Moving to Idaho (Boise, Idaho Falls, Meridian: fit in, crime, new home)

[ConservativeGirl]

We are currently looking to buy a home in Idaho Falls and would like to know if there are certain areas to stay away from in relation to crime.
Thank you!

[cleosmom]

As anywhere, it depends on what your housing budget is, do you have school aged kids? Working in town or out to the Site?

[Mtn. States Resident]

Originally Posted by ConservativeGirl

We are currently looking to buy a home in Idaho Falls and would like to know if there are certain areas to stay away from in relation to crime.
Thank you!

Hi ConservativeGirl,

Welcome to the Idaho thread. I hope you'll keep posting after you've moved.

Probably, the lowered number streets (< 5th Stree for sure, at least between S. Boulevard and Holmes Ave.), I' d avoid. Some of the Highland Park area streets. In general those are two of the older residential areas in Idaho Falls.

It's hard to know how to answer your questions as different neighborhoods were developed (or are being developed) at different times. Thus, the cost of homes is different. More influential neighborhoods (Rose Nielson, anything east of Holmes and south of 17th Street) are safe, but other neighborhoods are too.

It depends on what you want and can afford.

Realtors and the mls system will let you look at homes online. You can ask realtors about crime in specific neighborhood.

One thing to clarify, is whether you are wishing to buy a new home, one that you can fix up etc. There are safe neighborhoods for each. However, I learned a while back from a wonderful addition to the Idaho Falls area, SAV, that we should never assume all people want new homes. Lots of people enjoy home remodeling or other home work.

I'd recommend getting a realtor involved, given your distance. They will be able to give you some recommendations, based on the $ you want to spend, whether you have school aged children and where you want them to attend school, work information etc.

I'd encourage you to search this thread for other questions about Idaho Falls. There are many answers from those who have moved in the past two years, and sources of answers too.

You may also want to read what TexasMom (not her full name, but you'll know who I mean with her posts on this page) has written and been given for answers. The same resources probably would help you as well.

It will be great to have more people be able to post their experiences here for those who continue to move to the Idaho Falls area.

Good luck in preparing for your move.

MSR



Not trying to pry, just think about this a bit more. Will you be connected with INL or Areva and have an advantage to be on the west side of town? Or does the area of town matter?

Moving from FL, it looks pretty calm in Idaho Falls.

[cleosmom]

I would also toss into the suggestions above to avoid the Bel-Aire neighborhood as well.

[ConservativeGirl]

Thank you for your reply, My husband and I along with our two boys 12 & 14 currently live in a suburb of Tampa, Fl. We are seeking a cooler climate and more wholesome lifestyle for our family. We are both self employed and operate from home for the time being. We are looking to expand later and will eventually need to consider office space somewhere handy. We would like to find a larger older home that's under valued that may need work. ($150,000 or less would be great) We have experience in renovating and would be able to do the work ourselves or with a little help. We have been looking on realtor.com and have found some promising homes. Could you give me feed back on the following areas.

1. Garfield & North Holmes 2. S. Lee Ave & E 13th St. 3. N. Skyline Dr. & W Broadway St.

4. Ammon Area

How bad are the bad areas? Are they really bad as far as crime or just more run down and old. I agree with you, the worst areas of Idaho Falls are probably not as bad as some of the nicer areas in Tampa Fl. The schools here are really overcrowded and have all the problems associated with overcrowding. We have lived in Texas, Pennsylvania and Florida. Florida has by far the worst schools. Both the other states were far superior to here. I will look at the stats for the schools in idaho, but I'm assuming they have to be better than here. I have applied for relocation package from the Chamber of Commerce and have been researching Idaho on line for months now. I really think it is the perfect place for us. We are conservative yet tolerant, self reliant, friendly, Believe in God and family first. Do you think we would be a fit in Idaho Falls? Final Question (thank you for listening). How does Idaho Falls compare to say the suburbs of Boise. From everything we have seen on line I think Idaho Falls is more what we are looking for . (We aren't really the cultural arts type, just give us a Sams Club, Home Depot, A Good Pizza Place and Video store and we would be happy) Well thanks again for all information. We can't wait to get there!!!

[ConservativeGirl]

Thank you for your advice, Please see my reply to Mtn. States Resident for additional information as what we are looking for. Thank you again for taking the time to reply.

[MrGrumpy]

I don't care what anyone says I don't think there is a single area in Idaho that compares with some of the worst areas of Flordia (the closest thing would be some neighborhoods in Twin Falls and in Caldwell and even they aren't as bad).

As for comparing Boise to Idaho Falls, IMHO here is the breakdown:

1. Boise and the treasure valley (ie Meridian, Eagle) is larger and has quite a few more amenities (not to mention a wide variety of places to eat)

2. Even though you are looking for a colder climate, the climate is definitely harsher in Idaho Falls than it is in the Boise area (more snow, wind, extreme weather, etc.) so the Boise area would be an easier adjustment (temperatures usually range between 20-40 degrees between November and March in the Boise area).

3. Housing is definitely cheaper in Idaho Falls, so you will probably get more for your money there.

4. Idaho Falls is about 240-250 miles from both Boise or Salt Lake City so if you are looking for isolation you can definitely find it there.

5. The population of Idaho Falls area is approximately 120,000 people, the population of the boise area is approximately 600,000. Although keep in mind that the Boise figures an area that is spread out as far as 60 miles. The town itself has about 220,000 people.

6. The schools are pretty comparable. Safety wise they are very safe by comparison to Tampa, education quality wise they rank about average. Not really sure if you are looking at AP courses or not for your kids because that could be an issue. I recommend doing some comparisons over at GreatSchools - Public and Private School Ratings, Reviews and Parent Community. for a better picture.


For the record I have lived in the Boise area for the last 10-15 years but I have an uncle and an aunt that I visit over in the Idaho Falls area, so that is the basis of my observations listed above.

[Mtn. States Resident]

Originally Posted by MrGrumpy

I don't care what anyone says I don't think there is a single area in Idaho that compares with some of the worst areas of Flordia (the closest thing would be some neighborhoods in Twin Falls and in Caldwell and even they aren't as bad).

As for comparing Boise to Idaho Falls, IMHO here is the breakdown:

1. Boise and the treasure valley (ie Meridian, Eagle) is larger and has quite a few more amenities (not to mention a wide variety of places to eat)

2. Even though you are looking for a colder climate, the climate is definitely harsher in Idaho Falls than it is in the Boise area (more snow, wind, extreme weather, etc.) so the Boise area would be an easier adjustment (temperatures usually range between 20-40 degrees between November and March in the Boise area).

3. Housing is definitely cheaper in Idaho Falls, so you will probably get more for your money there.

4. Idaho Falls is about 240-250 miles from both Boise or Salt Lake City so if you are looking for isolation you can definitely find it there.

5. The population of Idaho Falls area is approximately 120,000 people, the population of the boise area is approximately 600,000. Although keep in mind that the Boise figures an area that is spread out as far as 60 miles. The town itself has about 220,000 people.

6. The schools are pretty comparable. Safety wise they are very safe by comparison to Tampa, education quality wise they rank about average. Not really sure if you are looking at AP courses or not for your kids because that could be an issue. I recommend doing some comparisons over at GreatSchools - Public and Private School Ratings, Reviews and Parent Community. for a better picture.


For the record I have lived in the Boise area for the last 10-15 years but I have an uncle and an aunt that I visit over in the Idaho Falls area, so that is the basis of my observations listed above.

Salt Lake City, where the majority of those from eastern and southeastern ID go is closer than stated in this post. From Idaho Falls, it about 200 miles. Boise is farther away than Salt Lake City.

Salt Lake County has over 1 million people. That isn't the who metro area. There are about 2 million people on the Wasatch Front in Utah. Boise metro is growing, but still is not the size of SL County. CA, AZ and residents from many others states are moving to UT potentially at a faster pace than Idaho. Consequently, Utah has more metro opportunities than anywhere in Idaho. However, from the OP's own words, it sounds like those things aren't the most important to their family.

Otherwise, I think Mr. Grumpy's post is useful. I'm not sure about the weather, I'd check the official reports for areas. If someone asked about Denver, would an answer was answered based on the weather there this week? Or, would it be more accurate to say, Denver USUALLY doesn't have weather like this prior to Halloween, it's been 12 years since this last happened. I'm a bit more skeptical about the weather anywhere, given that it seems all over the place for most Intermountain states, given patterns I've been watching.

MSR