traffic, only worse!! Little country roads with immense housing subdivisions on them, which make them jammed up all day. It's a mess, and unlikely to be fixed soon. They like the tax money collected before building roads, which is very sensible, but not efficient for travel. Getting into downtown is miserable any time between 7 and 9 am, and more miserable getting out, 4-7 pm. Not LA, but sure not nice

[MomsTn]

I think the Robie Creek/Idaho City area would be a good match for you.... but, driving highway 21 in the winter, especially around the Mesa, could be a little tricky.
Just remember to slow down.
Lowman is beautiful but, would be more of a commute.

[Torrie]

Originally Posted by Oakhurstcowboy

Hi, My wife might be transfered to the Boise area for work and I'm just curious what housing costs are there. We currently live in the Mountains near Yosemite Ca. The mountains is where we want to live and have some property as well. We would like to have a home with a couple acres at least that is also close to National forest or BLM land that we can use for riding ATV's, hunting and horses. To find our piece of heaven that I just described is well over 500,000 dollars here! What about there?

If anyone can give us some ideas of towns that would fit what we are looking for that aren't too far from Boise I would really appreciate it.

Also if anyone has some time, We are not your typical Californians, we hate this state! We love all kinds of stuff outdoors, ATV's Hunting, Fishing, Camping, Horses, Jet sking, Boating....anything outdoors really. Thats why we live in the mountains now and away from the big city. We can't stand these liberals around here and the thinking process of most of the people here is absolutly crazy. Commen sense is being bred out of people here!! Anyway, tell us a little bit about Idaho and why you like it so much, and maybe what you don't like also.

Thanks for all the help
Casey and Melissa

Oakhurst! My old boyfriend use to live in Mariposa. Do you know the Weston's by chance? You guys would love Idaho. Idaho City might be comparable to where you're at. It is a bit of a commute to Boise but it's at least in the opposite direction of all the traffic and beautiful country. You will love all the outdoor activities at your fingertips. Oh and Boise just had Cabella's(a huge outdoors shop) open up. It's like an adult candy store for folks who love the outdoors. You will find Idaho to be a much more conservative state than CA; though I will say the downtown area of Boise seems to be more liberal.

Most important the people are very nice. You will not get the volume of tourists that you get where you are either. I use to work just outside of Oakhurst at a private resort. Darn-it the name eludes me because it has been so long. It was just above the only gas station in town owned by a Phyllis and Les (can't remember their last name). Great memories from there! Hope this helps!

[LVGAZ]

Torrie
you mentioned tourist - does Boise have a large tourist population?

[Torrie]

What I meant by tourist is that when you live in Oakhurst you have a lot of tourists that come through due to it's proximity to Yosemite. What I was trying to say is that you will not have the volume of tourists in Boise like you might get in Oakhurst. Boise does get tourists but it's a larger area than Oakhurst so you don't noticed the tourists like you do in Oakhurst.