Thinking about moving to idaho (Coeur d'Alene, Lewiston: hotel, employment, construction)

[sneed1rr]

I am trying to figure out what town to move to. I am 28 with a wife and 3 boys we live in a small town in northern california our pop is about 900 and would like to find a town about the same size but close to other towns alittle bigger so finding work will be alittle easier. We like mountains trees and snow in the winter we camp fish and ride dirt bikes all summer. Any help is much appreciated

[Keim]

Worley or Plummer. Both near Coeur d'Alene.
Potlatch, Troy or Deary. All near Moscow.
Orofino. Near Lewiston.

[sneed1rr]

How is Athol? I was just looking at pics of it and it looks pretty nice

[Cdarocks]

It is hard not to see this through my own eyes, but you are looking for opinions right? Plummer and Worley are in close proximity to the outskirts of Coeur d'Alene (35 mins in summer driving conditions), but I would not move my family to either one. They are tired, run down little towns. I have been to both many times (and not just to drive through). Worley doesn't have a gas station or a grocery store. Perhaps somewhere in the county that is between Worley and Coeur d’Alene would suit better. I used to live in Moscow and loved it. I have not really spent any time in Deary or Troy, so I cannot comment on them. I would never choose to live in Potlatch, though some people very close to me did live there and really liked it. They lived right in town and to me the area seemed very depressed and run down. Maybe there are nicer parts of town that I did not see. I haven't spent any significant time in Orofino, but I have been to Lewiston a number of times. The paper mill smell is really off putting to me, but I know people who have lived there for many years and are pleased to call it home...just not for me. You asked about Athol and it is probably the best bet IMHO. Housing will probably be more expensive than the options Keim suggested, but Athol is also an easy commute to Coeur d'Alene.

One other thing, you mentioned being close to bigger towns so jobs would be easier to find. PLEASE, please do not move here without having first secured employment. I had a friend who worked at a local hotel who told me so many stories of people having just sold everything to come here to the promised land assuming that jobs grew on trees. Do not make this mistake. This is a fabulous place to live IF you have employment and the means to enjoy all the recreation around us. We are having hard times just like everywhere else, so the job search could take a while. What do you do for a living?

[Keim]

I should clarify: the OP said they wanted towns of around 900, near a bigger town. Thus my picks from above. I picked small towns near to larger towns I liked. Had they not limited themselves to such small towns I would've listed Sandpoint, Lewiston and Moscow.

You mention some of the towns as being run down. That shouldn't be surprising. All the small towns around here were at one time logging or mining towns. Are either of these activities doing well anymore? Can you think of any towns with a population of about 900 in the area that aren't run down? I can't.

[sneed1rr]

Thank you for the replies. I am a mechanic but have done some construction work aswell. I didnt realize that people from other states hated CA so much until I started looking around on the web

[Cdarocks]

Keim, you are exactly right. There are no towns of that size in north Idaho that are not run down and I realize you were responding to the OPs request. I was just offering my opinion of those places as I assume the OP has not been to any of them. Sneed - the outskirts of any of the larger towns Keim mentioned can feel like you are miles from anywhere if you want a rural feel without being a long way from town. I don't think you are going to be able to reproduce what you have in Northern CA. Treat this as a new experience and either live in the town you wish to work in or look for something just outside of town. Don’t give up; this is a great place to live if you can make it happen. As for work, I have no idea about the mechanic side of things. Don’t plan on any construction work though – nothing going on here right now.

[Shaner]

Hello! There are some really nice places on the south side of the Spokane River. Also Athol is nice, just depends on where your looking. There is a ton of little towns along us 95 that will suite your needs. If you need some more info, pm me and I can mail it to you. Good luck!

[mistyriver]

Originally Posted by Cdarocks

One other thing, you mentioned being close to bigger towns so jobs would be easier to find. PLEASE, please do not move here without having first secured employment. I had a friend who worked at a local hotel who told me so many stories of people having just sold everything to come here to the promised land assuming that jobs grew on trees. Do not make this mistake. This is a fabulous place to live IF you have employment and the means to enjoy all the recreation around us. We are having hard times just like everywhere else, so the job search could take a while. What do you do for a living?

Ditto.

[sneed1rr]

Thank you all very much for the help, I will do some research on these towns