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There are hobby farms and Ag in North Idaho too, as well as in the narrow mountain valleys scattered around the state.
I think most people who move to Idaho, whether it be in the Boise Metro, Twin Falls, Idaho Falls, Ketchum, North Idaho, are moving here for proximity to the lakes, forests and mountains. All three of these are included within the Boise Metro area as well.
There's also plenty of skiing.
I think many people moving to Idaho for a relatively lower cost of living (relative to the West Coast), the scenery, the jobs (IT jobs around Boise in particular), the outdoors. Idaho attracts many for different reasons.
Idaho has volcanic soil too, which is very good for farming. Grapes can be grown in southern Idaho as well.
Geography is my specialty. I know about Idaho. Most of the state is mountainous. However, it's the Snake River Plain/Treasure Valley where most people are moving to, especially around Boise/Caldwell/Meridian. And those moving to Boise metro aren't there for farming.
Those moving to northern Idaho, most are not doing so for the farming. It's for the lakes, forests, and mountains.
Some people from California move to Idaho and find it suits them well. Bay Area native/MLB player Bill Buckner grew up in Vallejo. He moved to the Boise area after his playing career was done. He died in Boise in 2019. He made it his home, never mind the the climate.
Agreed, people moving here mostly aren't doing so for the farming. This is what I find puzzling about a couple from SF coming here to "grow their own food." Of course you can grow lots of different crops in ID. We have a little vegetable garden, as do many of our friends. Yet none of us would describe this as growing our own food, certainly not large enough to justify hiring someone to manage it. And good thing, because the unexpected cold snap/snow this last May pretty much wiped out our garden this year.
There are a lot of great wineries here, a number of lucrative cash crops, and a decent number of smaller operations represented at the local farmer's markets. And there are certainly many other good reasons to live in ID. We love Boise and being near stunningly beautiful wilderness.
But a progressive couple moving here to start a hobby farm? Strikes me as odd. Something like Oregon's Willamette Valley would be a much better choice for them, IMO.
There is a YouTube channel based in southeast Idaho, aptly named Idaho Family Farm. I sometimes watch it. It is also known as Dirtpatcheaven. They do stuff with growing your own food, raising animals, being self-sufficient. It can be done in Idaho.
As for Boise, it is a blue city in an otherwise very Republican state. However, Ada County has over twice as many registered Republicans as Democrats (48,000 registered Democrats vs 100,000 Republicans). Over 100,000 voters are unaffiliated. It's not nearly as blue as the Bay Area. As for forests and mountains, Boise has the foothills nearby, which aren't that much different from the hills of the Bay Area. They rise as high as 6,575 ft over sea level (at Little Deer Point). By comparison, the highest summit in the Bay Area region is 4,265 feet, at Mount Hamilton (around Silicon Valley).
And Boise is said to have derived from the French word for "the woods". Cottonwood trees grow around Boise, making it sort of an oasis in the region. Part of why Ft. Boise was built (from which Boise would grow). Many people don't know what Idaho has.
Ada County, as of the last presidential election is leaning Purple. I bet the numbers change even more for Ada after we see the results from the next presidential election. The local news is all about the current record numbers of women registering to vote in Idaho and I bet most of us know why. Of interest is that Ada County usually votes against the rest of the state for Gov and Lt. Gov. Both Democratic nominees easily won the last election in Ada County.
The Foothills rise to the Boise Mountains (these mountains cover a lot of land) which includes the tallest peaks are above the valley, think the Bogus Basin Area. The tallest seen from the valley is Shafer Butte (2 310m/7 579ft)
When you are up there and look around, there is a literal sea of forested mountains with the big snow covered peaks in the distance. You can also see the mountains south of the valley. It's a beautiful scene.
Last edited by Syringaloid; 09-23-2022 at 12:51 PM..
.This "interloper" anger is nothing new, it's been around for years, and occurs all over the US/world, not just Idaho. I believe its primary basis is envy.
Resentment would be more accurate. And completely understandable.
Hah! Good luck with that. Southern Idaho is the most sensible place for agriculture, mostly irrigated high desert along the Snake River Plain. It's flat and dry with few trees. In other words, it looks a lot like California's Central Valley... you know, the place coastal elites deride as "the armpit of California." Now, I think it's beautiful (huge skies, buttes, etc.), but it's not what most outsiders think of when they envision Idaho. The forests and mountains are amazing, but not really suitable for most agriculture beyond seasonal grazing because the growing season is so dang short.
The other thing Bay Area folks don't realize is how small lots are here, especially in/near cities. We have real winters with snow and ice, so living on a big piece of land far away from infrastructure requires a high degree of self-sufficiency. So most people live in a city in relatively dense neighborhoods. Land in these areas is very expensive because so many houses can be built in a small area. Sure, you can find 1+ acre lots with water rights in some places in the TV, but these are $$$$.
Life in the mountains means contending with winter (unlike CA's Coastal Range), whereas life in the city is, well, city life. While they can buy a chunk of farm land and grow their own food, I doubt life-long San Franciscans will enjoy the scenery, politics, and how far it is from everything.
They really need to visit (preferably during both summer and winter!) and get a sense for the lay of the land before making a move.
The point about life in winter here is especially valid.
The reason why most former residents leave Idaho and never return is our winters are too much for them to bear.
Any winter can last for 9 months. Zero temperatures usually begin in September and can last until the middle of May. In mid-winter, the temps usually drop to sub-zero, and spend 10 or more days at -10º during the daylight hours. At night, the temps will drop to -30º. And because Idaho is so far north, the daylight hours are very short.
One thing about a very cold winter is the lack of snowfall. Idaho is a semi-arid state, so extreme cold is extremely dry air. The coldest air is the densest, so it always drops down into the lowest places. Our valleys are often colder than their surrounding mountains as a result.
This temperature inversion can last for months, making the air polluted with 'log smog', the smoke that comes from using wood for heating.
In NID, the lakes' moisture causes clouds to form, making the daylight hours dark and gloomy, and nights pitch black. For 3-4 months with very little bright sunlight. In SID, the days can be brilliantly sunny, but the air is so cold it hurts to breathe it.
In milder winters, there's always much more snow. Feet, instead of inches, will fall in a big storm.
Out in the country, especially in a mild winter, only the roads maintained by the county are plowed, and even then, only the roads that carry a lot of traffic get plowed. If there are very few people living in an area, a county road may not ever see a snowplow. The plows are used the most for roads the most people depend on daily.
Most folks never think of cabin fever these days, but here, it's still quite common out in the country.
Folks who live in cities, or out in the suburbs, can tolerate a week of forced isolation due to winter, because its easier to still get some social interaction with friends and family.
Out in the country, socializing with others is never as easy. In the winter when everyone is forced to stay indoors, family life can become pretty harsh when cabin fever sets in.
As a native, I learned how to tolerate the cold and snow because it was a fact of life that was unescapable. So now, I prefer a colder climate naturally.
But for folks who never had to develop that tolerance, Idaho's winters simply become a cruelty they have to survive. A daily torture that is beyond a person's abilities to adapt to and accept.
I was trying to guess why you talked them out of Hawaii, then I saw where you're at .
They do know Idaho has an extremely short growing season, right?
I believe that parts of TV have a hardiness zone of 7 which might help with gardening. But the following link explains that since the zone was changed to 7 they have had more zone 6 type winters, meaning it has gotten below zero at some point in the winter. Zone 7 isn't supposed to get that cold.
I believe that parts of TV have a hardiness zone of 7 which might help with gardening. But the following link explains that since the zone was changed to 7 they have had more zone 6 type winters, meaning it has gotten below zero at some point in the winter. Zone 7 isn't supposed to get that cold.
Idaho's a big agricultural state so growing your own food here is common. The Treasure Valley west of Boise is one of the most diverse and productive ag regions in the USA and also includes several Viticultural Area (AVA) for growing wine grapes.
Backyard gardens are hugely popular in Boise. Many people have them and small hobby farms are all over the Boise area. Locally sourced organic food is King here.
It sounds like they would fit into Boise just fine, especially since Boise is a blue/dem city, but any move will be an adjustment. I know many new people in Boise who moved here from the Bay Area.
If they like forests and mountains, Boise will work too. The city is at the base of mountains with forests in sight and a close drive away.
The only reason I mentioned their plan to garden is that they intend to hire someone else to create the garden and take care of it.
They will not be getting their own hands dirty. They just want the bragging rights/virtue signaling that they are "growing their own food", while someone else is actually doing the work.
Agreed, people moving here mostly aren't doing so for the farming. This is what I find puzzling about a couple from SF coming here to "grow their own food." Of course you can grow lots of different crops in ID. We have a little vegetable garden, as do many of our friends. Yet none of us would describe this as growing our own food, certainly not large enough to justify hiring someone to manage it. And good thing, because the unexpected cold snap/snow this last May pretty much wiped out our garden this year.
There are a lot of great wineries here, a number of lucrative cash crops, and a decent number of smaller operations represented at the local farmer's markets. And there are certainly many other good reasons to live in ID. We love Boise and being near stunningly beautiful wilderness.
But a progressive couple moving here to start a hobby farm? Strikes me as odd. Something like Oregon's Willamette Valley would be a much better choice for them, IMO.
Farming isn't something to take lightly. One is at the mercy of the weather. In 2017, Georgia's peach crop got hit hard. There was an early bloom because of warmer than average February weather. And then a cold snap hit in March. This really hurt. This is in a state that gets mild winters and has a much longer growing season than many places. It's not enough to just hire someone else to prevent getting one's hands from getting dirty.
Farming can certainly be done in Idaho. As you have mentioned, it's being done. It has long been done in Idaho since a Christian missionary planted the first potato crops in Idaho. As for wineries, a semiarid climate like that of southwest Idaho is actually a good place for growing grapes. The thing is, one really needs to know what their doing in Idaho. One has to know that certain crops just don't do well in cold winters.
Personally, if said couple wants to do hobby farming. I would actually recommend parts of the southeastern USA. More land, a warmer climate.
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