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I have been to Idaho, been to Yellowstone and the Tetons, saw the conifer forests. However, they pale in comparison with the greenery you see in the South.
True, it does cool down on summer nights, but that is actually a negative to many people. Most people want warm nights during the summer so they can go out and enjoy a concert or fireworks in the park without huddling under jackets or blankets.
Most summer nights in Boise you don't need to wear a jacket or have a blanket. 70 degrees is great weather for wearing jeans though, and not getting bit up by bugs.
The south is more lush, that is true, but that just means stickiness and bugs. Camping in the summer in the south, or just being outside is a feed fest for all the bugs. Speaking of Idaho, have you been to the Sawtooths? Bitterroots? Those blow away any scenery east of the Mississippi.
I appreciate your reponse! I have yet to meet a person who has traveled to both cities that can give me a fair comparison. I hear mixed reviews about Kuna & Nampa, some love it.. some say it looks like a brown little farm town. So you prefer the Boise area over Knoxville? We are visiting at the beginning of next year so we'll be able to make a decision
I've only driven though Knoxville so I can't give you a full comparison, but yeah, I would take Boise any day of the week just based on weather and that as the most important city in it's region hits above it's weight.
Nampa is fine, it just depends what part of town you are in.
Kuna is a quickly growing burb that used to be a small farm town. It is kind of brown, and in my opinion is located in the least desirable part of the Treasure Valley, location wise, but its not a bad spot and still not that far from the National Forests like everywhere else in the Boise area.
Hi All!
My husband & i live on the Central Coast of California (Arroyo Grande-15mins from San Luis Obispo) with our 2 year old son. We have been dreaming about leaving this state for years mainly because of the COL & mainstream influences. It hurts to say we will move away from my family but i know it is something we must do to live the life we dream of. We love our simple little life & hope we can live it more comfortably somewhere else. I dont want to raise my kids in apartments & have to pay $1800+ in rent just to have a small yard.
Heres are our needs:
- Somewhere we can afford to live on $60k-$70k/year & eventually buy a 3 bdrm home with a little land (honestly a normal size yard is fine, as long as my kids have space to play & grow our garden) for under $260k in a safe * friendly neighborhood.
- Scenery & Weather are important to me. I know that by leaving california i will have to give something up. I am willing to deal with a little less scenic drives, more heat/humidity & a little snow. However, The less snow the better. I like sunshine & would never live somewhere like Portland Oregon or in the state of Washington (for weather AND political reasons)
- friendliness! I am a social, homeschooling mama that likes to be apart of groups, co-ops & just have a circle of girlfriends to do life with. Im the type of "millennial" thatll make you a meal id you just moved in or give birth to new life. My husband is light skinned african american so its important that my kids will not encounter problems with this
- Good Churches/Like minded Faith followers that arent afraid to live out the Gospel
- Urban /suburb with a country or small town feel
- Outdoorsy + things to do
I have narrowed it down to Chattanooga or Knoxville TN and Boise ID.
We just traveled all around Nashville & Chattanooga a couple weeks ago, and although it was raining most the time, we did enjoy Chattanooga and everyone we spoke to seemed to love it there. We loved & would totally buy in the town of Ooltewah. I have never visited Boise ID but out if the 3 it would probably be my top choice due to proximity to family. i heard the prices are skyrocketing due to all the California transplants and that its pain in the rear if you want to travel anywhere outside of Boise is at least a 5+hr trip. I do not want to move to somewhere thats gonna turn into California in 10 years.
If you have visited any 2 of these areas and can give me a detailed reason as to why you prefer one over the other i would greatly appreciate it
Forgot to mention- my husband works For Samsung and can pretty much transfer just about anywhere by request, so locations other than listed are also welcome. Thanks in advance!
Can't help you with advice, but I can say I know why you are leaving.
I grew up on the central coast, and wife and I left Nipomo (escaped as my wife says) a few years ago. I know exactly what you mean about no major airports nearby or other amenities. When we lived there, there was no decent shopping and few good restaurants in the area also. It's changed some now though. Of course, not to mention the housing cost coupled with the lack of decent paying jobs. We still have family in SLO; in fact I was up there last weekend.
We've thought of escaping CA also, but the weather is the biggest limiting factor for us. Everywhere else has weather issues... snow, heat, humidity, bugs, etc... We might revisit leaving after our youngest finishes school in a few years.
Yeah, even if it hits the upper 90s or 100s even, more often than not it drops into the 60s at night. You can sleep with your windows open the vast majority of the summer. You can't really do that in the south, at least, you wouldn't want to most of the summer.
The humidity back east is going to be a shocker for anyone who grew up out west.
This completely depends on elevation. I live at roughly 1700' in Johnson City, and am surrounded by shade. Condo triplex. I don't think we had too many lows above 70 all summer.
This completely depends on elevation. I live at roughly 1700' in Johnson City, and am surrounded by shade. Condo triplex. I don't think we had too many lows above 70 all summer.
Quite a difference! Over on the Gulf, you won't have too many lows below 75 degrees all summer.
This completely depends on elevation. I live at roughly 1700' in Johnson City, and am surrounded by shade. Condo triplex. I don't think we had too many lows above 70 all summer.
Is 1700' considered high? The reason I ask is because at 2800' Boise is considered low elevation for Idaho where the mean is about 5000'.
Is 1700' considered high? The reason I ask is because at 2800' Boise is considered low elevation for Idaho where the mean is about 5000'.
For the immediate area, somewhat. There are plenty of areas above 2000' here. Keep in mind that you really need to go above 3000' or so to cut down on the humidity substantially, and there is a lack of buildable land at that elevation - it's mostly park or otherwise protected in Tennessee. WNC has much more buildable land at elevation than TN.
Most summer nights in Boise you don't need to wear a jacket or have a blanket. 70 degrees is great weather for wearing jeans though, and not getting bit up by bugs.
The south is more lush, that is true, but that just means stickiness and bugs. Camping in the summer in the south, or just being outside is a feed fest for all the bugs. Speaking of Idaho, have you been to the Sawtooths? Bitterroots? Those blow away any scenery east of the Mississippi.
The Sierra Nevada could give the Idaho Rockies a run for their money.
Tennessee has no state income tax on earned income but does have capital gains tax (which they will phase out). Idaho does have state income tax, although lower than California.
However, Tennessee has the highest sales tax in the country, while Idaho has lower sales taxes than California.
In a nutshell, Idaho is for ex-Californians who want familiarity. Other than the colder weather, Mormons, and more conservative atmosphere, Idaho is just like California. You've got world-class skiing and rugged mountains, just like the Sierra Nevadas. You've got hot summers, but they're very dry, and they cool off at night. The food, the culture, etc. is just like more inland parts of California (think Central Valley or Inland Empire).
Tennessee is for ex-Californians who want novelty and adventure. It's a world apart from California; its mountains are shorter, the skiing (in Gatlinburg) pales in comparison even to Big Bear. But its mountains are no less majestic than those in Idaho or California, nonetheless. Summers are hot, rainy, and humid (but not terribly humid like Florida), but in exchange you get wonderful forests that stay green in the middle of the summer. It's centrally located to the East Coast, to Atlanta, to the Gulf, to Hilton Head, and the Midwest--far more convenient location than Boise. It's culturally a whole new ballpark--Southern Baptists instead of Mormons in the West, Waffle Houses and other Southern cuisine.
More conservative areas will be more family friendly, you picked a couple good ones. We used to live in AG.
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70 degrees is great weather for wearing jeans though, and not getting bit up by bugs.
