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Great post Syringaloid I was going to say the same thing. Idaho's air quality was terrible for about a month last summer due to the wild fires all around us not just in the state of Idaho. Many areas have experienced the same issues as Idaho because of the same reasons. Bad air quality is not the norm here from my experience.
Torrie,
I want to tell you I think you make such a good point, one I try to make often in other posts. We are in a very odd cycle of weather right now (I mean the entire western part of the U.S., if not other states with excessive rain/floading never seen previously).
It simply is not accurate to say comments about Boise's air based on an abnormal month, or excessively high fires adding to it all. It's equally not fair when some attempt to say Idaho Falls is so much colder than Boise, given when they lived there, or to say Pocatello residents, on the average, make more than Twin Falls residents etc.
Comparing the temperatures in Idaho Falls last year to being so much colder than other areas, without listing the facts other cities experienced for the same abnormal weather cycle doesn't prove anything. Showing Idaho Falls temperatures compared to the lows Great Falls, MT, Jackson Hole, WY, Casper, WY, Salt Lake City, UT, most of Colorado experienced during the same highly abnormal cycle, is far more useful. I seriously doubt those unfortunate cattle ranchers in CO raised cattle in CO in previous years only to have them freeze last year.
Yet, some people who haven't lived in Idaho Falls post a temperature comment first and haven't been to Idaho Falls, or in the case of one person, in the state of ID (if even the west) for over the last 15 years. However, they continue to post information not knowing what is accurate about the city.
Of course Boise is warmer than Idaho Falls, which is why it's warmer in the summer as well. Skiing fans live in both cities. Some industries are more temperature dependent, which is why Idaho overall doesn't have the same luck growing the produce that southern FL or souther CA can grow with ease. Conversey, those state can't grow some of the crops, florals and plants that require a cooler climate.
Then there is the humidity issue. If anything, I think more people mention after the move to ID that regardless where they are in ID, especially compared to the east coast, the huge difference in humidity. Many people who have never lived in ID or outside certain areas in the east don't even think to ask that question, as it's a given for them.
Every area of ID has plusses. It all depends on what people want.
I want to thank you for stating in your own way to check the facts and not base opinions on one year. You've mentioned you are in real estate and I see how you try to inform potential clients (or new residents) about the advantages your area has. I'd like to compliment you for be positive - selling your area compared to having to tell people why they shouldn't move to another (which sure wouldn't go over well with me).
Perhaps it would be good to have additional real estate professionals posting about other areas of ID, as I'm not sure all the new developments and new industries are truly being addressed. I'm not a Real Estate Agent, but maybe I can find some who might be interested.
Anyway, my post was to thank you for pointing out not to be mislead but an unsuaul year or two and weather information. This year, unforutnately, I worry all records for fires will be broken (and not in a good way). So I think everyone literally needs to filter their air (to breathe more easiy) and filter their information for what is an abnormal regional or western U.S.
MSR
P.S. Torrie - would you mind if I were to PM you about a couple of real estate questions? Also, I've been looking for someone in the Boise-area I'd like to see if we could write sort of a "joint -effort" article about some changes we're seeing in Idaho. Specifically, focusing on the information the Idaho Business I.Q. Journal published in March about why ID needs Boise and Idaho Falls etc.
I've asked others in the Boise-area if I could PM about certain issues and not received an answer. I just realized you probably are in a far better position to know the information I'm wondering about, that perhaps others. But, it's certainly ok if you don't want to exchange info via PM and ideas about a joint-effort article.
The two cities are actually quite similar in many aspects with booming economies, rapid growth, major redevelopment into mixed use centers etc. (I should clarify and say CDA also meets these same criteria, but is missing a couple of others. However, the article focused on Ada and Canyon Counties compared to the Idaho Falls metro area, so I wanted to stay focused on the same two areas for the same reason.
Idaho Falls is a little colder, being in eastern ID. And Boise has a larger city and metro population. Those facts could be a plus or minus for either city, depending on what a person, family or business is looking for, if they relocate or expand .
Certainly, Boise is the only city in Idaho that has a population over 500,000. Many businesses are related to Micron and jobs related to state Government. And Boise - Nampa- Meridian has explosive growth. I read a joke recenty from a person who said Meridian should update their census weekly.
Idaho Falls is the only city in Idaho with a DOE Lab, working on International Energy Contracts, with the highest percentage of engineers in the northwest. INL/Idaho Falls could have a very high rate of explosive growth, depending on CAES and GNEP, depending on how many of those 8,000 high-paying jobs are located in Idaho Falls compared to another state.
Please feel free to drop me a PM and let me know what you think. You may want to read the Idaho Business I.Q. March, 2007 article first, if you would like to. No pressure - I just see some wonderful opportunities to present facts about ID.
Will thank you all for the insight we are going to be coming to Boise hopefully around December or January. I cant imagine the air quality or the traffic to be any thing near as bad as it is here....at least I would hope not. Is it true that Idaho Falls is also growing very quickly and thier are alot of job opportuntities in that area.
Idahowanttobe,
I agree with you. A trip to an area, at least IMHO, is always the best way to find what is most important for you and your family. Those X factors are different for each of us and sometimes hard to pin point until we've been in an area.
Some seem to think Idaho Falls is almost entirely LDS, which isn't a fact. With the rapid influx of new residents it's hard to know the exact figure, but 50%, LDS and non-LDS is a consistant estimate.
What is interesting to ME about your post, is you have your 3 cities in which you are the most interested: Boise, Twin Falls and Idaho Falls. Each of those cities has an LDS Temple. It is aboslutely none of my business about your views of religion, but what I'm trying to highlight with this statement, is you had a list already and be it religion, or economic growth etc. you had the cities you were the most interested in relocating to previously selected. You owe no one an explanation of why you have an interest in certain cities.
I think lots of people try to help give good tips, and was asked early on, if people knew a bit more about what criteria was important to you, then we could perhaps better guide you to where in ID might be places to stop on your trip.
The continual mis-perception or mis-information about Idaho Falls being mostly LDS, is very similar to those who believe UT is all LDS. Not even 50% of Salt Lake County is LDS, yet myths continue or people refuse to read the latest data or realize how new businesses, major employers and outside investments have changed the mix of religion.
Having one of the 15 DOE Nuclear Labs near Idaho Falls brings Ph.D's, post-doc students, a lot of Government and International Traffic and Residents (new residents include a couple who were sent by the U.K. to work at INL on specific a multi-national energy research protocol.) Perhaps a pre-cursor to what may be if INL lands 1-3 of the 3 GNEP components. Alone with other growing Fortunate 500 Companies who are locating a new or expanding an existing business in Idaho Falls, many new residents who aren't LDS continue to decrease what was a higher percentage of LDS residents at one time.
If you check the Idaho Falls posts, I posted on one the recent data that once again, Idaho Falls was #1 in the nation in May for unemployment. When people are wishing to relocate for a better job, religion isn't necessarily the #1 thing they are assessing, as recently proven by many people relocating to Idaho Falls. Probably, some in Boise ask if there are any other businesses in or near Boise besides Micron or similar businesses. Don't buy into the stereotypes, Idaho is more diverse (in the growing areas and larger cities) each month than some would want you to believe.
If you have the opportunity to do so, posts on eastern ID are useful as there is a lot of information about the people and businesses in eastern ID. Many don't really realize, that despite Idaho Falls having a MSA of 117K, it provides major services and serves as a hub to ~ 350K permanent residents, let alone the tourists to Yellowstone National Park, the Tetons, Jackson Hole and other area attractions.
And of course, today the annoucement of another major golf and skiing resort finally breaking dirt on the Idaho side of Jackson Hole was released. These planned, new resorts starting to build, coupled with local re-development like the $26 Million dollar Marriott Residence Inn/Condo Tower project in Taylor's Crossing only increases the need for certain businesses to grow or expand in Idaho Falls. Building is big business in eastern ID. If you have friends or relatives who are electricians, HVAC -certified etc., Idaho Falls businesses often build a tremendous amount of specialized services in Jackson Hole homes- and there has been NO SHORTAGE this year of more and more work.
Golf in Idaho can be really amazing (so I'm told, as I can't golf), in many, many cities and resorts. I don't know if that is an interest or not, but some people don't even think about the private Country Club Golf Courses in Idaho. All I'm trying to say is some really don't realize what ID does or doesn't have until they experience it first hand. I was shocked the first time I was in Birmingham, AL and saw the tremendous amount of wooded areas with trees so tall. Ruined my previous-held beliefs about southern geography.
I can't say that I blame you wanting to make a change, given your current location. As others will point out, eastern ID is colder than CA, but I'm positive you know that.
I was writing the another post while some additional posts were added here. While I respectfully disagree with pw72s information about the % of LDS residents in Idaho Falls, I support pw72s overall information, especially about the value of housing in Pocatello.
A lot of different pros for every area of ID. A visit is the best way to find out.
Here are a couple of links for the Idaho Falls area: Idaho Falls Magazine - The Magazine for Eastern Idaho's Way of Living - ask for a complimentary copy and they will send you one. The company that owns the magazine publishes many national magazines and other regional or state printed material (such as event guides even for other Idaho cities). If you tell them when you think you'll be in Idaho and ask if they have information for that time while you're in ID that they can send you, if contractually they are allowed to release that information, they will send it to you. Also, Idaho Falls magazine has an active website with daily news, current events etc.
The other great site to check is The Idaho Falls Community Discussion Site at IdahoFallz.com (broken link). While intended for local residents, people in the UK have posted on the site. There is a huge list of URLs for the state of ID, Interest groups in Idaho Falls and other very useful information.
And always, each city has their Convention Bureau and other local links which can tell you more about their specific area. Probably a Twin Falls specific post would yield some of the better sources of information about Twin Falls, since you are looking at Twin Falls as an option as well.
Enjoy getting to know Idaho
Last edited by Mtn. States Resident; 07-13-2007 at 12:21 AM..
I try really hard to be as factual as possible. If I didn't like it here I couldn't do what I was doing so I hope my sincerity shows through. I also try to state when it's more my opinnion than necessarily fact. It's hard being in the line of business that I'm in because I'm constantly being put under the microscope. For example I have said on this forum how usually it doesn't get super hot till the last two weeks of July, first week of August and here it is hotter than the hubs of ..... Anyway, I think most people realize that this season has been anything but normal. But geesh, who can predict the weather! Let me get my crazy 8 ball out and shake it to see what it says. Ha, ha!
I'd be happy to help you out. I will PM you or you can PM me. Thanks again!
Treasure Valley is surrounded by national forest that is just getting drier and hotter and more fire-prone every year. The bad air is NOT just from fires. We've had bad air since early summer - before any fires were burning anywhere near us. Come clean. The horrible fire air is one thing. The increasingly consistent yellow and orange alert air (orange alert today!) is from growth and lack of Valley-wide emissions standards. The traffic congestion we have from all the growth really exacerbates the problem - all this backed up fossil-fuel burning no-emissions standard vehicles.
A study out of Boise State last year reported significantly increased incidents of respiratory illness and distress at local health care facilities within the first three days of a yellow alert. School nurses are reporting more asthmatic incidents. Schools kids are kept inside on dirty air days (thank goodness).
Look - I have absolutely no economic interest in telling the truth about Boise. I'm trying to help people not come into this area blindly, with this idea that Boise is this mecca of good health and outdoor living. It's absolutely not. It is a quagmire of traffic and bad air and is devoid of urban planning.
Watch the news and the weather people. It's a combination of Fire/Hot temperatures combined with ommissions from cars. I'm assuming if we didn't have such hot air right now, which is abnormal for this time of year, and fire burning which also abnormal, we wouldn't have the air problem to the extreme we are having right now. So you cannot blame bad air on one thing, that is far from factual, it is a combination, watch the meterologists and then you will understand the facts.
Yes I do not understand why Canyon county doesn't have to abide by the same omissions laws as Ada County. But I think you are blowing things way out of proportion. Nobody is denying that the air quality hasn't been the best lately. What some of us are saying is that it is not the norm. We aren't talking about the future, we are merely pointing out the facts of the now.
Though Boise has some issues with traffic, it can hardly be described as a quagmire. This type of description tells me you have never lived outside of this area and experienced a real "quagmire". How about taking 2 hours to get home every night instead of 45 min or less? Ask people in Seattle, Los Angeles, Orange County they'll tell you what a "quagmire" is.
Torrie, I sincerely don't know what you're talking about.
We've had bad air quality alerts many times in the spring, when fires weren't even a factor. The ones we have now are mostly due to the fires, yes. What about the alerts we have throughout the winter, during the inversion season?
To say our poor air quality is a combination of fire and car emissions is disingenuous; in the summer that may be the case, but certainly not during the rest of the year.
Poor air quality very much is the norm here. It's something we deal with - not everyday, not all of the time, but quite often. It doesn't bother me; I don't have sensitive lungs or allergies. It absolutely tortures me friend, however. And regardless, it is very much a concern.
Don't believe me? Here are some facts to dig through http://www.deq.idaho.gov/air/AQReport/histAda.pdf (broken link)
It's interesting to note two things, a) how the levels of Moderate and USG days have been increasing, and b) the number of these days in the summer v. non-summer months. For most years they're about even; it seems that on a 10 year cycle 2006 was the anomoly, with significantly more summer than non-summer poor air quality days.
About the heat - it really seems to be getting warmer here by the year. I remember when we used to have several days off from school because of snow days. We used to get snowfall that would cover our lawns and provide us with enough snow to build forts, snowmen, and to sled around town. Now our snowfall comes in and usually melts the same day, if we're lucky enough to get snow.
And though it's usually the warmest during the last two weeks of July and the first three of August, this year has seemed much warmer. However, two and three years ago I remember spending most of July right around the 100's. We had record temperatures in 2002.
This may or may not be a long-term climate cycle. That's a bigger argument than I think any of us want to take on. But I do know that Boise has been abnormally hot in most of June, July, and August for the last 5 or 6 years.
The reason for those three is that we did not want to move to a realy rural area. We also wanted to stay with in a couple days drive to CA since we still will have family there. The weather was also close I know one gets hotter and the others colder but not by a large difference or at least it would appear that thats the case.
Actually all the discussion about the LDS as got me curious. I dont know much about the religion but assume its like most others and is tolerant of different religions. So if that is the case then I dont know why it would be important to know what percentage of the population would be LDS. Maybe someone can shine some light for me on why it is a prominant discussion on alot of threads..
My other question is related to a trip we want to make to Boise in Decemeber or January. What would be the best area to stay where we could see alot and get a feel for the place? Also any good suggestions on hotels would be greatly appreciated.
Stay at the Grove Hotel downtown. You will be in the heart of the city and find many good restaurants in the vicinity. I will warn you that coming that time of year might give you the wrong impression of the city as it did myself when I first came to visit. It's absolutely beautiful when there is snow covered all over the mountains, but because it's winter you don't have the lush green all over the place. Don't let that fool you. It's a great area with lots of things to do, nice people and great places to live. As the weather gets nicer, people are out and about more, walking the downtown area and having lunches and dinners outside on the restaurant patios.
As far as LDS, check out the thread on that topic at the top of the page.
I'm going to take all of this over to the growth thread, so that I don't derail this thread anymore. If you're interested in continuing this discussion, please visit that thread.
I'm going to take all of this over to the growth thread, so that I don't derail this thread anymore. If you're interested in continuing this discussion, please visit that thread.
Anchorless,
I'm interested in your information here. I have to declare I'm no expert about weather etc. But, I can see the temperatures are hotter than they use to be. That being said, I do believe looking at statistics kept by various news or weather agencies is not only a good idea, but really the only way to prove something is changing temperatures.
I didn't know about the other thread. Thank you for mentioning it. If I can't find it (as I hope you read this thread at least once more), would you mind either sending me a PM or posting it here? I'd like to learn more and especially who is studying this information as I agree with you, it is hotter in the summer in many places in Idaho. (Maybe throughout ID, but I've not seen the stats to make that statement).
Although it appears to me that Torie and you don't agree about this issue, what I find refreshing about BOTH of you (from what I've read to date), is both of you appear to want to rely on facts instead of personal opinions.
I am aware stats can be skewed, but it's a good place for ME to start learning more as I haven't followed the weather in most ID cities unless I'm going to visit. IMHO, reviewing hard data is preferable than the subjective views of a former ID resident recalling what the temperature was at their house 25 years when the person lived in the state. ago compared to an organized methods of tracking data now. So many factors from where their house was, did they have neighbors within yards, the same street or many miles all are variable to consider.
Thanks in advance for helping me find the page to which you referenced. I look forward to reading more on that thread.
The reason for those three is that we did not want to move to a realy rural area. We also wanted to stay with in a couple days drive to CA since we still will have family there. The weather was also close I know one gets hotter and the others colder but not by a large difference or at least it would appear that thats the case.
Actually all the discussion about the LDS as got me curious. I dont know much about the religion but assume its like most others and is tolerant of different religions. So if that is the case then I dont know why it would be important to know what percentage of the population would be LDS. Maybe someone can shine some light for me on why it is a prominant discussion on alot of threads..
My other question is related to a trip we want to make to Boise in Decemeber or January. What would be the best area to stay where we could see alot and get a feel for the place? Also any good suggestions on hotels would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks everyone for all the help and insight.
You are very welcome, Idahowanttobe, for anything I said or links that were useful.
Please feel free to either send me a PM or post any other questions that I might be able to answer.
Enjoy your visit in Boise and discovering Idaho, in general, in 2007.
MSR
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How do I Find the Other Thread?
