How welcomed are out of staters? Read the whole question please.
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Most of the complaints I have heard about are about the SoCal transplants, and even then usually it is more of the usual wise-crack comment then something truly insulting. Haven't heard any comments or complaints about folks from Washington or Oregon (other than maybe how they drive).
I can understand WA/OR drivers, especially ones from Seattle or Portland. They don't get the 75 mph speed limit, and are not comfortable with it. And they are so used to congestion they don't understand the "move right" rule.
Oh well.
But in-city, it is a different story. Honk-city. Not appropriate in Boise, and this where you can tell a Seattle driver. They think traffic should move fast through downtown. But in Boise, it really doesn't.
Thank you to everyone that has taken the time to reply and help me with opinions and info.
I have a follow up question and that is:
To the out of towners that have relocated there, what do you like about the city the most and how do you feel about calling Boise "home" for now and forever???
I don't want to sound corny but Boise is my dream town and I'm excited for it to be my end destination.
We just moved here from SoCal in May, but have enjoyed living here for the most part.
The pros so far:
- Friendly people (have met some great friends already... some transplants, some Idaho natives)
- Very family friendly (summer calendar can quickly fill up with all the activites going on. Lots of great parks here too.)
- No rush hour(s) traffic unless there is an accident (from what I've noticed it does get trafficky once you get out towards Nampa, as well as along Eagle and State. However, the 84 and 184 have been clear any time I've driven during peak traffic times)
- I can see the sky from my house (sounds silly, but coming from SoCal, I can see the sky around my house, not just above it. It actually took me a little bit of time to get used to!)
- Lots of local, organic food choices here
- Housing is inexpensive (we can actually afford to buy a decent house here unlike the tiny 3 bedroom condos we had been previously looking at)
The cons:
-Summer heat and dryness(being from the coastal area, summer rarely went above the upper 70's. The lack of humidity in the air isn't so much a con, but it's certainly not a pro either)
- Lack of good/ diverse restaurants (I finally found a good Chinese place, but it's rather pricey. Still on the look out for good Indian, Mexican, Persian, etc places. Lol and a cheesesteak place! If you mostly eat local American/ cafe faire, then you'll be set here!)
- The slow speed limits (drives me crazy when I'm driving 35 mph down Chinden Blvd!)
- No pro sports (Thank you Dish Network for your NHL Center Ice package)
Sometimes I miss all the options available to me when I was in SoCal, but for the most part I don't think about it. I noticed though in just the few short months that I've been here, more stores and restaurants are popping up. All in all, it's been a great experience so far
As for calling Boise home now and forever... jury is still out on that. We like it enough to say that we want to stay here unless a good opportunity in another city presents itself. That being said, we've travelled all over the US and Canada and they are only a few other places I would ever consider moving to.
Here is a new take I have on living here for a little bit. Get rid of your out-of-state plates right away! People were quite more aggressive on the road when I had my Oregon plates. It was kind of weird, I have never experienced this before anywhere else I have been, except California, but that had nothing to do with being out-of-state. People would shake their fist , honk and give me dirty looks when I was driving in Boise with my Oregon plates. I guess they feel out-of-staters don't know their rules or what not. I was a bit confused driving around downtown Boise with all those gazillions of lanes. However, I didn't do anything that warranted such aggression. Also, nobody would ever let me into a lane, I would have to fight my way in and I would sometimes get the dirty look/honk for doing that.
However, here is what is funny. As, soon as I put on my Idaho plates, I have not had one dirty look, honk and people now go out of there way to let me in to a lane and are friendly on the road. Sheesh!! How funny, that everyone is so kind on the road now I have Idaho plates.. LOL.. I know this wasn't just my imagination.
I can only wonder how I would have been treated if I had California plates. At least, Oregon plates are the most common ones you see here in Idaho, since the Oregon border is just 30 miles away or so. Washington plates are also fairly common. But , expect a few angry good ol boys to be a bit territorial, nothing too scary though. Try driving in Southern California any day of the week with any plates to experience some real hostility on the road. As soon as I crossed over the grapevine into the the San Fernando Valley I got a friendly greeting, by California's state bird.. You know which one that is
I've never heard of that before, especially toward Oregonians.
Honestly, most people don't care one iota about your license plates.
And gazillions of lanes downtown? Most downtown streets are two lanes. Idaho and Main are three. Myrtle and Front are 5, but they're technically the freeway connector.
Capitol and 9th are also 5, but all other N/S streets are 3 or 2.
BoiseFan, I could have been unlucky that week I was there.. Who knows, I just never have had so many people angry at me on the road the whole time I lived in Oregon and Washington. Sorry, the large lanes I was referring to was getting onto the I-184 (or is it 84? still trying to learn the streets) onramp from downtown. There is like 5 or 6 lanes or so and I always ended up in the wrong one. I guess when I tried fighting my way in, people got a bit grumpy about that. Maybe, it was just my lack of knowledge of the roads and my swift cutting into lanes which is common in Oregon. I am use to big city and aggressive Portland driving and maybe I didn't realize that I was driving in a way that is not common here.
All I know is, that soon as I got the Idaho plates, people just seem so friendly now on the road. It may have been my own paranoia though.
The Oregon state line is only 55 or so miles from Boise and it is common to see vehicles in town with Oregon plates. I've never noticed any hostility towards Oregon drivers.
Sometimes I get frustrated with 2C drivers in Boise but yeah.
I'm also thinking of relocating to Boise also. Long story, but I want a fresh start. I'm 53 and have Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes plus some GI problems. If things work out I'd be teacher at a CC and in an apartment. I've lived in Iowa and Missouri for the past 7 years but I'm orignially from NJ (hence I tend to be loud). Most of the response are from west coasters. Are there any midwesterners that can share their experiences? Also, I'm a fairly brittle diabetic. How good is diabetic care?
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