Considering Idaho relocation, seeking input (Boise, Idaho Falls: real estate, renting, house)

[BassAngler]

Hello,

I am considering relocation to a few places out West (I initially considered it when my work first went 100% remote but held off at the time) and I know Idaho offers a lot of several things I find appealing, but am not sure where the best combination would be within the state. I have been through Coeur D'Alene a couple times as well as eastern Idaho, but know next to nothing about all points in between.

Do any towns/cities stand out for someone whose primary considerations are
- access to outdoor recreation, primarily trout fishing and hiking (this is an easy one for most of the state, I know)
- enough rainfall (or else enough municipal water or potential for a well) for decent gardening
- enough people for groups/clubs of common interests to be available within an hour's drive (this is a problem where I currently am, with only 2 towns over 10,000 people within 90 minutes of me; conversely, I am within about 4 hours of 2 large metropolises so we get the downside of swarms of tourists in summer and elevated real estate prices from millionaires buying second homes)

I am interested in Montana and Wyoming as well, but I like that much of Idaho has a slightly milder climate overall for gardening and at least a decent-sized city as far as amenities/logistics. I have considered far northern Utah somewhat as well (somewhere in the Logan area) but I am not LDS and don't know what it would be like as a right-of-center but not overtly religious "Gentile" - this question also applies to much of Eastern Idaho, too, I guess?

I am not right-leaning on all issues, but on enough issues that states like Oregon, Washington, Colorado are not good fits for me, if this gives a better idea of what I have in mind. Apart from that, drought/wildfire risk and real estate costs are two other significant considerations.

Thank you very much in advance for any places that come to mind!

[NW Crow]

Bass fishing in Idaho:

https://www.google.com/search?q=idah...69i57.4576j0j7

For a small garden, water shouldn't be an issue. For acreage, access to irrigated water is something to look for in south Idaho.

Look around Twin Falls (up to an hour each way) and see what you think.

[AnythingOutdoors]

The Palouse (near Lewiston) has the longest growing season in Idaho, followed by southern Idaho (Boise and Snake River Plain). The Palouse is near the Snake, Clearwater, and Salmon Rivers... i.e. some of the best trout/salmon/steelhead fishing in the lower 48.

The combined population of the Lewiston and Pullman-Moscow metro areas is over 100k, so probably enough for groups/clubs, though not entirely clear what size you're looking for. Other than college kids (Lewiston and Moscow are both college towns) these areas don't get a lot of visitors. The next biggest area, Spokane-CdA is about 2 hrs away via a 2-lane undivided highway. Boise is about 5 hours away. I mention this because if you may find yourself going to these areas for certain things (medical care, shopping, etc.)

Boise has a similar climate, but with a somewhat colder and drier winter. The Boise metro area (aka the Treasure Valley) population is around 800k, with easy access to the Boise Mountains, Sawtooth Recreation Area, North/Middle/South Forks of the Boise River (the South Fork has world class fly fishing), the North/Middle/South Forks of the Payette River, Snake River, Owyhee River (mostly in OR). Plus excellent lake fishing at CJ Strike, Lowell, Lucky Peak, Arrowrock, Anderson Ranch, Cascade, Payette, and others.

Southeast Idaho (e.g. Idaho Falls) has a shorter growing season (longer winter due to elevation and topology). And yes, there's more of a LDS influence there. The Upper Snake River and Henry's Fork, along with other tributaries have excellent fly fishing. Henry's Lake is known for trophy trout.

Stay out of the mountains/forests/brush and wildfire risk is minimal.

Generally speaking, Idaho has an abundance of water due to the very large area of mountains that cover most of the state (large snow pack, lots of rivers), and a massive aquifer in the Snake River Plain of southern Idaho. That doesn't mean every property has abundant water... need to evaluate this on a case by case basis.

[banjomike]

Elevation should be your guide when it comes to gardening.
The higher the land is, the shorter the growing season.

The Upper Snake River Valley is about as high as it gets if you want to grow most of the common vegetables.
Any good state map will show you the cities, and the net will give you the rest of the info you need about them.

I wouldn't make rainfall a consideration aw much as elevation; just take the fact all of idaho is a semi-arid dry state into account.
There's still plenty of groundwater for a small gardener who's inside the limits of one of our cities.
It's the land outside our city limits that will be having water troubles of all kinds.

If you are sociable person who wants to make new friends, you'll find them here. Folks who settle in the west are reserved and appreciate a person's privacy rights, but those who are sociable always create situations where it's easy to join in to be sociable.

[BassAngler]

Thank you all for the input! A follow-up question - in the Boise area, are there any suburbs that should be particularly avoided, or any you would particularly recommend? My understanding is that the housing market is cooling off everywhere but maybe faster out West - this has me thinking of renting at first both to wait for prices to stabilize and to get the lay of the land as far as locations.

[BassAngler]

Originally Posted by AnythingOutdoors

The combined population of the Lewiston and Pullman-Moscow metro areas is over 100k, so probably enough for groups/clubs, though not entirely clear what size you're looking for. Other than college kids (Lewiston and Moscow are both college towns) these areas don't get a lot of visitors.

I am hoping for a decent selection of in-person activity groups, something like Trout Unlimited or other fishing-related local chapters, but also more general outdoor groups for things like hiking and canoeing. In looking at MeetUp groups (not the perfect metric but the handiest one I know of at the moment), it does seem like Boise understandably, with the population difference, offers a LOT more groups than Moscow/Pullman/Lewiston do overall, which is something for me to take into account.

[ejisme]

There are really no "bad" neighborhoods in the Boise metro, just ones you might prefer over others based on your own personal tastes, desires and budget. Some people want to live near BSU or downtown, others the foothills, or suburbs like Meridian, Eagle, Kuna, etc. Renting is certainly a good idea for a year or two as you learn your preferred place in the Boise area, and hopefully the housing market will stabilize too.

[AnythingOutdoors]

I agree with renting, or even delay moving, until you know more of the neighborhoods and what you're looking for.

That said, I wouldn't sit around twiddling my thumbs waiting for prices to decline. They might decline more, they might not, no one really knows. But now is a better time to buy than it has been for years. No competing with multiple over-asking all-cash no-contingency offers.

If you have a target neighborhood in mind and something comes on the market that matches what you want, this may be a good opportunity to get into a great house in a great location. This is they type of market to get a property that would have been a feeding frenzy last year. If you plan to say put for 5+ years it's not going to matter if you get the lowest possible price.

On the other hand, if you don't really care about the neighborhood or the house, and you just want the lowest possible price in any reasonably nice subdivision, then wait things out another 6 months to see what happens. Prices may continue to decline, especially in areas with lots of new construction in the pipeline (Meridian, Kuna, SW Boise).

[NDak15]

Originally Posted by BassAngler

Hello,

I am considering relocation to a few places out West (I initially considered it when my work first went 100% remote but held off at the time) and I know Idaho offers a lot of several things I find appealing, but am not sure where the best combination would be within the state. I have been through Coeur D'Alene a couple times as well as eastern Idaho, but know next to nothing about all points in between.

Do any towns/cities stand out for someone whose primary considerations are
- access to outdoor recreation, primarily trout fishing and hiking (this is an easy one for most of the state, I know)
- enough rainfall (or else enough municipal water or potential for a well) for decent gardening
- enough people for groups/clubs of common interests to be available within an hour's drive (this is a problem where I currently am, with only 2 towns over 10,000 people within 90 minutes of me; conversely, I am within about 4 hours of 2 large metropolises so we get the downside of swarms of tourists in summer and elevated real estate prices from millionaires buying second homes)

I am interested in Montana and Wyoming as well, but I like that much of Idaho has a slightly milder climate overall for gardening and at least a decent-sized city as far as amenities/logistics. I have considered far northern Utah somewhat as well (somewhere in the Logan area) but I am not LDS and don't know what it would be like as a right-of-center but not overtly religious "Gentile" - this question also applies to much of Eastern Idaho, too, I guess?

I am not right-leaning on all issues, but on enough issues that states like Oregon, Washington, Colorado are not good fits for me, if this gives a better idea of what I have in mind. Apart from that, drought/wildfire risk and real estate costs are two other significant considerations.

Thank you very much in advance for any places that come to mind!

I can tell you to rule out Coeur D'Alene if the third point is something you don't like.

[Syringaloid]

If access to quality healthcare is a priority, scratch North Idaho off of your list. The far right nationalists in that area of the state have created such a toxic political environment which has caused the hospital in Sandpoint to lose doctors and stop delivering babies.

https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/n...vices-abortion