An odd decision: Fargo, ND or Boise, ID? (living, best, cost)

[bears8489]

*I know this is long, so for those of you who don't want to read the whole thing - comments, thoughts, opinions, etc on either city are greatly appreciated. Thanks!*
We are trying to figure out where we should move. Fargo, ND or Boise, ID.

So far, we have a small pros / cons list (which I will continue to update).
We are a young couple soon to be married and we are looking for a CLEAN, safe city with lots of charm and enough to do to keep us entertained.

What we are really wanting is:
1) a CLEAN city in appearance
2) a fair amount of snow in the winter and mild summers
3) a city that is safe (I am from the SF bay area (east bay) and would like something similar to the San Ramon, Danville, Alamo feel.)
4) the occasional concert or similar form of entertainment
5) decent job market
6) upscale dining with a wide variety is a must

Fargo, ND Pros:
-Haven't been there yet, but appears to be very presentable and clean.
-The residents seem to care about the city a lot.
-3 universities in the area
-seems very safe
-seems to have lots of dining and entertainment options for such a small city.

Fargo, ND Cons:
-Extremely cold
-Higher cost of living
-Small city
-Far from families


Boise, ID Pros:
-Lower cost of living.
-Bigger city and surrounding areas
-Lots of dining options and entertainment
-Lots closer to both families

Boise, ID Cons:
-City and surrounding areas don't appear to be as well kept - with the exception of some neighborhoods.
- Hot summer, not much winter snow


Thats all we really have for now.
We would greatly appreciate input from people who have been to both or lived in one or the other. We are going to visit both cities soon, but I would still appreciate opinions from others who have spent time in each city, in case we overlook some things on our visits.

Thanks!!

[MassVt]

Originally Posted by bears8489

*I know this is long, so for those of you who don't want to read the whole thing - comments, thoughts, opinions, etc on either city are greatly appreciated. Thanks!*
We are trying to figure out where we should move. Fargo, ND or Boise, ID.

So far, we have a small pros / cons list (which I will continue to update).
We are a young couple soon to be married and we are looking for a CLEAN, safe city with lots of charm and enough to do to keep us entertained.

What we are really wanting is:
1) a CLEAN city in appearance
2) a fair amount of snow in the winter and mild summers
3) a city that is safe (I am from the SF bay area (east bay) and would like something similar to the San Ramon, Danville, Alamo feel.)
4) the occasional concert or similar form of entertainment
5) decent job market
6) upscale dining with a wide variety is a must

Fargo, ND Pros:
-Haven't been there yet, but appears to be very presentable and clean.
-The residents seem to care about the city a lot.
-3 universities in the area
-seems very safe
-seems to have lots of dining and entertainment options for such a small city.

Fargo, ND Cons:
-Extremely cold
-Higher cost of living
-Small city
-Far from families


Boise, ID Pros:
-Lower cost of living.
-Bigger city and surrounding areas
-Lots of dining options and entertainment
-Lots closer to both families

Boise, ID Cons:
-City and surrounding areas don't appear to be as well kept - with the exception of some neighborhoods.
- Hot summer, not much winter snow


Thats all we really have for now.
We would greatly appreciate input from people who have been to both or lived in one or the other. We are going to visit both cities soon, but I would still appreciate opinions from others who have spent time in each city, in case we overlook some things on our visits.

Thanks!!

In either case, you are in for quite a bit of culture shock; probably, more so for Fargo, as the relative isolation and extreme winter temperature drops are going to be very uncomfortable for a Californian.

You might want to consider the Pacific Northwest.

[bears8489]

Actually, I am currently in Pocatello, ID and I have been here a little over a year now.

I can deal with the winter and other things that small towns bring.

I would just stay in the bay area - or even consider the Pacific NW, but we are looking for something smaller.It seems in the Pacific NW, it's either small small town or suburbs of the larger cities. Something between the size of Fargo and Boise seems about ideal to me.

[skistar]

Boise is pretty hot in the summer (100+ days aren't rare) but I think it's an extremely well kept city! I went to Boise State and was always impressed with all but the worst parts of town. Rent is pretty cheap too so it's easier to afford the best areas to live (downtown or hyde park maybe). I was only in Fargo for a couple days but there didn't seem to be as much to do when you compare with Boise/Eagle/Meridian/Nampa/Caldwell (lots more people w/i a 30mi radius). N. Dakota isn't a weekend trip to anywhere either... Lots of good concerts come through Boise because there's nowhere else to go between SLC and Seattle. Nighlife is remarkably decent and it's nice that all the bars are within walking distance downtown. I lived in Boise for 5 years and wouldn't hesitate to suggest it to anyone.

[JakeDog]

Between these two choices, Boise. Closer to familes, much prettier, has mountains, much better climate, bigger city with more attractions and dining options. There are literally dozens of Western/Mountain states I would live in before I ever considered Fargo (Spokane, Missoula, Albq., N.M., Park City, UT, SLC, UT, Bend, OR and MANY MORE. I'd even prefer Lincoln Nebraska over Fargo. What a strange choice!