Coeur d'Alene (Boise, Nampa, Lewiston: cheap house, employment, neighborhood)

[Lotus Flower]

Hi all!

My family (me, husband, and kids age 5 and 2) want to move out of the mosquito-infested swamp that is FL. We particularly love it out west, love snow (or at least the idea of it!!), want the different seasons, and we LOVE to hike, bike, camp, ski, and sled, so close outdoor parks, forests, trails, etc are a must. I NEED sunshine since I'm from FL...stayed in Bellingham,WA, for a few weeks once and literally got sick from lack of sun. I love rain and storms, but I can do with only a little of it if necessary. We also like water activities, and the CDA's lake is appealing. Also, we'd like a city that is around 50,000 - 80,000 people, maybe a little more or less. I stay at home w/ my kids, so we're a one-income family.

Would we be comfortable in CDA?
Where else would you suggest we look?

TIA!!

[Sage of Sagle]

Originally Posted by Lotus Flower

I NEED sunshine since I'm from FL...

This unfortunately means that North Idaho is NOT the place for you. We have sunny summers, mind you, and some clear days here and there in the spring/fall...but LONG gray dark winters where you see the sun only once every week or two maybe. (We call it a "sun break")

[Lotus Flower]

And that's what I was afraid of... Thanks, though! Needed to hear it.

[Sage of Sagle]

No problem. This area is (IMO) the best place to live in the whole USA...IF you can handle the long dark winters (we take vacations to sunny states in Jan and Feb which helps) and LOTS of snow clearing and 8-10 weeks of sub-freezing temps (the highs won't go above 32F from mid Dec to mid-late Feb).

[Lotus Flower]

Yeah, that's a lot different from FL...lol.

This may be a dumb question, but what do you do during those 8 - 10 weeks of dark, gray and sub-zero weather? In case we decide to go for it. It really does sound beautiful out there!

[jjkmd]

Ski, snow shoe, snowmobiling, ice fishing, vacation to somewhere warm!

[Lotus Flower]

Originally Posted by jjkmd

vacation to somewhere warm!

LOL...good time to visit family in FL, huh? haha

Thanks!

[Count David]

Fort Collins-Loveland, CO
Boulder-Longmont, CO

You don't have to worry about the lack of sun thing in Colorado.

[mistyriver]

I'm from the east originally though I spent 10 years in sunny Arizona, and I don't think it's terribly cloudy here in winter. Definitely more so than AZ or SO Cal, of course, but less cloudy than IN and very close to Boston or Atlanta as far as cloudy days.
You should check out Albuquerque, NM as well if you're looking for sunshine and cold winters. Oh..and Flagstaff, AZ. I used to live there and it's a wonderful place to live, though salaries are low and cost of living fairly high.

[NW Crow]

If you a city that is around 50,000 - 80,000 people with more sun and fairly near outdoor stuff (mountains to the east, Columbia River to the west), you might consider Walla Walla WA. 30,000 in town, 60,000 in the metro. Modest rain & snow. Almost 200 sunny days. Decent economy for today and in pretty good position for the future. Home prices will vary by the desirability of the neighborhood but the average price in moderate.

Helena MT has 70,000 in its metro. Snowfall in the same range as CDA but more sun. Decent economy for today and cheaper houses than Walla Walla WA. Mountains and a big lake nearby.

Nampa ID has 75,000 itself, though it is a part of the Boise metro. Plenty of sun. A lake. Cheap houses. Not a lot of jobs right now.

Wenatchee WA, Lewiston ID, Klamath Falls OR are not for everybody but I'll briefly mention them as being about the right size with sun and nearby outdoor rec.

Bend is bigger than you asked for,with pretty severe employment issues so I wouldn't really recommend it, but it is another option.

Any place far north with have less light in the winter, especially compared to Florida. Winter clouds are still going to be fairly common even in these sunnier NW places.