Moving to Boise/Mountain Home... (Caldwell, Sun Valley: ski resort, for sale, apartments)

[enigmadsm]

Alright, currently i'm in the bay area california, but i'm getting stationed over at Mountain home AFB. From what i've read its an uber small and quite boring desolate town. I'm considering living in Boise.

I've heard the commute can be rough during winter months, but otherwise doesn't sound to bad. I don't think i could remain sane in such a small town with nothing to do. Being from AZ I'm used to driving 40+ min to get somewhere.

Anyways, what type of things/lifestyle should i be expecting?
Lastly, the family and I love snowboarding. I looked online and noticed quite a few resorts in Idaho, are there quite a few decent ones? About how far away are they? How long is the season usually.
I know at lake tahoe if military goes to squaw valley the lift tickets are free...do you know of anything similar over there?

Thanks

P.S. Is anyone here in the medical field? I'm a lab tech and going to be looking for a part time job as well. however it seems like Idaho has a very low demand for the job, in spite the numerous hospitals.

[harmony74]

West Boise and the Bench will get you closer to freeway on-ramps to get you to Mountain Home, but it is more commercial, less to do, and is the cheaper side of town.

The North End is nice and actually where a lot of Californians move to. It's near downtown has older style homes, like from the 20s, and has little parks and shops. It's a little more "arty". There's the Hyde Park street fair down there and things like that.

South East Boise is more residential neighborhoods. South East is a bit more expensive to live in and has some more upscale areas. But, it also runs into the college area near BSU that has a lot of apartments and lower rent houses. Park Center and Warm Springs areas are definetely more upscale neighborhoods. Columbia Village is also a nicer more upscale residential area.

Bogus Basin is the closest ski resort. It's about 17 miles from downtown. I think you get 50% off rental and tickets for military.

[Hesster]

Mountain Home is pretty small, but you might find the commute from Boise to be really long. I make the drive about once a week or so to go fishing at CJ Strike, and drive right by the road to the AFB. I'd estimate that the drive would be a good hour plus if you didn't run into any traffic. I couldn't imagine making it every day. The cost of gas would suck.

I'd recommend staying in Mountain Home and driving to Boise when you want to do some socializing.

[enigmadsm]

Is caldwell nice at all? or meridian?
Someone was mentioning to me about a side/back road like silver city or something that cuts about 10min off the trip due to the proximity of the gate entrance.

As far is driving there and back everyday i talked to a few people than take a vanpool from boise to base and its about 160 a month. So it would be fairly cheap i suppose.

I'll look into the areas you guys mentioned thanks!

[Hesster]

I've heard people complain that the commute from Caldwell to Boise is bad because of the amount of traffic on the mostly 2 lane freeway. Once you get past Boise there's much less traffic. If you're doing a vanpool then the gas wouldn't be too bad, but if you're driving solo, then count on filling up your tank at least twice a week.

I'd still suggest taking a look at Mountain Home, though. It's not that bad. When I think of a town that's 'uber small' I think of someplace like Bruneau, which has maybe 500 people, one restaurant, and no grocery store. Mountain Home has a downtown area, and restaurants, grocery stores, etc. Not much of a night life, but you could drive to Boise for that.

If you like fishing, then you will be in heaven. CJ Strike is one of the best fishing spots in the state IMHO, and it's only a few minutes from the AFB. Strike is a huge reservoir that holds everything from bass (mostly smallmouth) to walleye. I was there the other night and caught a bluegill that was 11 inches long. I've seen 12" perch there, and crappie come out of it in excess of 2 pounds. It also has enormous catfish and sturgeon, and some very nice trout. Just about everything an angler could want.

[Perkinst]

Originally Posted by enigmadsm

Alright, currently i'm in the bay area california, but i'm getting stationed over at Mountain home AFB. From what i've read its an uber small and quite boring desolate town. I'm considering living in Boise.

I've heard the commute can be rough during winter months, but otherwise doesn't sound to bad. I don't think i could remain sane in such a small town with nothing to do. Being from AZ I'm used to driving 40+ min to get somewhere.

Anyways, what type of things/lifestyle should i be expecting?
Lastly, the family and I love snowboarding. I looked online and noticed quite a few resorts in Idaho, are there quite a few decent ones? About how far away are they? How long is the season usually.
I know at lake tahoe if military goes to squaw valley the lift tickets are free...do you know of anything similar over there?

Thanks

P.S. Is anyone here in the medical field? I'm a lab tech and going to be looking for a part time job as well. however it seems like Idaho has a very low demand for the job, in spite the numerous hospitals.

Despite what people may say, I don't find Mountain Home to be all that bad. And its closer (than Boise), to world famous Sun Valley ski resort, IMO, the best ski mountain in the west. Expensive, but well worth it. Its up with the big boys like Squaw Valley.

[enigmadsm]

I'll be sure to bring my poles, i always have a great time fishing. Out here we don't have fishing licenses but on the pier anyone can fish.

We got out there with squid and catch 3' leapord sharks, what a rush. Bring em right up over the railing in a net.

I'll have to look into sun valley...I'll be sure to hit squaw valley at least 3-4 times before I leave here this winter.
Thanks for all the tips!

[DESERTRYDER]

Mountain Home had some great homes for sale.
It gets windy but there isn't any smog

[Hesster]

Originally Posted by enigmadsm

I'll be sure to bring my poles, i always have a great time fishing. Out here we don't have fishing licenses but on the pier anyone can fish.

We got out there with squid and catch 3' leapord sharks, what a rush. Bring em right up over the railing in a net.

I'll have to look into sun valley...I'll be sure to hit squaw valley at least 3-4 times before I leave here this winter.
Thanks for all the tips!

You'll need a fishing license out here unless you are fishing on private property. Since you're military, you only have to live in the state for 30 days before you're eligible for a resident license. A resident fishing license is $25.75. You can also buy a two pole permit for $13.75 and a tag if you intend to fish for salmon or steelhead for $12.75.

[americanamomma]

I am a air force wife and work at the hospital/clinic on base as an LPN. Search USA jobs on base for a job. We have some contract tech/nurses and some say they posted their resume on monster.com and a contracting company picked them up. I am a government employee, but contract makes about double what I do. Downside is no guarantee you'll have a job after the contract ends.