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Some people prefer the drier climate and more outdoor oriented environment, along with the proximity to friends/family back in CA. I'd say that if I were to move and wanted the high desert or mountain climate, I'd prefer Bend, Oregon or Boulder, Colorado to Idaho. But, its mainly because both those places are a bit more progressive and more scenic (IMO).
If I were to move to the part of the country you are suggesting, I'd probably consider Atlanta or Nashville or if I wanted a small town, possibly Asheville, NC.
Dry, inland areas such as southern Idaho, for example, feature endlessly barren landscapes and are very hot in summertime and mightily cold in wintertime. Again, the area of Idaho that is located south of Interstate 84 is one of the ugliest, most featureless areas of the United States. In my perspective, there is nothing to do or explore outdoors in that region of the country during the summer, winter, spring or fall. The reason I am reiterating that point is because most people who live in Idaho reside in either Boise, Idaho Falls, Pocatello or Twin Falls, which are where most Idaho-based jobs are located. The immediate environs of those cities and the areas in close proximity are nothing spectacular. Most people in Idaho do not and cannot live in Couer D’Alene because it is a tourist town located hours away from the nearest major employment center.
Dry, inland areas such as southern Idaho, for example, feature endlessly barren landscapes and are very hot in summertime and mightily cold in wintertime. Again, the area of Idaho that is located south of Interstate 84 is one of the ugliest, most featureless areas of the United States. In my perspective, there is nothing to do or explore outdoors in that region of the country during the summer, winter, spring or fall. The reason I am reiterating that point is because most people who live in Idaho reside in either Boise, Idaho Falls, Pocatello or Twin Falls, which is where most Idaho-based jobs are located. The immediate environs of those cities and the areas in close proximity are nothing spectacular. Most people in Idaho do not and cannot live in Couer D’Alene because it is a tourist town located hours away from the nearest major employment center.
I agree that area isn't very scenic as I've driven through it before. I do think that in the post-COVID world, more people will be able to work remotely, away from their place of employment. They can do this as long as 1 - they have reliable high speed internet/phone access and 2 - they are not too far from an airport if they need an occasional trip to a major city.
I think the post-COVID world is going to be much different and we'll see a lot more movement for people looking for a better quality of life, in terms of less crowded cities, lower cost of living, slower pace of live, etc.
As I mentioned earlier, using that logic, that's why I'd choose Boulder or Bend over Boise. I think they're both much more scenic and seem like better places to live.
FYI, I rarely find the need to head in to Spokane for anything. Good medical here in CdA and plenty of shopping.
I have a relative that wants to move there. However, they have chronic medical conditions that do require some medical expertise. What if you required diabetic monitoring or a hip replacement as you get older? Is the medical care that adequate?
A friend moved to San Luis Obispo recently and was amazed at how mediocre the health care is in that supposedly 'perfect' area.
Dry, inland areas such as southern Idaho, for example, feature endlessly barren landscapes and are very hot in summertime and mightily cold in wintertime. Again, the area of Idaho that is located south of Interstate 84 is one of the ugliest, most featureless areas of the United States. In my perspective, there is nothing to do or explore outdoors in that region of the country during the summer, winter, spring or fall. The reason I am reiterating that point is because most people who live in Idaho reside in either Boise, Idaho Falls, Pocatello or Twin Falls, which are where most Idaho-based jobs are located. The immediate environs of those cities and the areas in close proximity are nothing spectacular. Most people in Idaho do not and cannot live in Couer D’Alene because it is a tourist town located hours away from the nearest major employment center.
I guess Idaho climates can vary greatly from place to place just as in California. Plenty of California residents live in places that are similar to what you explained above with the exception for the winter cold as Idaho as way north unless they live in the higher elevations.
I be curious though why people are so wanting Idaho from California. Apparently I know some people who want to go to Idaho but gave up after seeing there are no good jobs there.
Though it appears the area surrounding Yellowstone National Park whether its Montana, Wyoming, or Idaho had became pretty Californicated with skyrocketing real estate prices and local governments thinking more and more like California with each passing year especially Jackson, WY I took a look at Bozeman's real estate prices recently and noticed how pricy it was almost like California for that matter and it appears the only thing that makes Bozeman attractive is its proximety to Yellowstone national park but there is almost no scenary in that city, I would imagine places closer to Yellowstone might cost even more.
Like most of California, most of Idaho is still considered desert, and the southern part of Idaho has some of the most hideous terrain I have ever seen, similar to the Antelope Valley of northern Los Angeles County. It is no wonder why American settlers skipped right over Idaho as they progressed westward. If I were to move out of California, I would think long and hard about moving to Arkansas, Kentucky or Tennessee; those states are much more beautiful than Idaho will ever be.
Your trollish comment was noted
I don't find where I live to be "hideous" at all. I have snow-capped mountains 20 minutes from me in one direction. Fields full of wildflowers 15 minutes in another direction. Stands of oak trees about 10-15 minutes from here in the Sierra Pelona range.
The western Antelope Valley is one of the most biologically diverse parts of the state, with pine trees, junipers, joshua trees and oak trees all meeting in one area. This is why the proposed "Centennial" project out there is so controversial.
Southern Idaho around Boise/Nampa is similar in topography, yes.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bert_from_back_East
Most people in Idaho do not and cannot live in Couer D’Alene because it is a tourist town located hours away from the nearest major employment center.
Not quite true. Coeur d'Alene and Post Falls are suburban areas to the larger metropolitan area of Spokane, which is 30 minutes to the west on I-90. What makes Coeur d'Alene prohibitive for a lot of people is actually:
1. The low wages
2. The expensive housing
3. Lack of higher paying jobs, even trying to get employed in Spokane can be challenging
4. The lack of diversity and the very open racism
5. The challenging climate.
Dry, inland areas such as southern Idaho, for example, feature endlessly barren landscapes and are very hot in summertime and mightily cold in wintertime. Again, the area of Idaho that is located south of Interstate 84 is one of the ugliest, most featureless areas of the United States. In my perspective, there is nothing to do or explore outdoors in that region of the country during the summer, winter, spring or fall. The reason I am reiterating that point is because most people who live in Idaho reside in either Boise, Idaho Falls, Pocatello or Twin Falls, which are where most Idaho-based jobs are located. The immediate environs of those cities and the areas in close proximity are nothing spectacular. Most people in Idaho do not and cannot live in Couer D’Alene because it is a tourist town located hours away from the nearest major employment center.
35 miles to Spokane, Washington. Not a small tourist town.
Dry, inland areas such as southern Idaho, for example, feature endlessly barren landscapes and are very hot in summertime and mightily cold in wintertime. Again, the area of Idaho that is located south of Interstate 84 is one of the ugliest, most featureless areas of the United States. In my perspective, there is nothing to do or explore outdoors in that region of the country during the summer, winter, spring or fall. The reason I am reiterating that point is because most people who live in Idaho reside in either Boise, Idaho Falls, Pocatello or Twin Falls, which are where most Idaho-based jobs are located. The immediate environs of those cities and the areas in close proximity are nothing spectacular. Most people in Idaho do not and cannot live in Couer D’Alene because it is a tourist town located hours away from the nearest major employment center.
Dear Bert_from_back_East that lives in California......
Spokane-Coeur d'Alene metro area is has almost 750,000 people and is the 72 largest metro in the US.
I lived in Coeur d'Alene in the 1970's. Not very pretty in my eyes. Green is a ugly color. Don't believe it make a cake with green frosting and see if anybody eats it!!!
I did like the blue of the lake, though. It was a small town then, I cannot imagine that it has improved when it became a metro area.
I tried my hardest to move to Boise, Twin Falls or Idaho Falls just so I could explore and live south of I-84.
I suppose that you must be a "scenerist". That is if it is not green or blue it must not be scenic.
I finally gave up trying to move to southern Idaho.
The best I could do was move to Wenatchee in eastern Washington. Not southern Idaho, by any means, but close enough so that National Geographic called the Wenatchee area scenery "a dried, and wrinkled elbow landscape". I think they are scenerists.
Not as pretty as the area south of I-84, but it was the best I could do.
I don't find where I live to be "hideous" at all. I have snow-capped mountains 20 minutes from me in one direction. Fields full of wildflowers 15 minutes in another direction. Stands of oak trees about 10-15 minutes from here in the Sierra Pelona range.
The western Antelope Valley is one of the most biologically diverse parts of the state, with pine trees, junipers, joshua trees and oak trees all meeting in one area. This is why the proposed "Centennial" project out there is so controversial.
Southern Idaho around Boise/Nampa is similar in topography, yes.
Not quite true. Coeur d'Alene and Post Falls are suburban areas to the larger metropolitan area of Spokane, which is 30 minutes to the west on I-90. What makes Coeur d'Alene prohibitive for a lot of people is actually:
1. The low wages
2. The expensive housing
3. Lack of higher paying jobs, even trying to get employed in Spokane can be challenging 4. The lack of diversity and the very open racism
5. The challenging climate.
I suppose that is one good attribute of the Coeur d’Alene area: the population of northern Idaho is mostly non-Hispanic white, consistent with the rest of the country outside of California, New Jersey, et al.
I have a relative that wants to move there. However, they have chronic medical conditions that do require some medical expertise. What if you required diabetic monitoring or a hip replacement as you get older? Is the medical care that adequate?
Yes, medical care in CdA is more than adequate. I am diabetic and my personal physician specializes in the monitoring and treatment of diabetes. He only accepts new Medicare patients who are diabetic. My next door neighbor and a lady friend down the street who is battling cancer had a knee replacement, performed locally. All of her cancer treatment has been performed locally also. And, she has lived two years past her prognosis, so far. She is doing well, or as well as can be expected. Kootenai Health is a good medical complex/hospital, and if there is something that they can't handle, as mentioned earlier, Spokane's hospitals are within an hour's drive.
p.s. Reading this thread, I have to chuckle inside at the miss-information and inaccurate portrayals of the state I chose as my retirement home by some of the posters to this thread. However, I'm not going to defend the state or correct what has been said because I don't want people to keep moving to the state, from CA or WA. Too many people here already as it is.
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