Welcome to City-Data.com Forum!
U.S. CitiesCity-Data Forum Index
Go Back   City-Data Forum > U.S. Forums > Idaho
 [Register]
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
View detailed profile (Advanced) or search
site with Google Custom Search

Search Forums  (Advanced)
Reply Start New Thread
 
Old 07-04-2013, 03:14 PM
 
1,939 posts, read 2,146,948 times
Reputation: 5620

Advertisements

Cda, Post Falls and Hayden are separate cities, but they can seem like one larger area. It's pretty spread out though. My personal preference in order is Hayden #1, Cda #2 and Post Falls #3. A house out on the prairie will be cheaper, but in my opinion the wind whipping through the prairie is a major detractor. Our favorite spot to live was Hayden Lake. The trees were a wonderful wind break. Let it BLOW! All 3 cities are a very manageable distance from Costco; 20 minutes would be about the longest distance (there are exceptions, of course). The C'dA store is my favorite Costco in the whole world and I have been to many.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message

 
Old 07-05-2013, 02:21 PM
 
356 posts, read 518,018 times
Reputation: 294
Default Hello and welcome

I just saw the OP. We moved two years ago from Bakersfield and now live about 12 miles north of Sandpoint, so maybe our perspective would be helpful. We LOVE it here. As far as the snow goes, we find it much preferable to the misery of a Central Valley summer. The way we looked at it: Worst case scenario is that we would spend all winter huddled indoors and miserable. Which would still be preferable to huddling indoors and miserable all SUMMER in central California. In reality, I've fallen in love with winter (ice stinks, though). I probably spend as much time outdoors during winter as I do in summer. Mud season...not so much. I will say, though, three years seems to be the mark. If you make it past three years and still love it, you're staying.

As for the CDA area, I think it's okay for a visit but would not want to live there. For us, it's just too big. IMHO, CDA-Post Falls-Spokane just kind of sprawls into a huge metropolitan area.

If you have any other questions for a Central California transplant, feel free to PM me!

I should note that my husband is retired and my work is web-based, so we are (happily) not required to commute during winter. Our daughter did go to a private school last year, though, and those daily excursions were no biggie.

Last edited by LionFamily; 07-05-2013 at 02:24 PM.. Reason: left something out
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 07-06-2013, 02:02 PM
 
Location: Coeur d Alene, ID
820 posts, read 1,729,441 times
Reputation: 856
Ahhh Fresno, my hometown, wish i could bomb it... LOL everything has been said to the point of not repeating. Weather has been mild for the last 4 years, I enjoy it, some don't. 450k will go a long way around here, if you need any help on the RE side of things, let me know, other than that, good luck!
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 07-06-2013, 04:20 PM
 
Location: Moscow
2,220 posts, read 3,853,363 times
Reputation: 3118
This thread has a good mix of thoughts and opinions on CDA.

Coeur d'Alene - Paradise Destroyed

The conversation gets a trifle heated.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 07-06-2013, 04:40 PM
 
Location: Las Vegas, NV
229 posts, read 563,243 times
Reputation: 44
Weatherwise, would you guys agree that this comparison between CDA and Idaho Falls is accurate?

Wedding Planner - Set the Date, Climate Comparision for Coeur d'Alene, ID and Idaho Falls, ID

On Average:
Coeur d'Alene, ID is warmer than Idaho Falls, ID by 3°F.
Coeur d'Alene, ID is wetter than Idaho Falls, ID by 11.5 in.

Whose winter is worse if CDA is warmer on average? I wasn't expecting that.....?

Can compare these two pages, about halfway down the page is the climate info.

http://www.city-data.com/city/Coeur-d-Alene-Idaho.html
http://www.city-data.com/city/Idaho-Falls-Idaho.html

I just noticed that Idaho Falls elevation is 4700 feet while CDA is 2187, that must be the reason Idaho Falls' temps are a bit lower on average?

Last edited by Vegas-to-?; 07-06-2013 at 04:54 PM..
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 07-06-2013, 08:38 PM
 
16,488 posts, read 24,397,836 times
Reputation: 16338
Quote:
Originally Posted by Vegas-to-? View Post
Weatherwise, would you guys agree that this comparison between CDA and Idaho Falls is accurate?

Wedding Planner - Set the Date, Climate Comparision for Coeur d'Alene, ID and Idaho Falls, ID

On Average:
Coeur d'Alene, ID is warmer than Idaho Falls, ID by 3°F.
Coeur d'Alene, ID is wetter than Idaho Falls, ID by 11.5 in.

Whose winter is worse if CDA is warmer on average? I wasn't expecting that.....?

Can compare these two pages, about halfway down the page is the climate info.

http://www.city-data.com/city/Coeur-d-Alene-Idaho.html
http://www.city-data.com/city/Idaho-Falls-Idaho.html

I just noticed that Idaho Falls elevation is 4700 feet while CDA is 2187, that must be the reason Idaho Falls' temps are a bit lower on average?
One big difference between the winters in CDA and Idaho Falls is southern Idaho has more wind and drifting snow than N. Idaho. I also think because of that wind and snow their roads can be worse in winter.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 07-08-2013, 01:23 PM
 
Location: Coeur d'Alene Idaho
98 posts, read 232,242 times
Reputation: 97
Quote:
Originally Posted by brokencrayola View Post
One big difference between the winters in CDA and Idaho Falls is southern Idaho has more wind and drifting snow than N. Idaho. I also think because of that wind and snow their roads can be worse in winter.
Correct me if I am wrong here. But CDA gets more of a pacific NW effect especially during the winters which stagger the humidity and precipitations levels during that time of year while having the summers remain relatively dry. The wetter/more humid winters make it so it does not get as cold as it should compared to how north it is and while you can head southeast to a dryer more southern area and it'll end up colder.

Not trying to thread hijack but we just visited from CT in mid/late May. The precipitation/humidity levels in CT are fairly consistent year around which is why CDA's stood out to me. What would I be in store for winter wise? Would it essentially be the same thing? I am not entirely worried but sometimes I wonder with these threads warning people about the winters and whether or not they're geared just towards Californians who are used to nothing but sun and warm temps.

Also, theres a difference in how an area handles the snow. Some threads I have read people complained about the plowing. Having lots of snow doesnt necessarily make things bad if it is kept off the roads and people can go about their business. But in what I have read people said that lots of roads go unplowed for days at a time, is this true? The only time I remember that happening in CT here is just this last year when we got hit by a blizzard and it dumped so much snow my residential road took two to three days before they were able to get it plowed out. In a situation like that even a standard 4x4 wont be of much use. I wouldnt doubt something like that has happened, but the matter of how often is what I am concerned with.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 07-08-2013, 04:12 PM
 
Location: Tennessee
10,688 posts, read 7,649,323 times
Reputation: 4674
Default Altitude

Quote:
Originally Posted by Vegas-to-? View Post
<snip>

I just noticed that Idaho Falls elevation is 4700 feet while CDA is 2187, that must be the reason Idaho Falls' temps are a bit lower on average?
Good info Vegas. Though we are hoping to move to IF or Poky, the altitude difference won't count for much between the two areas. Every 300 miles north in the U.S. is the equivalent of about 1000 feet of altitude. So I guess the question is how far north of IF is CDA? It might even out.

I suspect the higher humidty further north has more to do with the milder temps. But my meteorology study was at the U of Stupid, so I could be mistaken.

From our living in Colorado we quickly discovered that cold and dryness was not nearly as debilitating as cold and wind. The wind is probably be worse in SE Idaho, and I'm not looking forward to that part. But sunny days without wind can be very inviting in the Colorado winters. We hope to find similarities in Idaho.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 07-15-2013, 05:30 PM
 
Location: Las Vegas, NV
229 posts, read 563,243 times
Reputation: 44
Warden, how come you chose not to move back to Colorado? I also learned that IF is downwind from the INL so if there ever was an incident there, it might be bad news for IF. We're going to make the long drive to Idaho either this weekend or next to visit IF, CDA and Boise!
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 07-24-2013, 04:04 PM
 
4 posts, read 45,046 times
Reputation: 22
Smile If you like sun....

If you like sunshine you won't find it in Northern Idaho for a big part of the year. The summers are nice and warm and almost no rain. The "pretty period" of fall is short. The trees are beautiful in the fall but loose their leaves and get ugly fast. The first snow can come at the end of October and may not leave until June. The end of fall into winter and spring are extremely gloomy! Cloudy most of the time. No you won't always have a white Christmas either. It may snow, there may be no snow at all or you may just have dirty snow thats been on the ground a few days. As far as driving goes its not the 4x4 that you need its common sense. The problem with people who move here after living in a warmer climate is that they don't slow down or they think that just because they have a 4x4 they can drive faster, then a few miles up the road you will see them in a ditch. I have had small cars with front wheel drive that do ok if you put studs on. I prefer my Suburban its not just the 4x4 but its the weight of the vehicle that helps you get around. It feels great when winter is over to just do the speed limit again LOL Oh and the traffic through CDA is awful. Its hard to get up to 45mph speed limit without stopping behind a line of cars at the next light. There is crime here mostly due to the meth problem and Spokane being so close. You must lock up EVERYTHING. Personally I will never live in CDA again. The politics are awful and they seem to only be concerned with tourist. Post Falls and Hayden are nice though and an easy drive to Costco. If your thinking of buying property out of town you may want to consider the winter roads. They can be ugly and commuting to Spokane or even CDA for work is probably not what your use to. Jobs are scarce and some employers are starting to pay low wages and have an attitude that if you don't like it they have 50 others waiting in line. Idaho is a conservative state and we like it that way. People here hunt, fish and like their guns and don't like people who move here that try to change it. I'm not saying you would because you sound very nice but this is the reality. They do NOT like Californians at all so be prepared even on your visit. There are some good Churches and the schools seem to be clean and most are newer. I homeschooled my kids but for a short time they were in elem. school and the teachers were great. Unfortunately due to the poor economy in N. Idaho my husband had to take a job in California. We have been here 2 years and I absolutely can't wait to get out of here. We live in a great area but we hate California. So he is working on taking a job in southern Idaho. I love Idaho and after being here for 2 years I can't wait to get back. Anyway I hope that helps. I am just trying to give you an honest idea of what your getting into. Have a safe trip!

Last edited by pfid777; 07-24-2013 at 05:12 PM..
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.

Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.


Reply
Please update this thread with any new information or opinions. This open thread is still read by thousands of people, so we encourage all additional points of view.

Quick Reply
Message:


Settings
X
Data:
Loading data...
Based on 2000-2020 data
Loading data...

123
Hide US histogram


Over $104,000 in prizes was already given out to active posters on our forum and additional giveaways are planned!

Go Back   City-Data Forum > U.S. Forums > Idaho
Similar Threads

All times are GMT -6.

© 2005-2024, Advameg, Inc. · Please obey Forum Rules · Terms of Use and Privacy Policy · Bug Bounty

City-Data.com - Contact Us - Archive 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37 - Top