Negative Coments About Idaho (Boise, Nampa: credit, home, transfer)

[370z]

Yesterday I saw a woman that I had met before and she asked me if I was still moving to ID. She had moved here from Coeur d' Alene a few months ago. This is what she told me. "That I would be very sorry for moving there. They have the worst drivers, there is absolutely nothing to do, they are very racist and redneck! The winter weather is bone chilling cold and there is no way to get warm! They don't clear the roads".
I said I don't think Boise area is like that and she said that her daughter lives in Mountain Home and it is all the same! Needless to say, she hates ID and will never go back!! She lived there for 29 years!
Any comments on this? Is there much truth to it? I know the part of it being cold, is true. Just curious!
I'm not changing my mind anyway about moving!!
Opps, I spelled comments wrong!

[boi2socal]

They sound jaded. Sounds like life sucked for her and it was easiest to blame her surroundings. Living in Mountain Home and living in Boise are not the same so they lose credit there. Obviously on different scale, but it would be like saying living in Lancaster and living in Los Angeles are all the same.

[BoiseBound2012]

"They have the worst drivers"

It's all comparative. Coming from Los Angeles, I think her comment is nonsense.

"There is absolutely nothing to do"

Only if you want there to be nothing to do. I know people who complain about "nothing to do" when they lived in Hawaii!
There is PLENTY to do, we have been amazed at all the activities and events in Boise, Meridian, Eagle, Nampa and Caldwell.

"They are very racist and redneck!" Who is "they"? We have black, latino and and Chinese congregants in our church. Our neighborhood is predominantly white, but the 2-3 non-white families are adored here because they are decent folks, great neighbors, their ethnic food is EXCELLENT and they share! :-)

"The winter weather is bone chilling cold and there is no way to get warm!" Does this woman live outside? Of course there are ways to get warm! I've not spent a full winter here, but I do know folks who have. It gets cold, particularly overnight, very cold. But snow is relatively light (at Boise's elevation) compared to many other cold states. Average YEARLY rainfall is only 12 inches.

"They don't clear the roads." In Boise? I think they do, but that probably depends a lot on where you live. My subdivision clears the road as part of the HOA's responsibility, and my neighbors tell me (again, this is my first year here so have not experienced a full winter yet) that there is no problem getting around, but you do have to be aware of black ice.

"She said that her daughter lives in Mountain Home and it is all the same!" Not even.

[Mtn. States Resident]

Originally Posted by 370z

Yesterday I saw a woman that I had met before and she asked me if I was still moving to ID. She had moved here from Coeur d' Alene a few months ago. This is what she told me. "That I would be very sorry for moving there. They have the worst drivers, there is absolutely nothing to do, they are very racist and redneck! The winter weather is bone chilling cold and there is no way to get warm! They don't clear the roads".
I said I don't think Boise area is like that and she said that her daughter lives in Mountain Home and it is all the same! Needless to say, she hates ID and will never go back!! She lived there for 29 years!
Any comments on this? Is there much truth to it? I know the part of it being cold, is true. Just curious!
I'm not changing my mind anyway about moving!!
Opps, I spelled comments wrong!

I could post my best guess of why those comments were apparently said and then written here, but I'll pass.

The truth is you and only you can decide what is right for you and anyone who might move with you. I'd encourage you to visit again, and longer than a weekend. Spend some weekdays and assess the factors for yourself, to tell if it feels like home to you. If you can support yourself and anyone else moving and you feel like somewhere is right for you, that is all that matters.

I'm a firm believer not everyone belongs in the same city. Thank goodness we have choices. I don't know what peaked your interest in Idaho, but I encourage you to get back in touch with whatever made you think of moving originally and see if the reasons still exist. Then review what you liked about the area. I would not be discouraged quite as easily by one person. Make the choice for yourself.

Only your opinion matters

Good luck,

MSR

[zedd]

Yeah, take it with a grain of salt. There's a lot to like about Idaho, but it's also not for everyone.

My grandmother expressed similar comments and she used to live in Caldwell. Then again, the last time she lived there was the early 1950s :-)

[370z]

Thanks for all your replies. I kind of thought she was full of it!! And just an unhappy person. I knew there was a lot to do there I lived in Boise 30 years ago and loved it. Of course then Meridian, Nampa, Caldwell were nothing compared to now. Was always sorry that I left to go back to CA! I was there for a week in March and it has definitely changed of course, but I still love it! I realize that you can't listen to what anyone says, because every one has different views of things.
I just wanted to get some response from her comments.

[banjomike]

Consider the source. 29 years is a lot of time to live in a place a person claims to hate!

I've known lots of Idahoans who grew up here and moved away, for various reasons. Some have returned and others haven't, but those who left didn't live here for 30 years before they left unless they found a much better opportunity elsewhere, were transferred, or something similar.

I guess a person could speculate on her reply forever, thinking of a thousand reasons why she seemed to be so bitter, but I'm pretty sure her thoughts didn't come from simply living in C d'A. She may have been trapped in a bad marriage or something, or have made a few bad choices that kept her there for so long. And some people tend to overgeneralize everything, too.

[370z]

Originally Posted by banjomike

Consider the source. 29 years is a lot of time to live in a place a person claims to hate!

I've known lots of Idahoans who grew up here and moved away, for various reasons. Some have returned and others haven't, but those who left didn't live here for 30 years before they left unless they found a much better opportunity elsewhere, were transferred, or something similar.

I guess a person could speculate on her reply forever, thinking of a thousand reasons why she seemed to be so bitter, but I'm pretty sure her thoughts didn't come from simply living in C d'A. She may have been trapped in a bad marriage or something, or have made a few bad choices that kept her there for so long. And some people tend to overgeneralize everything, too.

I agree! Thanks

[mickdoo]

Something I learned long ago is you can never take someones opinion about anything. You must experience places or things yourself. Mind you visiting is not the same as living in an area. I learned this the hard way. When I moved to the Jersey Shore long ago. I left after 3 weeks. This was after visiting 8 times.

[boiselover]

I can assure you while boise traffic and driving style is becoming a nightmare just about anywhere in california is still worse. The weather does suck if you hate winters but honestly while living in california I sometimes miss the snow and cold. I suppose most of idaho can be a little redneck or racist but then again for the most part and especially in boise this is not the case. Mountain home is by no means a place to live in idaho and caldwell/nampa can be a little rough I suppose but on the whole I think its a great state and the boise area is a paradise of sorts imo