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Hi All,
We live in the South and the conservatives are killing us! We are trying to decide between Colorado, Boise, and perhaps somewhere in the NW. What we are looking for is a neighborhood within easy driving distance to a big city (for a fun night out), but in an affordable and safe place. We have two children, but are willing to send them to private school if they are affordable (if the local schools aren't good). We would like to live in a neighborhood that is established - NO cookie cutters please. Preferably a craftsman bungalow-ish neighborhood. We are pro-diversity and culture, but we also don't want crime. And it has to be affordable. (I'm sure you've never heard that before huh?) This is likely going to be my main problem as I now live in an area of town where the median house price in my area is $150-200K. I know, I know....dirt cheap! Fixer uppers are fine. Would like to live in close proximity to community colleges or universities as I am in higher education and may switch schools as the career options increase. No more than a 30 minute drive to work. If I am being too picky, it's not intentional and some of these requests are negotiable - I just don't know what's out there, and from what I see on these threads, the more specific you are the better. If my husband and I both have jobs that are in the $40-60K range ($80-120K combined) can we still afford to live there and have a life?
PS - I don't mind cold weather, but I HATE RAIN! :-)
Not sure Idaho is the place your looking for if conservatives are " Killing You".
It's a conservative state unless you look in Boise. The houses in boise might be past your price range.
Well, conservatives in the South are different than conservatives in the West in my opinion. Boise itself could probably be considered "moderate" with a growing liberal following. Boise is a great place but I'm not sure if it is exactly what you're looking for. You're looking for "pro-diversity", Boise isn't anti-diversity but there just isn't a lot of it around. Higher education is somewhat limited. There is only one 4-year public institution (BSU) and they are FINALLY building a community college in Nampa although it seems to already have problems with money and accreditation. There seem to be plenty of those career colleges, many of which actually offer Bachelors.
I can tell you any eclectic neighborhood in the NW will be VERY expensive compared to the South. I would suggest Portland. Sounds like a good fit for you but it can be expensive as most West Coast cities are. Even the North End of Boise which sounds like where you would want to live in Boise can be rather expensive in comparison to where you are coming from. Boise definitely has some advantages over Portland, for example, easy access to outdoor activities, more distinct seasons, less rain/greyness, and lower crime. Portland, being larger, has more culture and excellent public transit.
I forgot they had said that...however, that would be the case for any Pacific NW city (Eugene, Portland, Seattle, etc.). So weatherwise Boise would be a better fit.
My husband is black and I am Asian. We just moved to Boise from New York and in the research that I've done since I've been here, it seems that the North End/Hyde Park area would be a good area for you to move to. You can buy a fixer upper for under 200,000 (I've seem some as a low as 153k but they were not very nice) or a new construction home for 400-600k.
As far as diversity, there doesn't seem to be any. Yes, I do see Hispanic people and a handfull of black people here and there (my stepmother says that there is a growing Somalian population here) but in terms of seeing lots of diversity, this is not the place. My husband, who has lived in New York city for 13 years, has found it very hard to adjust to. We haven't experienced any overt racism and for the most part it is GREAT to be back in the Pacific Northwest (I'm from Seattle originally) MINUS the crappy weather. I love the high desert climate and friendly people. But I do miss the diversity and character of a bigger city. For me, though, the positives outweigh the negatives right now.
My husband is black and I am Asian. We just moved to Boise from New York and in the research that I've done since I've been here, it seems that the North End/Hyde Park area would be a good area for you to move to. You can buy a fixer upper for under 200,000 (I've seem some as a low as 153k but they were not very nice) or a new construction home for 400-600k.
As far as diversity, there doesn't seem to be any. Yes, I do see Hispanic people and a handfull of black people here and there (my stepmother says that there is a growing Somalian population here) but in terms of seeing lots of diversity, this is not the place. My husband, who has lived in New York city for 13 years, has found it very hard to adjust to. We haven't experienced any overt racism and for the most part it is GREAT to be back in the Pacific Northwest (I'm from Seattle originally) MINUS the crappy weather. I love the high desert climate and friendly people. But I do miss the diversity and character of a bigger city. For me, though, the positives outweigh the negatives right now.
Good luck!
North End/Hyde Park was exactly what came to my mind through the entirety of your post. It's very affordable; old-school "hip" (I mean "viva Woodstock", nature enthusiast, or bike/car enthusiast); far from cookie-cutter (neighborhoods circa 40s/50s/60s/70s); a short bike ride to BSU's campus; full of parks; quality (and safe) schools; easy walking access to the downtown night scene; nearby co-op shop with great sustainable/organic/local selection; great parks; minimal traffic (if you stay off 8th, 9th, 13th, 15th, Fort St., Hayes St., Hill Rd., and Harrison Blvd); lots of small (and unique) businesses for food, drink, and clothes; and the list goes on and on.
You could also check to the North and South of Warm Springs Ave. That has a lot of the same elements described above, and would offer an even shorter jaunt to BSU.
Right around BSU just to the South would also be cheap, novel, and liberal, so long as you aren't bothered by a more late-night, rambunctious crowd (i.e., the reverse of yuppie neighborhoods... where a person who makes noise complaints will be the local outcast, as opposed to the person making the noise). I stayed with friends there as a young, footloose, liberal/libertarian type... loved it!
You could blend in w/ the northenders in about 3 days if you buy a volvo w/ a ski rack. It's the only overpriced, birkenstock and NPR kind of neighborhood, Boi. Bench is also almost trendy and cool now. Both close to downtown (check realtor.com, craigslist, etc.). The afordable old house neighborhoods are all in little outskirt farming towns that morphed into a blob of suburb cookie cutter houses that now stretch continuously from boise to the far edge of caldwell without stoping. That is a good 45 min. drive w/ no trafic, interstate mornings could be 30 min. at the crack, or 1 1/2 hr on the worst of days, we have terrible intervalley bus service, no train yet, and an overpacked interstate that is currently under construction... from the outskirts anyway. Other than that the weather's great, housing bust hasn't killed us yet, skiing is close, fishing's good, all in all we can't complain. Best of luck
Forgot to mention, If you want true diversity head west of meridian and a few neighbors in that old neighborhood will likely have at least 3 family bar-b-q's a year with 50+ relatives and some very loud mexican polka, you will learn to love taco truck tacos out here. Yup, that's our version of diversity in Idaho.
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