Think hard before you "escape." (Lewiston: real estate, crime)

[WarningVoice]

I've seen it before. Californians sell their high priced homes and move to rural Idaho. What initially draws them are the very things that they attempt to change within months of arrival. That is why they are the source of much hatred and the butt of many jokes.

Yes, you can move here and live off the difference between what you received and the price of your new house. No house payment! Whooppeee! Now what you going to do? Work? Maybe. Maybe just use up every penny in your bank account. Seen it before. House prices are coming down, no work, used up all their savings and leave town with their tail between their legs - going back to California with nothing.

Retire? Great! Nothing like dealing with winters. Escape and snowbird? Sure. The gas prices will eat through your savings all that much faster. Don't forget the expense of winterizing your house so the pipes don't burst while you are gone. Nothing like having two houses or a motorhome losing value as your savings are eaten up.

Living in a small town can be painful. You are an outsider and will remain that way for a long time. Joining groups, glad handing the locals will not change it. You must get your groceries before the town shuts down at 6 PM. Want a special treat? Sorry, you have to drive for an hour to find a Baskin-Robbins.

Like your computer? Some places will never have DSL or Cable. You can go for miles and your cell phone is worthless. If you want to move to a city in Idaho, you may as well just stay in Santa Clara or San Jose. Gridlock has come to the towns that used to have fewer than a dozen stoplights.

Kids into soccer? Better do some hard research because tiny towns don't have extensive sports programs.

Want to raise your kids in a rural, safe place. Well, the meth labs beat you here. Nothing bad ever happens in rural settings? Think again. We just had Duncan murder three people, steal two children and murder one of them.

Want to see beautiful animals? Nothing like having a deer come through your windshield while driving home one night. If you are an animal lover, hunting season will be a thrill a minute for you as those magnificent animals are driven through town, dead in the back of a hunter's pick-up so all his buddies can marvel.

What about all those beautiful migrating birds? They are going to be blamed for bird flu quarantines some day. Maybe you can get a job killing Canadian Geese and the others that fly into town.

Power outages during winter - what you gonna do? Wood stove, fire wood cutting, need a pick-up, chainsaw. Speaking of winter - snowblower, plow... Or a great big pile of money to pay for these services. Have you ever had to pay to have someone shovel the rain off your roof? Snow gets really heavy when it accumulates.

I've seen people from out of town buy up "cheap land" and develop it. Sold $200,000 homes to Californians on the side of the hill with a view. Trouble is none of the people bothered to ask locals if it was a known slide zone. It was, but nobody bothered to share that info with them either. Now there is stopped construction, lawsuits and broken dreams and wallets.

Am I just being negative to keep people from moving to Idaho? No. I am trying to do the exact opposite of what people who want your money are doing.

I was born in the Pacific Northwest, but lived in California for most of my life. When I returned to my roots, there were many hard lessons that needed to be learned. I don't want anyone's dream to be a nightmare because not enough thought went into a major decision and move. I have seen it happen over and over and over because people were so busy looking back at what they thought there were escaping that they didn't look at what there were about to run in to.

Make a list of all the things you enjoy and love in life, then make sure they are waiting for you before you move. Don't ever underestimate how important a family can be when times are tough.

We just sold a piece of property bought in 1993 for $8,000 and sold for $175,000 to somene who thinks they are going to make a big profit off of someone outside our area. We know where we can buy a $10,000 piece of property and live quite happily ever after while someone struggles to make the payments on property that will be worth less in a very short period of time.

Please, look before you leap. Sometimes there is a pitchfork in that pile of hay you think will cushion your landing. I would have to make $51,000 a year now to equal what I made in California in 1977. I am making bunches and bunches less. Please, please think hard and come prepared before you make a life altering decision. Greed is not pretty and it is getting ugly up here. Don't be part of the group paying a heavy price for a failed dream.

I don't want unhappy neighbors struggling to survive. It doesn't always happen to the other guy. Sometimes it happens to you.

[cleosmom]

You made a valid point when you said

"Yes, you can move here and live off the difference between what you received and the price of your new house. No house payment! Whooppeee! Now what you going to do? Work? Maybe."

My husband was talking to our mailman last week, who told him there are 5,000 new homes going up around us! We're wondering just where these people are going to work? SE Idaho's major employer is the Site and I'm thinking with the last change there all the new staff already arrived.

[Burleygirl]

What about people who just want to homestead - what advise would you give them?

[scoopmorgan]

WarningVoice: You made some very good points! We moved from the SF Bay Area (Marin to be precise) to a small rural town of less than 1000 people, but still in CA. It was culture shock to be sure! While we were striving for a more peaceful existance, and we joked about the traffic when only two or three cars were on the roads, we had never stopped to consider all we'd be giving up.
Shopping, for one thing, was a biggie! We have stores, but K-Mart and Walmart are the primary options. Not to knock them, but sometimes you want something else.
Restaurants! Sure, we got a Foster's Freeze, and a pizza joint. There is even a seasonal sandwich shop open in the summer. We never realized how much we'd miss a nice Chinese, or Indian, or Italian meal! Who'd have thought?
Mileage- as you mentioned...evrything is at least 40 miles away. There are some places that are only 6 or 7 miles, and the school is only 1 mile away. With gas at well over $3 gallon here, even the basics cost a lot.
It is really great to see wildlife. We have gotten used to rabid skunks who we are forced to shoot to prevent the school kids from getting too near the dying animals. Twice they have been spotted at the childrens' bus stop, just minutes before the kids were due home. There was simply no choice but to put the poor things out of their misery. We have had bear and mountain lion in our yard and they walk down our road from time to time, on their way to the lake for water. We think this is cool, but it isn't for everybody. We also keep bat houses, which our city friends find repulsive. We rather enjoy them keeping down the mosquito population!
We want to move to Idaho to continue that type of lifestyle before the Bay Area encrouches on us. It sounds like we may be too late! I know Californians have done a lot to wear out their welcome. I would like to think I would not be one them, but it's all a matter of perspective, isn't it? Thanks for the insight!

[DitchingSoCal]

Wow Warning your post has given me a lot to think about. There are a lot of things I take for granted: eating out, beaches, shopping, etc. I guess the negative aspects of SoCal has forced me to not think of the reality of moving to another state. Thanks.

[BOINGSTER]

This is so well said. I was born/raised in the PNW (born in Clarkston, WA; lived in Lewiston, then over to Tacoma) I remember when Seattle being announced as "the most livable city in America". SO many people moved there to get away from the traffic, crime, high real estate prices and urban sprawl That now it's one big gridlock, crime scene, and gang banger central. So much for liveable cities...

[I_LUVNM]

Thanks Warningvoice! I am glad I read this. I don't want to live in a big city like Albuquerque but I do want to live where they have some things that are important to me such as a few restaurants. Also your insight into everything from snowplows to hillslides is great info. I will heed your wisdom when searching for a place.

I can relate to your feelings Native_Idahoan. I have seen the very same thing happen to New Mexico and you know what is more frustrating? Not getting anyone to listen!

[Twinkle Toes]

What a neat post Warning Voice!!! I am a Californian moving out of California - but not to Idaho. I was just checking out other cities to see what was going on. We are probably an exception - we did a huge amount of research before we chose to move where we are moving to. We are getting away from the negative aspects of California and moving to a place where there is a lot of things we enjoy doing. For instance, my kids and I are competitive ballroom dancers. Where we currently live, there is no dancing so we have to drive at least an hour and a half to get to a social dance. Where we are moving to there is dancing within 10 minutes of our home and not just on Saturdays only! That in and of itself will be like heaven for us!!! We also work in a profession that does not require we live in any particular region of the country. Another thing is, not all Californians are as financially "unsavvy" as you described. Some of us actually have a head on top of our shoulders - and we use the brain inside of that head!

But you did bring up a lot of really great things for people to think about. In our case, the whole family is moving to the same state - just not all at the same time.

Good post!

[burdell]

Originally Posted by WarningVoice

Don't ever underestimate how important a family can be when times are tough.

.

You made many good points in your post but that one line above is some of the best advice I've read anywhere in a long time, I would just add 'true friends' to the important things

[MagpiesMagpiesMagpies]

Originally Posted by WarningVoice

I don't want unhappy neighbors struggling to survive. It doesn't always happen to the other guy. Sometimes it happens to you.

Very well thought out piece, but honestly struggling Californians should be the last of anyone's concerns. For someone who can cash out a 2br bungalow for a cool $half mil, if they can't make a go at it just about anywhere else they deserve the misery they put themselves into.

Magpies