Help Needed on Relocaton to Idaho Falls (Eagle, Ammon: house, neighborhood)

[Phil77411]

It looks like that I would relocate to Idaho Falls within a month or two. I would appreciate if anyone could provide some useful information on the area. The below are some of the most concerned questions:

(1) K-12 Education. What are the best public schools of the area District 91 and 93)? From the Greatschools.org, it looks like Sunnyside and Edgemont are the best elementary; Eagle Rock JH is better than Talyorview JH and Sandcreek; but Hillcrest is better than both IF and Skyline. We have one kid would be 7th grader and another would be K.

Are the IF schools actively participating the Math competitions such as MathCounts and AMC? How's the learning enviornment (for math and science) there?

(2) Subdivision to live. This may mostly dependent on the schools we choose for our kids. NW part has the better Junior High school but is near the airport and more far away than the westside Mall. How's the Southpoint, Bristol Heights, Canterbury Park, Waterford, or somewhere in Ammon? How's the house market there? What's the margin to negotiate the price down from the listed price?

(3) How's the private violin teacher? Tennis teacher?

Thank you so much for any inputs!

[cleosmom]

I must admit I opened this thread thinking I could be of help, having no kids I'm at a loss

I can tell you that both districts, rather statewide, are suffering every year due to budget cuts

When you narrow down which district you're wanting, I can be of help with the subdivision questions.

[Phil77411]

Cleosmom,

Thanks for the responding. I am right now preferring District 91. If you can provide some subdivision questions, that would be great!

[Ladybug208]

Okay so I've been here for about 6 months. I noticed that the very best schools are the two Montessori schools, Lighthouse and Snakeriver.

There they have math competitions and different events and activies.

As far as public schools, district 91 is highly favored! The schools seem to be newer. Sunnyside elm is a good one. The principal there is very nice! I don't know if they have any Math competitions and advanced math classes, but talk to the principal there, she is very open.

As far as subdivisions, Southpoint is a really great place for families. It's always kept clean and the roads in the are always kept clear during those yucky snowy days.

Also I noticed that people here really invest in the YMCA. It's a small town! So if you're looking for a violin teacher or a tennis teacher, the YMCA is where people go.

There is a school here that offers violin and piano lessons. They are here, u just have to search for them by word of mouth or get info from your Childs teacher. My Childs teacher is always sending home flyers like that, always!

You would probably just love Ammon if you're LDS. It's a very tight-knit religious community.

Any other specific questions? It's better to here it from someone w/ kids living in the heart of it all!...lol

[Jennifer5221]

Hi!
I think I can be of some help on this topic.
We relocated to Idaho Falls 2 years ago. I have 3 children that attend District 93. We are not LDS. Our budget was not high and we live in an older area in Ammon that we like.
I LOVE the schools in District 93. The best ticket is the brand new (1 year) Science and Math Magnet School Mountain Valley that they just opened that would easily rival any big city school. There is a waiting list so you would have to move into that neigborhood. I do believe that Rimrock and Woodland Hills are good also. We love the area for raising kids. Many of the children in our area take violin so I know there are many wonderful private teachers in the area.
I do not know anything about Distrcit 91 except that then schools are experiencing some ELL problems at this time. Try

http://www.greatschools.org/

If you need any recommendations on anything I can give you more information please send me a direct message.

[norcalmom101]

DM me if you still need a violing teacher (in shelley)

[hansoninfelton]

Hi Jennifer:

We are relocating to Idaho Falls and are also not LDS. It seemed to be very prevalent on our visit and I'm wondering how non-LDS folks are accepted.

thanks!

Originally Posted by Jennifer5221

Hi!
I think I can be of some help on this topic.
We relocated to Idaho Falls 2 years ago. I have 3 children that attend District 93. We are not LDS. Our budget was not high and we live in an older area in Ammon that we like.
I LOVE the schools in District 93. The best ticket is the brand new (1 year) Science and Math Magnet School Mountain Valley that they just opened that would easily rival any big city school. There is a waiting list so you would have to move into that neigborhood. I do believe that Rimrock and Woodland Hills are good also. We love the area for raising kids. Many of the children in our area take violin so I know there are many wonderful private teachers in the area.
I do not know anything about Distrcit 91 except that then schools are experiencing some ELL problems at this time. Try

GreatSchools - Public and Private School Ratings, Reviews and Parent Community

If you need any recommendations on anything I can give you more information please send me a direct message.

[banjomike]

Hi, Hanson...
I'm not LDS, but I'm a native. I've been around them all my life, and have many LDS friends.

The Mormons are pretty much like everyone else in most respects. Not all by any means are strict adherents to the faith; those who are are sometimes called True Blue Mormons, and those who are not at all are called Jack Mormons. You will find a lot of both, and even more who are in the middle- those folks go to church regularly and follow their beliefs, but have been known to skip a Sunday or two, and enjoy all the same stuff everyone else does except for dope, smoking, drinking and all the other bad habits that are always around.

Mormons are mostly very good neighbors. They are very active in scouting- my son joined a Mormon troop- and are big into kid sports and activities. They are also very quick to lend a hand, even to those of other faiths. The only downside to living in a Mormon majority neighborhood is someone may send around the missionaries. Don't take offense; it's just part of their thing, and if it happens, feel free to ask all the questions you like- that's what missionaries are for.

Disregard all those pictures you've seen of the Texas Fundamental bunch. Mainstream Mormons look and act like everyone else here. You will probably never see a plural marriage, although I'm sure a few exist around here. All the LDS I know have married only one person at a time, and they get divorced just like every other group. Some will have large families, and others won't.

One thing you'll find is they like to joke about themselves. They are conservative politically as a bunch, but are more independent than you may think at first. Their conservatism is not like it is in other places- much of it comes from the self-sufficient streak that runs very deeply in all of us here. We are all independent-minded as well.

Things to avoid:
Don't cut down the faith. Learn to understand it instead.

Don't make fun of the odd first names you are going to hear. The LDS have long standing traditions all their own in their naming of children. Some are going to sound like African-American names, and others are just going to be names you have never heard before. Expect to see a lot of odd spellings of names- Mormons often believe in spelling a child's name in a distinctive way to make them feel special and individual.

Don't call or visit on Monday nights unless it's important. That's their night they reserve for only family. Typically, they read Scripture, talk about family matters, and play games, read books or whatever with the kids.

Don't invite them to wine tastings or champagne brunches until you get to know how deeply a person hold the faith.