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The weather around here is rather fascinating asking me. The dramatic changes in the spring surprise me the first year I come back from other places. This year, the worst of the weather was over in February and started just after thanksgiving. I recollect about 2 cold snaps every winter. They always follow a mellow snow storm and it never usually lasts even 1 week long. There are also a few peaks of higher temps in the winter, sometimes bringing highs into the 50s. I don't care who you are, that is t-shirt weather after you've adapted to the climate. Spring is very windy and a little drawn out. The outside air feels cold thru the spring because of this. So when someone says the winters are 8 months long they are including late fall and spring. From my experiences, yes winter temps can be a little extreme, but really not that bad. It doesn't snow a whole lot.
Most of the crime is in the older neighborhoods and cheaper rent apartments. Idaho Falls has an epidemic amount of meth mixed with poverty.
If you get into a neighborhood outside of downtown crime is very little.
Are people friendly? I am Christian and go to church, but not Mormon
No. In general, No.
Is it good for dating? Are there mature single women in the area for friendship and dating?
No, Most women are married. or divorced train wrecks with many problems and baggage. Idaho Falls is not a place to be single.
Are the winters worse then say, in Maine? or North Dakota?
About the same as North Dakota
Is it pretty there?
High desert, 2 weeks in spring it is green the rest of the year it is burned up brown waste land= Hell or frozen windy wasteland=Hell
The sunsets are pretty.
How is the VA outpatient clinic there if anyone knows?
I don't know about the VA hospital but the regular one is one of the poorest hospitals I have been to outside of a 3rd world country.
How is the housing market right now there?
Houses are always cheap. Real estate prices are about location.
Most of the crime is in the older neighborhoods and cheaper rent apartments. Idaho Falls has an epidemic amount of meth mixed with poverty.
If you get into a neighborhood outside of downtown crime is very little.
Are people friendly? I am Christian and go to church, but not Mormon
No. In general, No.
Is it good for dating? Are there mature single women in the area for friendship and dating?
No, Most women are married. or divorced train wrecks with many problems and baggage. Idaho Falls is not a place to be single.
Are the winters worse then say, in Maine? or North Dakota?
About the same as North Dakota
Is it pretty there?
High desert, 2 weeks in spring it is green the rest of the year it is burned up brown waste land= Hell or frozen windy wasteland=Hell
The sunsets are pretty.
How is the VA outpatient clinic there if anyone knows?
I don't know about the VA hospital but the regular one is one of the poorest hospitals I have been to outside of a 3rd world country.
How is the housing market right now there?
Houses are always cheap. Real estate prices are about location.
Wow, someone has quite the different view of IF than I do
Wow, very differing ideas, but only from blend in. I'm thinking of moving to IF after I retire next year. My aunt lived there years ago & loved it but moved to warmer climate for husband's health. I,myself, went through Idaho on my way home from my brother's in San Francisco & I loved it. Thought at the time that I'd like to retire there but at the time it was years before I would retire.
Now that the time has come I've been researching & when Idaho came up as a good place, my memory of it came back. I also will be retiring on social security, so have to keep that in mind.
Having lived in Minnesota all my life, I seriously doubt the winters will faze me.
My main concern is apartment rent. Most folks on the forum talk about owning, something I do not have the means to do. Can you give me a realistic overview of rent prices? Keep in mind that I am a woman of retirement age so don't want to live anywhere "scary".
I researched quite a few cities in ID before deciding on Pocatello/Chubbuck. (All are my personal opinion, nothing scientific)
Driggs...too expensive, too far from shopping areas; but a nice city
Rexburg...strange, but nice town, just not for me
Rigby...like Rexburg, but very small, just not for me
IF...just did not like and really can't say why
Ashton...my second choice
Blackfoot...strange little town that appears to be disappearing
Pocatello...just like the city, people seemed friendlier when walking around. So purchased a home in Chubbuck, the northern suburb to Pocatello.
My wants were different than many.
Looking for a small house with a large backyard. Wide drive to park my trailer, and plenty of shade trees.
Wanted to be within 3 hours of the Tetons, 4 of the Sawtooth, 5 or 6 of Cody and Red Lodge; this area solves that problem.
Decent hospital but even though a Vet, want nothing to do with the VA hospitals.
Also wanted to be fairly close to stores like Sears, Walmart, Lowes, Home Depot etc. After living in Moab UT for six years, looking forward to just a short drive to one of these places vs. the 125 (2 hour drive) I currently have.
Winters don't bother me, love snow.
Love camping in high altitude, pined forest campgrounds...now easy drives from my new house. (Nothing wrong with desert camping, but something about the smell of the pine trees I really like.)
I'm a loner so I could care less who my neighbors are or what their religion is. I'm friendly, but when they bring up religion, I always tell them I won't hold it against them and that usually stops them in their tracks...long enough for me to say, "have a great day," and close the door or walk away.
Note: I see Blendin is over here bashing Idaho again. In another thread he tried to imply that Pocatello was a slum, or at least close to it. However not to get too detailed, I cannot understand his statement, "High desert, 2 weeks in spring it is green the rest of the year it is burned up brown waste land= Hell or frozen windy wasteland=Hell..." The following photo was taken in July 2010, north of Driggs
Idaho got the best side of the Tetons for sure. i wouldn't swap anything at all for life on the Wyoming side.
But unlike a certain poster, I'm not going to cut the state of Wyoming down in the least. It's a mighty fine state, but I like my own just fine and dandy.
Wow, very differing ideas, but only from blend in. I'm thinking of moving to IF after I retire next year. My aunt lived there years ago & loved it but moved to warmer climate for husband's health. I,myself, went through Idaho on my way home from my brother's in San Francisco & I loved it. Thought at the time that I'd like to retire there but at the time it was years before I would retire.
Now that the time has come I've been researching & when Idaho came up as a good place, my memory of it came back. I also will be retiring on social security, so have to keep that in mind.
Having lived in Minnesota all my life, I seriously doubt the winters will faze me.
My main concern is apartment rent. Most folks on the forum talk about owning, something I do not have the means to do. Can you give me a realistic overview of rent prices? Keep in mind that I am a woman of retirement age so don't want to live anywhere "scary".
Hi Meo,
We've had some problems with some trolls off and on.
The apartment rent is a toughie. It depends on what you need and a lot on what is available.
I think you can access classifieds at the Post Register for no fee. Post Register or just keep up with things by Craigslist for Idaho Falls.
Until it's closer to the time you move, I don't know that we can give you any estimates. I'll say I can't but perhaps others have. Please feel free to remain a part of the I.F. discussions, we have others who are planning to move here.
Plan a visit. A person knows what feels like home to him/her.
i've been looking through these posts as i'm thinking about spending my summers somewhere outside of austin, texas after i retire (in 3 or 4 years). my definition of summer could be streched long enough to meet the requirements of a 6 month lease. i work for an airline and will have pass privileges when i retire, although getting on standby to ida looks like it could be a challenge at times. i like the fact that there is shuttle service from idaho falls to slc. from the website it looks like they actually pick you up at your residence.
i spent two day in idaho falls this summer on a big west coast drive and got a really good feeling about it. i also like bend, oregon a lot, but the price of rentals might be a problem. another city in the general area that had an appeal is klamath falls, but in comparison to idaho falls it is lacking in transportation options and quite a bit smaller (maybe too small).
well as a 60 something single gay man i realize that idaho falls wouldn't be a rainbow paradise, but i got a pretty good vibe just walking around town, going in shops, and talking to people. i should say that i still enjoy mountain biking, hiking and general outdoor activities. here in austin we have several outdoor groups that cater to different interests for gays and non-gays. the city is very mixed. as far as winters go, i would plan to be back in austin to enjoy the mild climate and to keep my urban loft here.
so just thought i would chime in here and see what folks think about my plans. 3 to 4 years seems a long way off, but the way things are going at work i might be ready to make the retirement jump sooner rather than later.
i guess i should mention what my idea of a 6 month rental would be. an apartment or loft (if they exist) in a walkable area close to downtown would be idea. i think i would be looking at a max of $1,000 a month. hopefully less for a small place.
any input would be appreciated, and i plan to come back to the area next summer to spend more time.
The weather around here is rather fascinating asking me. The dramatic changes in the spring surprise me the first year I come back from other places. This year, the worst of the weather was over in February and started just after thanksgiving. I recollect about 2 cold snaps every winter. They always follow a mellow snow storm and it never usually lasts even 1 week long. There are also a few peaks of higher temps in the winter, sometimes bringing highs into the 50s. I don't care who you are, that is t-shirt weather after you've adapted to the climate. Spring is very windy and a little drawn out. The outside air feels cold thru the spring because of this. So when someone says the winters are 8 months long they are including late fall and spring. From my experiences, yes winter temps can be a little extreme, but really not that bad. It doesn't snow a whole lot.
I'm convinced we need a weather thread here. What do you think?
Tborgerboy;37297201]i've been looking through these posts as i'm thinking about spending my summers somewhere outside of austin, texas after i retire (in 3 or 4 years). my definition of summer could be streched long enough to meet the requirements of a 6 month lease. i work for an airline and will have pass privileges when i retire, although getting on standby to ida looks like it could be a challenge at times. i like the fact that there is shuttle service from idaho falls to slc. from the website it looks like they actually pick you up at your residence.
i spent two day in idaho falls this summer on a big west coast drive and got a really good feeling about it. i also like bend, oregon a lot, but the price of rentals might be a problem. another city in the general area that had an appeal is klamath falls, but in comparison to idaho falls it is lacking in transportation options and quite a bit smaller (maybe too small).
well as a 60 something single gay man i realize that idaho falls wouldn't be a rainbow paradise, but i got a pretty good vibe just walking around town, going in shops, and talking to people. i should say that i still enjoy mountain biking, hiking and general outdoor activities. here in austin we have several outdoor groups that cater to different interests for gays and non-gays. the city is very mixed. as far as winters go, i would plan to be back in austin to enjoy the mild climate and to keep my urban loft here.
so just thought i would chime in here and see what folks think about my plans. 3 to 4 years seems a long way off, but the way things are going at work i might be ready to make the retirement jump sooner rather than later.
i guess i should mention what my idea of a 6 month rental would be. an apartment or loft (if they exist) in a walkable area close to downtown would be idea. i think i would be looking at a max of $1,000 a month. hopefully less for a small place.
any input would be appreciated, and i plan to come back to the area next summer to spend more time.[/quote]
Hi borgerboy,
A lot of info to consider. These are the first 3-4 thoughts/questions I had after reading your post.
1. Transportation. I think this could be a bigger issue than you reference in your post. To do the things you like to do, how would you travel to the mountains or most anywhere?
2. What is the advantage of using SLASH from SLC to IDA vs. just flying?
3. There is an increasing demand for apartments and lofts downtown. There is rarely a vacancy in the limited units. I don't know if anyone would consider a part-year lease.
Logistically I think there could be some problems.
MSR
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Rent really Varies
