Best town in idaho for us (Boise, Meridian: low crime, YMCA, schools)

[natepickle]

Hi,
My family and I are ready for a change we live in Virginia about 2 hrs west of DC we have found the mountains still have the DELIVERANCE feel to them.

What is the best town there for a family with a 10yr and 6 yr old; they love to swim on swim teams. We thought Shenandoah Valley here got snow but we have not seen any in 2 yrs. We want to see snow with bright sunny winter days. We want to be close to water, but not right on it. Within a short drive would be nice. A pet friendly place with allot outdoor activities

We would like to be within 2 hrs of museums and zoos like DC , a town where kids are safe, a sense of community, great job growth, low crime and communities with children for mine to play with.

I grew up all my life at the beach of NC. I miss friendly people, the kind that invite you to dinner to welcome you and handshakes mean something. Almost a Mayberry feel with clean streets and modern stores nearby.

Are there any towns like that there?

[Sage of Sagle]

Sounds like nirvana....

As soon as you said "bright sunny winter days" and "2 hrs to museums and zoos like DC" and "great job growth" you quickly ruled out North Idaho...

[natepickle]

You guys get more sun than we do

[Torrie]

Look at Boise-Metro. There are lots of citites within that will fit your needs. Very family oriented, safe and the sense of community you seek, not to mention all the outdoor activities. Check out the Boise threads. Look at the one at the top Boise, one stop shop. You will find lots of answers to your questions. You can also use the search engine on city-data to find more detailed information. If you can't find what you're looking for ask away!

[jwest09]

Originally Posted by natepickle

Hi,
My family and I are ready for a change we live in Virginia about 2 hrs west of DC we have found the mountains still have the DELIVERANCE feel to them.

What is the best town there for a family with a 10yr and 6 yr old; they love to swim on swim teams. We thought Shenandoah Valley here got snow but we have not seen any in 2 yrs. We want to see snow with bright sunny winter days. We want to be close to water, but not right on it. Within a short drive would be nice. A pet friendly place with allot outdoor activities

We would like to be within 2 hrs of museums and zoos like DC , a town where kids are safe, a sense of community, great job growth, low crime and communities with children for mine to play with.

I grew up all my life at the beach of NC. I miss friendly people, the kind that invite you to dinner to welcome you and handshakes mean something. Almost a Mayberry feel with clean streets and modern stores nearby.

Are there any towns like that there?

Great job growth? Idaho is at the bottom of the pack in job growth.
I believe the only state that has any kind of job growth is Texas, because its an oil producing state, and we all know about oil.

[boi2socal]

Yeah, as far as Idaho goes Boise sounds closest to what you desire. You won't find world class museums but there are a few small museums and an ever improving zoo. Also you have an airport that serves pretty much all West Coast airports and all those flights are two hours or less when you need a big city fix.

[kristinl5]

Nate I would have to vote for Meridian, you're close to Boise with museums and the zoo (which was mentioned before is always improving and growing), the ymca (both downtown and west boise/meridian) for swimming, great schools, close to lucky peak for boating and recreation, close to payette for river rafting, the boise river you can float in the summer months..in Meridian you've got great areas to live, nice schools and still have that mayberry feel to it (we have our dairy days parade and festival, the scarecrow festival and the winter festival) you'll have local parades going down mainstreet at those. Also the cost of housing is cheaper in Meridian than in Boise, but you're only about 10 min. max from downtown Boise from Meridian. Also GREAT parks to play for your kids.

[natepickle]

Thank you. Does Meridian get snow, we want snow so the kids can play in it. How far away are mountains and lakes? Lakes are very important.

[Torrie]

Yes Meridian gets snow. Average snowfall for the Boise-Metro area is 21 inches. So far we are a bit over that for our snow season. Mountains are as close as 45min away if you want a quick trip to Bogus for skiing or sledding. Or you can head up to Cascade, Donnelly or McCall, which are anywhere from 1.5 hours to 2.5 hours respectfully. If you want to head East, Sun Valley is 2.5 hours away. Your lakes are in Cascade, and McCall. I have a great list of the lakes and rivers in Idaho. Send me a direct dm with your email address by clicking on my name and I can forward it to you. Just don't post your email on the forum or you might get spammed.