SoCal resident considering relocating to Boise (Nampa, Idaho Falls: transplants, crime rates, job market)

[rscs]

We are looking for a family friendly environment where the home, school, church are the hubs. Any thoughts on the job market, quality of life would be helpful. Our career fields are in public education and aviation (helicopters). Are there any other regions of Idaho that I might consider checking out?

We live in SoCal and find that the negatives of living here outweigh the benefits. Illegal immigration and the strain they put on our healthcare, education, legal systems are outrageous. We are tired of listening to Spanish over the PA system in department stores, and being met with Spanish marketing. The graffitti, low school scores, trash, roadside vendors make us feel as though we are paying much to live in a country that is no longer representative of the USA we know. (just venting here)

Would especially be interested in the cost/benefit from SoCal transplants. How do you find the two regions compare? Thanks so much!

[kelpforest]

rscs,

You will most likely find just about any part of Idaho meets your criteria, but there will be some pockets to avoid related to your preferences.

A swath from Twin Falls to Meridian is where I'd look if Boise is what you are leaning toward. Coeur d'Alene (CDA) is a possibility, Moscow too.

Most replies to your post will revolve around reading previous posts and having a job before you move up there.

I would recommend looking through the multiple previous posts related to the topic (best place to live in Idaho, places to avoid, jobs, etc.) The search feature of these forums is very helpful in this regard.

As far as evaluation other regions, there will be two main issues to address aside from the cultural considerations, those being weather and jobs. They are sort of inversely related. The climate in SE Idaho (Idaho Falls, Twin Falls, etc. is more of a plains climate/topography with wind and more extreme winters in terms of cold, but seems to have the fastest growth and best job markets in some sectors. The NE parts have alpine winters and altitude will be your main variable. SW area around Boise has more moderate climate due to topography and recently has had very rapid growth, but the job market is very tight now due to the economy.

Your wife could check this site for Idaho teaching jobs. Boise is in region 3 if you filter, and region 1 and 2 are to the north. Region 4 is SE Idaho.

Your Page Title

Most of Idaho is public land, so look to BLM, Forest Service, fire agencies, or any companies involved with resource extraction for aviation jobs. I don't know the market up there, but helicopters are probably a steady feature.

Cost of living is a lot less, but wages are also somewhat less, so the net change is modest but significant. Do a web search for "cost of living calculator" and you will get an idea. For example, the cost of living between LA and Boise comes in at $50k in LA is equivalent to $32k in Boise. Of course that is probably what the drop in salary will be. The biggest savings is housing (50% less, but with the current market your mileage may vary) and most purchases cost less. You will take an overall hit with utilities just because HVAC is not and optional item, but so many other things will make up for it.

I was amazed at how cheap food was for just about everything except highly processed items like chips and crackers. I think part of it is the labor costs. The place I went had it set up to bag your own groceries while the next order was going down a different belt on the other side of a divider. I will gladly bag my groceries if I can avoid having an overpaid flunky screw them up. I was actually feeling more calm in the grocery store because the people were friendly and calm too.

Good luck with you research.

[David Aguilar]

Originally Posted by rscs

We live in SoCal and find that the negatives of living here outweigh the benefits. Illegal immigration and the strain they put on our healthcare, education, legal systems are outrageous. We are tired of listening to Spanish over the PA system in department stores, and being met with Spanish marketing. The graffitti, low school scores, trash, roadside vendors make us feel as though we are paying much to live in a country that is no longer representative of the USA we know. (just venting here)

Would especially be interested in the cost/benefit from SoCal transplants. How do you find the two regions compare? Thanks so much!

Where in CA are you coming from? That would help give a point-of-reference. I'm a CA native (Corona/Riverside) that spends a lot of time in ID for work (I live in Spokane, WA).

So you don't like Latinos? Keep in mind, both Nampa and Caldwell (not too far from Boise) have significant Hispanic populations so you might want to avoid those two towns.

You might like North Idaho (Coeur d'Alene, Post Falls, Sandpoint, etc.), there seem to be plenty of like-minded folks up that way, however, I've noticed a burgeoning Latino presence in Post Falls, so you might want to avoid there as well.

How about Moscow or Lewiston? Those are great towns, even if they are relatively small, and job opportunities may be limited.

Good luck.

[Trace_Rinaldi]

I share many of your feelings and came to the same conclusion.. We bought land in North Idaho a few years back and are working on moving there now.. You should look at North Idaho around Couer d'Alene.. Spokane is just a stones throw away which might make finding work easier, and its absolutely amazing up there.. Good luck on your search!

[rscs]

Originally Posted by David Aguilar

Where in CA are you coming from? That would help give a point-of-reference. I'm a CA native (Corona/Riverside) that spends a lot of time in ID for work (I live in Spokane, WA).

So you don't like Latinos? Keep in mind, both Nampa and Caldwell (not too far from Boise) have significant Hispanic populations so you might want to avoid those two towns.

We're in San Bernardino County. Washington is beautiful! I didn't say I don't like Latinos. Some very dear friends are Latinos. I don't like the lack of assimilation. I'll just leave it at that. Thanks so much for all the suggestions.

[rscs]

Thank you for all of the suggestions, everyone. We want a place that doesn't have extremely severe, long lasting winters. From what I've read, it looks like Boise fits this. How would you describe the humidity?

[boisefan88]

What do you mean by severe, long lasting winters?

Winter in Boise lasts from mid-November (we can often see first snow right around Halloween, though most likely near Thanksgiving) to mid April (which is when the last freak snow storm may hit).

By winter I don't just mean snow. Snow in the Boise area is intermittent. It comes down but usually doesn't accumulate much anymore. It'll snow a few days, then stick around and melt some. You'll usually see a week of nice weather in Feb, and then cold, and then a week or so of nice weather in March. It begins adjusting to spring (or, mud and wind and rain season) in April and (this year) we're still in the cooler temps.

No, by winter I mean: the days get short, and the nights and mornings get chilly. By December the temps will drop to the 20's - 40's and usually stay there. It will get dark around 4:30 - 5:00. January will usually see 20's - 40's, but with a little less sun and light, a little more desert winds, and some drops into the teens. Feb will tease you with a few days of nice weather, sunny weather, but the cold and early nights linger. More teasing in March, some in April, and hopefully we're good to go by May. May is often warmer than June (again, lately it seems).

So the cooler weather lasts almost six months here in these parts. Figure more clouds, rain, snow, wind, longer nights (more darkness), frost, and leafless trees and brown, dead landscape.

I'm not telling you this to scare you. It's an adjustment some people can make. Some people love the winter months, and stay active during them. For many it's no big deal. But if you're a person who doesn't like unpredictable weather, chilly weather, and if you need the sun, you might look to New Mexico or Arizona.

[boi2socal]

Originally Posted by rscs

We're in San Bernardino County. Washington is beautiful! I didn't say I don't like Latinos. Some very dear friends are Latinos. I don't like the lack of assimilation. I'll just leave it at that. Thanks so much for all the suggestions.

I lived in Upland for a good portion of last year. For comparison purposes Boise is going to be most similar to where you live now compared to the other areas of Idaho. This is based on weather, demographics and growth patterns. That's not to say they are identical. Obviously, winters are cooler and many communities of SB County have horrendous crime rates. But much of the sprawling growth west of Boise resembles the Rancho Cucamonga area. But if I had to choose between Boise and even a nice community in San Bernardino County/Inland Empire I'd go with Boise. Although SB County is urban I felt like I lived in a remote area and it was painful to venture to Los Angeles with traffic. I think I can say with confidence that shopping, dining, entertainment, etc. is far better in Boise than in the Inland Empire.

[shlodev]

My family and I are planning on moving from Vermont to Meridian. My husband works for mental health services with family, youth and children. Are there any facilities with job opportunities near Meridian? Thank you!!

Shara Seckington

[maui08]

Boisefan, I have to ask....do you actually enjoy living in Boise or not? I must admit that since we have been reading these posts on Boise starting about 6 to 9 months ago almost all of them from you are sort of on the negative side....I do appreciate your honesty about not sugar coating issues but really, isn't there anything positive from life in Boise for you? I must admit that we have negative feelings about life here on Maui but we also have many positive feelings as well.

If Boise is as bad as you make it sound, why are you still there?

Originally Posted by boisefan88

What do you mean by severe, long lasting winters?

Winter in Boise lasts from mid-November (we can often see first snow right around Halloween, though most likely near Thanksgiving) to mid April (which is when the last freak snow storm may hit).

By winter I don't just mean snow. Snow in the Boise area is intermittent. It comes down but usually doesn't accumulate much anymore. It'll snow a few days, then stick around and melt some. You'll usually see a week of nice weather in Feb, and then cold, and then a week or so of nice weather in March. It begins adjusting to spring (or, mud and wind and rain season) in April and (this year) we're still in the cooler temps.

No, by winter I mean: the days get short, and the nights and mornings get chilly. By December the temps will drop to the 20's - 40's and usually stay there. It will get dark around 4:30 - 5:00. January will usually see 20's - 40's, but with a little less sun and light, a little more desert winds, and some drops into the teens. Feb will tease you with a few days of nice weather, sunny weather, but the cold and early nights linger. More teasing in March, some in April, and hopefully we're good to go by May. May is often warmer than June (again, lately it seems).

So the cooler weather lasts almost six months here in these parts. Figure more clouds, rain, snow, wind, longer nights (more darkness), frost, and leafless trees and brown, dead landscape.

I'm not telling you this to scare you. It's an adjustment some people can make. Some people love the winter months, and stay active during them. For many it's no big deal. But if you're a person who doesn't like unpredictable weather, chilly weather, and if you need the sun, you might look to New Mexico or Arizona.