Why would somebody NOT retire & relocate to Idaho? (Coeur d'Alene: sales, crime)

[bcgreen]

My wife and I have been researching for the perfect location in the Pacific Northwest (PNW) to relocate to since we are newly retired. High on our wish list is great fishing, RV camping, trails, trees, and streams. Right now, Gig Harbor (Puget Sound area) is high on the list. However, our friends now are encouraging us to take a serious look at the Coeur d'Alene (CDA) area. While Washington has no state income tax, the lower cost of living in Idaho does seem attractive and may outweigh the no income tax. Initial home price comparisons reveal CDA homes are 30% LOWER than Gig Harbor. Wow! Additionally sales tax and gasoline taxes are lower in ID. We understand the winters in Northern Idaho are not as mild as western Washington but Idaho has more sun during the winters. We are concerned about the long gray winters in the PNW. Finally.... my question for people who plan to retire to the PNW, why wouldn't they be more serious about relocating to Northern Idaho (with Spokane being so close for entertainment, international airport, additional shopping)? Thanks in advance for your comments.

[pw72]

A lot to consider here, as I am in the same boat. Idaho generally has lower cost of living, but there are places in WA that can equal it, (Tri-Cities is one example). Sunshine vs. Evergreens, when it comes down to basics.

WA's no income tax can help those with Social Security, and those who have profitable investments.

If you are looking for forest and isolation, WA and ID both can offer this. ID perhaps more obvious, but WA still offers many areas like this as well.

For me, I would prefer to be in WA, as it offers the tax advantages, plus the proximity to the big cities.

[elousv]

I have met quite a few people that have moved from the west coast, mostly for the weather. I had visited Gig on our quest for a location to retire. I found it quite a haul from the city actually. I also find the Seattle-Tacoma megalopolis almost indistinguishable from LA and therefore to be avoided altogether. The two areas of Gig and CDA are very different.

[juneaubound]

A look at taxes in Idaho for retirees:

State-by-State Guide to Taxes on Retirees - Idaho -Kiplinger

ETA: Found this in another thread on CD and thought it would be interesting information for those considering a relocation to ID or elsewhere. Electricity prices by state:
http://www.electricchoice.com/electr...s-by-state.php#

[banjomike]

Fishing, RV travel and all of the rest of your list can be found everywhere, not just in the west. The same goes for pine trees, streams and lakes.
Who are the people you enjoy most being around? What conveniences of life where you are now do you enjoy the most? What are your everyday interests? If you have grown kids, how important is spending time with them? how difficult is it now to visit your kids and grandkids?

All these things should be considered just as much as the getaway activities you mentioned. if you are moving from someplace where you have been well established for for a long time, you may find you could really miss the comforts that familiarity brings.

Every new place is full of challenges, and living in Idaho, like anywhere else, presents a bunch of them. The climate here regularly has extremes of heat, cold, dryness, etc., more so than living close to a coast. Though Idaho is a more populated state than some of it's neighbors, especially Montana and Wyoming, folks here are still relatively isolated. There is a lot of open ground remaining between one city and another, and what comprises a 'city' here can be a very small village elsewhere.

Lots of folks move out here thinking they really want isolation, but after a short time they often find themselves missing the things they loved to do in a city.

Research will only give you a fraction of the stuff that fills a life. The best and only true way of knowing what place is right for you is to come out and spend some time in wherever you are seriously looking at right now. Most probably, one visit won't be enough to give you the full picture of any area. This is big country out here, and tends to either exceed expectations or severely disappoints those whose expectations are wishes and fanciful dreams more than based on personal realities.

I can say this about my native state: Idaho is high, mountainous, and varies more in it's geography than any of the other western states I've been in, and that's most of them. It is beautiful in many ways, some spectacular and others subtle, and both rewards and demands a lot from it's people. One constant is our winters are always cold and often have periods that are brutally cold.

No matter where one is in this state, the normal condition is dry. Our air is dry, our land is dry, even in our most lush areas, and the humidity is low here, even in our lake regions. At the bend of any road the scenery will either astound you or look as bleak as can be imagined. Or both, in the space of a few miles.

It's a good state to raise a family, but many of the kids will disagree, because it doesn't offer much urbanity, and that's not always a good or bad thing. Those who love it tend to stick, and those who don't, for any number of reasons, tend to leave after they come. And, for sure, this is not a state for just anyone; it never has been.

Life here requires a lot of adjustment for new arrivals, and Idaho never adjusts to them. While Idahoans all tend to be polite, and are quick to help each other out, that politeness doesn't always mean close friendships are easy to make out here. Folks here all tend to be more self-reliant than in other places, partly out of necessity and partly out of habit- that's the way we are. We all tend to mind our business and often avoid getting into someone else's, even when it may be desired.

A lot of us have never lived in highly populated places elsewhere, so we often can't be expected to know much about how it is to live in a real city with multi-thousands of people. And life in Idaho can still be a pioneering adventure.

If this sounds good to you, please come visit. Plan on making another trip out if you like what you experience here the first time. Travel over the entire state if you can, because Idaho varies more than any other state south of Alaska. If you look over the entire state, you'll find all it's regions are quite different. Some may be a perfect fit, others may not.

Old Mother Idaho leaves her mark in the hearts of everyone who lives here for a while. For those like me, who were born and raised here, moving away always leaves a yearning to come back, even when it never happens.

[brad4143]

Originally Posted by bcgreen

My wife and I have been researching for the perfect location in the Pacific Northwest (PNW) to relocate to since we are newly retired. High on our wish list is great fishing, RV camping, trails, trees, and streams. Right now, Gig Harbor (Puget Sound area) is high on the list. However, our friends now are encouraging us to take a serious look at the Coeur d'Alene (CDA) area. While Washington has no state income tax, the lower cost of living in Idaho does seem attractive and may outweigh the no income tax. Initial home price comparisons reveal CDA homes are 30% LOWER than Gig Harbor. Wow! Additionally sales tax and gasoline taxes are lower in ID. We understand the winters in Northern Idaho are not as mild as western Washington but Idaho has more sun during the winters. We are concerned about the long gray winters in the PNW. Finally.... my question for people who plan to retire to the PNW, why wouldn't they be more serious about relocating to Northern Idaho (with Spokane being so close for entertainment, international airport, additional shopping)? Thanks in advance for your comments.

I would consider lake of the Ozarks, Mo, much cheaper COL, boating fishing swimming, hunting, camping milder winters and all the normal services.

[bcgreen]

[quote=banjomike;31413593]Fishing, RV travel and all of the rest of your list can be found everywhere, not just in the west. The same goes for pine trees, streams and lakes.


But fishing where I live right now is the pitts. You spend all day to drive to a place where it is not crowded and the next day you hike for half the day to find out you haven't caught anything. So I am looking for a place where my chances are much greater than here in Los Angeles. Los Angeles is not renown for its salmond and trout fishing
It would be great to go out in the morning and come back in the afternoon with a fish or two. That's just one of the things I am looking for in another state such as Idaho, Washington or Oregon.

[Mtn. States Resident]

Originally Posted by pw72

A lot to consider here, as I am in the same boat. Idaho generally has lower cost of living, but there are places in WA that can equal it, (Tri-Cities is one example). Sunshine vs. Evergreens, when it comes down to basics.

WA's no income tax can help those with Social Security, and those who have profitable investments.

If you are looking for forest and isolation, WA and ID both can offer this. ID perhaps more obvious, but WA still offers many areas like this as well.

For me, I would prefer to be in WA, as it offers the tax advantages, plus the proximity to the big cities.

pw72,

Are you getting ready to make an announcement here? You obviously have to do what is best for you.

I like living with more than 1 million most of the time too. I wouldn't want to be in NYC and when MD Anderson contacted me totally unsolicited about my interest in applying for an open position given my experience, I had to think about a lot of factors. Working at MDA-"wow I'll probably frame the note.


I know a few more things about Houston and the HUMIDITY, the loop, the crime etc. and the salary offered, where could I safely live etc. as Houston metro prices are higher than many cities.

Seattle is a beautiful city and one of my favorite places to visit. It's smaller than Houston but both offer more entertainment, international flights etc. I don't think it's my place to comment about certain personal things in another's life; however, I do know you had a "life event" last year. I wish I had known sooner.

If you are headed back to WA I wish you nothing but the best. I know there are others who besides myself who have continued to post in the ID forum when they were living elsewhere full or part-time as too much out-dated information or inaccurate information was on CDF about ID.

I'll selfishly hope this was another helpful post from you pointing out important differences.

MSR

[jjkmd]

Snow. Unless you can hire somebody to take care of it for you.

Otherwise this place is heaven

[pw72]

Thanks, MSR. I appreciate your interest, really. I'm choosing among options right now. There is probably a 50/50 chance of a move back to WA. But things need to be worked out. I will certainly mention my decision here, not that many really care. I am just not that important. However, let me say Idaho and Washington are two great states, and either one of them could be right for most who fly by this thread.