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Is there a huge population of Mormons in Idaho Falls and surrounding communities? Not that I personally have issues with them but from the threads I read in other states on City-Data.com, it has me a little nervous if I considered relocating there.
Yes, there are a great deal of Mormons in Idaho Falls and in most of Idaho overall. I am born and raised in North Idaho (Coeur d' Alene). Only Christian's there. The Mormon's, however, will not bother you, but if you smoke or drink etc.. they will look at you funny. Idaho Falls is very beautiful though. Just make sure you have work before you arrive. The Idahonian's do not care for outsiders and will block you out whether you know this or not. Your best approach is to tell them that you are originally from Idaho, or tell them you have family there. Hope this helps. Best of moving to you.
That's funny, I look strangely at people who smoke and drink also! Thanks for the info. I would be in no way out to ruin Idaho if I relocate there. That's just not who I am, nor am I from California. I would blend in Idaho and no one would know that I was from a different state. I would conform to Idaho and not be like other out of staters who think the state should conform to their ways.
I took a trip about 15 years ago which covered WA, ID and Montana. The biggest memories I had of Idaho falls were that the falls were like a small trickle of water and there was a Jr College built in the old river bed that they used to supply. Also, I found that potatoes that I always thougt were raised in Idaho were about twice as expensive as the ones in WA where I lived LOL
I drove through a lot of Idaho and found it to be not only ugly, but I didn't appreciate the guy who was pumping my gas preaching to me and handing me copies of scripture.
When I stopped at a motel, the sheets were yellow because of the chemicals in the water.
I went into a gift shop to purchase a tourist gift for a friend and had to wait 20 minutes while the clerk was "Ministering" to someone on the phone.
I am a christian and believe in all of those behaviors, but not on your employers dime. That is theft in my book.
Idaho is not a great place in my humble opinion.
But that was 15 years ago. Even my current location has changed dramatically since then. Not for the better though. I guess there's only one way to find out and that's to visit but it's hard to make a choice of relocating there in a short amount of time based on short experiences. I need current residents of IF to speak up about their community.
I took a trip about 15 years ago which covered WA, ID and Montana. The biggest memories I had of Idaho falls were that the falls were like a small trickle of water and there was a Jr College built in the old river bed that they used to supply. Also, I found that potatoes that I always thougt were raised in Idaho were about twice as expensive as the ones in WA where I lived LOL
I drove through a lot of Idaho and found it to be not only ugly, but I didn't appreciate the guy who was pumping my gas preaching to me and handing me copies of scripture.
When I stopped at a motel, the sheets were yellow because of the chemicals in the water.
I went into a gift shop to purchase a tourist gift for a friend and had to wait 20 minutes while the clerk was "Ministering" to someone on the phone.
I am a christian and believe in all of those behaviors, but not on your employers dime. That is theft in my book.
Idaho is not a great place in my humble opinion.
You claim to be a "Christian" but yet you degrade Christians in your post.
Sounds like a typical way too far left confused brainwashed, rain soaked, liberal from WA if you ask me
Last edited by Syringaloid; 09-03-2009 at 10:02 AM..
But that was 15 years ago. Even my current location has changed dramatically since then. Not for the better though. I guess there's only one way to find out and that's to visit but it's hard to make a choice of relocating there in a short amount of time based on short experiences. I need current residents of IF to speak up about their community.
I graduated from Rigby, just ten minutes north of IF. But when people ask where I'm from I say Idaho Falls. It's a great town. And yes, I am Mormon but that does not mean everyone in IF is. The main Mormon population resides in Rexburg (I went to a few years of college there at BYUI and had to get out, I am LDS but I can only take so much of living in a bubble, lol!) I now live in Boise and it is MUCH LESS LDS. Idaho Falls is great if you like being somewhere scenic. Idaho is a beautiful state, but I find that most of the beauty is up north. Living in Boise is ok but it is ugly down here. In IF you can drive just 30 minutes and be surrounded by trees, national forests, or just a little longer and be in Yellowstone, Jackson Hole, etc.
Not much to do in IF, a movie theatre and some ok restaurants, pretty much zero night life, unless there is a concert at the Civic or a live band somewhere. Stores close early, not much open on Sunday. If you want to eat somewhere after 10pm your best bet is a drive thru or dennys. Downtown is slowly being revived with coffee shops etc. The East side of town is where the main shopping is, with the mall, walmart, target, kohls and other big boxes. West side is being developed with Taylors crossing, snake river landing, and other hotels and stuff, but I prefer the east side. Ammon borders Idaho Falls and is a great place to live, I lived out by Bonneville High School after I got married, nice place...cost of living is cheaper there compared to here in Boise, but COL varies wherever you go.
There is not a lot of job opp over there, unless you are going to teach at a univ or work at the INL out around Arco. That is why we left, husband got a better job over here.
That being said, I miss eastern Idaho every single day. Sure, it's a somewhat small area, not a whole lot to do, predominately LDS (which is sometimes annoying), but it's home to me and I love it.
I hope I didn't ramble too much
Is there a huge population of Mormons in Idaho Falls and surrounding communities? Not that I personally have issues with them but from the threads I read in other states on City-Data.com, it has me a little nervous if I considered relocating there.
Yes, I would consider the percentage of population of mormons in Idaho Falls to be one of the highest in the country, higher even than many areas of Utah. As such, the community tends to be very conservative politically. If you aren't a smoker, drinker or partier, the biggest change you will probably have is that many places are not open on Sundays at all, or have very limited hours.
Quote:
Originally Posted by yukiko11
I took a trip about 15 years ago which covered WA, ID and Montana. The biggest memories I had of Idaho falls were that the falls were like a small trickle of water and there was a Jr College built in the old river bed that they used to supply.
I agree the falls are pretty disappointing. Its very unfortunate that some of the least impressive waterfalls in the state have towns named after them. On the other hand, Shoshone Falls, just outside Twin Falls is known as the Niagra of the West.
Quote:
Originally Posted by yukiko11
Also, I found that potatoes that I always thougt were raised in Idaho were about twice as expensive as the ones in WA where I lived LOL
Did you actually try EATING an Idaho spud?? They ARE grown here, and they are soooo much better than Washington squishies. They are much larger and much better flavor, so worth the extra money.
Quote:
Originally Posted by yukiko11
I drove through a lot of Idaho and found it to be not only ugly, but I didn't appreciate the guy who was pumping my gas preaching to me and handing me copies of scripture.
Well, if you drove through southern Idaho on the freeway, I would have to agree with you. Other than the few places where you cross the Snake River, it is pretty ugly. Its the only place in the state that is though, unless you think mountains and forests and rivers are ugly. Even the Craters of the Moon region is not ugly, just very different.
As for the preaching at the gas station, there are crazies everywhere you go, you just found one.
Quote:
Originally Posted by yukiko11
When I stopped at a motel, the sheets were yellow because of the chemicals in the water.
There's a reason motels are cheap. Stay in 5 star hotels if you want straight from the store sheets. Honestly though, I've seen chemicals/minerals stain clothes in many places in the country, that isn't an Idaho thing, its a local well thing.
Quote:
Originally Posted by yukiko11
I went into a gift shop to purchase a tourist gift for a friend and had to wait 20 minutes while the clerk was "Ministering" to someone on the phone.
Ok, that is just weird anywhere, and I would have spoken up about it. That is poor customer service, and rude besides. See my previous note about crazies. You found 2, lucky you.
[quote=Lacerta;10589769]Yes, I would consider the percentage of population of mormons in Idaho Falls to be one of the highest in the country, higher even than many areas of Utah.
I have to disagree. Def not one of the highest in the country! Now if you had said Eastern Idaho as a whole, I may have agreed.
ETA only 27% of ID is LDS, compared to almost 75% of Utahns who are LDS, and Madison County (rexburg area) is near the top of the list when it comes to US Counties with the highest LDS population.
I graduated from Rigby, just ten minutes north of IF. But when people ask where I'm from I say Idaho Falls. It's a great town. And yes, I am Mormon but that does not mean everyone in IF is. The main Mormon population resides in Rexburg (I went to a few years of college there at BYUI and had to get out, I am LDS but I can only take so much of living in a bubble, lol!) I now live in Boise and it is MUCH LESS LDS. Idaho Falls is great if you like being somewhere scenic. Idaho is a beautiful state, but I find that most of the beauty is up north. Living in Boise is ok but it is ugly down here. In IF you can drive just 30 minutes and be surrounded by trees, national forests, or just a little longer and be in Yellowstone, Jackson Hole, etc. Not much to do in IF, a movie theatre and some ok restaurants, pretty much zero night life, unless there is a concert at the Civic or a live band somewhere. Stores close early, not much open on Sunday. If you want to eat somewhere after 10pm your best bet is a drive thru or dennys. Downtown is slowly being revived with coffee shops etc. The East side of town is where the main shopping is, with the mall, walmart, target, kohls and other big boxes. West side is being developed with Taylors crossing, snake river landing, and other hotels and stuff, but I prefer the east side. Ammon borders Idaho Falls and is a great place to live, I lived out by Bonneville High School after I got married, nice place...cost of living is cheaper there compared to here in Boise, but COL varies wherever you go.
There is not a lot of job opp over there, unless you are going to teach at a univ or work at the INL out around Arco. That is why we left, husband got a better job over here.
That being said, I miss eastern Idaho every single day. Sure, it's a somewhat small area, not a whole lot to do, predominately LDS (which is sometimes annoying), but it's home to me and I love it.
I hope I didn't ramble too much
Greetings pooskie33. I grew up in the Idaho Falls area too and now call the beautiful city of Boise home. Idaho Falls is a beautiful town and is near some gorgeous scenery although it is a little further from the mountains than most other Idaho cities.
A quick drive out of I.F. across the plains will get you into the mountains and to some amazing areas. Idaho is such a large state that each corner and area has its own surprises. It seems like a lot of people I knew growing up didn't know a lot of Idaho outside of SE Idaho. For instance, McCall and natural Payette Lake is from my experience a mystery to many people in SE Idaho simply because McCall is so far away from the I-15 corridor. I am sure many people in the Boise area have little knowledge of Driggs, Victor and the Teton Valley or Island Park. There is just so much scenery in all of Idaho that you don't have to drive across the state to find beauty.
As you know it is a long drive from Boise to Idaho Falls and because each city has their own mountainess outback why drive 300 miles when you don't have to?
I guess the point I am getting at is that I am suprised about your statement regarding the Boise area. I love Idaho, I know this state well, I have traveled it extensively and am aware of all of the regional areas within the state. You mentioned that out of Idaho Falls you can be in the forests and mountains in 30 minutes and Boise is no different, in fact dense forests are much closer to Boise than they are to Idaho Falls. As soon as you drive North out of Boise you are in the mountains which gradually give way from desert and sage to thundering rivers, creeks, lakes and some of the largest tracts of forests in the entire state and the Western USA, which continue up through Central Idaho to Northern Idaho. The first time I visited Long Valley where McCall is I was frustrated that I didn't know of that area while I grew up in Bonneville County. At first the area around McCall reminded me of the Willamette Valley of Oregon, it is so much more lush and wet than the dryer forests near Idaho Falls.
Living in Boise you can access the mountains and forests so much quicker and easier than you can in Idaho Falls. Boise has easier and quicker access to the Sun Valley area and the rugged jumble of mountains surrounding the Sawtooth Valley. The Sawtooths are a much larger and vast mountain range than the Tetons and offer hiking experiences not found in National Parks.
Boise is a perfect base to explore some of Idaho's most grand scenery and it starts as soon as you enter the Boise National Forest outside of the city and gets better the deeper you head into the heart of Idaho. When you and your husband have time take a drive up Highway 21 past Lucky Peak to Idaho City, about 30 miles, and beyond or take Highway 55 out of Eagle and you will soon be in forested mountain valleys and drive along some of the states most beautiful rivers, and I mean a lot of rivers. It is an experience you cannot find as close to Idaho Falls. One area I miss near I.F. and do not get to very often is the Palisades area and Swan Valley. I have a lot of family history there and consider that area one of my private Idaho's.
Before I leave, I just want to clarify that I am not dogging on the area around Idaho Falls because it is among some of the most scenic in the West, but as a native Idahoan and a lover of the outdoors and as a person who finds beauty in all of nature, I have to say the mountainess areas out of Boise are a lot more extensive and deep woods than you can find near Idaho Falls. The dozens and dozens of natural hot springs along the mountain highways and forest roads out of Boise really add to the experience.
Idaho is such a unique state because there is so much diversity and so many mountain ranges and of course there are some of the largest true apline wilderness areas left in the Lower 48 contained within Idaho's boundaries.
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Idaho Falls
