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Okay. I hadn't expected to post this, given that I've been investigating New England (specifically New Hampshire) for a place to which my wife and I could move... but then earlier this week an adult music student of mine returned from an extended visit to northern Idaho where she's from and where she owns property (not sure of the town) and she was raving about it. We got talking and it turns out that she is of the same mentality as I am, and she said northern Idaho is great for me. So, let's see what y'all say.
I'm 32, my wife is 28, I've lived in Texas for four years and she's been here for almost two. (Love will make you move anywhere, won't it?) We seek a place to live where there is minimal government interference, low taxes, LOW CRIME!!!!!, basically a nice out-of-the-way location where we could buy a house with a lot of land for very little money (think small cabin / house which is livable even if it needs some work, and at least 5 acres, for under $40K) and be able to live self-sufficiently should the need to do so arise. This means the property must be partially wooded (winter heating fuel, you know) and get a lot of precipitation during the year so that it won't be susceptible to drought like central Texas is.
We put together a really detailed spreadsheet ranking the states on several criteria that we really wanted, and New Hampshire came out as #1. Idaho was #2. Investigating NH, I have at least a couple of worries... mostly due to the influx of liberals who look to escape the high-tax hells of neighboring/nearby states like Vermont, Massachusetts, Maine, and New York... bringing their liberal leftist views into the one last bastion of conservatism in the Northeast. Here is how NH ranked in the last several Presidential elections in terms of how strongly Republican they voted (1 = most strongly Republican state, 50 = most strongly Democratic state)
1984: #6
1988: #2 (only Utah voted more strongly Republican than NH in 1988)
1992: #20 (it went from 26.16% Republican margin of victory to a "blue state" with 1.22% Democratic margin of victory)
1996: #30 (now NH has a 9.95% Democratic margin of victory)
2000: #29 (barely back to being a "red state")
2004: #33 ("blue" again)
2008: #30 (9.61% Democratic margin of victory)
It went from the second most conservative-voting states in the country, to having every last one of its counties go "blue" in the most recent Presidential election.
As we can see, Idaho has remained very stable and solidly "red" throughout the years.
People on the Idaho forums have talked about a prevalence of Mormons in Idaho. Mormons don't bother me anywhere near as much as liberals do. NH might be a good low-tax location right now but when enough tax-and-spend liberals invade a state, it soon becomes like the place from which they came. NH already allows gay marriage, and it's only a matter of time before it becomes a welfare state.
Idaho doesn't seem to suffer those ills.
In 2008 before coming to Texas, Idaho ranked as #1 on my list of states to which I should have gone. (I chose Texas for other reasons. Maybe I should have chosen Idaho!)
So here are the ways in which NH bested Idaho. Maybe y'all can explain these things. (Understand that for my rankings, a higher number is better.)
1) Taxes. Idaho ranked as the 28th most taxed state and NH ranked the 44th most taxed. In another study, Idaho ranked 31st while NH ranked 49th. Either way, Idaho's tax burden would seem to be higher than NH's tax burden. Now, NH is largely dependent upon property taxes while Idaho seems to have all of the "big three" (property tax, income tax, sales tax). I'm not positive about which would be worse but someone on a different forum made a good point - when you're self-employed and have lots of business deductions, income tax doesn't hit as hard... and if you don't buy much "stuff", sales tax doesn't hit as hard... but property tax is an equal opportunity devastator if you own property no matter how you get your income or what you buy. So what are your thought about Idaho taxes as they compare to other states?
2) Low crime... Idaho was #42 while NH was #48. Not very significant- each was in the best quintile.
3) Percentage of people on welfare. Idaho was #42 (7.5%) while NH was #49 (6.1%). Not very significant- again, each was in the best quintile.
4) Business friendliness - Idaho was #38 while NH was #49. Idaho tied with Texas, and I've had no trouble doing business in TX. I also did business in Pennsylvania (#20) and New Jersey (#3) with no trouble. Maybe my business type is just lucky.
5) Percentage of people who smoke. Idaho was #39 while NH was #42. Not significant. If you want to know why I care about how many people smoke, ask me... over private message if possible.
6) Tree cover. For what we seek, a property with trees is HUGE. Plus, we really want natural beauty, where we live. However, northern & eastern Idaho seem to have plenty of trees, from what I can see. I wouldn't want to live in the southern, desert-type parts of the state.
7) Precipitation. NH gets a lot of rain. Idaho doesn't. However, again, the northern part and eastern part of Idaho seem to get plenty of rain.
Here's how Idaho bested NH:
1) "Red strength" - Idaho seems to vote Republican across the boards. Out of 35 counties, only 3 went for Obama in the last election. NH scored only 4 out of 8 in "red strength" while Idaho went 8 for 8.
2) Gun laws - Idaho was #47 while NH was #27. I own a gun, I don't want anyone telling me I can't own a gun or use it to protect myself, my family, or my property.
3) Vehicle inspection laws - Idaho doesn't have an inspection requirement, as far as I can tell from my research. I hate vehicle inspections.
4) Cost of living. Idaho demolished NH in here, coming in at #42 while NH was #11.
5) Economy. Idaho was #28 while NH was #16.
6) Summer temperature. Idaho isn't as hot in the summer as is NH. For self-sufficiency, I have to have an area that doesn't need electrically-operated climate control. A fire creates warmth in the winter... what else besides electrically-operated air conditioning can create reliable, convenient comfort in a hot summer?
7) Mountains. We love mountains. Idaho has more mountains.
What would worry me about Idaho is the distance from our families (mine lives in NJ and my wife's lives in Ohio)... that's about it. On top of that, it seems like properties in northern NH are cheaper than properties in northern Idaho. Our plan for our immediate future doesn't have room for an expensive home.
Is most of northern and eastern Idaho parkland where we couldn't buy property even if we wanted to?
Is there anything else I should consider?
Or does it seem like northern / eastern Idaho would be a great place for us?
I have one for ya, how about mosquitoes? If I remember correctly, NH is the epicenter. If you look around here you won't see any screened porches! Humidity is another factor. I grew up in ME and hiked the entire White Mountain area of NH, so I know what I am talking about.
I have one for ya, how about mosquitoes? If I remember correctly, NH is the epicenter. If you look around here you won't see any screened porches! Humidity is another factor. I grew up in ME and hiked the entire White Mountain area of NH, so I know what I am talking about.
That would stink. I hate mosquitoes with a flaming passion. I don't like ANY insects, but I especially hate mosquitoes, because they transmit disease with reckless abandon and no moral compass.
Is there anywhere I can go where I can see the prevalence of mosquitoes? I've heard of mosquito problems pretty much everywhere I go... so if some areas are worse than others, it'd be nice to know about it.
Humidity... yeah, it stinks... but what stinks worse is "no rain". It'd be great to be in a location that got a good amount of precipitation but didn't suffer major humidity problems. Does that sound like northern - northeastern Idaho, to any of y'all?
Oh there are lots-o-bugs around here. You are not constantly swatting half a dozen mosquitoes though. I think it rains a good amount, just look at a map and you can see where it is green. Humidity is not often high. Right now it is 76 degrees and 33% humidity. Oh and we have snow too, at least most years.
Oh there are lots-o-bugs around here. You are not constantly swatting half a dozen mosquitoes though. I think it rains a good amount, just look at a map and you can see where it is green. Humidity is not often high. Right now it is 76 degrees and 33% humidity. Oh and we have snow too, at least most years.
Ah, 76 degrees with 33% humidity... sounds really nice as I sit in my house that's barely cooler than 76 degrees because it's a-hundred-and-who-cares-how-much-more outside right now.
Snow... ehhhhh... grew up with it... understand it.... honestly, I'd like snow much more if it would (in the words of my neighbor when I lived in PA) "stay off the roads, sidewalks, and driveways". It's a nuisance, but it sure is beautiful. I'll have to deal with it as a consequence of moving to a colder area known for getting a good amount of precipitation.
If your not completely set on Northern you might try..........
Very nice towns outside of Boise that you might consider, work would be your factor for commuting, look at Emmett, Eagle & Weiser.
If you want more mountains they would be surrounding and valley of open fields, you can go Cambridge to Council. If you like snow then try Council to McCall or Cascade. All of these are small towns with lots of outdoor fun, no city life you entertain yourself.
Lewiston to Orofino, Kamiah & Kooskia the Clearwater River is pretty nice and fun to ride motorcycles on. Mostly mountains and rivers through this way kind of a canyon feeling. Again all small towns no city life.
Lewiston to Moscow (University area) and surrounding towns that are less than 30 mins to Lewiston are Troy, Julietta or Kendrick very reasonable to live very hot in the summer.
Idaho is just a nice place to live. All these towns I think are conservative with a live your life and leave me alone mentality you will find some people nice and grumps are every where.
If your not completely set on Northern you might try..........
Very nice towns outside of Boise that you might consider, work would be your factor for commuting, look at Emmett, Eagle & Weiser.
If you want more mountains they would be surrounding and valley of open fields, you can go Cambridge to Council. If you like snow then try Council to McCall or Cascade. All of these are small towns with lots of outdoor fun, no city life you entertain yourself.
Lewiston to Orofino, Kamiah & Kooskia the Clearwater River is pretty nice and fun to ride motorcycles on. Mostly mountains and rivers through this way kind of a canyon feeling. Again all small towns no city life.
Lewiston to Moscow (University area) and surrounding towns that are less than 30 mins to Lewiston are Troy, Julietta or Kendrick very reasonable to live very hot in the summer.
Idaho is just a nice place to live. All these towns I think are conservative with a live your life and leave me alone mentality you will find some people nice and grumps are every where.
Boise is in a low-rain area. I don't want to go to any area where it's dry, drought-prone, dust storm prone (I remember seeing "dust storm area" signs when I drove through southern Idaho in 2001), etc. I also can't go somewhere where it's going to be hot. When I say "hot", I mean I don't want to be anywhere where 90 degrees is anything other than "This is crazy! It's been two years since it last got this hot!" I really don't mind heat, but that's because I have air conditioning. In a survival scenario where I may not have reliable electricity (if any electricity at all), I won't want to have to rely on air conditioning to be comfortable.
Boise is in a low-rain area. I don't want to go to any area where it's dry, drought-prone, dust storm prone (I remember seeing "dust storm area" signs when I drove through southern Idaho in 2001), etc. I also can't go somewhere where it's going to be hot. When I say "hot", I mean I don't want to be anywhere where 90 degrees is anything other than "This is crazy! It's been two years since it last got this hot!" I really don't mind heat, but that's because I have air conditioning. In a survival scenario where I may not have reliable electricity (if any electricity at all), I won't want to have to rely on air conditioning to be comfortable.
Well it's 90° with 21% humidity right now in Coeur d'Alene which happens quite often in the summer, some summers 100° is possible. Although, I don't have air conditioning my house is fairly cool. It is located between two small hills with most of the back portion against a small hillside. We are lucky here in North Idaho that when it does get hot it takes awhile for the heat to really set in for the day and most nights are cool.
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All these towns I think are conservative with a live your life and leave me alone mentality you will find some people nice and grumps are every where.
