Advantages - Disadvantages Washington side or Idaho? (Hayden, Sandpoint: crime rate, felony)

[BucketBoy]

This thread just sold me...I want to move to Northern Idaho!

[ocean2026]

Toyman - I'm in favor of gun laws allowing gun ownership but to allow loaded guns in cars is going way too far. Its too prone to accidents or people losing their temper without having time to cool down.

When you say leftist groups -exactly who are you referring to and exactly what have they said or done?

[Syringaloid]

Isn't Spokane considered a suburb of Coeur d'Alene to many people?

[David Aguilar]

Originally Posted by Syringaloid

Isn't Spokane considered a suburb of Coeur d'Alene to many people?

I think many WA'ians like the idea of having ID close by.

I also think many ID'ans could care less that WA is close by.

[Sage of Sagle]

Originally Posted by David Aguilar

I think many WA'ians like the idea of having ID close by.

I also think many ID'ans could care less that WA is close by.

I'm pretty much with you on that one. But...

Here are some things in the Spokane area for which I'm thankful:

1) A major airport. For this I am VERY thankful. ( I hate puddle jumper flights)
In fact, having a nearby major airport was a factor in my ability to move to NID.
2) A large county fair (more diversity of stuff to see, etc)
3) BMW and Porsche dealers in Spokane and Spokane Valley, respectively.
4) A couple chain stores that aren't in CDA/PF or Missoula
5) Old Spaghetti Factory restaurant
6) Sports arena venue for shows/concerts

[nwexplor]

If weapons are the issue... You CAN own an NFA weapon but you can't fire a silenced weapon, WA is "shall issue" state wrt concealed carry permits, WA is a "stand your ground" state so you do NOT have a duty to retreat from an assailant before shooting back--in Idaho you do have a duty to retreat even in your own home unless the attack is "tumultuous"!

[pw72]

Originally Posted by David Aguilar

I think many WA'ians like the idea of having ID close by.

I also think many ID'ans could care less that WA is close by.

I would offer that Northern Idaho is what it is today mainly due to the Spokane metro. The resorts, the recreational opportunities, etc., would not be as successful if not for the half million on the WA side. If E. Washington was a deserted wasteland (you know, what Puget Sounders still think today), then Northern Idaho would not be recognizable to any extent to what it is today.

As for drivers, Spokane drivers are admittedly not that great. They are mostly a product of their own town with less migration from other areas. So they tend to drive in, shall we say, a subdued manner. Things change when you get west of the Cascade crest however, and to say all WA drivers drive like Spokanites is just plain incorrect. I actually find Spokane drivers somewhat endearing, they have not really experienced the aggression that you find in most other places around the country. Maybe that is a good thing.

[David Aguilar]

Originally Posted by Sage of Sagle

I'm pretty much with you on that one. But...

Here are some things in the Spokane area for which I'm thankful:

1) A major airport. For this I am VERY thankful. ( I hate puddle jumper flights)
In fact, having a nearby major airport was a factor in my ability to move to NID.
2) A large county fair (more diversity of stuff to see, etc)
3) BMW and Porsche dealers in Spokane and Spokane Valley, respectively.
4) A couple chain stores that aren't in CDA/PF or Missoula
5) Old Spaghetti Factory restaurant
6) Sports arena venue for shows/concerts

Thanks Sage!

Which brings me to my next question, would you (or anybody) still have moved to North Idaho if Spokane wasn't nearby? It seems like people move to Idaho to move to Idaho, not to be close to Spokane or WA.

IMO, NID is sustaining itself quite well, seemingly any suburbanite from around the nation would do just fine in PF/CDA, just about anything one could want (excluding your list above) could be found there.

Originally Posted by pw72

I would offer that Northern Idaho is what it is today mainly due to the Spokane metro. The resorts, the recreational opportunities, etc., would not be as successful if not for the half million on the WA side. If E. Washington was a deserted wasteland (you know, what Puget Sounders still think today), then Northern Idaho would not be recognizable to any extent to what it is today.

As for drivers, Spokane drivers are admittedly not that great. They are mostly a product of their own town with less migration from other areas. So they tend to drive in, shall we say, a subdued manner. Things change when you get west of the Cascade crest however, and to say all WA drivers drive like Spokanites is just plain incorrect. I actually find Spokane drivers somewhat endearing, they have not really experienced the aggression that you find in most other places around the country. Maybe that is a good thing.

I kind of agree with you on the first paragraph, but I think NID's success has mainly stemmed from people from other states. Haven't Spokanites been enjoying NID all along, even before NID boomed? Certainly the growth experienced in NID over the past 10-20 years hasn't occurred because a bunch of WA'ians hopped across the border.

I-90 has been under construction since a week after I arrived in Spokane. Let's just say the courtesy of letting a car in doesn't exist here much.

As for Western WA drivers, you can easily notice them flying by at about 20 over when you get to about Cle Elum, reminds me of being back in CA, but not in the good way.

[boisefan88]

Originally Posted by David Aguilar

I kind of agree with you on the first paragraph, but I think NID's success has mainly stemmed from people from other states. Haven't Spokanites been enjoying NID all along, even before NID boomed? Certainly the growth experienced in NID over the past 10-20 years hasn't occurred because a bunch of WA'ians hopped across the border.

I think what he's saying is that without a significant metro area in the immediate proximity, CdA likely wouldn't have experienced the extreme population boom it has in the past decade or so.

The reason is simple: it would be too isolated for most recent immigrants. Without the modern services of a Spokane - airport, significant economic sector, shopping, etc. - most (not all) people would look elsewhere.

[Sage of Sagle]

Originally Posted by David Aguilar

Thanks Sage!

Which brings me to my next question, would you (or anybody) still have moved to North Idaho if Spokane wasn't nearby? It seems like people move to Idaho to move to Idaho, not to be close to Spokane or WA.

Because of my business shipping needs, I have to be no more than 100-150 miles from a major airport. So I could forego EVERYTHING else that Spokane offers, although the airport issue would have been a deal breaker for us. So no, I didn't move to Idaho to be close to Spokane, but there was a "co-dependent" need for us there...