Idaho or Wyoming? Which is better for us? (buying, prices)

[ejisme]

Originally Posted by NW Crow

If you want to avoid severe weather, I'd consider Twin Falls or Mountain Home.

Pocatello is less severe in winter than Idaho Falls or Laramie or Sheridan but it will still average 3 winter months with lows generally in the teens and gets about 10 nights below zero per year. Laramie a few degrees colder and 15 nights below zero. Wind is a big issue to many there. Idaho Falls pretty similar to Laramie on thses measures but more snow in town. Sheridan a few degrees even colder and 20 nights below zero.

Twin Falls and Mountain Home average just 1 month of lows in teens and 5 below zero days. Considerably lower LDS % in those 2 places I am told, fwiw.

Size of community is a factor you have to decide.

Visit / evaluate. Try another if it doesn't suit you.

I second your Mountain Home or Twin Falls (Filer, Buhl, Jerome, etc.) recommendations. Mountain Home is currently booming as the closest eastern town along the freeway to Boise at about 40 miles. It's a pretty easy 40 minute drive into most of Boise vs. the growing congestion from the west side (Nampa, Caldwell). Many people are moving to Mountain Home to commute into Boise. It is an Air Force town too, so there is some diversity to the small town of ~14,000. Elmore County is actively taking measures to stabilize the aquifer to protect the water availability in the county, plus the Air Force base is switching to Snake River water via a pipeline and water treatment plant, so further reducing the demand on the ground water everyone is dependent on in the area.

Twin Falls is very nice, with the big box stores in town, nice mountains to the south east, and Snake River access. They are also growing quite a bit too. They tend to get a bit more rain and thunderstorms than Mountain Home, at least this year. To the West, if you could find your place near Filer, Buhl or even Hagerman, you'd have a pretty easy drive into Twin Falls without getting on the freeway, and still have the basic necessities in those smaller communities. Gooding or Shoshone to the NW and N would be other small towns near enough to Twin Falls too.

[nowhereman427]

Originally Posted by ejisme

I second your Mountain Home or Twin Falls (Filer, Buhl, Jerome, etc.) recommendations. Mountain Home is currently booming as the closest eastern town along the freeway to Boise at about 40 miles. It's a pretty easy 40 minute drive into most of Boise vs. the growing congestion from the west side (Nampa, Caldwell). Many people are moving to Mountain Home to commute into Boise. It is an Air Force town too, so there is some diversity to the small town of ~14,000. Elmore County is actively taking measures to stabilize the aquifer to protect the water availability in the county, plus the Air Force base is switching to Snake River water via a pipeline and water treatment plant, so further reducing the demand on the ground water everyone is dependent on in the area.

Twin Falls is very nice, with the big box stores in town, nice mountains to the south east, and Snake River access. They are also growing quite a bit too. They tend to get a bit more rain and thunderstorms than Mountain Home, at least this year. To the West, if you could find your place near Filer, Buhl or even Hagerman, you'd have a pretty easy drive into Twin Falls without getting on the freeway, and still have the basic necessities in those smaller communities. Gooding or Shoshone to the NW and N would be other small towns near enough to Twin Falls too.

Is there alot of noise from the jets/aircraft?

[banjomike]

Originally Posted by nowhereman427

Is there alot of noise from the jets/aircraft?

Look at a Google map and decide for yourself.

Do some independent thinking, please, and try to understand Idaho isn't full of strangeness or extremely.

Summer's coming. Why not get your shots and come on up for a visit? It's only a day and a half from the bay to S. Idaho. I used to do it in one long drive in my GTO when I was young.

[cleosmom]

Originally Posted by banjomike

It's only a day and a half from the bay to S. Idaho. I used to do it in one long drive in my GTO when I was young.

Yes, I too have turned that trip into an overnighter! However, rather than the Bay Area, I travel to and from the Central Valley. So Winnemucca is my "Halfway" point.

[ejisme]

Originally Posted by nowhereman427

Is there alot of noise from the jets/aircraft?

Not really. The base is 10 miles out of town and the combat ranges are to the south of the base, so the pattern does not take them over Mt Home town proper. They do occasionally fly over town, but it's not an everyday event and they are just cruising back to the base if they are coming over the town.

[nm9stheham]

Originally Posted by banjomike

I used to do it in one long drive in my GTO when I was young.

Ah, another GTO owner.... my first car was a '65 GTO convertible....

[banjomike]

Originally Posted by nm9stheham

Ah, another GTO owner.... my first car was a '65 GTO convertible....

GTO: Italian for crazy fast touring car. Mine was a '68. The one with almost no chrome.
Bought it in Norfolk during my last year of service. It brought me home in 2 1/2 days, back when the speed limit on the Interstates was 85 and no one drove that slowly. $3150 took it; I was going to buy a
LeMans Sprint, Pontiac's sleeper hot V6 car, but the dealer sold it out from under me.
The GTO arrived the same morning, and the dealer let me have it for $50 more than the Sprint.

I loved it, but after I married, I needed a work truck, so it had to go.

My oldest son bought an early 2003 second-generation GTO 2 years ago. Half the size and weight and 30% more horsepower.
A guy in California who shows a couple of restored originals bought it for his wife. It's purple, and it scared her. Only had 1500 miles on it.

To tell the truth, while his is a beautiful car, it was too much of a racer for me. Not close to the comfort, and way too twitchy to be a good touring car.

I had a great time cruising Idaho in that car and still miss it. I miss those times, too. Everyone who wants to move here now wants what Idaho was like then.

[banjomike]

Originally Posted by cleosmom

Yes, I too have turned that trip into an overnighter! However, rather than the Bay Area, I travel to and from the Central Valley. So Winnemucca is my "Halfway" point.

Yup.
Winnemucca seems to be the midway point for all 4 directions. I always stopped there too if I stopped at all.

[volosong]

Originally Posted by banjomike

Yup.
Winnemucca seems to be the midway point for all 4 directions. I always stopped there too if I stopped at all.

Many a night I slept in my car at that first station when coming into town. I think it is called "Love's". In the big parking lot between it and McDonald, they let people sleep overnight on their journeys. I'd pack my car such that I only had to move a few things before I could stretch out on a pallet for the night. Then you can go inside in the morning to clean up. Pretty safe. Quiet little town, but you better keep to the posted speed limit until you get outside the city limits.

They have a few decent hotels in town too, if you don't want to sleep in your car. Nothing fancy, but you'll get a better night's sleep. I'd usually pull in late, so didn't see the sense of paying for a hotel room for only four or five hours of sleep.

[nowhereman427]

Winnemucca is a good stopping point/rest point.