moving from Paris France to CDA (Boise, Coeur d'Alene: fit in, sale, real estate market)

[Miborn]

Originally Posted by pimit2

Hello Miborn,

If you've read the threads between heatherriviere and folks in Idaho, you would see that trying to change her mind about CDA and redirecting her thinking to Denver at this point is a waste of time.


pimit2 (Bob)

Giving her a true evaluation of northern Idaho is to her best interest. I do feel that coming from another country with such a vast difference is something to think about. Have you ever been to France? Do you know the cultural differences and how n. Idaho is a extreme difference from Paris. I also think it is for the OP to decide not another poster.

[heatherriviere]

I do appreciate all the posts, and have thought a lot about the culture shock, to be honest. I think that after living over here for 16 years, though, ANYWHERE in the US is going to take some adjusting!

N Idaho and American culture in general will undoubtedly be a big change for ALL of us. I think I'll miss the our family/friends in France, the architecture and the food the most (as well as hearing/speaking French all the time). But family/friends, Lake Superior and the tree-filled countryside of northern MN, and the food are the things I've missed most about the US since I've been over HERE! Nowhere is perfect....

I guess we won't really know until we've been there for a visit,though. Maybe we'll have to reorient our research towards a bigger city if we feel the Coeur d'Alene area is really "too smalltown" after all, when we get there...it's hard to say at this point!

(It just so happens that the cheapest flight we have found has a stopover in Denver, of all places! I will look into negotiating a 24 or 48 hr layover so that we can check it out a bit on our way to N Idaho, "just in case.")

We'll be visiting a friend in Boise, and who knows, maybe we'll drive to Seattle also. (We saw a post about Leavenworth, WA the other day that piqued our interest as well...a Bavarian town in the US, what a surprising concept!)

I wish we had a couple of months to travel around and check out lots of different towns out West...2-3 weeks seems ridiculously short...but then again, lots of tourist "do Europe" in less than that! hee hee hee

We'll just have to make the most of our trip and hope that it's love at first site SOMEWHERE during our visit!

Heather

[rickers]

Your french husband will want to get the heck back home within 6 months of living anywhere near Idaho, Montana or anywhere else in the inland empire. Sorry for my pessimistic view but Richard Butler may be gone but the Aryan Nation is still alive and active, they just went further underground. There is a lot of bad feelings for the french because of a number of factors. My advice is to go to Oregon, Washington or Colorado.
I am sure that your husband is a very nice person, no need to put him through the mill so to speak. You may be fine if you stay in the rich folks neighborhoods and malls but God help him if he tries to fraternize with normal working people around the region. He will feel trapped and confined within a small elite circle of other rich people.

[Miborn]

Originally Posted by heatherriviere

I do appreciate all the posts, and have thought a lot about the culture shock, to be honest. I think that after living over here for 16 years, though, ANYWHERE in the US is going to take some adjusting!

N Idaho and American culture in general will undoubtedly be a big change for ALL of us. I think I'll miss the our family/friends in France, the architecture and the food the most (as well as hearing/speaking French all the time). But family/friends, Lake Superior and the tree-filled countryside of northern MN, and the food are the things I've missed most about the US since I've been over HERE! Nowhere is perfect....

I guess we won't really know until we've been there for a visit,though. Maybe we'll have to reorient our research towards a bigger city if we feel the Coeur d'Alene area is really "too smalltown" after all, when we get there...it's hard to say at this point!

(It just so happens that the cheapest flight we have found has a stopover in Denver, of all places! I will look into negotiating a 24 or 48 hr layover so that we can check it out a bit on our way to N Idaho, "just in case.")

We'll be visiting a friend in Boise, and who knows, maybe we'll drive to Seattle also. (We saw a post about Leavenworth, WA the other day that piqued our interest as well...a Bavarian town in the US, what a surprising concept!)

I wish we had a couple of months to travel around and check out lots of different towns out West...2-3 weeks seems ridiculously short...but then again, lots of tourist "do Europe" in less than that! hee hee hee

We'll just have to make the most of our trip and hope that it's love at first site SOMEWHERE during our visit!

Heather

Frankenmuth Michigan is also like a German village very cute.

Frankenmuth, "Michigan's Little Bavaria", delights over 3 million visitors annually. Come Experience Another World with unique attractions, shopping, .

Frankenmuth Official Visitor Information

[Sage of Sagle]

Originally Posted by rickers

Aryan Nation is still alive and active, they just went further underground.

Yes, so far underground that neither we nor anyone we know has ever had to meet or interact with any of them....so I guess that's an acceptable level of "presence" to us...

God help him if he tries to fraternize with normal working people around the region. He will feel trapped and confined within a small elite circle of other rich people.

WTH? This area is a pretty neat melting pot of people from several places. I don't think if your husband is a down to earth guy he'll have any issues. And let's face it, if he's one of the snotty Parisian elite he won't do well anywhere outside of Paris, yes? But if he's an average guy, even a classy cultured intellectual person who himself is humble and down to earth, he'll do quite well here.

I'll tell you what. You move here, and we will be happy to take you to dinner to welcome you to the area. There are plenty of friendly folks who don't care where you came from (even California) as long as you're looking to live a peaceful country life around decent people without trying to change everything. And it sounds like this type of place is what you would like.

Rickers...I don't mean to disparage you...but I don't live in the same North Idaho you're talking about...or I don't frequent the "right" bars or something...

[heatherriviere]

Sage, We thank you kindly for your invitation to come to dinner and graciously accept!
I'm curious to know where the other post-ers are from, you feel strongly about N Idaho but I can't see where you are located in your profiles to the right of the screen as I can with the people who have spoken positively and who are from the CDA area. Are you too from CDA? If not, where are you from, and would you recommend that region instead? What is better about where you are if you are not from CDA? Just curious...
Thanks!
Heather

[heatherriviere]

PS Out of curiosity I checked out the Frankenmuth link in MI but just want to remind you all that our N° priority is MOUNTAINS....I doubt Michigan has hills high enough to fill that need...Even though I AM a quarter German, I think if we were interested in living in Bavaria we'd just stay in Europe. I find the whole concept of a mini-European culture in the States quite amusing - but I imagine it would be more like living in an Disney Epcot Center than actually living in Bavaria...That said, I wonder if there are any miniature France's out there? (hee hee hee just kidding!) Both Bavarian villages look like great places to go to on vacation, nonetheless...

[Miborn]

Idaho 15 yrs.
Frankenmuth Mi really does not have mountains you are right but it is a nice place to go for a vacation.

[pacalady]

Well, things are certainly livening up on this thread! I'm with Sage of Sagle .... if you are looking for rural living, with a spattoring of Country Western Music, a touch of Broadway Musicals and a slight mix of culture, Coeur d' Alene/North Idaho can provide you with all of it. It has changed since I was born and raised here, and survived the tumultuous times without scathing! I am 4th generation to North Idaho, and very proud of it!!

Our diverse growth which includes cultural influences has given us strength and diversity ..... and has been given an acceptance that many other countries, or even areas of our own country are not so tolerant of.

Heather, you will be welcomed, as Sage mentioned, just because you seem to be (from your posts) down to earth, giving and kind people. You need not worry about acceptance! I do know you will go thru some 'culture shock' as you already have acknowledged ..... and you will find North Idahoans embracing you as you go thru that change! NO doubt in my mind!!

The residents here are VERY giving of their time, and their selves; and we are all either 'kids' of the area, or people who have moved into this area from other places (yes, California transplants dominate, but they are 'just us' now) and we all worship, laugh, shop at the same stores together. We converse in the lines at Wal-Mart or Albertsons food stores about family, our farms, and school.... and we all take our time at enjoying daily life.

To others following this thread, I ask that you share 'day-to-day' expereinces about life here in all of North Idaho. We've all hit upon the 'big stuff' ..... but what this lady needs to find out is about the everyday things that are going to impact her life and family.

I will do the same.

Can hardly wait for you to come visit Heather and family! We're all looking forward to it and your observations/comments about our area!

PacaLady

[Huckleberry3911948]

i wish you the best. your french from the post is way way up there.
i lived in paris 5 years. long long ago b4 you probably were born.
it sounds like a plan for you, you know what you want and are moving forward.
you side stepped southern cal, probably a good move.
i recently retired and am getting my life back. still take classes and stay in touch with the french community. last night while on the web, i was grieved to see etienne decroux and jean louis barrault are both dead long ago, 1991 and 1994 respectively. i took classes from both and knew them.
so much has passed by me. the obsession with money and place, overshadows much here. hope it does not become part of your experience. adieu.

.