pre move visit next month - my list of areas to check out - any suggestions? (Coeur d'Alene: rentals, hotels)

[fleeNY]

Hey guys I posted here a while back looking for recommendations of places to check out in Idaho. We've done some research since then and we want to narrow it down to north ID maybe north central ID. Everything we've read and seen seems absolutely perfect for us except we're not sure if we'll like the long winters or not. Only one way to find out tho

We're also homeschooling our son now so schools aren't an issue but we'd like to be somewhat close to good medical services since our son currently has a feeding tube so we'll need a good gastro doc.

Employment isn't an issue since we're self employed though we need good internet speeds.

We'll be flying out mid Sept for about 5 days to find an area to rent in for the 1st year... most likely the CDA area but we want to get a feel of the surrounding areas as well.

Here's our list... if you have any suggestions or places to avoid please let me know.. Thanks!

CDA
Post Falls
Hayden
Rathdrum
Sandpoint
Bonners Ferry
Moscow
Lewiston
St Maries

[DEADTIME]

I sent you a PM, but you will love CDA, and the northern area.

[Cdarocks]

I have been everywhere on your list multiple times and have lived in Moscow, Post Falls, Coeur d'Alene, Hayden and Hayden Lake. If you aren't too sure about winter I would recommend you put Rathdrum, Sandpoint, and Bonners Ferry at the bottom of your list.

Of the places I have lived my favorites were Moscow and Hayden/H.L.

Are there specific questions you have about these places? Specific things you are looking for? The reasons a place may appeal to me or another poster might not be the features you are looking for. There are some places that won't have great internet speeds, even close to town. My favorite place of all was Hayden Lake, but we had to use HughesNet for the internet and it would have been painful if we worked from home. It sure was beautiful though...

[fleeNY]

Originally Posted by Cdarocks

I have been everywhere on your list multiple times and have lived in Moscow, Post Falls, Coeur d'Alene, Hayden and Hayden Lake. If you aren't too sure about winter I would recommend you put Rathdrum, Sandpoint, and Bonners Ferry at the bottom of your list.

Of the places I have lived my favorites were Moscow and Hayden/H.L.

Are there specific questions you have about these places? Specific things you are looking for? The reasons a place may appeal to me or another poster might not be the features you are looking for. There are some places that won't have great internet speeds, even close to town. My favorite place of all was Hayden Lake, but we had to use HughesNet for the internet and it would have been painful if we worked from home. It sure was beautiful though...

Thanks CdaRocks, I just wanted to make sure I wasn't missing any other areas we should check out. I'm sure the whole area is going to blow us away. My wife likes to garden and we have 2 dogs so we'll probably want something with an acre or so if possible... we definitely plan on renting when we first get there

[Cdarocks]

I can't wait to read about your trip. Be sure to come back and tell us about your experience and I bet you will have a whole list of questions too! If you really love to garden, look into a space you can put up a greenhouse. The thing about North Idaho and gardening is the growing season is quite short and can be a frustrating experience. A greenhouse, even a little one, can make a big difference. My MIL has one that is attached to her house and she walks out her basement door and into to her little growing paradise. This is the only way she has had success growing tomatoes. As far as stuff in the yard, I have had great success growing raspberries and rhubarb. I had a beautiful flower garden too, it was just gone so quickly and made me sad every year. I had fantastic luck with roses.

[fleeNY]

Originally Posted by Cdarocks

I can't wait to read about your trip. Be sure to come back and tell us about your experience and I bet you will have a whole list of questions too! If you really love to garden, look into a space you can put up a greenhouse. The thing about North Idaho and gardening is the growing season is quite short and can be a frustrating experience. A greenhouse, even a little one, can make a big difference. My MIL has one that is attached to her house and she walks out her basement door and into to her little growing paradise. This is the only way she has had success growing tomatoes. As far as stuff in the yard, I have had great success growing raspberries and rhubarb. I had a beautiful flower garden too, it was just gone so quickly and made me sad every year. I had fantastic luck with roses.

yeah we're super pumped about it. I'll definitely put up a post with tons of pics. I forgot to ask... can you guys recommend a decent affordable hotel in CDA?

Thanks

[brokencrayola]

If you son needs good medical care nearby you might want to be concentrating on the CDA/PostFalls (good hospitals in Spokane too) areas. There are hospitals in many of those other towns, but they are pretty small hospitals that do not have a lot of specialists.

[Cdarocks]

We have stayed at the Hampton Inn on Riverstone Drive a number of times, it is one of the nicer Hamptons I have been to. There is a Holiday Inn Express on West Seltice Way. Both of these hotels are well situated for your search. You could also consider the Best Western Plus on Appleway. Also, check out VRBO® is Vacation Rentals By Owner - there are a lots of vacation rentals and I personally really like renting a house, especially if you are considering a relocation. You will notice a lot of the listings say things like, book early for Ironman. The ironman race is one of my favorite days in C'da - we would start early watching at the lake, move on to a great spot to watch the cycling and then back downtown to watch the finish line. I hope it is something you will get to enjoy too.

[fleeNY]

Originally Posted by Cdarocks

We have stayed at the Hampton Inn on Riverstone Drive a number of times, it is one of the nicer Hamptons I have been to. There is a Holiday Inn Express on West Seltice Way. Both of these hotels are well situated for your search. You could also consider the Best Western Plus on Appleway. Also, check out VRBO® is Vacation Rentals By Owner - there are a lots of vacation rentals and I personally really like renting a house, especially if you are considering a relocation. You will notice a lot of the listings say things like, book early for Ironman. The ironman race is one of my favorite days in C'da - we would start early watching at the lake, move on to a great spot to watch the cycling and then back downtown to watch the finish line. I hope it is something you will get to enjoy too.

That sounds cool, I'll check it out. Thanks for all of the info. I've seen pics of the iron man in CDA.. there's even a cool video documentary about it on youtube

[cujo1950]

We've stayed at the Shilo Inn, CDA and were very happy, nice price too.