Caldwell, Nampa Area?? (Boise, Meridian, Eagle: low income, homes, schools)

[myangeleyes]

I would not move to Meridian just because is has gotten so crowded. Everybody knows that meridian is the nicest place to live, so everyone moves there. The costs are higher and the schools are overcrowded.
I would never recommend Caldwell due to the gang problems, and the frequent issues with the related shootings and drug labs (mostly meth). Nampa is better, but its school district is one of the worst (one school in particular has failed No Child Left Behind every year since it was signed into law) still not as good as Boise, Eagle, or Meridian.

The place I would recommend is Middleton, Idaho. It is 20-30 mins from Eagle, Meridian, and Boise. It is a small town. The population is barely above 5,000. The Middleton school district is the best in the valley. There is little to no crime there. For instance, during the three years that I lived there, the biggest news stories in the Monthly paper (Middleton Gazette) were two teens caught peeing in the park and a drunk guy who "borrowed" a commercial grader for his field, and ended up knocking out power to half the area when he knocked out a transformer.

Good luck with your decision.

[stingraynm]

Yeah, Middleton actually is a very good bet demographically and for those who like their space while keeping the arm and the leg.

The thing that hurts it is the commute. For those who work in Eagle or other areas just off the West Boise stretch of I-84, it's fine. For anyone else, ID-44 is basically State St extended with less lights and a couple clogged turns. Traffic can get heavy (and hectic) and has only gotten worse as people have figured out what is otherwise a straight shot to downtown and East Boise via Glenwood to Chinden and then the connector (i.e., I-184).

You'd want to look at rush hours and work locations. If you're working in West Boise or anything west of Boise, especially at odd hours, then Middleton is an ideal recommendation and they don't come better.

[cleatis]

Originally Posted by MommyCrum2

How is the Caldwell, Nampa area?? My husband and I really love Idaho and would love to move back. We've seen houses are cheap in Caldwell and Nampa. But we have also heard that these cities can be bad. I was raised in Los Angeles and my husband in Phoenix so we're not easily startled. I do want to raise my children in a safe city though. Please tell me how the housing market is and how the crime is. Is there really a huge gang problem in Nampa? Please give any info you feel I would want to know as a parent.


Thank YoU!

Over all Caldwell and Nampa may have somewhat of a crime issue, but there are very good parts of both towns the catch is that those better places come with a "better" pricetag. I live near the college of Idaho and it is surprisingly quiet, not much bs, no slashed tires or busted windows. Mostly it's the older downtown area of Caldwell that I would avoid. and this is just an observation, so there may be nothing to it but it seems to me that the subdivisions get seedier as they age. I have been here about 10 years and some of the nicer subdivisions have really gone to seed while others have remained pretty steady - so if nothing else put that into consideration.

[BrianGr]

Originally Posted by Stephen K

I just wanted to give heads up on anyone wanting to build a home in the Nampa and Caldwell area.
I am building with Hill Built Homes and my wife and I are really regretting it.
Actually after this experience I am thinking of starting a web site like Angel's List for new comers thinking of building. This site would be a place people can relate and share problems with others and rate the building companies or individuals for either their excellent or disappointment.
Maybe have some help sections for problems.
If this sounds of interest to anyone. Let me know.

Hill Built Homes is an amazing builder. I had my house built with him as did some close friends. He builds a great house, if you don't believe me then look at his website...hillbuilthomes.com. He's the top builder in Canyon County and the nicest builder to work with in my opinion. We had him make changes after the house was halfway done, which, if you've ever worked with a builder before you know it makes most of them irate. They informed me of the cost to make the changes and got right to it. It was a very pleasant experience. Try to keep your post on topic.

As for Nampa/Caldwell, like the post earlier said you just have to visit. I grew up in Caldwell and can tell you that there are some bad areas just like there are bad areas in Nampa, there's nothing wrong with the cities as a whole and their crime is nonexistent compared to Phoenix or LA. Some parts of Nampa are basically Meridian but with Nampa prices. The schools are fine, I went to Vallivue in Caldwell. It's no better or worse than Boise/Meridian schools, just smaller. There would be more people defending Nampa/Caldwell if more people got on the internet there.

[Need2Leave]

Seeing as this thread moved up on account of marketing homes... a 10yr nampan's 2 cents:

Downtown Nampa/C-well can be bad, any neighborhood of 70-100yr old houses in these city's will have gangs/drugs/trashy propertys/etc. However the gangsters aren't robbing old ladys, the shootings are among aquaintainces/business associates, and anyone coming from a larger metro area with a real gang problem will find ours laughable. I can't even remember the last case of truly RANDOM violent crime occured in Nampa or Caldwell, those have been in Boise. That being said I'd still shop schools and neighborhoods, but Nampa/C-well is no East L.A.... not by a long shot. And it disapoints me that it has been portrayed as such here, and in the media... maybe Idaho news is too boring, they have to liven it up a bit.

Oh, forgot to mention, those that hype meridian forgot to tell you about the 2 mile long line of cars on the interstate every evening waiting to exit at 5pm... don't get me started on Eagle Rd...

[stingraynm]

Originally Posted by Need2Leave

Oh, forgot to mention, those that hype meridian forgot to tell you about the 2 mile long line of cars on the interstate every evening waiting to exit at 5pm... don't get me started on Eagle Rd...

I remember that traffic. It got really fun right around the Y (junction of I-84 and I-184) during rush hours and tourist seasons, too.

[Perkinst]

The house and sub-division that we rented in Nampa is only 4 years old, but looks like 20 years old. The last tenents trashed the place really bad, and it seems homeowners don't care about how properties and neighborhoods should look, to keep their investments from going down.

[stingraynm]

Originally Posted by Perkinst

The house and sub-division that we rented in Nampa is only 4 years old, but looks like 20 years old. The last tenents trashed the place really bad, and it seems homeowners don't care about how properties and neighborhoods should look, to keep their investments from going down.

The saddest part is that, if you talk to those folks about such things as equity, you'll just get a deer-in-the-headlights expression in return. Just like some people just want to "have a baby", some people just want to "own a home". These people would be kind of cute to me if they weren't such a wasteful, needless drain on their neighbors and the economy as a whole. That in mind, they're about as cute as locusts.

[Need2Leave]

Originally Posted by Perkinst

The house and sub-division that we rented in Nampa is only 4 years old, but looks like 20 years old. The last tenents trashed the place really bad, and it seems homeowners don't care about how properties and neighborhoods should look, to keep their investments from going down.

It can't be that bad... you chose to live there didn't you?

If you read the threads here about Nampa/C-well everyone seems to give the same advice: RESEARCH NEIGHBORHOODS!!!

[idk care what you think]

Well Caldwell is not that bad. I've lived in Caldwell all of my life and have never gotten shot or robbed or anything like that. It is a good city and there is a lot of subdivison in which you can chose to live in.