Retiring to Pocatello (Idaho Falls, Coeur d'Alene, Twin Falls: real estate, how much, house)

[rschlegel]

We are a conservative Christian couple of a non-denominational church, recently retired, and are considering moving to Pocatello from Raleigh, North Carolina. The natural beauty, weather, low cost of living, and quiet, conservative living attracts us to the area. My wife is a native of the Philippines. Will she (or I) experience any prejudice or unacceptance by the people there? How great is the threat of forest fires or storms to the local homes? What is the best and worst aspect of living in Pocatello?

[jwest09]

Originally Posted by rschlegel

We are a conservative Christian couple of a non-denominational church, recently retired, and are considering moving to Pocatello from Raleigh, North Carolina. The natural beauty, weather, low cost of living, and quiet, conservative living attracts us to the area. My wife is a native of the Philippines. Will she (or I) experience any prejudice or unacceptance by the people there? How great is the threat of forest fires or storms to the local homes? What is the best and worst aspect of living in Pocatello?

How do you or your wife handle a cold winter

[ejisme]

I don't think anyone will look twice at your wife or the two of you as a mixed couple. You should be fine. Yes, it does get cold in Pocatello, but the right clothes make a big difference in how comfortable you will be outdoors in the winter. Plus, as long as the heat works it's warm inside.

[rschlegel]

Thanks! How great is the threat of forest fires or storms to the local homes?

What is the best and worst aspect of living in Pocatello?

[Fish Taco64]

Wildfires are a fact of life in the west. Smoke is often in the air during fire season, even if there are no local blazes. The wind brings it in from California or Montana, or Canada, depending on the wind that day. Fires can certainly happen here. They tend to be brought under control before posing too much of a threat to Pocatello, but there are no guarantees where such things are concerned.

Best things: The scenery and proximity to national parks and outdoor recreation. Most people you encounter will be quite friendly. A nice middle ground between small town and city life.

Worst things: Real estate prices are skyrocketing. I bought my house three years ago, it has more than doubled in valued. Good for me, not good for prospective buyers. The aforementioned smoke can be quite bad in some years. The job market hasn't kept up with the growth and increasing COL, maybe not a big deal for retirees.

[nowhereman427]

Originally Posted by ejisme

I don't think anyone will look twice at your wife or the two of you as a mixed couple. You should be fine. Yes, it does get cold in Pocatello, but the right clothes make a big difference in how comfortable you will be outdoors in the winter. Plus, as long as the heat works it's warm inside.

How cold does it get in Pokey? How hot and how much snow?

[Fish Taco64]

There is usually a stretch of weeks in July/August where it can be quite hot. Low 90s and higher are quite common during these weeks, with virtually no humidity. Rain is very rare during this time period.

Temps in winter tend to feature highs in the low to mid 30s for the most part. Colder snaps do happen, but they usually don't last too long. Snowfall varies a lot from year to year. The winter prior to this last one, we had almost none. The year I moved here, it seemed like it snowed two to three times a week.

[banjomike]

You won't have acceptance problems. Pocatello is the home of Idaho State University; there are students of all races who attend, and Pocatello was an important railroad junction. The railroad porters established a black community there a century ago, and many of their families still live there. There are also many Asian families, mostly Japanese, who have lived in this region for a very long time as well.

The weather is extreme. Pocatello lies in a hole, surrounded by mountains, so it's always a few degrees warmer than nearby Idaho Falls, but you can expect a month's worth of temps in the 20s and below every winter, typically in January and February, but we have sunnier winters here than up north. In the cold months, the sunny days are often the coldest, but a little cloud cover will change that quite a bit.
There are temperature inversions here, where Pocatello will actually be colder than the tops of the surrounding hills as the dense cold air pools in the low places.

Poky will be hotter in the summers. 89 in Idaho Falls will be 92 in Poky. The nights are warmer as well. (But there are few very warm nights like there are in N. Carolina- high 40s timid 50s is common at night. Idaho is a very dry state.

Winter is coming later now than in the 20th century, and they are unpredictable. Some years have had heavy snowfall, while other winters have been very dry. Spring weather has been colder longer and is as unpredictable as the winters.

Take it as a given that you'll have to learn how to drive on icy roads here. You'll also have to learn how to dress warmly year round. Even in hot summer, the nights can become quite cold, and our mountains are always cold. Poky may be lower than other localities, but it's still a lot higher here than North Carolina.

All of southern Idaho is in drought, but Pocatello gets a bit more moisture due to some prevailing Pacific wind currents.

Fire is a given every summer. Almost all will be range fires, as the surrounding area not heavily forested. Range fires tend to burn more quickly than forest fires, but they are quicker to be extinguished as well, as they are easier to fight.

If a wildfire breaks out, homes on the surrounding hills are more likely to be threatened that those that are in the city limits. Fire moves uphill first.
Widfire smoke has been a serious problem for the past 4 years. The wind currents have brought the California wildfire smoke up here, and since Poky is sheltered, the smoke pools and settles until there is some sustained wind strong enough to clear the air. Some summers have been worse than others, but in this continued drought, a locally regional fire's smoke could pool over Poky too.

Though I've lived all my life in Idaho Falls, I like Pocatello. It's a quiet, family-oriented town like most are here, but it has a fairly lively arts and performance community due to the University, and the college draws quite a few touring acts.
It's a well-established city and for a very long time, was the largest city in the region by a bit. Idaho Falls and Pocatello have both been major hub cities in this area forever. IF serves the north and eastern part of the corridor, and Pocatello serves the south and western part. The service areas of both are quite large.

As was mentioned, the housing prices have gone nuts here, everywhere in Idaho. I wouldn't come expecting to find a bargain, even in the small outlying communities. But you know how it is; bargains are relative. I know N. Carolina is growing too.

I think that other than the dry climate and the differences in geography, and the smaller size, I think you would find it has similarities to Raleigh.

Many years ago, I spent quite a lot of time in Raleigh, and I've often thought N. Carolina felt more like home to me than Virginia or the Chesapeake.

[banjomike]

Originally Posted by Heron31

Having your town referred to as "Pokey"?

It's a very old nickname the natives of the Upper Snake River Valley have used forever, including Pocatello residents.

No implications in the name, except to outsiders and some newbies who don't know our vernacular history.

Many of our cities have nicknames everyone uses; IF (Idaho Falls), Twin (Twin Falls). CDA (Coeur d'Alene) Sugar (Sugar City). There are many derogatory city nicknames as well that the natives use, but I won't mention them here.

[Racer46]

Originally Posted by banjomike

It's a very old nickname the natives of the Upper Snake River Valley have used forever, including Pocatello residents.

No implications in the name, except to outsiders and some newbies who don't know our vernacular history.

Many of our cities have nicknames everyone uses; IF (Idaho Falls), Twin (Twin Falls). CDA (Coeur d'Alene) Sugar (Sugar City). There are many derogatory city nicknames as well that the natives use, but I won't mention them here.

Yeah when I lived in Twin I liked the name Pokey.