Coeur D'Alene, ID vs. Burlington, Vt (Sandpoint: transplants, new home, job market)

[usmcbigguns]

Currently living on Long Island. I went to college in Vermont back in the 90's. The college I went to was in the in the middle of the green mountains but my summers and for 4 years after I graduated I lived in Burlington, Vt. My wife and I want to get off Long Island ( the list of reasons is very long) the only thing keeping us here right now is that we both make around $100k a year (wife is a nurse practitioner and I'm a sales/marketing exec) and we know we wouldn't be making the same salaries in the places we are looking at, but have saved alot through the years and are willing to bite the bullet.

We were considering moving back to the Burlington area, but my wife and I are a little right leaning and Burlington is a little too liberal for our taste nowadays. She did some research and had come up with Coeur D'Alene as an alternative. Climates are close enough, as are outdoor activities, demographics, job market but it seems taxes and utilies are less in Coeur D'Alene and they have less college educated citizens.

Seems that Burlington has more of a downtown area with Church St but i hear that Coeur D'Alene might be revamping McEwan Park so that might improve the downtown area a little.

We are huge dog lovers. In the county we live in now (Nassau), it is not exactly a dog friendly county. There are limited dog parks and almost every park in the county doesn't allow dogs. Its so bad that we have to go into the city (NYC) to bring our dogs with us to the park. Now Burlington is a very dog friendly town and that is part of what makes it appealing.

How dog friendly is Coeur D'Alene?

We have been to Coeur D'Alene this past year and are going again at the end of the summer. It seems like a nice town, but looks can sometimes be deceiving.

I know this a pretty broad question, but can anyone compare Burlington to Coeur D'Alene?

Am I wrong with my current initial assessment of the 2 towns?

[Walkaboutcda]

Well, I think CDA is a nice town and I have lived here 15 years. I am also a dog lover but I wouldn't say CDA is especially dog friendly. There is Tubbs Hill where you can take dogs on a leash. There is also the new dog park Central Bark that opened Labor Day of last year. Other than those two place dogs are not allowed in city parks. You can walk through the main city park with your dog but are not allowed to stop and have a picnic on the grass. There are many other hiking and walking trails, however, within the county where dogs are allowed.

I wish CDA was more dog friendly but I know the reason why it is not. Because people don't clean up after their dogs. Case in point, the new dog park: I go about once a week with my dog because it is 5 miles from my house and I live next to Tubbs Hill. I believe that since many of my fellow citizens donated money to create the park it is my duty to help to keep it clean. When I bring my dog Charlie to play I spend most of my time cleaning up the park (poop patrol). The grass outside of the park where dogs are not allowed also needs to be picked up. In my walks around town I do my best to help keep our city clean but it would be nice if all of my fellow dog owners started cleaning up after their dogs.

[Shaner]

Looking @ the stats of each city, your assumptions are mostly correct. What was said above is also correct about dog friendly-ness. There are lots of area's to take your dog, they are just out of the way. Tubbs is great, and the dog park is ok. This is a highly conservative area, and if that is what you are looking for, then I think besides the dog park, you have found your new home.

[ctr88]

I haven't been to CDL...but I have lived in VT and been to Burlington a lot. I live in CA and have been through other parts of ID and all over the Rocky Mnt and western states. One thing the West really lacks IMO is the quaint towns of New England and the beautiful old houses and red colonial brick downtowns of places like Burlington VT. B/c New England is so much older it has much more attractive towns IMO.

The west has a bit more grandeur b/c of the size of the mountains and open spaces. But I love the green lushness of VT in the summers and the tree lined lakes and rivers. Burlington probably has a bit more cosmopolitan & hip feel than CDL. More of a intellectual feel somewhat b/c of the university. Lots of Boston & NYC transplants looking for the "pastoral country life" up there. And Burlington is VERY liberal. I found Burlington to be very congested traffic wise in summers. It can take a long time to get out of downtown Burlington. I think CDL may have better beaches on it's lake than Lake Champlain does. Lake Champlain is such a gorgeous lake but really best enjoyed if you have a boat, the access from Burlington beach-wise is not great. A nice thing about Burlington is being 1.5 hrs from Montreal which is a cool place. I think the wilderness access from CDL is probably phenomenal as well with Priest Lake, Sandpoint and those areas. Vermont is really a drop dead gorgeous place too though, esp in summers and falls.

[mistyriver]

Originally Posted by ctr88

I haven't been to CDL...but I have lived in VT and been to Burlington a lot. I live in CA and have been through other parts of ID and all over the Rocky Mnt and western states. One thing the West really lacks IMO is the quaint towns of New England and the beautiful old houses and red colonial brick downtowns of places like Burlington VT. B/c New England is so much older it has much more attractive towns IMO.

The west has a bit more grandeur b/c of the size of the mountains and open spaces. But I love the green lushness of VT in the summers and the tree lined lakes and rivers. Burlington probably has a bit more cosmopolitan & hip feel than CDL. More of a intellectual feel somewhat b/c of the university. Lots of Boston & NYC transplants looking for the "pastoral country life" up there. And Burlington is VERY liberal. I found Burlington to be very congested traffic wise in summers. It can take a long time to get out of downtown Burlington. I think CDL may have better beaches on it's lake than Lake Champlain does. Lake Champlain is such a gorgeous lake but really best enjoyed if you have a boat, the access from Burlington beach-wise is not great. A nice thing about Burlington is being 1.5 hrs from Montreal which is a cool place. I think the wilderness access from CDL is probably phenomenal as well with Priest Lake, Sandpoint and those areas. Vermont is really a drop dead gorgeous place too though, esp in summers and falls.

I live here in north Idaho and I lived in New England and I would agree with this.
One difference I would say is striking: the people here are a lot friendlier and more open than in Vermont.
I do love Burlington though...it's a wonderful town. I and I love the university town feel of it.
CDA has a community college but it doesn't really compare as a college town.

[usmcbigguns]

Originally Posted by ctr88

I haven't been to CDL...but I have lived in VT and been to Burlington a lot. I live in CA and have been through other parts of ID and all over the Rocky Mnt and western states. One thing the West really lacks IMO is the quaint towns of New England and the beautiful old houses and red colonial brick downtowns of places like Burlington VT. B/c New England is so much older it has much more attractive towns IMO.

The west has a bit more grandeur b/c of the size of the mountains and open spaces. But I love the green lushness of VT in the summers and the tree lined lakes and rivers. Burlington probably has a bit more cosmopolitan & hip feel than CDL. More of a intellectual feel somewhat b/c of the university. Lots of Boston & NYC transplants looking for the "pastoral country life" up there. And Burlington is VERY liberal. I found Burlington to be very congested traffic wise in summers. It can take a long time to get out of downtown Burlington. I think CDL may have better beaches on it's lake than Lake Champlain does. Lake Champlain is such a gorgeous lake but really best enjoyed if you have a boat, the access from Burlington beach-wise is not great. A nice thing about Burlington is being 1.5 hrs from Montreal which is a cool place. I think the wilderness access from CDL is probably phenomenal as well with Priest Lake, Sandpoint and those areas. Vermont is really a drop dead gorgeous place too though, esp in summers and falls.

While I agree with you that Burlington has a more college town feel, most of those "beautiful old houses and red colonial brick" you talk about are victim to that college town feel as most are divided up into 1 bdr and 2bdr apts with ugly fire escapes hanging off those nice facades.

[usmcbigguns]

Originally Posted by Walkaboutcda

Well, I think CDA is a nice town and I have lived here 15 years. I am also a dog lover but I wouldn't say CDA is especially dog friendly. There is Tubbs Hill where you can take dogs on a leash. There is also the new dog park Central Bark that opened Labor Day of last year. Other than those two place dogs are not allowed in city parks. You can walk through the main city park with your dog but are not allowed to stop and have a picnic on the grass. There are many other hiking and walking trails, however, within the county where dogs are allowed.

I wish CDA was more dog friendly but I know the reason why it is not. Because people don't clean up after their dogs. Case in point, the new dog park: I go about once a week with my dog because it is 5 miles from my house and I live next to Tubbs Hill. I believe that since many of my fellow citizens donated money to create the park it is my duty to help to keep it clean. When I bring my dog Charlie to play I spend most of my time cleaning up the park (poop patrol). The grass outside of the park where dogs are not allowed also needs to be picked up. In my walks around town I do my best to help keep our city clean but it would be nice if all of my fellow dog owners started cleaning up after their dogs.

It blows my mind that a city as large as NYC allows dogs at pretty much all their parks and there really isn't an issue with people not picking up their dog's crap, but a small community like CDA doesn't allow you to enjoy a city park with your dog. I guess in NYC there are more eyes watching.