SF to Idaho (Boise, Coeur d'Alene, Moscow: relocating, rent , employment)

[fromthebay]

Couer D'Alene or Boise... I've been through Sand Point and Couer D'Alene and they were honestly two of the most beautiful places I've been too more so Couer D'Alene... Is Idaho a good place for young people to finish up college (1 yr of community college & 2 of University) We are very laid back and love to just chill a lot... We have a dog and are looking to rent a house somewhere with our dog for hopefully below 1200 a MONTH is Idaho a good place for this...

[boi2socal]

Idaho is a rather large state and living experiences vary greatly.

Boise is considerably larger than Coeur d'Alene. Combine Coeur d'Alene's Metro with Spokane's you have a population similar to the Boise Metro Area.

You being a younger couple I would suggest Boise. It is a larger community made mostly of relatively young people. Coeur d'Alene is a resort community so you expect an older population of retirees. Overall, it is likely you'll have better work and education opportunities in Boise but that is dependent on what you're skill/major is. Overall, cost of living is probably similar. I'm guessing slightly higher in the Boise Area.

Both cities have many recreational opportunities nearby. Boise is going to have much more of a California vibe than Coeur d'Alene or Spokane for that matter. That may be a pro or a con. Boise's immediate scenery is somewhat similar to the San Jose area (brown). Coeur d'Alene is more forested (green). Weather is warmer and drier in Boise compared to Coeur d'Alene.

[Sage of Sagle]

I have a slightly different perspective, although I don't exactly disagree with the above post...just a different angle on it...

If you like CDA for the beauty, you won't like Boise. It's a nice town, but that prairie/farming feel isn't the same as the thick forests/rivers/lakes of NID.

The CDA/PF area population combined with Spokane is probably 350K people. But because it's still in pockets of civilization it doesn't feel the same. Spokane is 30+ miles away from CDA, and you don't feel like you're in a metro area. In fact, going down I-84 in Boise, if you drive from the Eagle exit to the Boise Town Center (or "Square"?) mall, you've pretty much driven through the same distance as going through CDA proper.

The areas do have different feels to them. Boise feels a lot like parts of Irvine or Rancho Cucamonga, with some South Coast Metro thrown in. Or for your area, compare it to the way Sunnyvale-Saratoga feels, throw in some Alamden Valley and Gilroy/Morgan Hill (new sprawl mixed with farmland). CDA feels more like Tahoe to me. In fact, when relocating to Sandpoint, Tahoe (Incline Village or Alpine) was our second choice area. Spokane has "issues" to put in it charitable terms. Not as bad as East Palo Alto or Richmond, but has a LOT of crime...anything not bolted down is being carried off by tweakers...the auto theft rate is higher than Los Angeles...but then again, SPokane Valley (nestled between Spokane and the ID state line) is more like metro Boise...

In CDA, North Idaho College (NIC) is right at the lake. Neat place. Nationally known Gonzaga is in Spokane. 90 miles south is University of Idaho (Moscow) and 8 miles west is WSU in Pullman, WA.

I agree that employment opportunities are tougher up here, but there are opportunities nonetheless...

[jufrbo]

As someone myself who likes to just "chill" alot. Boise is very good for that.