Confused about Nampa (Boise, Meridian, Caldwell: real estate, apartment, crime rate)

[sobaygal]

I'm a single mom and want to move to a better place where my daughters 11 and 13 can breathe and I can drive down the street and not be fliped off or have my 15min trip take 30 because traffic is so heavy. I was lookiing at Nampa but have gotten mixed reviews on this site. What part of Nampa is good I hear the 131 school district is great. How about Meridian? If I'm hearing right Caldwell is a bad place to be all together. I don't want to live in the boonies but would like to have some breathing room. I live in Torrance now for all you Cailfonians who see this posting so you know what I mean about crowded. Please help me with what ever advise you can give.

[Emmalou]

Hi! We just moved to Meridian in February from San Diego. It's really not much different from the suburb we lived in SD. Traffic here sucks though. During rush hour it takes forever to get anywhere. However, Meridian is very nice. Nice neighborhoods, nice people, tons of shops, etc.

I have heard that Meridian schools are very good.

I don't know much about Nampa. I also have heard some mixed things about it. We have friends that live in a nice neighborhood in Nampa, but driving to their house, we do go through some pretty seedy looking areas.

I would highly recommend taking a trip out here and look at all the different areas before you decide to move.

[MomsTn]

The best school district in Nampa is Vallivue, district 139
Yes, there are some areas around the beet factory that don't look too nice, and you have the factory close by, but, for the most part, Nampa is a very nice city.

The reason that people say stay away from Caldwell, is because there are a lot of hispanics there. Caldwell, is a nice city too, it's really a matter of taste.
Yes, Caldwell has a little more crime.

People in Idaho just don't drive down the street flipping people off.
It's a slower pace, and you will just have to adjust to that.
There has been quite an influx of people moving in and areas have really grown, as well as, the real estate.

There is a lot of wide open spaces in Idaho, but, you don't have to live way out in the desert to find affordable housing either.

Meridian has grown quite a bit in the last 10 years. They have pretty decent schools too. In fact, the schools in Idaho have stepped it up a notch, whereas, 15 years ago a lot of parents homeschooled. Myself as one of them.

As a single mom, you will find a very good quality of life in Idaho.
Whether you live in Boise, Meridian, Nampa or way out in some little town like Marsing.
Just realize that it may be a bit of a culture shock after being in Torrance.

Also, Idaho is an extremely Conservative state.

Originally Posted by sobaygal

I'm a single mom and want to move to a better place where my daughters 11 and 13 can breathe and I can drive down the street and not be fliped off or have my 15min trip take 30 because traffic is so heavy. I was lookiing at Nampa but have gotten mixed reviews on this site. What part of Nampa is good I hear the 131 school district is great. How about Meridian? If I'm hearing right Caldwell is a bad place to be all together. I don't want to live in the boonies but would like to have some breathing room. I live in Torrance now for all you Cailfonians who see this posting so you know what I mean about crowded. Please help me with what ever advise you can give.

[adicus75]

Hi,

I lived near Torrance once in Manhattan Beach. I know just what you're talking about. We live in Nampa and I really like it. We are in the 83651 zip code and find it very nice here. We live in a great subdivision with great families. My son loves his school and the teachers are great. As far as any trouble, we have been here for just over 2 years, and no complaints. It's not as faced paced as So Cal, but when you have kids, we don't want that. You'd have to go a ways out of Nampa to get too far into the boonies. There is a lot to do here, you just have to find it. Traffic I would say from experience is most congested going through the Meridian part of the freeway, it's NOTHING like the 405 though...

Good luck!

[markpemble]

I don't know who is spreading all this bad information about Caldwell.

One thing I do know about these false rumors; THEY ARE NOT STARTED FROM PEOPLE WHO LIVE IN CALDWELL.

[sobaygal]

adicus75, When did you live in Torrance or Manhattan Beach? Maybe I know you? What part of Nampa do you live North,East,South or West?

[adicus75]

Hi,

I lived there in 98-99 right off Manhattan Beach Blvd in a crappy little apartment before we moved to San Diego. Currently, we live in the Southwest side of Nampa. But we moved around a lot before we ended up in Idaho. In fact, my husband may be taking a job transfer to FL and I will be sad to go. We do really like it out here. The people in Nampa have been very welcoming. I am not sure why people still say bad things about Nampa, we have been very happy here. I wish you luck if you do come out here!

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[TOPGUN]

I've seen just as good and bad in both citys.

I think the crime rate is the same....there are some weird crimes here too.

I moved here from N. County San Diego 4 years ago.

I've seen some angry people here, racist too. It was a shock to move to an area with such a lower education, and wealth. I'm not too smart and don't have much money so I fit right in. All I have to do is go to Wally World to feel a little better. I think I have met some great people here, just wish we had the time and money to have a good time with them.

The air quality sucks here. Too bad we can't pipe in the air from Lake Tahoe.

[thompson84606]

Originally Posted by TOPGUN

I've seen just as good and bad in both citys.

I think the crime rate is the same....there are some weird crimes here too.

I moved here from N. County San Diego 4 years ago.

I've seen some angry people here, racist too. It was a shock to move to an area with such a lower education, and wealth. I'm not too smart and don't have much money so I fit right in. All I have to do is go to Wally World to feel a little better. I think I have met some great people here, just wish we had the time and money to have a good time with them.

The air quality sucks here. Too bad we can't pipe in the air from Lake Tahoe.

NoCo San Diego is the most racist place I've ever lived or even visited, just thought I'd slide that in there. (you can see my other posts for an explanation) in other words, everyone has different experiences.

[leo_075]

Originally Posted by thompson84606

NoCo San Diego is the most racist place I've ever lived or even visited, just thought I'd slide that in there. (you can see my other posts for an explanation) in other words, everyone has different experiences.

I agree. I live in Nampa and haven't ran into racism here. The people have always seemed friendly to me.