Idaho vs California (Boise: job market, wages, to live)

[VandalsLOL]

I think you're seeing it happen already.

Consider the big fights in this year's legislature: education and transportation. The legislator, as all conservative legislators rightly do, wants to cut taxes and spending. They're finding out... they just can't do that anymore. Our roads are falling apart; education in Idaho is among the worst in the nation. Teachers are leaving in droves.

So they realize they have to start putting money toward those two things. This year and last year we've had school levies pass to supplement funding. They will start paying teachers more (right now they start out at $31,000/year), but they can't figure out how to do it. And with the transportation funding... they're going to start increasing the gas tax (7 cents per gallon, last I heard), they will increase vehicle registration, and they will increase licensing, and they will increase fees on special vehicles like large trucks, hybrids, and motorcycles.

This will only continue as Idaho experiences growing pains. It is an inevitability. People complain about taxes and the cost of living coming from California and Washington.... those don't come because of liberal politics. They come because of population, pure and simple.

[YellowHorse]

Originally Posted by Bluesmama

It's about 95% true, though. Don't know so much about Washington, but the Portland-Metro area was Californicated as far back as the 80's. But I can't leave Oregonians off the hook for blame. They were greedy in selling their homes and developers and county assessors saw $$$$ to be gained from it.

I grew up during that time and remember it well. My dad was third generation native Portlandian/Oregonian, his dad/my grandfather built some of the historic buildings/houses. He married my mom before the huge influx, she was from California and had been transferred up to Portland where they met. She actually didn't like Portland because she thought, by the name, that it was on the coast and was astonished it was a river port over an hours drive from the coast (she was from a coastal city in California and wanted to stay on the coast). She was trying to transfer back and did, but my dad went and woo'd her down in California and she finally said yes, lol.

During the eighties/nineties there were those that hated the Californians (like my parents even though, ironically, my mom was Californian) because they could not buy a house, they'd save up more, get a raise/better paying job and the house values for what my dad wanted (he wanted acreage in a country type setting) just kept outpacing their income within, the land close in skyrocketed out of their ability to purchase. The population and price soared within Portland and it's surrounding towns and many of the close in semi-rural areas became suburbs.

My dad never got his "American dream" in Oregon, forever renting an apartment in order to be close to his work in Portland. He tried going to North Idaho at one point, he bought a little cabin on five acres when I was about 9-10. We spent a couple years of my childhood there, my dad and us kids LOVED it out there, but my mom hated it (especially during the winter), considered it too remote, was scared of the wildlife (she was definitely a city girl, lol) and wanted to go back where there was more civilization.

And so, in order to keep an intact marriage, we went back to his job in Portland. He tried once more in a rural area 45 min west of Portland (renting, never bought anything), but mom just didn't want any part of it (funny she always seemed fine with it at first, and didn't protest, seemed to be all for dad's quest, but after a year or two she'd be threatening divorce if we didn't go back to "civilized society"). I remember my mom drove all the way into Portland almost every day when we lived out in the rural area west of Portland. That property was my dad's last attempt at getting my mom out of the city. My dad wanted to be on land, but eventually, after I left home, bought a little house in a NE portland/Gresham suburb area (cheaper side) and that's where he's stayed, until now...

My dad is now looking in Idaho again, he is now retired and my mom passed away 10 years ago, my brother and his son is going with him to look. But he isn't looking in the panhandle, he doesn't like all the population increase. He's looking further south in the areas with lower population density. He doesn't like the arid desert area, so he's staying in the timber. But he's now determined to find his little homestead and enjoy some solitude away from the cities before he leaves this planet.

[YellowHorse]

Dang internet connection, sorry for the duplicates, lol

[ShadoAngel]

But he isn't looking in the panhandle, he doesn't like all the population increase. He's looking further south in the areas with lower population density. He doesn't like the arid desert area, so he's staying in the timber. But he's now determined to find his little homestead and enjoy some solitude away from the cities before he leaves this planet.

Tell him that not all of North Idaho is Kootenai county. He could get pretty remote, low population density, *and* stay in the timber in a lot of places north of the Salmon River. Elk City, highway 11, St. Maries and south on highway 3, way up past Bonner's Ferry, etc.

[T. Damon]

Originally Posted by Fisherman 100

In California it is acceptable to wear a Che T-shirt or pin. The folks who wear them don't really know who or what he stood for, but think he was cool.....

In Idaho people wear work clothes and earn a living. I don't see many of the folks here wearing photos of mass killers on their T-shirt. Granted some of the folks here like to kill deer and eat them, but that is quite a bit different.

In CA you wear designer clothes and worry about thing's like what flavor latte your going to get this morning, so you can enjoy it while sitting on the freeway.

In Idaho you order strong regular coffee and drive your Truck to work and maybe give that stranded motorist a helping hand instead of looking the other way.

In CA if you wave at a stranger he might shoot at you.

In Idaho they wave back and smile.

To me that is the difference in the two states. God Bless Idaho and pray she stays as she is...

Yep, that pretty much sums up the attitudes and lifestyle of 38 million like minded folks.

Sheesh, I guess I should feel lucky that I haven't been shot up by carjackers this week after accidently waving while I've littered my latte to-go cup to make sure it doesn't soil my designer clothes out of my expensive foreign car as I live my life on a freeway in my smoggy, crime filled community.

Some of you folks are downright funny with your histrionic stereotypes, I know more than a few stereotypes that Idahoans have too, but since my family is from and still reside there I know that not everyone falls into such simple categorizations.

Welcome to the world of change and growth, it happens to a lot of places and can be frustrating, irritating and even sad to all of us in many ways; I've seen it myself in the tiny town in the very rural (one stop light in the county which began blinking yellow at 6:00 PM) foothill county that I grew up in - wait, that doesn't exist in California and nor do any Californians not live like rude, materialistic, gun-hatin', (except those that shoot at you for waving), self centered, stuck-up city folks bent on destruction of all that is good.

Some of you need to chill out and start judging folks on their individual merits and just move further away from civilization if you don't like people that much (which is perfectly fine, a little bit of isolation can do us all good). Meanwhile, I've found plenty of perfectly nice and normal folks when I go up to Idaho that seem to be pretty much like everyone else, in that they are all a little bit different but just trying to make a good life for themselves in a growing state full of newcomers from all over.

[Clark Fork Fantast]

Originally Posted by T. Damon

Some of you folks are downright funny with your histrionic stereotypes, I know more than a few stereotypes that Idahoans have too, but since my family is from and still reside there I know that not everyone falls into such simple categorizations.

Hello T. Damon, glad you could stop by. If you'd spent a little more time in this forum, and/or done a little bit of research, you would have known that Fisherman 100 moved to Idaho from...SoCal. We haven't heard from him in a while, but he has always had a great sense of humor. Yes, the post was funny, and intentionally so.

[T. Damon]

Originally Posted by Clark Fork Fantast

Hello T. Damon, glad you could stop by. If you'd spent a little more time in this forum, and/or done a little bit of research, you would have known that Fisherman 100 moved to Idaho from...SoCal. We haven't heard from him in a while, but he has always had a great sense of humor. Yes, the post was funny, and intentionally so.

Oh I'm an old country boy at heart and growing up rural NorCa we were indoctrinated to hate Southern Californians more than anyone anywhere! Now that I'm down in the evil empire I just tell my friends and family remaining there that San Diego is actually south of SoCa, i.e. L.A., da da dah! - being that San Diego's unique culture is derived as much as from the Midwest (military) as Mexico and certainly not, evil Los Angeles

And while there are godawful places and rotten folks in this state as there are everywhere, you can find a sweet little slice down here (for a price to be sure) with friendly, respectful folks as much as anywhere. But I do appreciate to visit a sparsely populated mountain state like Idaho to get away from the crowds as much as folks up there. I love the trees in Boise; the high desert plains surrounding it are, meh, until you get up into the beautiful foothills and mountains nearby, (of course I'm one of those yuppie Sun Valley skiers) but not enough to move there so I promise I won't bring up my crazy, California, small town, hunting, fishing, farming, ranching upbringing lifestyle to add to your stress of all the rest of us moving up there

It's just funny to drop in here for a lurk once in a while (I also have a familial/personal history in Wyoming and family farm in Nebraska so pop in there once in a while too) to hear of the railing against those awful Californians and Californification, (as well just to check out what's going on in a state that I have family in) and while for some it's serious, I can roll my eyes and can take it for what it is- cuz all of our own houses have some weaknesses to be revealed if we aren't careful as we puff so hard against others.

[Clark Fork Fantast]

T., I can tell you have a twinkle in your eye! Stop by anytime you like. And you may be surprised to find you're not the only one who divides his/her time between San Diego County and Idaho; I'm writing this in East County, north of I-8 and east of I-15 . Yes, we're the good guys down here south of L.A. , and some of us do dream of, and prepare for a retirement to North Idaho!

[joerose]

Moved from So Cal to Spokane with the same dream others had. The country is beautiful, jobs are extremely hard to come by and they don't like outsiders. Especially Californians. Very sad.The people have a very flat affect. Don't know what that is all about. We are going back.

[Sagle Sam]

Have fun back there!