What TOWN IN IDAHO would you move to ???? (Boise, Nampa: rent, low crime)

[keikekai]

Hi,

Me and my 3 kids (ages 6, 11, 13) are looking to move from the east coast to Idaho and am having a hard time deciding between these towns...

*Boise
*Nampa
*Ketchum
*Hailey
*Sun Valley
*Sandpoint

Can you help me know more about these towns in Idaho (both pros and cons) and why (or why not) you would live there.

Here are some things I would like to compare about these towns:

*Weather (year round, are those towns quite similar) ?
*Much snow (how much)? How cold or hot in the summer does it get ?
*SUNSHINE (which has the most sunshine, is it daily ?)
*Crime rate (personal or property crime)?
*Things to do with small kids (what places to see, go to, etc.)?
*Is the town ethnically diverse or not ?
*Is the town more liberal or conservative ?
*Is the town of varying ages (or more a retirement community)?
*What are the people like ? Are they really down to earth or snobby ?
*Entertainment/Restaurants ?
*Culture (any, if so what)?
*Traffic - not a problem or what ?
*Affordability - what would a 4 bdrm. house cost roughly ?
*What would the average 4 person household need $ wise to live there (monthly)?
*Grocery Stores (many?) any organic stores ?
*Health care (doctors, hospitals) ?
*Schools ? How are they (I homeschool my kids, so this is not
a huge factor at all, but for whomever else reads this - they may want
to know).

Anything else you can think of ? I am sure I must have forgotten something to add to this list. Well, let me know WHICH town you would choose and why. If you think there is a different town in Idaho that you recommend, let me know.

Thank you very much !!!!!!!!

[ricfly52]

Sandpoint, I am from Hailey and don't want any more people there! LOL, Just kidding. It is a great town for raising kids, growing up or growing old!

[keikekai]

What are you saying ricfly52 ??? Are you promoting Sandpoint or Hailey ? What's the difference between those towns ? Or are they quite similar ????

[Need2Leave]

Half your questions can be answered with a good googling. That being said here's the rundown..

Boise- most metro-feel of any town in state, more diverse than the rest, not the cheapest... many comute from farther down the valley (mapquest, google earth)

Nampa, Meridian, Kuna, Eagle- all boise suburbs of varying levels of "class" by which I mean spend some time on realtor.com and you will see. The drive sucks for us...but by east coast standards it may be a walk in the park.

Ketchum/sun valley - resort town, very expensive, as much "culture" as the rich, weekend fly in crowd can pack into what used to be a tiny little sheep town.

Hailey - Ketchum suburb, also spendy.

Sandpoint - haven't been there yet.

Best of Luck.

[Sandpointian]

Hi Keikekai,
I like the idea of Sandpoint and Hawaii in the same sentence (as does my wife)!

My comments are to Sandpoint . But Coeur d'Alene, Hayden, Post Falls are also places to put on that list. They are 40-55 minutes south with far more jobs. Combined Population is close to 70K. Many commute to Spokane, Washington (pop 300K+) which is anywhere from 15-40 minutes depending.

*Weather (year round, are those towns quite similar) ? *Much snow (how much)? How cold or hot in the summer does it get ?
>> Inland Northwest. Short Hot Summers. Short Cold Hard Winters. Prolonged Gray and Cold Falls. Short Spring. Summers are like the Portland Area.
>>> Plenty of Snow in Sandpoint, less in the CDA area.
>> You need to be OK with the indoors and gray.

*SUNSHINE (which has the most sunshine, is it daily ?)
>> Spokane has the sunshine, we have less so...although we are not as bad as Seattle.

*Crime rate (personal or property crime)?
>> Compared to the bifg cities? Next to nothing.
>> More biased toward property crime, the unfortunate problem of meth, and family disputes

*Things to do with small kids (what places to see, go to, etc.)?
>> Limited only by your imagination...honestly...
>> If you are looking for "packaged" stimulation, there is less (only Silverwood)...the rest is "direct involvement"

*Is the town ethnically diverse or not ?
>> No...it is 100% Sandpointian
>>Racially, 96% white...but >90% white is typical in more than a dozen states that were "pioneer" and/or Northern Mountain States

*Is the town more liberal or conservative ?
>> Red State. Red/Blue, GReen Town.
>> SP is an artists colony.

*Is the town of varying ages (or more a retirement community)?
>> Yes varying ages. Does tend to thin out in the professional ages on account of limited jobs...hopefully this will change...many families...

*What are the people like ? Are they really down to earth or snobby ?
>> We have Four of the best Lakes in the US within a 45 minute drive (Priest, Pend Oreiile (our home), Hayden, Coeur'Alene)...Mother Nature humbles us...

*Entertainment/Restaurants ?
>> Plenty enough...plus your own kitchen
>>>Entertainment? Step Outdoors...regardless of season (skiiing is 11 miles away), We sit on the 2nd largest Lake in the Western US (behind Tahoe), loads of hiking,
>> 3 hours north is the town of Nelson in British Columbia, another cool place... (Canada is 60 miles north)

*Culture (any, if so what)?
>> That depends on what you mean by that. If you mean museums...we have only a couple. If you are talkign theatre, we have a nice one, the Panida, but it will be limited. If you are talking art, we have a few galleries and a great open studios season...
>>SP is a town of 8,000. And one that has not (just yet) been gentrified...so we won;t be "cultured" in the sense you see in the NE art colonies where actual local life has died off...

*Traffic - not a problem or what ?
>> Can be an issue going South, esp in the Summer. But smart timing goes a long way.

*Affordability - what would a 4 bdrm. house cost roughly ?
>> Impossible to answer really
>> Anywhere from $180K to $4 million, but pickings can get slim at lower prices
>> In CDA/Hayden/PF, perhaps as low as $170K, loads more supply between $190K and $230K
>> Rents in SP disproprotionately affordable--$800 to $1000/month gets you a very decent place
>> Do you need a 4 bedroom?

*What would the average 4 person household need $ wise to live there (monthly)?
>> Assuming rent of $800-900
>> Perhaps $2000-$2400. Sound about right?

*Grocery Stores (many?) any organic stores ?
>>Enough and yes.

*Health care (doctors, hospitals) ?
>> COunty Hospital in Town
>> More serious stuff can go to Coeur d'Alene 45 minutes south

*Schools ? How are they (I homeschool my kids, so this is not
a huge factor at all, but for whomever else reads this - they may want
to know).
>> Very good schools in SP
>> Many homeschoolers

Hope this helps...
S

[keikekai]

thanks sandpointian - I appreciate all your input....so where in Hawaii are you going to move to ?

[welder]

Idaho, now you're being more REALISTIC! Forget about Hawaii and stick to the mainland. Good luck......

[Sandpointian]

Hi Keikekai,
thanks sandpointian - I appreciate all your input....so where in Hawaii are you going to move to ?
>> Hold on a second!! No intention of moving. We love Sandpoint too much. But we often think about a year or so of Hawaiian indulgence!! If we can justify the move and provide for planning and financing...who knows??

[esselcue]

Hawaii gives me Island Fever...just a two week stay every couple of years is enough I am looking at Sandpoint and on up as far as Bonner's Ferry for my retirement target...but one never knows how the wind will blow.

[wmdmedic]

We live in Middleton (just west of Boise and north of Nampa/Caldwell) we love the small community feeling and the advantages of the state capitol. We are also close to Oregon. We are heading to the East Coast (not all by choice). Trade you homes :-) The schools in Middleton are some of the best in Idaho, great healthcare and shopping are close by. Comute is easy with several roads and freeway in all directions. Low crime, friendly people.