Family looking for a community with morals and strong values (Boise: school districts, university)

[Fresh Start]

I have been reading this board for a while looking for info on Kuna and Meridian. My husband, my two young daughters, and I are living in a small town in northern NV and it is awful. There are very few good people in this community. Perhaps it is the NV lifestyle, but not mine. We have lived here for 5 years now and I just can't wait to move. My husband loves ID and so we are going to go check out Kuna and Meridian. I work for the school district in NV and I notice that the wages are much lower in ID, but the main thing we are looking for is a great place to raise our girls who are 8 and 10. I want the best for them and would like some more input if you wouldn't mind. I like the small town feel but I also like the city with the doctors and shopping closer than a 2 1/2 hour drive. I want a great education for my girls as well. What ever happened to strong family values?

Thanks,
Looking for a fresh Start

[Torrie]

Hello,

Boise is going to have a higher pay scale than Kuna for sure as far as school district. I think they might even be higher than Meridian but I could be wrong about that. Any teachers out there want to confirm that?

I have heard that Kuna schools have a drug problem in their schools. So if it were me I would lean towards Meridian out of the two. Keep in mind that price range might be an issue, before you fall in love with one city or the other. Boise, Meridian, and Eagle tend to be a bit higher. Kuna and Nampa are a bit less as is Middleton. Do you know what price range you are thinking about?

You will like this area, it is very family oriented and you will feel safe. There are so many outdoor things to do and the mountains aren't too far away to explore. We moved here 4 years ago and just love it!

[krisnbre]

My brother in law lives in Eagle. It's a nice smaller part of the Boise area. We live over in the Eastern side of Idaho and we love it. It's not as fast paced as the Boise area and I think it's more of a family community. We live in Rigby, and its probably a lot smaller compared to where you are but it is just a great little area. A lot of people are moving here from out of town.

[davekn]

I have lived in Kuna for 5 of the last 6 years. I now live in Meridian. The strong family values are all around you, you just need to look a bit to see them. I have found them in both cities. As for drug in the schools, where don't you find them? I never heard of the problem, and I had 6 grandchildren in the Kuna schools.
I think you will like either place just fine.

[Torrie]

Originally Posted by davekn

I have lived in Kuna for 5 of the last 6 years. I now live in Meridian. The strong family values are all around you, you just need to look a bit to see them. I have found them in both cities. As for drug in the schools, where don't you find them? I never heard of the problem, and I had 6 grandchildren in the Kuna schools.
I think you will like either place just fine.

There was a teacher on one of the threads here that worked in Kuna. I believe she worked at the high school level but I could be wrong. She had strongly stated that the Kuna area had a big problem with drugs in the schools. She is not the only person I have heard that from. If I were considering a new area to take my family I would want to know that. Sure every school probably has a problem to some extent, but that is not what I'm hearing about Kuna. Any Kuna teachers out there that want to clarify this?

[Syringaloid]

The Boise area is very family oriented and families are a large part of the lifestyle here. There are many facilities for families in this area, but the great thing is that Boise isn't influenced by a dominant religion like Eastern Idaho is. I think the fact that Boise is so religiously diverse creates a more accepting atmosphere for young children as they are growing up.

[chiefs fan]

Originally Posted by Fresh Start

I have been reading this board for a while looking for info on Kuna and Meridian. My husband, my two young daughters, and I are living in a small town in northern NV and it is awful. There are very few good people in this community. Perhaps it is the NV lifestyle, but not mine. We have lived here for 5 years now and I just can't wait to move. My husband loves ID and so we are going to go check out Kuna and Meridian. I work for the school district in NV and I notice that the wages are much lower in ID, but the main thing we are looking for is a great place to raise our girls who are 8 and 10. I want the best for them and would like some more input if you wouldn't mind. I like the small town feel but I also like the city with the doctors and shopping closer than a 2 1/2 hour drive. I want a great education for my girls as well. What ever happened to strong family values?

Thanks,
Looking for a fresh Start

I am not sure about Kuna schools, but I know that the Meridian school district has some schools that are pretty overcrowded with students. You might want to check into the latest stats on these districts.

You might also want to take a look at these sites about schools:

www.greatschools.net
www.schoolmatters.com

[Fresh Start]

I don't want to offend anyone but I need to ask this question. A friend had told me she had lived in Boise for a few years and that if your kids were not LDS that they were excluded a lot. Is that true? We are Christians and are bringing up our girls that way. Please to be offended.

Fresh Start

[Syringaloid]

Originally Posted by Fresh Start

I don't want to offend anyone but I need to ask this question. A friend had told me she had lived in Boise for a few years and that if your kids were not LDS that they were excluded a lot. Is that true? We are Christians and are bringing up our girls that way. Please to be offended.

Fresh Start

I don't think so, but it might depend on which school or area of the valley.
The LDS church is not the majority in the Boise area as it is in Eastern Idaho, in fact I notice quite a bit of anti LDS sentiment in Boise. There are a lot of Christian churches all over the area and there is a large "born again" and charasmatic movement here too. In fact I think the single largest denomination in western Idaho is the Catholic Church. Downtown Boise has many large beautiful cathedral churches.
I have heard the opposite from other familes I am friends with. They have said that they hear from their children that the LDS kids get excluded a lot.
But like I mentioned it probably depends on the area of the valley and/or the school district. I know there are a lot more Mormons in Meridian than in Boise.
There isn't a LDS church anywhere in downtown Boise except for the University.

[chiefs fan]

Originally Posted by Fresh Start

I don't want to offend anyone but I need to ask this question. A friend had told me she had lived in Boise for a few years and that if your kids were not LDS that they were excluded a lot. Is that true? We are Christians and are bringing up our girls that way. Please to be offended.

Fresh Start

One of my friends who is Catholic said that her kids sometimes felt excluded by the LDS kids at school, but I haven't heard any complaints from any other friends with kids in the Meridian or Boise school districts. One thing to mention though is that all of the high schools in the area have small LDS community centers across the street from each high school.

While I lived & worked in Boise, I noticed a presence of "born again" Christians. I'm not sure if by "Christian" you mean "born again"; I've met people in the area that meant "born again" when they called themselves "Christian".