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Why thank you Sage, Molly, and Alley :-) I just want my daughter to grow up with my and my wife's values, and she's not going to really learn them from a stranger at a daycare; she'll learn them from being with us. Caveman or educated? ;-)
I work for a for-profit university, which is doing very well right now and actually expanding. So if I stay within the company, and I hope to, I'm hoping to get by with at least a comparable salary. We're trying to set up a trip to go next weekend now. Just to visit and get a feel. However, and thank you everyone already for all the great advice, I'm also (more correctly my wife is also) more concerned about the... winter! How intense are they? Again, we live in southern California, and I know it's going to be a shocker no matter what lol . I'm sort of starting to see, reluctantly, that I'm going to have to be a bit more patient about this and am wondering if we should wait till winter to make a visit as well. Any comments on the weather?
I'm also (more correctly my wife is also) more concerned about the... winter! How intense are they? Again, we live in southern California, and I know it's going to be a shocker no matter what lol . I'm sort of starting to see, reluctantly, that I'm going to have to be a bit more patient about this and am wondering if we should wait till winter to make a visit as well. Any comments on the weather?
If you were coming to NID, you should be more concerned with the weather. The Boise area is about as "harsh" as Wrightwood or Big Bear/Arrowhead, but warmer than the SoCal mountains. We come down all winter long for sports, and I feel like I'm outside on a cold winter day in Palmdale with the wind.
To me, it sounds as though you have the right temperament to enjoy Boise- it's not for everyone since it's so isolated. When we moved here from Orlando in 2007, my kids were at first put off by how friendly everyone was. However, politeness is easy to get used to, and it's genuine. I lived in the bay area in the 80's and early 90's and go there 4-8 times per year. I would never move there again- it's so expensive and the traffic is maddening. Your best strategy is to maximize your career reputation and salary, then make a lateral move to Boise, where you will have an easy time raising a family on CA wages.
Location: Lover of reason and rationality. May just happen to live in idaho
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All these discussion threads on the Boise area are unbelievably helpful. What a treasure. Different view points, often with data and facts presented along with the viewpoint. What more could a person like me, who is seriously thinking of moving to the extended Boise area, ask for. This is really really valuable stuff.
As for the person thinking of moving from California to here, there is some other recent thread in the Boise discussion threads about someone who moved to Boise to take a good job and then was let go and they are in difficulty now with house payments and the like.
I myself, about 17 years ago, moved from California to Las Vegas. San Francisco Bay area (actually, San Jose). I took a 1/3 salary cut, but ended up living way better than I ever would have been able to back in California. The job went great for a while and then a new boss came in and there was some severe job turbulence for me. For a while. I landed on my feet, but it was a rough experience.
As for some idea in this thread being referred to as "cave man" values, I would just point out that different people are going to have different ways of categorizing or labeling the same thing. That makes for competition and development of ideas.
What I read was that he'd like his wife to be able to stay home raising their child. I would like to remind you that it's not socially unacceptable to have traditional marriage roles, and the OP sounds like he's seeking a better life for his family. Something for which I think should be commended....not excoriated.
In defense of me, I also considered this part of his post:
Quote:
Right now, I make about 55/year and STILL cant afford a DECENT place to live. Sure I could buy a house- inthe ghetto- horrible schools, trashy people, dirty city. Along with this, is that taxes are killer here and its getting worse with our moronic state legislature.
As someone who purports to work in an education setting, this judgmental attitude about "ghettoes" is very tired and simple-minded, or borderline offensive if we consider who could be these "trashy people."
I think the OP will find the standard of living and quality of living in Boise up to his "California" standards which is why I do think it's a good move for him and his family.
Hey everyone, I'm sure this has been talked about before, but is there anyone here whos left California for Boise? Did you have a family? What's it like moving from your parents if you have kids?
I'm a young father (23), married with a baby girl (7 months old). Even at my age, I'm fed up with california. This place stinks. I have a great job in education, and saw an opening in Boise for my same position, which sparked me looking again. I had a close friend whose family moved there and loved it.
My major reasons for wanting to move are,
first, cost of living- I would love my wife to stay home with the kids as they grow up, and not have to work. Right now, I make about 55/year and STILL cant afford a DECENT place to live. Sure I could buy a house- inthe ghetto- horrible schools, trashy people, dirty city. Along with this, is that taxes are killer here and its getting worse with our moronic state legislature.
Second- I want to live with like minded, decent people, where I can feel comfortable rasing my daughter. I know no place is perfect, but californians are, as a whole, self centered, "its all about me and my happiness" kind of people- I don't really think this needs further explaination ;-)
I know there's not Utopia in life, and I'm not expecting that. I would, however, love to live somewhere affordable and peaceful. Boise seems to fit that, plus it looks like a beautiful piece of country. :-) My only, ONLY reason for not having moved yet is my and my wife's parents. I don't know that I could take that away from my daughter. Any thoughts?
Come for a visit, you will love it! IMO, Boise-Metro is close to Mayberry, lots of families, laid back lifestyle,- all the things you could want for raising a family. Bring your wife's parents with you, they just might fall in love too.....Many parents have followed their families here and our senior population is growing.
A native Californian myself, I can say, you couldn't pay me enough money to move back to California! I enjoy visiting, but that's it- I don't ever want to live there again. The quality of life is nothing like it use to be when I was growing up, that's what I like about Boise so much- it reminds me of what it was like when I was growing up in California. People are so nice and you really feel a sense of community in some of the neighborhoods. We get together with our neighbors all the time, in fact, just had bonfire night over at our house last weekend; and I know if we ever needed any help, our neighbors would be there in a heartbeat....again, just like it use to be in Cali. I'm not sure you can find that so readily in California anymore- people are stressed out, keep to themselves and seem to not care about each other, it really has lost it's flare.........I remember when I was younger, when people would ask where I was from and I'd say California.....it was like a big deal.....they would say, "wow, you're from California"...as if I was the luckiest person alive. Now, when people tell me they're from California, you almost want to say, "I'm so sorry to hear that", lol.
No seriously, to some, California might still be heaven and this is just my opinion, but I think it's so over-rated. It's nothing like what it use to be, I think it's sad how much it has deteriorated.
Boise-Metro is a great fit for many Californians, but the key is finding a job, you must come with a job, as competition can be fierce.
In short, the answer is YES you should consider moving here. California is a complete mess but not for the reasons you think.
However, it sounds like you have "Caveman values" of "Wife no work. Wife stay home. Wife you cook Me Dinner." Maybe you would have more money if you had dual incomes? It's sad that you place such heavy work restrictions on your wife and, presumably, your daughter? Aren't you being a bit self-centered, which is an attitude you claim disgusts you in California?
The legislature recently trimmed $4mil from Education. I think only Nampa is hiring teachers. There's a brand new community college in Nampa but it missed enrollment projections. In short, the entire education sector is under strain here. That job you saw advertised might actually not be filled.
There are plenty of young 20 somethings here with families and kids. You would probably fit right in. A dollar here goes MUCH FURTHER than in California, 60% less on utilities, 6% sales tax, no CRV, very affordable auto registration, etc...
With all due respect I think having both parents out of the house working is much of the reason we have so many problems with children these days.. You cant pay someone to raise and love your kids no matter how much money you make.. Its truly a sad day when people are looked down upon for staying home and raising thier children...
Ask a latch key kid, or a kid that is raised in day care if he/she would rather live in your enlightened world or like a "caveman"
To the OP... Good luck!! I think you will love Idaho, and even if you make less money your quality of life will MORE than make up for it..
In defense of me, I also considered this part of his post:
As someone who purports to work in an education setting, this judgmental attitude about "ghettoes" is very tired and simple-minded, or borderline offensive if we consider who could be these "trashy people."
This may be my being a jaded retired cop (so take it FWIW), but here's my take on that:
$55K a year barely buys you a studio 1BR condo in nice areas. So to get a 3BR house, even something 50 years old, needing repair, etc, will put you into the ghetto areas. Compton, North Long Beach, Inglewood, East LA, etc.
I'm sorry for people who can only afford those areas, and a big part of that is because of the horrible gang problems, the trashy people (OF ALL RACES), the dirty city, and the horrible schools. Add to that poor medical care, unreliable service industry, poor retail selection, etc.
I don't mean to insult your intelligence, but your reply sounds like the feel-good musings of someone who's never had to spend much time a ghetto. It is all of those things and worse, and nobody should be derided for not wanting to move there. Considering "who could be those trashy people" is (IMO) by default assigning only the worst motives to the OP, itself an error in your reasoning.
I don't mean to insult your intelligence, but your reply sounds like the feel-good musings of someone who's never had to spend much time a ghetto. It is all of those things and worse, and nobody should be derided for not wanting to move there. Considering "who could be those trashy people" is (IMO) by default assigning only the worst motives to the OP, itself an error in your reasoning.
Thank you. I have to agree, totally. Having spent a childhood in the flatlands of Oakland, I survived to give my kids a childhood in Shelley, about as opposite as can be. The ghettos I've lived in have had a strong sense of community, even if a "street community," but one based on all the things we didn't have, together in common, versus a community based on what we do have, together in common. And having grown up in a black ghetto, adjacent to the bastion of liberalism called Berkeley, nothing irks me more than the kind of liberalism based on intellectualization which occurs in the context of privelege and comfort.
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