Help us narrow down areas in Idaho to visit possibly move to

[Syringaloid]

Several areas in the greater Boise metro area and SW Idaho fit your wish list, and the further you get away from Boise and Meridian the easier it will be to find open land. This area of the state is known as being the warmest region and offering some of the best schools in the state. If you don't mind being further from the actual city of Boise then small towns like Emmett, Payette, Weiser and even outlying areas of Nampa and Caldwell might appeal to you.

[fleeNY]

Originally Posted by Syringaloid

Several areas in the greater Boise metro area and SW Idaho fit your wish list, and the further you get away from Boise and Meridian the easier it will be to find open land. This area of the state is known as being the warmest region and offering some of the best schools in the state. If you don't mind being further from the actual city of Boise then small towns like Emmett, Payette, Weiser and even outlying areas of Nampa and Caldwell might appeal to you.

yeah someone actually mentioned Payette to me so I've definitely been looking into it. Thanks for the info!

[banjomike]

Much of the center of southern Idaho is covered by the Arco desert, which is actually a dry sagebrush steppe with a lot of lava flows that erupted about 3000 years ago. while there are quite a few small towns scattered throughout the area, in places that permitted farming, much of it is untillable.
The highest and most rugged mountains in the state surround the desert on 3 sides. This area is the most spectacular scenery is to be found, and there are several small towns in the heart of the mountain ranges. The ranges include the White Clouds, the Sawtooths, the Lemhis, and the Lost River range.

The only town of any size in the S.W. is Twin Falls, but on the S.E. side there is a corridor of fertile valleys that run from the Utah border north to the Montana state line. There are 4 sizable towns strung out along this corridor; Pocatello (pop. 57,000 $ a college town) is southernmost, then Blackfoot (pop. 35,000), the Idaho Falls (pop. 57,000 and the largest tech and services center in the region), then Rexburg, (pop.35,000 & another college town).

Just to the east of I.F. lie the Teton mountains and Wyoming, and 100 miles to the north lies the West Yellowstone, the western entrance to Yellowstone Park. I am an I.F. native. This corridor is the fastest growing area of the state outside of Boise, in S. central Idaho and Coeur d'Alene to the north.

There are many small communities in between the larger towns and south of Pocatello. There are also a string of small towns between Pocatello and Twin Falls. This area has many reservoirs; the largest, Palisades Lake, is almost as large as Lake Coeur d'Alene, but is located up in the mountains and has no large towns nearby except for I.F.

The Snake River, the largest in the state, has it's headwaters in S.E. Idaho and Yellowstone Park. The Snake runs through the middle of I.F. with a cascade that gave the town it's name. Twin Falls also borders the Snake 150 miles westward and the Snake River canyon in that area is over a mile deep. Shoshone Falls is at the edge of Twin, and is higher than Niagara falls.

This entire region is a high plateau, and is drier and colder than N. Idaho in the winters, but is exceptionally pleasant in the summer. There are lots of small acreages all over that are available, and the jobs situation along the corridor is generally better than anywhere in the state except for the Boise area, especially in tech and engineering vocations. There is also a lot of large scale farming all over the upper Snake River valley.

[Huck L. Berry]

Originally Posted by fleeNY

Hi There, my wife and I are interested in possibly moving to Idaho in the next year and we're trying to figure out which areas we should research and visit. The reason Idaho is on our list is because we love the Rocky's and want to live in a free'er state.

-We'd like a warmer climate if possible

-affordable real estate / low taxes

-a place where we can get at least a few acres of land but not be more than 10 miles from a town since we like to hit the movies / restaurants

-Hiking, off roading, shooting and hunting near by

-My wife works from home and I plan on getting that going for myself so employment isn't a factor

-we have a 3 yo with mild cerebral palsy so we need a county with good schools

My name on here is fleeNY but we're actually in CA now and plan to drive out in the next few months to visit a few places

WARNING: The Meridian School District (aka Joint School District #2) is AWFUL!!! I have lived in Boise (Ada County) for almost two years now. We decided to homeschool rather than send our kids back there. I thought the schools in Missoula, Montana were liberal....they're like military academies compared to the schools in Boise. They cater to the welfare and illegal immigrant populations. Not sure how they do with disabled children, but based on what I know I would not risk it. What I do know is that Idaho has made it very easy to homeschool your own children. You want freedom? Idaho has it.

I am leaving the Treasure Valley this summer, probably for Twin or Idaho Falls.

Idaho is beautiful, freer than Cali or NY for sure, but I do NOT recommend anywhere in Ada or Canyon Counties.

[Mtn. States Resident]

Originally Posted by fleeNY

Hi There, my wife and I are interested in possibly moving to Idaho in the next year and we're trying to figure out which areas we should research and visit. The reason Idaho is on our list is because we love the Rocky's and want to live in a free'er state.

-We'd like a warmer climate if possible

-affordable real estate / low taxes

-a place where we can get at least a few acres of land but not be more than 10 miles from a town since we like to hit the movies / restaurants

-Hiking, off roading, shooting and hunting near by

-My wife works from home and I plan on getting that going for myself so employment isn't a factor

-we have a 3 yo with mild cerebral palsy so we need a county with good schools

My name on here is fleeNY but we're actually in CA now and plan to drive out in the next few months to visit a few places

Hi fleeNY,

How much medical care or additional help, via the school district, or for which you pay privately, does your child need? That would be a major factor in how I approached a decision to move anywhere, given your criteria above. I'd guess you won't shoot and hunt daily but you will have the needs of your child daily to address.

Good luck finding your new home as you review all the data you find.

MSR