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Thanks again to the both of you. I don't plan to move to Idaho sight unseen, I'm just hoping to narrow it down to one part of the state to visit. If I make that visit and it isn't for me, I certainly wouldn't hesitate to go a different direction.
I know in any area, there are places to avoid, advantages of local knowledge. I know the entire country is experiencing high temps right now, but if Boise is routinely hitting 100 degrees in the summer, that will give me something to look at as I was trying to find a little milder Summers. Maybe the lack of humidity will help offset that. I just have to check it out. I agree and will in a few weeks.
CDA is beautiful and if we do decide on Boise it could be one of those things where my wife and I settle there when school is finished. Right now it just looks like Boise is a great place to start. Both CDA & Boise have great gymnastic centers for my daughter and Boise has a high level year round training center for wrestling, so I do like that aspect.
We still haven't finalized our plans, so I am still trying to research, absorb and process as much info as I can.
So what is the next closest ski resort to Boise after Bogus Basin?
Having split my life between the two areas, I like to think I've got a pretty good handle on both. In all honesty, I love both the Boise/Treasure Valley area and the Coeur d'Alene area, but given the choice I would (and have) choose Coeur d'Alene every time.
1) Schools: The schools throughout Idaho are generally fantastic, but I highly recommend taking advantage of Idaho's robust Charter School opportunities if possible. I've personally known about a dozen students who are in Idaho's charter schools and their education is second to none. There are also some great private schools, but IMHO the best area for private schools is Boise and Nampa. That's not to say Coeur d'Alene doesn't have good private schools, but they're not quite as consistent as the ones in the Treasure Valley area.
2) Outdoor Recreation: Both areas do have easy access to outdoor activities. If you enjoy skiing and snowboarding you'll have great access in both areas, but I think Coeur d'Alene edges out Boise. From CdA you have access to Schweitzer, Silver Mountain and Mt. Spokane, all of which are wonderful! Boise has Bogus Basin which is good, but just not the same breathtaking experience as North Idaho. Both have easy access to hunting, fishing and four-wheeling areas, but boating is somewhat limited close to Boise, whereas in Coeur d'Alene it's practically at your front door. Keep in mind that Boise is desert surrounded by hills and mountains--if you enjoy recreating in the sand dunes, Bruneau Sand Dunes is great!
Coeur d'Alene is heavily forested, surrounded on all sides by hills and mountains. In general, access is a little shorter to outdoor recreation in Coeur d'Alene than it is in Boise, but travel is restricted to more of the places around Coeur d'Alene due to more severe winters with greater snowfall than Boise.
3) Youth Sports: I'd say both areas are fairly equal and very supportive when it comes to youth sports opportunities.
4) Weather: In keeping with what I said earlier about Boise being in the desert, it has a dry heat, which means that even though you'll typically see more triple digit days in Boise than in CdA, it's not an oppressive heat. Boise typically has cool nights and fairly mild winters with light snow that melts quickly. If you live outside of town you may experience high winds from time to time, but not as bad as some areas of Idaho (Idaho Falls area in Eastern Idaho & Paluse area in Central Idaho).
Coeur d'Alene has cooler summers, but they're more humid, so the heat can feel just as warm as Boise. Unlike Boise, Coeur d'Alene has a very short summer--usually only around 2 months of "hot" summer weather that ranges from the high 70's to low 90's, rarely tipping up into triple digits. Our winters vary greatly and depend on where you live exactly in the CdA area. Typically you'll experience 3-4 heavy snowfalls during the winter with snow sticking around for up to several weeks at a time. Snow is generally cleared quickly and if you have good traction tires, most cars can make it around town just fine within a day or two of fresh snow. I know a family that lives on a hill 8 miles south of CdA and their snow typically starts in late October and ends in early June. However in town, you'll mainly see snow between November and March. The last few springs in Coeur d'Alene have been long and cold with lots of rain. And yes, there are lots of overcast days in Coeur d'Alene, especially in the winter.
5) Small Town Feel: Boise is too big for my tastes. I like small towns that still have a good amount of services--in other words, I like being able to shop around town and find what I need without being forced to go to the only grocery store in town. And I don't want to leave town to find what I need. At the same time, I don't like the crime, traffic and general lack of sanity associated with big cities. Boise is too much of a big city. While Boise's traffic is nothing compared to Atlanta, Austin, Las Vegas or Las Angeles, it still sucks. If I were to live in the Boise area again, I would never move into Boise. I lived in Boise briefly, but most of my time in the Treasure Valley was spent in nearby Nampa. I'd live in Nampa again, because it's smaller and has everything I need. More specifically, I'd live in the unincorporated area of Canyon County, a few miles south of Nampa. Nampa has all the stores and services I'd want on a regular basis without the big city feel of Boise. When I lived in Nampa previously, I treated Boise like I do Spokane. I'd go there once every couple/few months, but otherwise stay away.
Coeur d'Alene is growing, but it seems to be maintaining its small town feel pretty well. More and more people are moving into the Coeur d'Alene area, so it could lose that in the future, but for now it's preserved. There are lots of "bedroom communities" in the area that are smaller and many of the residents commute to Coeur d'Alene or Spokane to work and do business. These would be places like Hayden and Liberty Lake (WA). A little further out, but guaranteed to maintain its small town feeling for a long time is Rathdrum. It's right on Highway 41, giving quick and easy access to Post Falls, Spokane and Coeur d'Alene.
I know that was long-winded. Sorry. Please let me know if I should clarify something.
Hi, SCescape...
Idaho is truly 3 different states. The north and south are divided by impassible mountains, and the south is divided east to west by the Arco desert. Visiting just one area will never give you a full estimation of where you would like to live.
Boise and all the area on the western half of southern Idaho is lower, drier and hotter than the southeast side, which is higher and milder. (Except for the winters; as has been mentioned, all Idaho winters are cold in general.) The southeast is more like Colorado than either C'dA or Boise, and the economy is generally better than in the north, as S.E. Idaho has a technological, industrial and agricultural bases, and all are doing well. This area has Idaho Falls and Rexburg, 2 of the fastest growing cities in the state, and Pocatello is the home of Idaho State U., and also has a growing industrial base.
If you want access to some of the best skiing in the West, it's here. Sun Valley, Grand Targhee, Big Sky, Jackson Hole, and other major ski resorts are a couple of hours at most away, and this area abounds with excellent smaller local ski hills.
This area is also one of the largest and most popular snowmobiling areas in the West. Groomed snowmobile trails are maintained every winter in Bonneville, Bannock and Madison counties, and W. Yellowstone, the major destination in the west is just north of the S.E. Idaho border. The Island Park caldera has more lodges and trails than anywhere else.
While all of Idaho is great, don't overlook the S.E. corridor. All the big stuff is happening down here, but we still have small-town hospitality and life style.
@BanjoMike. The southeast looks nice too, but for some reason I initially fell in love with CDA N Idaho. Looked at Boise for obvious reasons, was leaning that way, but something about CDA keeps pulling me back.
I compared weather between CDA & where we lived in Blue Ridge GA and temperature wise there isn't a big difference. CDA is an average of 9 degrees cooler year round. 9 degrees cooler, but with significantly less humidity it appears, so that won't be an issue. There is alot less rainfall in CDA, which is good, but significantly more snow in CDA, which is good.
I want snow. I want to be able to enjoy skiing and other things in the winter. I don't want 6 months of Summer, I want a climate that has close to a true 4 season environment. I want my kids to appreciate and take advantage of what each season has to offer. My son wrestles pretty much during all those winter months and my daughter is training gymnastics 3-4 days during the week regardless of weather, so throw in some skiing on the weekends and imagine they will be A OK!
CDA is just beautiful if the pictures are close to reality. I prefer the green and the beautiful lakes. I initially looked to Boise after reading some posts that made CDA's weather seem
Like the Antartic. After doing my own research and comparison to climates I have lived before, I have discovered it might just be exactly what I am looking for.
@cdalover. What about the hospitals/medical care in the CDA area?
Any particular part of CDA I should focus on?
Is Hayden part of CDA?
The hospital in Coeur d'Alene is top-notch. Kootenai Health Awards There are plenty of medical practices to cover pretty much any need. Some specialists are only available in Spokane, but most are available in CdA.
There are also some great hospitals in Spokane if there is a service KMC can't provide for some reason. The Veterans Hospital is also in Spokane. KMC has life flight services in addition to its ambulance fleet, so emergencies are covered really well.
As for an area to focus on, it really depends on what you're looking for. Myself, I was raised in the rural area several miles south of CdA, and there is lots of rural property around. If you're looking for more of a suburban neighborhood, there are some excellent neighborhoods around. A realtor would be more qualified to talk about buying a home, but I personally would avoid purchasing in downtown or midtown. They're not bad areas, but in my opinion they aren't as family-friendly as some of the other neighborhoods. Here's a map of some of my favorite neighborhoods. I've listed 12 neighborhoods there with a cursory blurb about my observations of each. Obviously there are a ton of great places to live in CdA, but these would be my personal top choices to look if I were going to live in town, as opposed to being in an unincorporated area. My top three of the ones listed are 9, 8 and 7 (in that order).
There are actually five incorporated cities that essentially run together here with little to no differentiation of their boundaries. Coeur d'Alene, Fernan Lake Village, Hayden, Hayden Lake and Dalton Gardens. You can go from one to another without realizing you're technically in a different city.
Coeur d'Alene's hospital is Kootenai Medical Center (KMC). Fortunately, I never had a need of their services in the 13 years I lived there. But, I have friends who work there and have known many people who have been happy with their services. For anything they cannot handle, Spokane has several large hospitals and KMC has a life flight helicopter, if necessary. I think you would have plenty of medical care options. There is also a specialty hospital in Post Falls.
Hayden and Post Falls are small cities adjacent to Coeur d'Alene. They kind of all run together. Post Falls is West towards Spokane and in my experience generally has the least expensive real estate. The Spokane River flows through Post Falls and in the Spring the Falls can be fairly impressive. Hayden and Hayden Lake are small cities to the North of Coeur d'Alene and generally have the most expensive real estate. But like I said, they kind of all run together like one larger place.
Hayden is approx 14,000 Hayden Lake is approx 600 Post Falls is approx 28,000 and C'da is approx 45,000. The county is approx 145,000
lovecda - Your map is fantastic! We built one of the first houses on the park in neighborhood 11. It was a great house and sold in one day when it was time for us to move on.
Take a tour with a good realtor and you will quickly see what areas appeal to you.
Hey everyone! Like SCescape - my family too is looking into Boise, ID. y husband and I have 3 young children and have wonders regarding if Boise has Museums, Theme Parks, Antique stores, Warehouses that sell reclaimed wood or Green products, Shopping Malls, - Things like that... most larger cities have these - so wasn't sure if Boise has them too! I really am not the type to go to malls but it is just nice to know if one exists?! Outdoor Malls, Indoor Malls, Kid Museums, etc. Have done research that they have a science center and art museums... Also IF we were buy a home... would a pool be something to consider? Heard the foothills, Meridian, and Eagle are great areas to raise kids... any specific neighborhoods any of you can pinpoint for me as I do some home searches on MLS sites? Anything any of you can give me is greatly appreciated as we do not have family there or know anyone to ask these things that realtors may or may not be able to tell you straight out. Thanks in advance!
Boise has some family fun centers, arcades and things of that bent as well as some very nice parks. There are also some good antique stores throughout the treasure valley. I'm not certain about reclaimed wood or green products since I didn't own a home there, but I imagine there are suppliers for those. I do know there are some individuals in the area who sell sagebrush products (it's quite plentiful down there).
As for museums, Boise has plenty! You can see a list of them here. I always loved going to The Discovery Center as a child, and I can only imagine the exhibits have improved since then. There is also a zoo.
Boise and the Treasure Valley also have lots of strip malls with smaller shops and restaurants. The only indoor mall I'm aware of (things may have changed now) in Boise was The Boise Towne Square, which has all the Usual Suspects for a mall--Sears, Macy's, etc along with the plethora of smaller stores. Nampa has Karcher Mall, which has gone through a pattern of ups and downs in the past 30 years, sometimes it is teeming with life, other times it's a ghost mall with virtually no stores. There is also an outlet mall east of Boise off I-84.
Since I wasn't a home owner there and didn't intend to be, I don't have any specific recommendations on neighborhoods, just general areas in the Treasure Valley (post 12)
I grew up in North Idaho about 80 miles from CdA and then my family moved to Boise. I know both cities pretty well. I now live in Houston and know how you feel about living in the humidity with no mountains around. Lord, how I miss the mountains and "normal" air.
That being said, I prefer Boise out of the two - however from your posts I am thinking CdA may be a better fit - mainly because it is more similar to Germany in terms of green-ness and climate. Adding up other issues it is kind of a wash. The two places are indeed very different as many of the posters here have been saying.
North Idaho has more of a similar climate compared to Bavaria. In fact, there are large hop farms north of Couer d'Alene (near Bonners Ferry) that initially began when someone recognized the climate was similar to Bavaria. Weather-wise, this might be better. CdA is FAR more green than Boise.
Boise is better for jobs by far but it sounds like this is not a major issue for you.
Boise is probably closer to mid-sized mountains than CdA but for large mountains it is roughly a tie. CdA is a couple/few hours from the Bitterroots, Selkirks, and Glacier NP. Boise has the mountains of Central Idaho, such as the Sawtooths (which really should be a National Park) and White Clouds.
For outdoors, this really depends on your preference. I think both places will satisfy you. Boise is a world class kayaking area, and Bogus is very close for some decent skiing. Sun Valley, Targhee, and the Utah ski resorts are few/several hours away. CdA does not have world class skiing that are near it but has some really good mid-sized resorts with shorter lift lines. I always loved Schweitzer for it's skiing in large cedars. The snow is heavier in North idaho so the edge goes to Boise for lighter snow and world class ski resorts not too far away.
Schools - I grew up in North Idaho and don't have a high opinion of the schools there. I was in a small town, though, so CdA probably was better than what I experienced. Boise has a great public school system. For universities, Boise has BSU, which is a large school but academics is not as strong as it could be - improving though. Not far away is College of Idaho which is a good liberal arts school. CdA only has North Idaho, but University of Idaho is not far away (hour and a half) which has excellent academics, by far the best in the state IMO. If you like football, then BSU is better of course.
Lakes - no question, CdA wins. Boise has Payette lake up in McCall which is a pretty (but sometimes congested) hour and a half drive away. It is a very nice lake though. On the same drive but nearer to Boise is also Cascade Resevoir. This area is similar to North Idaho for natural beauty and greenery. Aside from Lake CdA, there are also Hayden, Pend Oreille, Priest, and several smaller lakes of considerable beauty.
Those are my thoughts. Boise really grew on me over time and the place seems to be a little cheerier to me in terms of both weather and culture. Both cities are up and coming and have great futures ahead.
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In all honesty, I love both the Boise/Treasure Valley area and the Coeur d'Alene area, but given the choice I would (and have) choose Coeur d'Alene every time. 
