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I am troubled the more and more I read other posts on other threads, basically half the people who live in Boise HATE anyone from California just for being from here?? (Well at least half the Boise people on this forum I should clarify) Makes me second guess wanting to move there, if most of my nieghbors will hate me, doesn't seem too friendly a place to move?? It troubles me greatly... Sheesh, I guess trying to find a better quality of life is more of an arduous task than I had anticipated!
IDK, maybe it will help my cause that my soon to be hubby is from there?? His parents were born and raised there as well, mabe this will help?? It seems now I need to not concern myself with the climate or crime levels or economy, I need to be more concerned with the half of the general population of Idhoans... Although it doesn't make too much sense, since the statistics show more and more Californians have migrated to Idaho in last several years, so are they just posing as Idahoans now?? Sheesh...
Can anyone give me a good area that won't involve stoning upon move in?? I hear Northend is good??
SoCal Girl, if you check out the general Idaho forum, also moderated by Sage, you'll find that there are threads revealing a certain "attitude" toward Californians, shared by a few posters. On some other forums the attitude is actually far more prevalent and belligerent. It is a combination of disappointment over the changing times, some realistic assessment of the future, and a scapegoat reaction, targeting Californians. People who see their way of life erode can feel anything from sad to desperate. But don't let that overwhelm you--a forum may be, in its own way, a microcosm of the state it represents, but in other ways it creates its own little storms. When in Boise I'm sure you'll meet mostly friendly people who will not judge you based on your background, but perhaps on the way you choose to come across. I live down your way, too, and we own retirement property in North Idaho. We've been coming to Idaho for years, we love it there, and feel at home, and hostility is very low on the list of reactions from those people we've met. But we make a point of not talking a lot about CA and how things are done here! We try to fit in as best we can.
The style of communication is somewhat different in ID: SoCal people tend to be very open and talkative about themselves, and that is not always the case in ID. I myself was an immigrant to CA years ago, and had to get used to the different communication style--I grew up in a more reserved, northern place. It's a fascinating learning experience, moving from one subculture to another, and with a bit of luck and good will it will enrich your life, especially if you allow yourself to not keep a running checklist of "things that are better in CA." And it isn't like the door to CA closes behind you when you leave--you'll be able to go back for visits and do the beach thing, jog at Mission Bay, go to Hotel Del and Old Town etc., and stock up on Trader Joe's stuff, and it'll seem like heaven--for a while. Then after a few weeks you will probably yearn to be back in Idaho, and that's the way it should be.
There is a small group of people who really dislike Californians. The other 90% of the population in Idaho came from somewhere else themselves, and just likes to complain about the door not slamming shut behind them.
There is a small group of people who really dislike Californians. The other 90% of the population in Idaho came from somewhere else themselves, and just likes to complain about the door not slamming shut behind them.
I wouldn't say it's a small group at all, but at the same time it's not an overt hate or dislike.
As people tend to do they like to have a scapegoat for their problems. In the US at any given point in time it's an illegal immigrant, a communist, socialism, terrorism, or whatever.
In Idaho it a Californian (and to a lesser extent, the government or environmentalists or liberals).
So while I really doubt anyone will ever get in your face about being from California, you will hear comments to that effect, usually in passing conversation.
It's simple: California is where most of our growth has come from in the past decade, and California represents the loss of conservative morals and politics. We have a gang problem? Blame it on California. Our housing prices are out of whack? Blame it on the Californians. Crime, drugs? Calis obviously brought it here. Can't find a job? It's because they're given to all of the equity rich Californians that will work here at a premium because they have so much in the bank.
And on and on. Obviously you can see the ridiculousness of some of these claims. But it's the attitude here, a minor form of xenophobia not unlike what you'd find in other destination places.
I think more to the point is that newcomers tend to (but not always) have a disconnect to the culture they're moving to and the values they bring with them. Here I'm not talking about politics or religion or anything like that, but rather, with land and resources.
People from California know all about water shortages, endangered species, and land restrictions. They tend to come to Idaho thinking we have an abundance of the above, and thus it's easy to exploit. Might not even be an exploitation thing so much as a usage thing. Simply, the more people that use something, the less there is to go around, and prices (real or otherwise) go up.
If Idaho continues to grow, expect there to be more public land access closures, more water shortages and water restrictions, and simply less recreational opportunity because of the crowding and abuse. I think that, more than anything else, is what really pisses native Idahoans off. Their land, their backyard is being taken away from them because of newcomers.
Can anyone give me a good area that won't involve stoning upon move in?? I hear Northend is good??
Any where is ok to move. I think I only have one friend who was actually born in Boise. I have friends from Atlanta, Buffalo and all over Southern California, Ventura, Irvine, LA, San Diego, Pismo Beach, Santa Maria etc... They all really like it here, and don't have any kinds of problems from "locals". Most of them blend in really well, except for the Buffalo accent, that's kind of funny sometimes.
When you get here, if you complain about it not being like it was in California... "In California, we did it this way" or "California people knew how to do this", etc, or if you try to turn your life and surroundings into a little piece of California, then you will have problems with long term Idaho residents.
If you accept and embrace the Idaho way of life, including the slower pace and more laid back attitude, you'll be just fine.
Quote:
Originally Posted by boisefan88
Our housing prices are out of whack?
Actually, that particular one I do blame, in large part, on Californians. We were told by several different investors from California during the boom years that there were classes being taught in California about how to buy property, specifically in Boise, and flip for a profit. A huge percentage of the boom price increases was because of investors, and a huge percentage of those investors were from California.
So Cal Girl......come on up! I heard a joke the other day....3 guys were standing together, 1 from Florida, 1 from California and the other from Idaho. The guy from Florida through out a bag of oranges and starting shooting them....the other asked him why he did this? He said we have plenty of oranges here in Florida, no worries. Then the guy from California threw out a bag of avocados and shot them up....the others asked him why he did that....He said we have plenty of avocados here in California, no worries.............then the guy from Idaho grabbed the guy from California and shot him.....the guy from Florida was shocked and said why did you do that?? He said we have plenty of people from California here, no worries!
-Just a little humor to brighten your day. My wife and I are also beach babies. Spent most of our lives living in Maui and Encinitas. Love the beach culture and lifestyle. You can't really compare Boise to that life BUT we love living here! San Diego for us has changed soooo much over the years that it really doesn't feel like San Diego anymore. So many people rushing around everyday that even the beach crowd doesn't feel mellow anymore. I still remember when Carmel Valley (near Del Mar) wasn't even there! Now it's filled with out of state snobs and beach folks like us can't afford to live there anymore. We chose Boise because it had a super friendly vibe and the economy was somewhat steady. We run into folks from California everyday.
You'll adjust fine. Plus, you can always go down to Ca. for a visit or do a one day's drive to the Oregon coast and spend the weekend if you need the ocean. That's what we do! Good luck, God bless!
You will actually notice the LDS presence but most people are very nice. On the not being a regular church goer, a majority of people in boise do attend church but you won't stick out because plenty of people don't go.
On the beach love, if its the water and the people watching, the boise river runs through town and has a path (called the Greenbelt) that runs alongside and through multiple parks. So the walking by
water and people watching options are there. Sort of. I do get that's really not the beach but its not like water disappears.
The nicest/newest homes in the Boise area mean kids will be going to either Eagle or Timberline, both the snobby if you don't have a BMW type schools. And to any parents who might argue that, ask
your kids first. Every high schooler has nicknames for other schools and Eagle's is "new money" while Timberline is "old money". I'm not saying everyone there is like that but it does have a bit of a stigma attached to teens who attend these schools.
Oh, and on the bias towards Californians, yeah, you'll hear more offhand jokes mostly. Like others said, its sort of the minor scapegoat for Idaho. Other places have different scapegoats. I think California is the easiest just because a decently high number of people move from there to Boise. The other thing I would say is that (as others mentioned) its all about the attitude. Of the people I know from California, I can split them into two groups. Those who should never have left and those who I'm actually friends with. The first group is just always making comparisons and pointing out the ways that Cali is better. The others recognize they moved somewhere different and they can
love Idaho just as much. If you can be the 2nd group you'll fit in just fine without any trouble.
And lastly, the weather may be your biggest change. Idaho has these things called seasons. So it gets cold (comparatively) and hot. But its definitely dry so that can be helpful.
Hi SoCal girl,
I generally agree with most of the comments here; however, don't let anyone here try to sway you into thinking we have a lot of folks that don't like Californians. It is a NON issue. I have lived here in Boise since 1970 and yes, my family came from southern California. I still have family and friends there.
What you are going to find is almost everyone here will welcome you with open arms and you will find it amazing how you can pretty much RELAX and enjoy life. Plus, the money you save by living here will easily set you up for the things you like to do in Southern Calif when you go to visit. You will probably enjoy them more than when you lived there.
As far as the weather here, we generally have around 300 sunny days a year, 365 if you count the ones with clouds in front of the sun . Sure, there are a few nasty days, but I recall this spring that Southern California had some really nasty wet, dreary, stormy days too. Many more than Boise.
I recommend once you get settled to explore and find some new favorite spots. My guess is you will find quite a FEW and for the most part, you will not have to share them thousands of other people!
Oh, and congratulations on getting the opportunity to live in one of the world's best places!!
I want to thank everyone so much for all of the awesome comments! It was very thoughtful of you!
However, plans have changed... I recently found out that I have been lied to for the past year about pretty much everything my fiance told... He was just using me until he had the chance to get to Idaho. His mother had bought him a flight out and before he had a chance to use it I had found out and kicked him out =( He was a functioning alcoholic and had been not working fo the past 6 months and living off of me, I was under the impression he was searching in Idaho and had several interviews scheduled for May and had alreayd had seveal phone interviews =( Anyway, not the right forum for sucj talk!
I just wanted to thank everyone so much, as I was really really excited and looking forward to moving! I, in a sense already miss Idaho =( But my family and friends are here and you can't underestimate a good solid support system when your life goes to ****! =) I am better off and happy for a chance at real love, just wish I didn't feel so darn sed and naive, because I am actually extrememly intuative normally and the exact opposite of naive =(
Oh well, cest la vie!!
Thank you again!!! I loved reading all comments good bad and indifferent!
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It seems now I need to not concern myself with the climate or crime levels or economy, I need to be more concerned with the half of the general population of Idhoans... Although it doesn't make too much sense, since the statistics show more and more Californians have migrated to Idaho in last several years, so are they just posing as Idahoans now?? Sheesh...
no worries
