Mountain area on a river in Idaho? (Boise, Payette: how much, home)

[Kimberly]

We are retiring to Idaho next year, and are looking for a home in the mountains on a river, quiet, and peaceful.
Any suggestions?
Thank you, Kimberly

[Torrie]

Is snow a factor for you?

[Paul Smith]

My wife and I visited the Lake Pend Orielle area just to appease one of my sisters who said it would be the perfect place for our retirement home. We fell in love with a beautiful plot of forested hillside with a year-round stream next to a bay on the lake. It snows on Halloween and lets up on May Day, and that is fine with us. We like the people and the rural lifestyle. The view from our living room makes us feel like we are on some expensive movie set. Life is good!

[Sage of Sagle]

Paul, did you buy in Bottle Bay or Garfield Bay?

Kimberly, the Lake Pend Oreille area is awesome. Not for everyone...winters are hard here, and the rural living means a step back from suburban conveniences, but the good things you hear about this area are indeed true.

[balto charlie]

Originally Posted by Sage of Sagle

...winters are hard here, and the rural living means a step back from suburban conveniences,

Not looking to steal this post but how much snow? I want snow in winter(back-country skiing) and cool summer temps. I was looking towards Wallace/Kellogg areas as they seem to get quite a bit of snow and are VERY inexpensive. I would; however prefer to be a little south of those areas. How big are the mnts surrounding this area. Thanks Charlie

[Sage of Sagle]

Charlie,

Only 6-8' a year of snowfall in this area, but it stays below 32F for a couple months straight so it's quite a bit of accumulation and the ice dams build up...so it's not the Colorado snow burying everything...but it's cold and icy and DARK all winter. Right now we can play outside until 9-9:30PM and it's getting light before 5AM...but in the winter that's reversed.

So you really need to enjoy those winter sports, which you say you do...that's a good thing. The mountains right around the lake are not high...the Cabinet range is off in the distance more...

[Syringaloid]

Originally Posted by Kimberly

We are retiring to Idaho next year, and are looking for a home in the mountains on a river, quiet, and peaceful.
Any suggestions?
Thank you, Kimberly

Idaho is full of mountains and rivers and peace and quiet. Just north of Boise, about 45 minutes, is an area called Garden Valley along the Payette River and is in the mountains and is forested. There are several housing areas and developments and a few little mountain hamlets. Boise is just down the road too when you need the big city/shopping fix.
I saw this website in the news the other day. If I had the money I would buy in Garden Valley. It is very beautiful up there.
Southfork Landing

[Anchorless]

Originally Posted by Syringaloid

I saw this website in the news the other day. If I had the money I would buy in Garden Valley. It is very beautiful up there.
Southfork Landing

Ugh, that's so entirely frustrating.

[idahomama]

Originally Posted by Anchorless

Ugh, that's so entirely frustrating.

I couldn't agree more. We have a city already being over run with suburban development. Let's do the same to our mountain communities! We are neighbors to a relative of one of the developers of this project. We were approached last year with an investment opportunity in their company. We said "no" because we could not in good conscience provide any financial backing to this sort of development. Where will our suburbs end??????

[Anchorless]

Originally Posted by idahomama

I couldn't agree more. We have a city already being over run with suburban development. Let's do the same to our mountain communities! We are neighbors to a relative of one of the developers of this project. We were approached last year with an investment opportunity in their company. We said "no" because we could not in good conscience provide any financial backing to this sort of development. Where will our suburbs end??????

At the point in which every mountain community ends up like McCall or Sun Valley, I assume.

Just trying to get to Garden Valley from Boise is a chore. That Banks intersection is a nightmare. And I'm pretty sure it's a good thing to have that many people and that much traffic in the mountains. Yay. More campers to ignite fires through their carelessness.

As sad as this makes me to say this, I'm almost hoping for a few more poor air quality days, so the EPA has to step in. From the Weekly:

"Environmental Protection Agency standards allow only a certain number of days each year during which a population center can have unhealthy levels of air pollution. It's a threat that has been hovering over Ada County after weeks of yellow and orange air-quality alerts.

"If we reach non-attainment, everything stops," Vannorsdel said. "I don't think people have any idea how powerful that is." If the area is found to be in non-attainment, it could put federal highway funds at risk, as well as building permits, until the problem is dealt with, Stark said. "

Boise Weekly - Not Your Everyday Newspaper

We can only hope.