Would like to hear from people that moved to Idaho (Boise: housing, rent)

[burdell]

Originally Posted by shades_of_idaho

Burdell, Is there some formula as to say what an average household of three bedroom two bath weights? If I were moving that far I might consider selling almost everything and buying new when I got to Boise. What you might save in moving things might buy them again?? I am just thinking of how heavy my furniture is. Of course there are family things passed down treasures that MUST be saved no matter what. I do understand that.

I hope your move goes smoothly. Please keep all posted on what you decide. Since we already had the stock truck it is what we used. Also we needed it because it took us three months to build our house so we could not unload out in the middle of the field.

Chris

I received estimates based on a drop down menu on a moving web site where you could check studio. 1 BR. etc. I think they figure a studio at around 2,000 pounds. I don't really have a lot of household goods to move but a lot of tools I don't want to part with plus a coupla motorcycles. Hand tools I can put in Priority Mail flat rate boxes, you can ship up to 70 pounds for just $8.10 but I'd like to keep my tool cabinets and an old lathe I have, they'll need shipping.

Another alternative for do-it-yourselfers is ABF Freight. They have 2 modes, they have containers they'll drop at your house and pick up after you load them or they'll park an empty 28' trailer at your house, you load the front as much as you need and then install a bulkhead they supply. you're charged by the lineal feet used.

[pstm13]

I just moved from the Redlands, CA area last October and live in a condo while building a custom home. My son loves his school and my wife and I love it in the Idaho Falls area. I posted a link to our builder on a seperate page. I'll add it here too. They are working through some of the issues with neighborhoods in the Ammon area like water/ flooding and street damage. They also have home heating features for the winter. If you move you need to accept the winter weather and drive a vehical that can handle the snow. Other than that things are great. Idaho Falls is the best place in SE Idaho to live. A lot of people are moving from out of state to be semi retired and just work part time due to home equity gains. I would suggest traveling to the place you are considering and stay for two weeks in the winter. Then you can get a feel for the cold and weather. In short, my wife and I found that once we got a 4x4 SUV we settled in and enjoyed life. Check out http://highpointecompanies.net There are also a lot of other really good builders in the area. Real Estate is very under valued compared to most areas in the country. http://realtor.com seems to be a good place to look for an exisiting home.

In short, my wife would kill me if I told her I wanted to move back to CA.

[Guttdogg]

Lived there in 99 and 00... REALLY MISS IT!!! (was in the Air Force) now... I wish I could move back, but they dont have any jobs for me

[huntman58]

Originally Posted by burdell

Just a thought but I suspect people reading this thread wouldn't mind hearing of people's experiences with moving companies, good, bad, or indifferent?

I Used a company united I believe in 92. It was cheaper then u hale at the time. We did the packing in boxes and they loaded every thing. They also broke down the big things like bed sets. When they got to Idaho they unloaded and set up any thing they broke down .it was great and I would do it again if it was priced right like before

California. It is an expensive, liberal mess down there and I hate it almost as bad as Idaho. Idaho is becoming what calif is only Idaho is ten years behind now and catching up also Idaho has great out door things to do closer by .but the government of Idaho stinks how they destroyed my family . Also how we were treated when we first came to Idaho also stunk

[wurd4wurd]

We moved out west from New England 2 years ago this month and received a very warm welcome from our neighbors - native Idahoans by the way! They even had a quaint wall placque made for us that said "Welcome to the great outdoors". We exchange family Christmas gifts, get together for birthdays and such. All of our neighbors have been great and are always willing to lend a helping hand. My adult son & adult daughter relocated (from Coeur d'Alene) to Boise and have had similar experiences as well.

[shades_of_idaho]

W4W,

You reminded me of when we first got to Idaho and started building our house. We paid cash as we went along building. We did not have jobs and did not plan on working. We were young 35 and 45. I remember people thought we just HAD to be drug dealers from Calif because we had all this money to pay for the building materials we were buying. We did move into a community of say 49 people so it was not long before they found out what we really were all about. Honestly even with the rumors of the drug stuff which OF COURSE we had nothing to do with drugs, the people were very accepting of us and would stop by and visit and offer help . We worked day in and day out to build our house just the three of us. Hubby and his friend and I. Took us three months to get to move in and I think by the time we were settled in we were a part of the community. No one was nasty to us and we even had California plates on our trucks and trailers.

Chris

[wurd4wurd]

Your experience of acceptance and welcoming sounds similar (minus the building your house part) And I have to believe the kind of warm welcome you and I received is typical rather than atypical. We kept the New Hampshire license plates on our vehicles for the allowable amount of time (3 months - I think) and never had anyone mistreat us. In fact, it was frequently the beginning of conversation - good, friendly conversation at that!

[bluehen]

Spent 7 years in Boise, some of the worst air polution in the nation. Inversions so bad 5 times a year you can't see 300 yards. I was in Boise yesterday and had a ferderal red alert for ozon's. Paper (Idaho Statesman) Said all elderly, Asthmatics and young Children to stay indoors.
If you have any respitory trouble stay away.

[shades_of_idaho]

Bluehen,

You are right about the bad air in Boise sometimes. It does happen. One thing you might not be aware of is in the last couple of weeks there has been HUGE fires burning in the area caused by lightening strikes. So I am sure that has added to the polution. I watch the news almost every night and this does not seem to be the norm for Boise. Last week here in Cambridge we could not see across the valley for the smoke from the fires. Just awful!!!

W4W When we moved to Cambridge we also had a warm welcome even better than when we lived in Clayton. I am sorry a few have had bad experiences. I just have NOT seen this myself or with many others that have come from out of state to Idaho. I do think it depends on the new comers attitude. We were so dang grateful to get OUT of California after many years of hard work and saving to make it possable to do so with out jobs we sort of felt like we earned the right to live the good life. We did not come to Idaho wanting opera and events. I have not even been to a movie theater for over thirty years and could care less. I do not feel like I am missing out.

Chris

Burdell I am sorry I missed your post about the moving companies. Thanks for the information! I swear if my husband wants us to move again I want to hire it done. Especially since now half my furniture is covered in Mosaics. LOL LOL LOL 10 moves in 20 years has made me a little CRAZYYYYYYYYYYYYY.

As far as the crime reported on the news. You are right they will blow things up and jump on anything that will grab your attention. In our town there is not that much crime that I know of but then I live up on my hill and mostly ignore the town. We used to live on main street for 4+ years and only had one time when a creep tried to steel our gas out of the car. He could not get it but he did try. We even knew who it was and as soon as they sent him off to rehab we were never bothered. For most of that time living there we did not even lock our house and left the keys in the car. So I do not know if I am qualified to comment on the truth of the amounts of crime. I just know what I hear on the news.

Chris

[wurd4wurd]

Originally Posted by bluehen

Spent 7 years in Boise, some of the worst air polution in the nation. I

It is true that Boise has air pollution issues, but what you failed to explain is that the Idaho Dept. of Environmental Quality issued a red air quality alert (Tuesday, August 15th) for Ada (Boise is located here) and Canyon (Nampa, Caldwell are located here) Counties. The DEQ explained that heavy smoke from the Ola wildfires located west of Horseshoe Bend contributed to high levels of ozone and increasing levels of airborne particulate matter in what is commonly referred to as the Treasure Valley. They advised that anyone with respiratory issues, the elderly, and young children avoid prolonged exposure outdoors particularly between the hours of noon and 7pm when the ozone levels are at their highest. They also urged Treasure Valley residents to carpool, use public transportation, and combine multiple vehicle trips into one. These precautions were also issued to the McCall-Cascade area where air quality has also been impacted by wildfires.
The DEQ also asked Treasure Valley residents to mow their lawns and fill their gas tanks during the evening hours after temperatures drop. The reason behind this request is that ozone levels are at their greatest during the heat of the day.
FYI - this was Idaho's first ever red air quality alert.

I had never experienced an inversion until visiting my son in Boise last November. It was weird, that's for sure. It lasted a few days as I remember. For those of you that are interested, I thought I would post a brief, layman's explanation of atmospheric inversion.
Meteorologically this is an increase of air temperature with altitude. This increase is a reversal of the normal temperature condition where temperature usually decreases with altitude. Inversions play an important role in determining cloud formation, precipitation, and visibility. An inversion acts as a lid, preventing the upward movement of the air below it. Where a pronounced inversion is present at a low level, convective clouds cannot grow high enough to produce showers and, at the same time, visibility may be greatly reduced. Because the air near the base of the inversion is cool, fog is frequently present. This particular phenomena occurs because high-pressure systems often combine temperature inversion conditions and low wind speeds. During a temperature inversion, air pollution released into the atmosphere's lowest layer is trapped there and can be removed only by strong horizontal winds.