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My apologies for a lengthy post, but have searched this website and the Forums for Boise as well as Idaho Falls. Northern CA-It's getting more & more crowded, not to mention taxes and laws keep getting more ridiculous. I saw the one post from SNV in the "general forum of Idaho", I too have horses but not looking for huge land and wanted to ask additional questions:
My husband isn’t a fan of desert/high desert (prefers some trees, green). He’s lived in MT, but that was years ago. I moved from MN to SoCA, lived there 25+ yrs. & then moved to NCA in 2007. Here, there is somewhat of 4-season, but not the drastic winter. [/font]
States we’re currently considering: ID. Locations: Boise area, maybe Lewiston, ID. Real estate best value for $ spent.
May also think about WA, OR, AZ, UT, NM. Climate: not constant rain/fog, continual gray sky, or 4-6 months of winter. Population – maybe minimum of 25,000+/- up to 90,000+/-, but don’t want to live in the middle of a huge city. Prefer not driving 30+ miles for little errands, groceries, medical, etc. A bit of space & if a sub-division, at least a bit of elbow room so I don’t have to hear my neighbor flush. [/font]
I realize some questions below might not apply to the various states & local communities listed on this forum but would like input or please point me to reliable resources so I can research. Major concern – access to medical, good hospitals, dental or how far do you have to drive for these? Other questions below:
1)State taxes, if so, how much?
2)Sales tax? If so, how much
3)Property taxes? I’m presuming if a purchase is made, the property/real estate tax would increase to the rate of the selling price?
4)Are grocery food staples taxed? If so, how much & is it a big deal for a 2-person retired household?
5)Is Social Security taxed?
6)How about if receiving a retirement pension from a CA county?
7)Cost of utilities? (electric, propane, natural gas)?
8)Pros-cons of heating with those cost-wise?
9)What about cost of water if you don’t have your own well? (watering yards, gardens or if you have small pasture areas)?
10)What does irrigation district or water rights mean? Any resource to find out the prices?
11)Does each county have their own designation of lot use? We might consider the option to keep animals (Horses, goat, chickens, etc.)
12)State-run liquor stores & prices? Or can you buy in grocery stores?/prices
13)Price of gasoline/diesel (we have 1 small car & 2 diesel trucks)
14)Vehicle registration costs? See above for vehicles
15)Overall climate (good guesstimate for average number of days for sunshine or at least partly cloudy? Wind not blowing all day, every day. I realize this last one might be tough because it seems the weather is crazy or going that way across the USA.
The other topic to consider:I currently have 2 horses. Would need info. about vets, farrier, feed stores, where to buy hay and access to riding/camping areas. The horses are off-site in a boarding situation and were taken care of if we took a vacation. If we’re not successful in finding house/property with animal rights, would need boarding/stable facilities. I’d consider leaving my 32 yr. old gelding in CA.
We plan to make a drive out to the Boise/Lewiston, ID areas in the early part of January 2019. Thank you for any/all information, suggestions, etc.
Last edited by Ezrydr; 12-27-2018 at 04:06 PM..
Reason: get rid of extra words, space that showed after posting
Lewiston is one of the worst places in Idaho.
It's ugly, it stinks, you're driving up and down
hills all day, and the housing is way overpriced.
I can think of literally zero good things about it.
The places with the most rain / snow will have the most natural trees. If you don't want a wet winter, pretty much stay out of most of north Idaho. Lewiston is a local exception. It won't be bright in winter but it won't be as wet as rest of region. It will be wet in the hills & mountains beyond though. Trees will mostly be the planted ones. Maybe a mature city neighborhood would work.
Moscow probably has more fans but also way more rain / snow and higher real estate prices.
Post Falls has some good points but it also the northwest weather.
The wood mill smell in Lewiston is a deal breaker for some (or many), not for others.
Your husband probably wouldn't like the look of Twin Falls. Many considering Idaho face a dilemma of green but "too wet / cold" or dry / "barren". Some people find what they want or close enough but others don't find a place that is "just right". Depends what you want / can accept. Some might find eastern Idaho a desirable weather compromise, some might see too much snow and too few trees in the nearby countryside.
Idaho has a dozen cities between 25-90,000 population. Half in Boise area, half not. Decide what is most important and it can narrow down. Want everything just so and it might not.
NW Crow: thank you for your quick reply. When I listed only Lewiston/Boise area, it was because I'd spent the most amount of hours, upon hours of researching ID. Internet facts are handy, but feel input from people is valuable. When I mentioned trees, it was only to say it would be nice to have some foliage as opposed to barren, hill tops.
Having said that, I believe we want to at least start the search around Boise area and fan out a bit from there. Can you give me any specific info. about Nampa and the surrounding towns/communities (Meredian, Eagle, Star, Middleton etc.?)
I've researched real estate, but it's a bit sparse with available listings.
The places with the most rain / snow will have the most natural trees. If you don't want a wet winter, pretty much stay out of most of north Idaho. Lewiston is a local exception. It won't be bright in winter but it won't be as wet as rest of region. It will be wet in the hills & mountains beyond though. Trees will mostly be the planted ones. Maybe a mature city neighborhood would work.
Moscow probably has more fans but also way more rain / snow and higher real estate prices.
Post Falls has some good points but it also the northwest weather.
The wood mill smell in Lewiston is a deal breaker for some (or many), not for others.
Your husband probably wouldn't like the look of Twin Falls. Many considering Idaho face a dilemma of green but "too wet / cold" or dry / "barren". Some people find what they want or close enough but others don't find a place that is "just right". Depends what you want / can accept. Some might find eastern Idaho a desirable weather compromise, some might see too much snow and too few trees in the nearby countryside.
Idaho has a dozen cities between 25-90,000 population. Half in Boise area, half not. Decide what is most important and it can narrow down. Want everything just so and it might not.
How about Weiser, Rigby, McCall,Rexford or Riggins?
nowhereman427
How about Weiser, Rigby, McCall,Rexford or Riggins?
Several have mentioned those towns, but I haven't researched all of them yet. Still want to try and stay away from areas where extended snow and cold are factors. 8-)
nowhereman427
How about Weiser, Rigby, McCall,Rexford or Riggins?
Several have mentioned those towns, but I haven't researched all of them yet. Still want to try and stay away from areas where extended snow and cold are factors. 8-)
sO IS it less snow and cold as you go south from Boise on down?
More snow and cold in the Panhandle areas like Moyer Springs, Hayden or Bonners Ferry?
sounds like Bend OR may be an area for you to check out.
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