thinking of moving to Salmon or Challis (Idaho Falls, Cambridge: employment, houses)

[huskerfreak]

hello all!
I have been thinking seriously about moving to idaho for a while now and I really think that both salmon and challis look like good places. I do need to know a few more details about these towns though. I am very social and kind people are what I really look for in a good town. I love camping(especially winter), hunting, and cross country skiing, canoeing, and kayaking. I also do some fishing. Also, what are the churches there that are evangelical, baptist, etc. I'm a christian and I really need a decent church. could you also tell me about the school systems? MY family at the moment is just my wife and I but we plan to have children soon

[jadbad2004]

Hi Huskerfreak,

I live in Salmon, and can fill you in on some things you are asking. The biggest question tho is what type employment will you be looking for, that is really the biggest deciding factor to locating here. There is very few work opportunities here. We do have QB Corp. that make beams, and tresses, my husband is the lead electrician there and currently things are slow there. The Cobalt Mine is getting prepped to open, and the pay is good, you can check their site out for future info: idahocobalt.com I cannot help you on the local elementary school since my son is in high school here, but he loves the school and they do have a lot of programs to assist the students, the school days here are a little different, the students attend Mon- Thurs. which everyone loves. We have a rather large variety of churches for a small town, aside from mormon, we have baptist, luthern, catholic and a few non denominational. But all the churches here are filled with great people, Salmon is a very special town that has been able to stay that way. The people here are wonderful, kind neighbors that you will not find anywhere else. The outdoor activities are numerous, all that you mentioned you will find in and around the area. We have a local website that can give you an idea of what is in the area at Salmon, Idaho (ID) - Salmon's community website, profile, events, history, businesses, calendar, forum and also check out lemhicountyidaho.org We are much bigger than Challis which is about 45 min. s on 93, if there is anything else I can assist you with just drop me a line in my message box, I will be happy to try and fill you in. But you will love our little town, we have many activities coming up for the summer so come on out and visit us, it will give you a better idea of what we are like. But one more thing to consider is that we are pretty isolated here, 140 miles to Idaho Falls and around a 100 to Missoula, Mt. we are in the central mountains so the entire town is surrounded by mountains.

Beth

[huskerfreak]

what are the people like? I'm a really social guy and good people are a big detail in a town for me.
also what is the highschool like as far as sports, theatre, academics etc.
is it mostly lds? not that it's a bad thing. just curious

[shades_of_idaho]

We lived in Clayton and Challis for almost 9 years combined. I LOVED Salmon and think the people there were much nicer then Clayton or Challis. We always enjoyed going to Salmon.

We moved to Cambridge in 94 and for us it is so much better over here. Climate people distance to shopping.

Chris

[jadbad2004]

Originally Posted by huskerfreak

what are the people like? I'm a really social guy and good people are a big detail in a town for me.
also what is the highschool like as far as sports, theatre, academics etc.
is it mostly lds? not that it's a bad thing. just curious

The people are your neighbors whether they live next door or across town, wonderful down to earth conservative ppl. The high school offers football, basketball, track, golf. I'm not real familiar with the theatric programs but a play is done every yr for the ppl in town. Academics is always being looked at to try and make inmprovements, the citizens truely care about the school. Yes LDS is the largest denomination here but there are a lot of ppl who are not. Have never had an issue with being here and not being LDS, does not matter to the ppl here, you are treated just the same.

[huskerfreak]

so how's the snowfall? with me it's the more the better. I love winter camping and cross country skiing. there's close trails in the frank church right?

also, it's not like a colorado town where there's houses lining the roads and rivers is it?

[jadbad2004]

Originally Posted by huskerfreak

so how's the snowfall? with me it's the more the better. I love winter camping and cross country skiing. there's close trails in the frank church right?

also, it's not like a colorado town where there's houses lining the roads and rivers is it?

This years snowfall was more than what we normally get in the valley, but the mountains surrounding us get multiple feet of snow, matter of fact we won't be able to get to most lakes till the end of June. So cross country skiing is always good, we are also very close to Lost Trail Pass which has a real nice ski area. The Frank Church is the largest wilderness area in the lower 48 states, over 2 million acres. Many people go hunting there and cross country skiing. We have so many open areas to the river where there are no houses at all, the Salmon River is quite long you can drive for miles toward Northfork and see nothing but river and trees. We are very isolated here, so that should give you an idea on how wide open our spaces are. I included a link that will give you info on trails and camping also, Salmon Area | Idaho Camping Sites
If you need any more info feel free to let me know.

Beth

[Western gal]

If you plan on settling in Custer County and are politically active, either party, you probably won't enjoy the way the commissioners run it. The whole lot needs to go and be replaced with good, honest citizens who care about the public they serve. I am not a Custer county resident, but am aware some of the commissioners do not believe they are public servants. You can DM me if you like. Otherwise, it's a pretty mellow place, borderline boring but a quiet way of life.

I have had friends from both towns, both are small and everyone pretty much knows your business, but they are still generally safe places to raise a family.

[jadbad2004]

I totally disagree with that statement,about everyone knowing what you're doing. I have lived here for awhile and no one really pays attention, but it depends on who you associate with, and what you share. But people do not generally but into your private matters, we do have a population of around 3300, so it's not too familiar, yet most people here do not treat you like a stranger, unless you prefer it.

[Arrowwind]

Salmon is the best choice. Challis is a boom and bust town due to the mine.