IF or Pocatello to Rexburg commute doable? (Idaho Falls, Rigby: apartments, rental market)

[TheKracken]

Howdy all, I will be attending BYUI in January and my wife and I along with our newborn daughter and cat are trying to find places to rent but are having a very hard time finding anything affordable/available and willing to accept animals.

I am considering finding a rental somewhere further from Rexburg to make renting a bit easier. Prices seem much better in Idaho Falls and down right cheap over in Pocatello. Ive lived in Seattle and I am currently in Dallas fort Worth are, 1-3 hour commutes are not unheard of.

Anyone have an opinion on this? Will the roads going out there be closed off often in the winter? I am aware I will be spending plenty on gas...good thing I have a hybrid.

[banjomike]

Rexburg to I.F. is about 38 miles on a 4-lane, so it's quite do-able. Pocatello is about 50 miles southward, so it's about 85 miles from Rexburg.

The commute wouldn't be closed very often, if at all, during the winters, but the roads can be slow and slick to drive after storms or during prolonged periods of sub-zero weather. The chances of being caught by a blizzard are rare, as the plows come out and go to work on the arterial highways the first. All the other roads follow.

[tmp4]

If I were a college student again, I sure as heck wouldn't want a 3 hour round trip to class every morning! You may be much more disciplined than the average student, but I think that sort of commute could wear on anyone

[Ret.InAmmon]

Idaho Falls is commutable to Rexburg, and a fair number of people do it every day. Traffic isn't bad, but some parts of the South-East Idaho Falls area are 20 minutes from the freeway in light traffic and 30 minutes in heavy rush hour traffic, so factor that in. The West side of I-15 is quick for freeway access.

[SelwaySasquatch]

How much time are you willing to spend away
from your wife and precious newborn baby daughter,
and is sitting in a car spending extra hours
away from them everyday worth having the cat?

[skidaho]

Idaho Falls is 27.9 miles from Rexburg on a divided highway with a 70mph limit. It takes half an hour or less depending on road conditions, traffic, and on what part of Idaho Falls you are traveling from.
If there are winter conditions or heavy traffic it will take longer. There are quite a few people who commute between those cities so there are times when the traffic is heavier than others.

[pnwguy2]

Idaho Falls to Rexburg is indeed doable, but winter weather can and will slow you down. Many stretches of that highway offer few detours. (70 mph?) I remember it being 65, but perhaps it has changed. EDIT: I see it is indeed 70 as of earlier this year.

Pocatello to Rexburg is way too long a commute in my mind. Especially in winter.

[Theotherdude]

There are smaller cities to the north you might check out. Rigby is mostly single family homes but there are apartments. Cost is similar to IF. Only half the distance to Rexburg. St Anthony and Ashton would be cheaper than Pocatello probably but rental properties may be harder to come by.

As for the commute;
I-15 closes sometimes due to wind and dust. The winter drives, no matter the highway, can be very treacherous. It's normal to slow to 25 or 30 to adjust. A longer commute in that will wear you out mentally. When I drive winter weather, I tense up and my shoulder or neck would hurt.

[The Denim Dude]

The other posters on here gave some great information here. Just for kicks I'll still throw my two cents in.

Although doable, Pocatello to Rexburg would take around 1 hr 20 min at the very least, if not a bit longer even on good days. I wouldn't want to have that type of commute, especially in the winter months.

Idaho Falls to Rexburg is fairly common and wouldn't be too bad. Depending on where you live in Idaho Falls, you could expect a drive time of around a half hour or so, probably just a bit longer.

As others have suggested, you might want to look into renting something in Rigby, which is roughly halfway between Idaho Falls and Rexburg. You could also check out Ashton, St Anthony, or the Sugar City/Salem area that is just outside of Rexburg. I'm not sure what the rental market is like in those towns but they might be worth checking out, especially Sugar City given how close it is to Rexburg.

Welcome to the area and best of luck!

[TheKracken]

Hey everyone, OP here. I appreciate all of the comments. We ended up finding a place to rent near sugar city. We are very excited for the move. I hope the drive there will go well, being in the winter and all...