moving from Paris France to CDA (Boise, Coeur d'Alene: low crime, daycares, attorneys)

[westcoastcate]

Yes, I've heard that about Florida. Even though I love Sarasota (and couldn't afford to live there either) Florida certainly sounds overcrowded. Sorry about the schools there. We all want the best for our kids.

Something I like about Idaho is the snow. We have six inches or so right now and it's just beautiful. I'm not sure if I could live somewhere sunny year round, although it sounds nice sometimes!

I'd like to thank you all for not lambasting me about my earlier post. It is only one person's experience (me and my family's, that is). Many others love it here.

It is a buyer's market here, and a wonderful time to buy.

[Sage of Sagle]

You're certainly entitled to your opinion, positive or negative. And if you think about it, that's what C-D is all about. YES, we're a relocation forum, but that doesn't mean every place is right for every person/family, so views that are well-articulated and specific are of value to our members.

[pacalady]

I too appreciate your response, and value your opinions. We lived in Seattle as well, for over 10 years, and yes, made many friends that we value highly in friendship .... now, as then, we stay in touch with them....as much as we do the ones we've made here in Idaho in a much shorter time.

I am not trying to make North Idaho out to be a Utopia because of my enthusiasm about living here .... and yes it is true when I go to the Super One grocery store or Wal Mart, the checkers DO ask about my son who is an Air Force Captain serving our country and where he is now; or my alpacas, or just 'how my day is going' .....the checkers there are a part of our community, and a part of our Idaho family! But we had to do our part too! We asked about THEM! And so got to know a little about them. And they about us..... a little sharing went on!

It is no 'story' and it isn't 'hype' ...... it truly is the way it works for ME! Maybe not for you, but it is what happens for me.

I love living here, and the commradre that evolves from giving of one's self.

I am so sorry Westcoaste, that you and your family didn't find the same 'fit' ....and hope that you will find that place that makes you so happy when you move on with your family. I also hope you have the gift of having and finding a place that gives you happiness!

I also would love to know more about your statement "it would never have been my choice to raise my children here (a long story)" and why. It makes me think you didn't want to move here in the first place! And wonder if that could be part of why you don't like it here.

For whatever reason, that reason is valid, and doesn't need to be shared here. We all have our opinion (as you mentioned earlier in your post), and what works for 'me' doesn't necessarily work for 'you'.

I also agree that City-Data forum is a great place to express our daily life and opinions about what is happening in a particular area .... good or bad for each of us, and thank you for being a participant.

I wish you the best in your search for a new home .... and also pray for peace around the world in the coming years.



PacaLady

[heatherriviere]

Hello everyone,

I haven't been back in here for a while with the holidays and all. Hope everyone had a Merry Christmas and a (safe and) Happy New Year!

We put our house up for sale in France and have been busy getting all the paperwork/certificates up to date for that. Things are getting underway!! Yeah!!

I appreciate the comments that have come through this thread. Reminds me that I need to ask more about the International Baccalaureat program at the CDA high school. I'll give them a call after the holidays. What exactly is a Charter School, by the way? Is it a private school? Why do you think home-schooling is such a big hit in Northern Idaho? Are the schools really that dismal that parents choose to teach their children themselves instead, or is there a "typical home-schooling type of family" that simply happens to settle in this area moreso than elsewhere?

"Just my opinion, but I'd prefer a more diverse area, more educational opportunities not to mention a university, better paying jobs, and more culture." This comment surprised me because I thought there were several universities represented in the area... (at any rate, there is an office called the NICHE, or Northern Idaho Center For Higher Education, located in CDA where one can get information on the programs offered at NIC, UI, ISU, LCSU...)

For info, I stumbled across some internet comments RE an article about the Good Morning America show coming to CdA for the Christmas lights...the article sparked a very lively discussion about the growth/change in CdA that I found enlightening...and people weren't afraid to write what they thought about the subject, good or bad!
http://www.cdapress.com/articles/200...ews/news01.txt

I know not EVERYONE is going to welcome us with open arms, but I also think what pacalady says about being reaching out to others is very important... personal anecdote - we moved into our current home 18 months ago and had a hard time getting settled in during the first 6 months or so, as we were doing major remodeling on the house at the time. I didn't feel that the other parents whose children went to the same school as mine were very welcoming, in general, and kept comparing to the old neighborhood/school. This year however we've been much less preoccupied with the house and are noticing that there are a lot of really friendly people in the neighborhood. Coincidence? I don't think so, I think we are simply more in tune to their friendliness this year...We'll keep that lesson in mind when we move again...

How's the snow holding up, by the way??? We wanted to look at the webcams earlier but forgot about the 8hr time difference - it was pitch black there ! hee hee hee. I was hoping we'd get some snow action over here but it nver made its way this far East...oh well...

Take care,
Heatherriviere

[Sage of Sagle]

Originally Posted by heatherriviere

Why do you think home-schooling is such a big hit in Northern Idaho? Are the schools really that dismal that parents choose to teach their children themselves instead, or is there a "typical home-schooling type of family" that simply happens to settle in this area moreso than elsewhere?

Home schooling is big because many of us think for ourselves and realize that even in a great place to raise a family like NID, it's very possible for an intelligent educated stay-at-home parent to give their kid(s) a superior education. Nothing against the local public education where dedicated teachers do their best with 2-dozen plus students and limited resources, we can just do better ourselves, thank you very much...

Originally Posted by heatherriviere

I know not EVERYONE is going to welcome us with open arms, but I also think what pacalady says about being reaching out to others is very important... personal anecdote - we moved into our current home 18 months ago and had a hard time getting settled in during the first 6 months or so, as we were doing major remodeling on the house at the time. I didn't feel that the other parents whose children went to the same school as mine were very welcoming, in general, and kept comparing to the old neighborhood/school. This year however we've been much less preoccupied with the house and are noticing that there are a lot of really friendly people in the neighborhood. Coincidence? I don't think so, I think we are simply more in tune to their friendliness this year...We'll keep that lesson in mind when we move again...

You'll do fine. GROWTH is a problem, yes. So when you get here, please add your voice to those demanding CAREFUL civic planning and CONTROLLING developers who want to go hog wild at the expense of the already taxed infrastructure.

And as mentioned, Pacalady and I will be the first to invite you to join us for dinner when you move...we're waiting for your DM, whenever you're ready...

Originally Posted by heatherriviere

How's the snow holding up, by the way??? We wanted to look at the webcams earlier but forgot about the 8hr time difference - it was pitch black there ! hee hee hee. I was hoping we'd get some snow action over here but it nver made its way this far East...oh well...

Snow is great. About 8-14" on the ground at our place, drifts in the pasture up to about 26"...maybe 4-6" on the ground in CDA? The 4-5 degree difference between CDA and our place is huge...

Was at Macys in CDA yesterday and around the mall they still have several rows of parking covered by a 8-12' high mountain of plowed snow. 19 degrees at my place right now, tomorrow's forecast is for high of 32. But in CDA, Fri/Sat should have highs around 37-39 and freezing rain...that will make for cruddy snow next week.

[pacalady]

I have several families/friends that home school their children here in Idaho, and I agree with Sage, that Idaho has a host of willing teachers, doing their best, with restricted resources....... reminds me that 'necessity is the Mother of Invention' and so applaud all these teachers in our system ..... As a side note, I don't think that 'having everything' actually makes for better education and can actually stifle 'imagination' and 'reading'.

The home educated chilren I know are well rounded, well educated, excel in their knowledge. Having raised kids of my own, I admire the respect the genuiness home-schooled children emit when you meet and get to know them.

As for why this is a popular trend here, I can tell you from talking to my friends, that the restrictions for home schooling are less stringent than neighboring states, and that their home school 'teachers' have more flexibility in the education. Beyond that, I don't know much anything about the Idaho laws, but can put you in touch with the parents for more specific information if you would like, through a DM and with their permission.

As for me; my two boys were both raised in the public schools near here (120 children in 12 grades!! Can you IMAGINE????) I graduated from the same small school; my grandmother was a primary teacher who taught 8 grades in a one-room school house in the same town years before I went to school!!! (Can't imagine THAT either!!)

I graduated in 1970, in a class of 24 (largest in history at that time) and of the 24, the vast majority went on to complete a 4-year degree, some with honors, one with Presidential recognition for teaching Math. Most of the class became successful in their fields of business, medicine, law, and science. Sadly, two of my classmates have passed away at a young age (natural causes), so 22 of us are left.

Keep in mind, that this success in education doesn't make much of a dent in the 'statistical analysis' when it comes from such a small school to begin with!


Here in Post Falls, we have (had) accumulated about 9"! We plowed out the drives at 6" in anticipation of another 4" or more ....only got two more inches. But the next day the wind kicked up enough to make the dry powdery stuff start to drift a little, so we plowed out again. It is brilliantly white, crispy and crunchy here! With clear skies making the temps below 20 at night, (mid 20's during the day) the sunsets of orange, pink and gold make the snow covered mountains reflect that color .....and it is magnificent! I'm sure Sage can see the same!

GOTTA LOVE IT!

And YES!!! Dinner is ON when you arrive!!!

PacaLady
PS: Attached photo is of "Oso Negro" (Black Bear) the day after Christmas taken by his new owner who is a fiber artist who we sold him to this last summer. Isn't he CUTE????

[Clarksinfr]

We seem to be doing the same thing. We live in Marseille, and plan to move to Rathdrum or near there this summer. WE also will be in the CDA area the month of apr to look for a house. WE were there in oct and found some nice places. We have a son of 12 and a daughter of 19. She willl be staying as she is at the Fac in Aix. Both my wife and I are Americans. We have lived in France since 1990. For that reason our kids speak both lanuages natively.

WE too are looking for a nice place to settle into. It will be a real shock from france to move to N. Id.

It would be good to compare notes. It would also be good to get together some time. It would be nice to know a "French Family". Are you certain that you will be moving there? WE are pretty sure as I have a job and we really like the area.

[heatherriviere]

When I put out the feelers for other francophones, we never thought there would be a family of "Frenchies" moving to CdA area at the same time as us! What fun! We definately have to meet up, whether it be here or there in April...I'll DM you...

Yes we are quite sure about our plans. The trip this spring will undoubtedly solidify them, and allow us to more concretely plan our arrival for late June.

We are in the process of choosing movers...no one seems to agree on the amount of m3 in a 20' and 40' container (I thought they were standard sized, no?), or on how many m3 we appear to have! But everything will shake down eventually, and we will seriously downsize the amount of JUNK we have, so we're not going to worry too much.

We are pretty sure we will buy straightaway, no renting to check things out first. We want to be able to settle down and get acclimated as soon as we get there, rather than rent in one house/neighborhood and then have to pull up and move to another later on when we finally decide on another house/neighborhood. We hope to have all the info necessary to make an educated decision as to where we should buy when we visit this spring.

We WILL need to find a place to stay temporarily however between the moment when we arrive and up until we move into our house, however much later that may be...I've checked into furnished rentals and motels, but both seem a bit hefty in price...any suggestions, anyone? We don't want a furnished rental/motel for 6 months, but we don't want one for just a week either...not easy to plan when things are so up in the air! Something smallish would be fine, anything upwards of 250 sq ft with beds/mattresses/hidabeds for 3-4 people I guess and a kitchenette, since all we'd have with us would be the luggage we bring over (everything else will be in the container) and the girls would just as soon all pile into one bed anyway...I'm almost wondering if we shouldn't try to look up a campsite...we camped for 2 weeks last summer and had a ball...

later...

[pimit2]

Hello heatherriviere,

I had a thought. I assume you'll fly into Spokane and rent a car. How about renting a motorhome instead? That would give you a way around, plus a place to stay. Just a thought. What do you think?

pimit2 (Bob)

[Sage of Sagle]

Heather,

PM me for some contact info. If you're only needing a week or two while you're ready to move into a rental, I can talk to my wife about having your family stay in our guest apartment (700sf roomy 1BR/1BA w/full kitchen) if we don't otherwise have family/friends visiting at that time.