Opinions of Caldwell/Nampa (Boise, Pocatello: for sale, crime, motels)

[Such_a_Turist]

Hello everyone

Any opinions on Caldwell, Nampa, ID? I am looking to buy a house and though of relocating to ID, but I like to do some research before I move.
What are your insights concerning the above locations?
I have young children, so the schools are very important to me, as well as a safe place to raise them. Is diversity well tolerated or are there areas that do not tolerate diversity?
Does anyone like to share any comments about TJCharterSchool?
In regards to the MS and HS what are some of the best in the area?
I love the outdoors and would love to find a place were at least it is easy to go camping, baking, fisihing and all of that.
About the job market, how is like in ID? Is easy to find a job?
I am most grateful for all info. you can help me with.
Oh, one more thing, I am planning on taking a trip to the area to look around. Any info. on motels around Caldwell or Nampa that are decent but not so expensive. Thanks in advance for your help.

[miltonberle]

Others in this forum probably have more insight on Nampa and Caldwell than I do, but I will give you my two cents.

Boise is most definitely the cultural, economic, and political epicenter of the Treasure Valley and of the region. Nampa and Caldwell are often considered to be suburbs of Boise, with MANY people, including my Dad, commuting 15-20 miles to work every day.

In my estimation, Nampa and Caldwell have a higher number of Hispanic and Mexican immigrants than Boise and Meridian, etc. The Hispanic and Mexican presence is very evident in Caldwell and Nampa. I believe that Nampa even has a large Hispanic cultural facility (Welcome to the Hispanic Cultural Center of Idaho Web Site) ... Both Nampa and Caldwell have interesting historic (city center) districts which are mostly left over from railroad days. These districts are of course surrounded by more modern subdivision developments. Nampa is known as being home to NNU (Northwest Nazarene) and the Amalgamated Sugar Company. Caldwell is home to a liberal arts college (College of Idaho). I can't quote statistics, but it seems as though Nampa has recently had a higher rate of gang related crime than other areas in the Treasure Valley. I remember doing some reading and discussion on this, and this might be something to consider when deciding on location.

The best bet to access the outdoors is towards the center of Idaho (northeast of Boise) in places like the Sawtooth National Forest, Garden Valley, McCall, Stanley, and Sun Valley. Another area that I feel is really overlooked is Eastern Idaho around Pocatello. (Lava Hot Springs, Pebble Creek, Caribou National Forest).

If you are interested in Nampa or Caldwell, I would recommend taking your work/school location into consideration when looking for for a place to live. I would also target some specific areas of town or neighborhoods that might fit your goals. Wikipedia and Google Earth are often great resources for this type of thing.

[jwest09]

On the job market question. Not easy to find a job (unless your career is in demand). Unemployment in Nampa and Caldwell is high, so job seekers are heading into Boise
or Meridian to look for any type of work, and its getting hard to find employment their too, even in fast foods. Its best said do not move untill you have a job, or a lot of cash to keep you going.
By the numbers
June unemployment
Nampa 12.4%
Caldwell 13.5%
Boise 8.8%
Meridian 9.3%
Pocatello 9.3%
Twin Falls 6.7%

[Such_a_Turist]

Just want to thank you for taking the time to help with your insights.
I guess the job situation is difficult everywhere you go in the USA. I think of my children and when the time arrives for them to get a job (not very encouraging) It is uncertain these days.
I have lived in decent areas mostly white with not so much Spanish presence or very little. Not to say that I have a problem with them, but what I have seen in some areas where there is high concentration of Spanish speaking people, it gets depressing sometimes... and of course, I want to stay away from the atmosphere, (when is like that) if you know what I mean.
Anyway, thanks again for your information.

Originally Posted by miltonberle

Others in this forum probably have more insight on Nampa and Caldwell than I do, but I will give you my two cents.

Boise is most definitely the cultural, economic, and political epicenter of the Treasure Valley and of the region. Nampa and Caldwell are often considered to be suburbs of Boise, with MANY people, including my Dad, commuting 15-20 miles to work every day.

In my estimation, Nampa and Caldwell have a higher number of Hispanic and Mexican immigrants than Boise and Meridian, etc. The Hispanic and Mexican presence is very evident in Caldwell and Nampa. I believe that Nampa even has a large Hispanic cultural facility (Welcome to the Hispanic Cultural Center of Idaho Web Site) ... Both Nampa and Caldwell have interesting historic (city center) districts which are mostly left over from railroad days. These districts are of course surrounded by more modern subdivision developments. Nampa is known as being home to NNU (Northwest Nazarene) and the Amalgamated Sugar Company. Caldwell is home to a liberal arts college (College of Idaho). I can't quote statistics, but it seems as though Nampa has recently had a higher rate of gang related crime than other areas in the Treasure Valley. I remember doing some reading and discussion on this, and this might be something to consider when deciding on location.

The best bet to access the outdoors is towards the center of Idaho (northeast of Boise) in places like the Sawtooth National Forest, Garden Valley, McCall, Stanley, and Sun Valley. Another area that I feel is really overlooked is Eastern Idaho around Pocatello. (Lava Hot Springs, Pebble Creek, Caribou National Forest).

If you are interested in Nampa or Caldwell, I would recommend taking your work/school location into consideration when looking for for a place to live. I would also target some specific areas of town or neighborhoods that might fit your goals. Wikipedia and Google Earth are often great resources for this type of thing.

[Such_a_Turist]

Hi!

Thank you as well for your help. I was wondering if the 2 persons who take the time to reply to my posting have been living in the area for a long time.
One more thing. Why are so many homes selling in the area of Caldwell? Is it because the neigbourhood is not safe or because the economics.

[Need2Leave]

Search this forum for Nampa, and Caldwell and you will find many opinions on the topic.
(top right corner of the forum "index of threads" page)

[MrGrumpy]

If schools are a big concern I definitely recommend that you look at Meridian or Boise. Not saying there aren't some decent schools in Nampa or Caldwell but one look at the overall ratings on sites such as GreatSchools - Public and Private School Ratings, Reviews and Parent Community will tell you that there is a definite disparity overall between the Canyon County Schools (Nampa and Caldwell) and the Ada County Schools (Meridian and Boise). Don't count on Charter Schools as there is a long waiting list for them and so there are no gaurantees that you will be able to get into them. While Caldwell isn't south-central L.A. by any means, it does have some neighborhoods where you definitely wouldn't want to live (that might account for some of the homes for sale).

As mentioned above Nampa/Caldwell suffer from having the close proximity of the Sugar Beet Factory which loves to waft it's lovely foul smelling odor all over the area depending on which way the wind is blowing. If you are used to living on a farm or near a sewage treatment plant then it probably won't bother you much.


As for the outdoors, as mentioned above you would be better off in the Meridian/Boise area as that would put you closer to a wider variety of options.


As for jobs, in today's market a person would be a fool not to have something lined up before moving and I recommend that no matter where you are looking at moving. I can't believe the number of people who move and then just expect to find work waiting for them. So be sure you have something lined up before you move.

For the record I currently live in Boise and have just bought a house in Meridian but I have worked out in Nampa for the last 4-5 years. It's just my opinion but there are several reasons why I won't live in Canyon County:

1. Schools, I would never feel comfortable sending my kids to school in Canyon County

2. As pointed out above there are many outdoor options that are closer to Boise/Meridian

3. Even though they are more expensive, houses in Ada County will always have higher resale value and if you are buying right now when the housing market has fallen you can get some pretty good deals on homes (we sure did).

4. The Boise and Meridian Police Departments are better organized and the cities are more pro-active about making sure that things such as Graffitti are noted and removed. You go through some neighborhoods in Nampa and Caldwell and they are virtually tattoed with graffitti. So, in otherwords I feel safer.

5. Traffic. Many people commute from the Nampa/Caldwell area to Boise for work which means that Interstate 84 is jammed up between 7-8AM and from about 4-6PM with commuter traffic. It doesn't help that there is construction going on there. I benefit from working off hours so I am always headed in the opposite direction of the traffic (in the morning it's headed to Boise, at night to Nampa/Caldwell). Eagle Road in Meridian is one of the worst congestion areas but if you are living off of Meridian Road or if you are in the Boise area you can avoid most of it.

It should also be noted that Nampa (originally designed by drunken railroad workers) and Caldwell don't have the best designed street system and so streets within the towns themselves are easily congested.



So to clarify, if you have the means to live in Ada County I strongly recommend it. If not then just be picky about which neighborhood/school district you live in if you move to Canyon County.

[Such_a_Turist]

Thank you for all the information. Any recomendations on real state companies in the area or real state agent?

Originally Posted by MrGrumpy

If schools are a big concern I definitely recommend that you look at Meridian or Boise. Not saying there aren't some decent schools in Nampa or Caldwell but one look at the overall ratings on sites such as GreatSchools - Public and Private School Ratings, Reviews and Parent Community will tell you that there is a definite disparity overall between the Canyon County Schools (Nampa and Caldwell) and the Ada County Schools (Meridian and Boise). Don't count on Charter Schools as there is a long waiting list for them and so there are no gaurantees that you will be able to get into them. While Caldwell isn't south-central L.A. by any means, it does have some neighborhoods where you definitely wouldn't want to live (that might account for some of the homes for sale).

As mentioned above Nampa/Caldwell suffer from having the close proximity of the Sugar Beet Factory which loves to waft it's lovely foul smelling odor all over the area depending on which way the wind is blowing. If you are used to living on a farm or near a sewage treatment plant then it probably won't bother you much.


As for the outdoors, as mentioned above you would be better off in the Meridian/Boise area as that would put you closer to a wider variety of options.


As for jobs, in today's market a person would be a fool not to have something lined up before moving and I recommend that no matter where you are looking at moving. I can't believe the number of people who move and then just expect to find work waiting for them. So be sure you have something lined up before you move.

For the record I currently live in Boise and have just bought a house in Meridian but I have worked out in Nampa for the last 4-5 years. It's just my opinion but there are several reasons why I won't live in Canyon County:

1. Schools, I would never feel comfortable sending my kids to school in Canyon County

2. As pointed out above there are many outdoor options that are closer to Boise/Meridian

3. Even though they are more expensive, houses in Ada County will always have higher resale value and if you are buying right now when the housing market has fallen you can get some pretty good deals on homes (we sure did).

4. The Boise and Meridian Police Departments are better organized and the cities are more pro-active about making sure that things such as Graffitti are noted and removed. You go through some neighborhoods in Nampa and Caldwell and they are virtually tattoed with graffitti. So, in otherwords I feel safer.

5. Traffic. Many people commute from the Nampa/Caldwell area to Boise for work which means that Interstate 84 is jammed up between 7-8AM and from about 4-6PM with commuter traffic. It doesn't help that there is construction going on there. I benefit from working off hours so I am always headed in the opposite direction of the traffic (in the morning it's headed to Boise, at night to Nampa/Caldwell). Eagle Road in Meridian is one of the worst congestion areas but if you are living off of Meridian Road or if you are in the Boise area you can avoid most of it.

It should also be noted that Nampa (originally designed by drunken railroad workers) and Caldwell don't have the best designed street system and so streets within the towns themselves are easily congested.



So to clarify, if you have the means to live in Ada County I strongly recommend it. If not then just be picky about which neighborhood/school district you live in if you move to Canyon County.

[miltonberle]

Although I have met one Spaniard in Boise, most of the Spanish-speaking people in the Treasure Valley are from Latin America.

[emathias]

Originally Posted by miltonberle

Although I have met one Spaniard in Boise, most of the Spanish-speaking people in the Treasure Valley are from Latin America.

Are you unawares of the large Basque population?