Anyone in Idaho from Northern N.Y? (Coeur d'Alene, Sandpoint: property tax, living in) - (ID) - City-Data Forum

Noreaster73 · 02-05-2011, 05:00 PM

Hi everyone! I'm currently living in Kentucky and would love to move to the beautiful state of Idaho, but my Southern husband isn't so sure. He's concerned about driving in the snow, as snow here is a joke, but dangerous none the less. I was born and raised in Northern N.Y and found it much easier, and safer, to drive in the snow there than it is here. I was wondering if we would find the winters in Idaho to be similar as far as amounts of snow and driving conditions.

Thanks in advance for any advice or information.

Sage of Sagle · 02-05-2011, 05:59 PM

Winters are long, dark, and cold. But you already know that where you live. We do tend to have a LOT of snow (more than the NE states) but we don't have nearly the wind issues that a lot of places have. Living out in Sagle, Clark Fork, Cocolalla, etc you will have a LOT of driving in the snow (on unplowed private roads). If you're in Sandpoint proper, part of your higher property tax goes to city road crews, so you're only dealing with keeping your driveway/walkway clear and shoveling that lovely berm that's always in your driveway after the city plows pass.

mistyriver · 02-05-2011, 06:20 PM

I don't thing we get more snow than some places in northern NY and it all depends on the winter. One of our regular posters here, Toyman in Jewel Lake is from the Buffalo area. I'm sure he'll weigh in when he sees your post.

Noreaster73 · 02-06-2011, 09:53 AM

Thanks for the replys.

I lived just off Lake Ontario, so we got quite a bit of lake effect, and even spent two years in the Tug Hill Plateau area, which averages about 200 inches per year. What I came to realize after living in Kentucky, is that sometimes, the amount of snow isn't as big a factor as the type. Here we only get 2 to 6 inches at a time, but it's usually a sheet of ice covered with heavy wet snow or slush, and the roads are minimally tended to. Which is why I think my Hubby is reluctant to live somewhere with even more accumulation. I'm assuming, and please correct me if I'm wrong, that the snow there is more of a powder, which should make driving somewhat more manageable.

mistyriver · 02-06-2011, 10:55 AM

It is usually more powdery than northeastern snow (I'm from PA and Boston) but if you can live with 200 inches of lake effect snow...northern Idaho will be a walk in the park for you. The average snowfall for Sandpoint is about 72 inches. Obviously, sometimes we get way more than that and somtimes way less.

Noreaster73 · 02-06-2011, 06:23 PM

Thanks so much, having actual numbers made it so much easier to plead my case! Next step is job hunting, wish us luck!

Toyman at Jewel Lake · 02-07-2011, 08:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Noreaster73

Hi everyone! I'm currently living in Kentucky and would love to move to the beautiful state of Idaho, but my Southern husband isn't so sure. He's concerned about driving in the snow, as snow here is a joke, but dangerous none the less. I was born and raised in Northern N.Y and found it much easier, and safer, to drive in the snow there than it is here. I was wondering if we would find the winters in Idaho to be similar as far as amounts of snow and driving conditions.

Thanks in advance for any advice or information.

What part of Northern NY are you talking about, for comparision? I'm from Buffalo, which, in spite of the reputation for snow, gets a fraction of what the Tug Hill Plateau does. Probably less than Watertown or most of the Adirondaks. Any of those areas get more snow than the lower (populated) elevations of NID

One thing NY had going for it was snow removal equipment. Even a pretty good dump was handled quickly. NID is close here, highways and even rural roads are plowed pretty quickly. Usually there isn't much to worry about. Some side streets in the cities can take a bit longer. I can't give you the specs, but I'd guess our snowfalls are about 1/3 to 1/2 of Buffalo's.

Biggest differences that I see are that NY had a lot more wind and a lot more drifts. 10-15' drifts along the sides of North-South roads were common back there, we don't see that here. The wind also lead to a lot more "white out" conditions. We also don't see those bitter cold conditions combined with strong winds. In we have a lot more sunny days than NYS did in the winter.

On the flip side, temperatures in NID are milder, leading to a lot more times when the temps are in the high 20s-low 30s. Which means more ice, slush and slippery conditions. We also see a fair amount of "black ice" where fog freezes to a cold road surface. This can show up without warning and is trecherous. Driving on hard pack and ice isn't a big deal when temps are below about 20. On the other hand, roads typically don't stay bad for very long, you'll usually see a thaw every few days. Not like NY where a layer of hard pack will last for months.

The other big difference here is that we have hills and curves...both largely unknown in the portions of Western NY where I was from. Makes things more interesting.

If you choose to live in a city or suburban area, you have little to worry about. If you live out in the country, 4x4 and studded snow tires are great for peace of mind, especially if you have hills to deal with. Just the same, driving in winter weather isn't usually much of an issue. Snowfall is very elevation dependant, and can change rapidly in just a few miles.

.***edit to add, just saw your second post about Tug Hill. We used to snowmobile in that area most winters. Any idea if the John Barleycorn is still around? When there wasn't snow in Buffalo, the hill had it. I agree with you, snow out this way tends to be wetter and heavier. Still, we have the equipment to handle it, and most drivers are experienced in snow driving (after the first winter anyway). If you could handle a Tug Hill winter, this will be a piece of cake!

Noreaster73 · 02-08-2011, 07:32 AM

Thanks Toyman, sounds likd I'd feel right at home!

I'd never heard of the John Barleycorn, so I Googled it. Is it the one in Lake George? If it is, it looks like it's still in operation. I never got over that way, which is sad, because I lived in the Old Forge area for three years, but never got a chance to explore much outside of that area.

Toyman at Jewel Lake · 02-08-2011, 12:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Noreaster73

I'd never heard of the John Barleycorn, so I Googled it. Is it the one in Lake George? If it is, it looks like it's still in operation. I never got over that way, which is sad, because I lived in the Old Forge area for three years, but never got a chance to explore much outside of that area.

Man, its been quite a few years. I think it was in the Constableville/Barnes Corners area. We used to take motorcycle trips to the Lake George area every summer, for the Americade rally. I really liked that town, it's similar to Coeur d'Alene in a lot of ways.

mistyriver · 02-08-2011, 12:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Toyman at Jewel Lake

Man, its been quite a few years. I think it was in the Constableville/Barnes Corners area. We used to take motorcycle trips to the Lake George area every summer, for the Americade rally. I really liked that town, it's similar to Coeur d'Alene in a lot of ways.

I love that area (Lake George)too. My aunt and uncle lived there and we loved visiting. You're right...it is similar to CDA.