moving from Paris France to CDA (Boise, Pocatello: for sale, to rent, buying a home)

[heatherriviere]

Hi, I'm married to a Frenchie who will be retiring young (at age 50) from the Paris transportation company. We have decided to move to the US next summer to raise our 3 daughters ages 8, 6 and almost 2 yrs. I grew up in Northern MN but we will not be moving there because my DH desperately wants to live in the mountains...

So we checked various lists of "great places to live in the US" and have gotten hooked on Coeur d'Alene, Idaho. We will be going there in April to check it out, but I'm worried that maybe we are putting all our eggs in one basket and should have other potential destinations in mind in case we hate the place when we get there...Some people have mentioned Bend, Oregon and Boulder, Colorado as possible places to live. Also, the ****** website suggested Carson City, Nevada and Eugene, Oregon amongst others.

Our "musts" are the following : lakes and mountains immediately nearby, great schools, arts/culture, smallish sized town (ie no more than say 70 000), no massive traffic and pollution problems, open-minded people (even if the general trend is conservative/Republican), lots of snow in winter and not too much rain the rest of the year, lots of sun, cross country skiing (skating style), good housing with big yards...we'll need to be relatively close to an airport so that family and friends can come to visit from MN and France.

As far as work goes, DH will be retired and receiving a pension, and may or may not look for PT work once the baby is in school. I have a Masters in English/French Translation but have worked as an English teacher for adults, with project management in Human Ressources, as a bilingual assistant in the Project Finance department of a French law firm, etc and am flexible with regards to the employment scene when I return to the US (ie not getting worried about that, not yet anyway!). I figure that if we go to CdA, there's always Spokane nearby for employment...

We want to purchase a 5bdrm house wherever it is we end up, but maybe it would be better to rent for a year, to see how things go. We don't want to be changing towns every year, as we'd like the girls to have a relatively stable lifestyle once we get to the US...

Another thing, any chance that any of these areas will have French language activities/classes for children? I know I'm setting myself up for comments as to why I don't want to teach them myself, but...have you ever tried teaching your own child language skills? argh...I've spoken to mine in English since before they were born and yet they STILL answer me in French. I imagine that will change immediately when we get to the US, and they will speak to me only in English even if I speak to them in French just so they don't forget it all...anyway, that's a whole other issue! To make a long story short, we will probably just put them into the public school system as I don't think that any international schools exist in these towns (an international baccalaureat program exists in Coeur d'Alene though). It looks like Boise has a rather active Alliance Française but DH doesn't want a big town or high desert climate...which means that Moscow and Idaho Falls and Pocatello are probably out (even though they're smaller), as they would be too warm/too desert climate in general...

Any suggestions on where we should focus our research? Many Americans we've talked to about our move have warned us that if we go to Coeur d'Alene etc we'll be moving from Paris to Redneckville, USA. We'd like to think they are wrong. Can anyone help me here??

Thanks in advance,
Heather

[Sage of Sagle]

Originally Posted by heatherriviere

Our "musts" are the following : lakes and mountains immediately nearby, great schools, arts/culture, smallish sized town (ie no more than say 70 000), no massive traffic and pollution problems, open-minded people (even if the general trend is conservative/Republican), lots of snow in winter and not too much rain the rest of the year, lots of sun, cross country skiing (skating style), good housing with big yards...we'll need to be relatively close to an airport so that family and friends can come to visit from MN and France.

Lake, one of the prettiest in the USA. Mountains...well, you're not IN the mountains per se, but it feels like it if you go 10 minutes east of town, so yes, got that too.

Schools are decent, at least our friends who live in CDA (40 miles from here) are very happy with their schools. Arts and Culture...yes. It's not Seattle Metro, but CDA has plenty going on, Sandpoint has a LOT going on with the arts, and Spokane actually has quite a bit to offer you. CDA has about 35-40K people, Hayden has about 9K. But Post Falls is growing fast, so the area will very soon have 80-100K people, and it feels like it. But for being an area that size, it's very pleasant.

Traffic isn't bad. Just some backups on the "main drag" during busy times, but compared to metro Paris it's like nothing. Snow is present but not overwhelming, wintes are very bitter cold. Right now it's a bit of a buyer's market, so you should check the MLS for listings or get with a realtor. Spokane Airport can handle 737 sized planes, and it's 40'ish miles to the west.

Politics are very libertarian. Fiscally conservative, socially moderate, folks like to be left alone to live their life in this place. Good people, mostly.

Originally Posted by heatherriviere

Any suggestions on where we should focus our research? Many Americans we've talked to about our move have warned us that if we go to Coeur d'Alene etc we'll be moving from Paris to Redneckville, USA. We'd like to think they are wrong. Can anyone help me here??
Thanks in advance,
Heather

CDA certainly has become more metropolitan...or at least extremely suburban. A LOT of folks we run into moved there from Southern California, Seattle, Portland, or Denver. But go 10 miles out, and it's VERY rural America. So you can live in town in a neighborhood, drive a Hummer that never gets dirty, spend your time at Starbucks and Borders (bookstore) and have a nice manicured lawn. Or you can live a few minutes outside town, drive a rusted 1963 pickup at night and a John Deere in the daytime and bale your own hay, and fall in love with flannel shirts all over again...it's your call. We're somewhere in the middle ourselves. Incredible place to raise a family...I think people that disparage CDA are thinking of other areas an hour or two away that ARE pretty redneck...

[heatherriviere]

Thank you very much, Sage, for your rapid response. It comforts us in our choice of CdA...that was the general feeling we've picked up from the travel guides, websites, speaking with realtors...guess we'll just have to see for ourselves in April how we feel when we're there. We'll definately check out Sandpoint and Hayden and Post Falls as well. We are definately not Hummer types, and I doubt we'll ever driver tractors, but I'm sure we'll find a niche there for us somewhere!

Too bad we'll be going at a time of the year when the weather isn't generally at its best, though maybe it'll still be white-ish with snow and we'll see people skiing, or maybe it'll already be warm enough to see the flowers starting to poke through and leaves budding, you never know...If it's really bad, you know, cold, windy, rainy and the snow turned to slush and everything gray from the winter's accumulation of dust/dirt on everything we can always tell ourselves this is as bad as it gets, it can't get any worse! (and anyway, growing up on the North Shore of Lake Superior, I don't think that will stop me...DH might have a harder time seeing the silver lining, having always lived near Paris where the climate is much more temperate, but he's ready for a change...

Anyway, home is where you make it, right?

Thanks again,
Heather

[Sage of Sagle]

April is beautiful here. Still wet, since it's not too far beyond Spring thaw so there's a LOT of mud once you get off the main roads, but about as lush and green as you could ever desire. But certainly I think you're being realistic with your expectation that you may get here in time to see it fairly gray and rainy or it could be drop dead sunny and gorgeous. And if you don't like the weather, wait an hour and it will change. Seriously...we have gone from sunshine at the city beach to hail to sunshine in under 40 minutes...

If you're comfortable in a Subaru (the "official car of North Idaho") you'll fit right in. Lots of Subies and SUVs. One thing I like about North Idaho is that "suburban status symbols" are less important here...you just live your life...nobody really cares about their neighbors trying to impress them. At least that's how it is up here...parts of CDA have gotten too yuppie, while parts are not too bad. Be wary of buying near a major thoroughfare...development in PF and CDA is on the move...so major arteries are not some place I'd want to be near when buying a home.

If your husband gets into "fussy city boy" mode...just take him down to Sherman Avenue (downtown CDA by the lake) where all the shops and restaurants are by the resort...he can relax since there's plenty of concrete, pedestrian crowds, and noise.

[pacalady]

heatherriviere

What an adventure for you! I agree with Sage .... whatever your lifestyle, you'll find it in the Panhandle of North Idaho!!

Don't discount Post Falls and it's development yet! We live in Post Falls on 10 acres and are only 7 minutes from the 'town' (banks, shopping, services etc), and are definately 'rural' with a huge 200 acre hay field for our livingroom view, with mountains as the backdrop. On the west side of our property there is another huge field that they raise peppermint in!! The aroma of mint when they harvest is just wonderful!!

All this, and only 20 minutes to Hayden on a 'back road' that is 45 mph; or 25 minutes to Spokane valley (30 to Downtown), OR 25 minutes to downtown CdA! It's the ideal location. If we want freeway driving, I-90 is 7 minutes also, and the only time I've had a slow-down was due to an accident ahead! Unlike Seattle (previous home) where a 'slow-down' was defined by stop and go traffic, here a 'slow-down' means you still go 45 mph on the freeway!! We are outside the city-impact zone, so the development mentioned previously, is to the south of Prairie Road ..... everything north of it (where we are) is pretty rural and working farm land.

You can see our place in the classifieds forum to get an idea of what it looks like here....do a forum search for North Idaho working farm for sale and you can link to our website where the photos are.

Best regards
PacaLady

[heatherriviere]

Wow, I said I didn't think I'd ever want to ride a tractor but you've given us food for thought! If it was just DH and myself, I'd say YES YES YES to buying a farm such as yours and starting a new life raising alpacas...I'm not sure how we would organise such a change however with our 3 young children...I had imagined us in town more, closer to other kids and after-school activities and such, like I myself had when I grew up in Silver Bay, MN.

Neither of us has had any experience running our own business, not that we couldn't LEARN of course, but I wonder if that's not a bit much to take on in our first year in the US...I think the culture shock, even if we spend all our time doing city activities, is going to be enough to keep us busy. (Even my own return culture shock! I left the US right out of college and have spent all my adult life in France...I'm going to have to ease back into American life, which undoubtedly has changed a bit since I was there 16 yrs ago, while my family discovers it for the first time...).

Thanks for your encouraging response nonetheless...We'll pop by to visit you when we head over there in the spring!

Best regards,
Heather

[pacalady]

Goodness!!! I was just wanting you to see what we see in the area!! We have great neigbors (not to close, just close enough) and everyone cares about and for everyone else around here. Whether taking care of animals, or just 'watching' the house, or helping out with moving/lifting something.

Great sunsets, crystal clear nights with stars that seem so close you could almost touch them. Full harvest moons in the fall, that are so huge you get swallowed up in the color! Puffy white clouds that drift peacefully thru gorgeous blue skies.

Lakes, rivers ....fishing, boating, water skiing within minutes. And yes, mountains for hiking, biking, picking huckleberries, or snow mobiling if you like the snow all within minutes. AND there are several snow skiing mountains close by as well.

There is plenty to keep you busy while you adjust to this new life!! There are concerts, plays, sports events etc. that you can be a 'busy' as you want, or just stay home and watch a movie in front of the fire!

And there are lots of kids nearby in your family's age range! The high school and elementary school are about a mile from here, and the bus takes the neighbor's kids daily.

As for your teaching French etc., you might look into the colleges in Spokane.... Eastern Washington State University is in Cheney, WA (about an hour from PF; Whitworth College in the north part of Spokane; Gonzaga University a Catholic school in Spokane ....about 30 minutes from here; and Washington State University, based in Pullman WA (which is 2 1/2 hours south) has satellite campuses in downtown Spokane. Also the University of Idaho has satellite campuses in Coeur d' Alene, I think.

About the alpacas, in case you are curious: They are the most gentle, inquisitive creatures I've every known (I was raised about 50 miles ne of here on a working cattle ranch including horses, dogs etc. I have absolutely no qualms about putting a 2-year old child in the pasture with the alpaca girls and their babies (called crias), and have done so! My mother-in-law (now deceased) was very frail with age and terminal cancer when she moved with us here. The alpacas would see her come out of the house, go to the barn to get their feed-bowl ready, and then RACE from the far end of the pasture to greet her .....ALWAYS slowing to a walk before approaching her! I told Carol that if she every became concerned, just extend her arm with her hand at a 90 degree angle facing their heads. She NEVER did it!! The animals never alarmed her. Carol never missed a day of her 'chore' to feed the 3 yearling females ....even in bitter winter weather!

I've been known to go to the barn at midnight for an 'alpaca-fix' if I'm overstressed! They are very calming and loving, with a sixth sense I can't explain! When we first looked into raising them, I had NO IDEA how wonderful it would be, and Ron and I (now on the downhill side of our 50's) wish we'd have gotten started 10 years sooner!!!

If you didn't read the short-stories page, you should try out a couple. They are short-reads about our daily life with them......you'll get the idea!

You are most definately welcome to come visit the farm when you arrive next spring. May I offer a snack or lunch for you and your family when you come??? We'd just LOVE to have you!

Best Regards,
PacaLady

[David Kennedy]

I've lived and worked in several western towns. While Boulder is nice...Colorado Springs is the best now. Idaho is a little 'outbackish' generally. What I like so much about the Springs is the cultural mix. Its one of the great places in the USA. I would live in the new suburb of Fountain...on a plateau and looks right at the rockies, Pikes Peak and all the snow. Everything is there!

[heatherriviere]

Thank you pacalady, we would LOVE to stay for a snack or lunch when we come to visit! We are curious to learn more about this passion of yours and see the animals Do you do this for a living? Is it possible to make enought money to live on, or would you have to become a huge-sized operation to do so? Do you have other jobs on the side? They seem a bit big for "just pets"). Anyway, very interesting...(Speaking of pets, our children are sooooooo impatient to get to the States because we promised them we could get a dog when we get there. They were already interested in the project before that but that was definately a clincher!)

Sage of Sagle, I had to laugh at the idea of my husband being a 'fussy city boy'! Although he IS quite social, and curious about all sorts of things, and will talk to anyone about anything with great interest, he would most usually just like to go for a long run/ski then sit down with a good book or in front of a good documentary/movie on the tv...I am probably the one that will get the itching to go to downtown CdA every now and then, like you said, for some concrete and crowds. We'll see...we hardly ever seem to have time (or money, it's expensive!) to take in a movie or a museum here in France, and it's not like we live in the heart of Paris (we're 6 miles out)...

However DH is going to take a while to get used to the idea that NOT MANY PEOPLE WILL SPEAK FRENCH (if any, other than our immediate family!). He gets by in English, although he's far from fluent, but he gets by...Does anyone know if there ARE other Francophones in the area? Perhaps in Spokane? Anyone? Anywhere? (We won't be picky, we won't look just for Frenchies, any nationality would be great!) Or any chance that there's a chapter of AFS in CdA? I'll have to look that up on internet....

Ciao for now...Heather

[pimit2]

Hello heatherriviere,

I love your excitement, so obvious in your posts. You will make a perfect "guest" when you visit next spring, and a wonderful "neighbor" should you decide to make the Idaho Panhandle your home.

To add to your anticipation, I have included a couple of pictures to this post. One shows Nordic skiing at Schweitzer Mountain Resort with Lake Pend Oreille in the distance, and the other shows bikers looking down on Lake Pend Oreille from up near Schweitzer Mountain. The resort is near Sandpoint, where I live.

I think (Mother Nature willing) that April could be a perfect time to look the Panhandle over. There will be snow on Schweitzer Mountain, but greenery and early wildflowers at lower elevations. Off the beaten track, there could be a bit of mud, if the winter has been really wet. In any event, you will smell the wonder of spring in the air!

Thanks for your anticipation and excitement. I hope you have a fruitful visit to one of the best choices for raising a family in America.


Best wishes,


pimit2 (Bob)