Rupert/Twin Falls area or Pocatello area?? Please help us find best place for us. (Boise: low income, fit in) - Idaho (ID) - City-Data Forum

frybergerfamily · 10-01-2006, 02:53 AM

Hi, my husband, two kids and myself are looking into moving to Idaho. Actually we have been trying for months now, but it looks like my husband may be getting offered jobs around Rupert and maybe around Pocatello. We don't know anything except what we've researched. We just want to get out of California so our kids can have a better life. We don't fit in out here as we are too conservative for Southern California.We are good people but are not LDS and I'm worried that my kids will not be treated nice from all of the negative things I have read. We have one in high school and one in the last year of middle school. We just want them to have a simplified life and we want to get them out of here before it's too late! Can anyone help us figure out what areas might best welcome us and which areas are nice to raise kids and that are pretty safe and low crime? We would really appreciate any help. Thanks!

vintage · 10-01-2006, 08:52 AM

Moving to a new area when in high school is always tough on the kids. They may never feel like they fit in for all of their remaining years in school. Poky is a larger town, Rupert is rural but you will have access to the attractions around Boise. The kids may find weekend trips to Boise to be of some comfort.
Both places are Mormon territory and you will never fit into the community to the extend possible in other places. The Mormons consider the dynamics there to be normal and have very little understanding of how the others perceive the situation. The adults may adjust to it but most kids cannot. When they graduate they will likely want to get out of town by ANY means.

frybergerfamily · 10-01-2006, 11:52 AM

The main concern that I have with either Pocatello or Rupert is the Mormos issue, and whether or not my family will be welcome to either area. My kids are good kids but they do have some California ways. I'm wondering if they will be shunned, and also if my career (and my wife's career) will be judged by whether or not we are LDS. Any info on Southwest idaho in general would be helpful, but the two opportunities I ahve so far may be in Pocatello or a smaller town Rupert. I was thinking that Pocatello is a college town and therefore a bit more liberal and accepting than a smaller town. Where would kids go to college if they lived in the Rupert area?

vintage · 10-01-2006, 12:17 PM

The nearest college to Rupert is a community college in Twin Falls. The University is two hours away in Boise. The social issue is a legitimate concern and I don’t mean to dwell on it too much but the chamber of commerce sure won’t mention it. Employment options in Rupert is nearly zero so living in Poky will give your kids more opportunities to have summer jobs.

my3arabs · 10-01-2006, 05:16 PM

Poky is more tolerant of others than a smaller town would be. With ISU being in Poky you will have diversity but in Rupert you will have nothing. A few yrs ago the gangs had gotten to be a huge problem in the Rupert/Burley area. Believe me your kids would be happier in either Poky or Twin Falls.

Twin Falls is about 35 miles from Rupert and offers some real good schools. It isn't as Mormony here as Poky thanks to us being so close to Nevada where Jackpot is. The ppl in Twin are nice ppl and seem to be good ppl to new comers. When you get out in the smaller towns like we are ppl aren't very nice especially to ppl from Cali, I should know I am from Ventura/Ojai area and have lived in ID for 15 yrs from the North East corner to here in Castleford ID.

There are no Junior Colleges here at all. It is either a University, the College of Southern Idaho (in Twin) or a vocational school. Most kids on the East side and West side of the state go to BYU in either Rexburg or Utah, but of course those are LDS schools. There is the Boise State University, University of Idaho at Moscow and Idaho State University in Poky. Sports are real big here even at a very young age and most of the cities have real good community sports programs during the summer. If you don't mind the drive I would try Twin Falls area, www.magicvalley.com is the paper here.

frybergerfamily · 10-01-2006, 07:09 PM

Is the commute from Twin Falls to Rupert a serious possibility. 35 miles to a Californian is 35 minutes. What would that be like minutes-wise there?

frybergerfamily · 10-01-2006, 07:35 PM

Also, how about the Kimberly Area? Or Murtaugh ? Also Eden Hazelton etc.

Basically what would be a good city on the East side of Twin that would be considered a suburb of Twin Falls and with in commuting distance of both Twin and Rupert/Burley.

Also, gang problems? In Rupert and Burley? What???? How and why?

my3arabs · 10-01-2006, 07:59 PM

Kimberly is great too. More small town that TWin but you have Twin real close for the big shopping. Kimberly is closer to the mountains as well if your kids like ski.

Our interstate is 75 mph so the commute isn't that bad. It seems like forever to me cuz I drive it a lot to Raft River to exchange kids. I have heard very good things about the school in Kimberly. I don't know anything about Eden or Hazelton at all, sorry.

The hispanic gangs got real big and violent in the late 90s early 00. I don't think that it has changed much since then. Rupert and Burley are very depressed cities with low income and not much to do for kids. Your best bet is to do a search of Idaho newspapers and real the news about that area. I don't know why it happen there of all places but it did. The old areas of most cities in ID are having problems with some nasty crimes now days and it is scary and disgusting. We had a man here in the Twin Falls area kill his three kids with rat poison and other drugs just so he didn't loose them in a custody fight. I know that things like that happen every where but it was a huge shock to Twin Falls.

Oh yeah, you will have to get used to Idahoans using the miles and not minutes. I have never gotten use to it and still usually say it takes about some many minute to get where ever. I live way out in the boonies and it takes me anywhere from 30mins to 45 mins to get to any of the cheaper grocery stores. But that is the price we paid to have a great view.

djstorey · 10-02-2006, 07:31 AM

I know that some of the small towns here in Idaho can be hard to fit into if you are not mormon. However, Pocatello, like someone else said, is a college town which gives it more diversity.

I really don't think you would have much problem fitting in. I live in Idaho Falls (about 45 minutes away), and have been here now for 6 years and never really had any problems at all. My kids love the schools and have many friends, both mormon and not. The issues that have come up are few and far between and have all been very minor.

I remember seeing an article in our paper that said the mormon population is just around 50 percent here in Idaho Falls, and I would imagine that Pocatello, because of the college is even a little less.

frybergerfamily · 10-02-2006, 07:50 PM

Thanks for your input. We appreciate all of the reponses we have received from the few who have responded to us.