Ketchum as a retirement location (Boise, Twin Falls: real estate market, condominium, homes)

[Dave94]

Hi all, I am new to this forum

I vacationed several years ago in Sun Valley and really was taken by the place. On a few lift rides up the mountain I met several retirees who raved about the areas' recreation and all the things they enjoyed about the area year round. With the softness in the real estate market it has become just within reach for my wife and I and I am wondering if anyone has advice about the town, it's full time community and what it is like to live there. I live in a rural setting now but would prefer to live right in town in a condominium or small house. Thanks for your insight.

Dave

[dcisive]

I traveled there often enough to get a pretty good feel for what that area was all about. I've stayed there over weekends as well in various locations. Indeed it is beautiful with more than enough recreation for young and old alike. I would only suggest you come prepared for the overall higher cost of living up there. They tend to cater to the $$$$ so be prepared. If you are enjoy, I'm sure you'll have a great life there........

[jwest09]

Originally Posted by Dave94

Hi all, I am new to this forum

I vacationed several years ago in Sun Valley and really was taken by the place. On a few lift rides up the mountain I met several retirees who raved about the areas' recreation and all the things they enjoyed about the area year round. With the softness in the real estate market it has become just within reach for my wife and I and I am wondering if anyone has advice about the town, it's full time community and what it is like to live there. I live in a rural setting now but would prefer to live right in town in a condominium or small house. Thanks for your insight.

Dave

Great small town to retire at, if you can afford it, and enjoy snowfall with a cold climate. If you like quiet nights, stay away from right in town, as nightlife can become noisy, and kinda rowdy in peak seasons.
The slack, (off season), is very quiet in town.

[Arnold the Terminator]

As an 18 year resident of Ketchum, I wouldn't live anywhere else, by choice. That being said, it's a fairly small town and the valley it is in is fairly remote. This means that the nearest Costco or Home Depot or Lowes or Walmart is 80 miles or 1.5 hours drive away (in Twin Falls, kind of a dump but it has its uses :-) Boise, a nice small city, is 2.5 to 3 hours drive away, depending on the season and the weather.

You have to be somewhat self-sufficient to live in a place like this, since you can't count on there always being activities available to provide stimulation. If you live here your friends will be a hodgepodge of full time residents and those who have second homes here but spend at least a good part of the year here (many seasonal residents fit that description).

If you don't like the outdoors, and outdoor activities, you will not enjoy living here and you will leave after you become sick of the scenery. IF you are an outdoors-centered person who enjoys hiking or skiing or biking or fishing (or any combination of these activities and more) then this may be your own version of heaven.

It is nice to have the resources to get out of here periodically. I could not live in this place if I was forced to live here 365 days a year. I have the good fortune to be able to spend about 3 months a year (divided up over the course of the year) in other places, traveling, and Ketchum is a great place to come home to. But if forced to live here every day of the year, I'd go nuts, and quickly.