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I spent the past couple of months researching NID. Before that, I looked into the Billings MT area. I made a visit to Billings in October and left with mixed emotions. I grew up in rural NC, tobacco fields, farms etc. It's gradually become more liberal here and very populated due to the mass exodus of people from New England. I wanted to find a place where I could raise kids on a nice piece of property 15-40 acres but yet still be within 30 minutes of a Costco or similar for re-supplying. As I mentioned, I visited Billings and found a nice piece of property about 35 mins north of town (40 acres for around 60k). I really liked it, though that part of the state is fairly dry, lots of sun but relatively warm compared to the rest of MT. It really is Big Sky Country out there, but honestly the threat of wildfires concerns me quite a bit there, not to mention the prospect of finding work if I needed a fall back.
With that being said, from what I can tell it seems NID (Cda in particular) looks much greener and the fact that Spokane is nearby nearly ensures me of a job if needed. I've never visited the area so I'm relying mostly on this board as to what to expect when we visit in April. We are looking for something similar property-wise of that we saw in Montana. It would be nice if a small town was within 10-15 mins for immediate needs and at least 30 mins to Cda.
So what's the weather like there? Dry, semi-humid? I'm used to NC swamp weather lol. Do you have terrible mosquitos in the summer due to the lake nearby? Gnats? Black flies? If so, are they only around for a week or so. I remember visiting West Yellowstone and we got swarmed with mosquitos! It had to be the most mosquitos I've ever seen. Do you have pests like mice, rats, cockroaches? Everyone in Montana said they never had any of those problems and if they did it was for a short period of time (couple of weeks).
I own my own web business and have already started the process of moving my business there because it's cheaper to operate than in NC. What are property taxes like there? Car taxes? Tag renewals?
We are currently having a very dry winter, no snow on the ground and days and days of low lying fog that blocks out the sun. It isn't dry like a desert but when it gets hot here in the summer and it is over 90 it really isn't that bad because we have very little humidity. I live very close to Lake Coeur d'Alene and mosquitoes hardly ever bother us at all. I know that in some parts of the country you can't enjoy being outside because there are so many. They really aren't a problem here unless you live near a swampy area. Never had a problem with cockroaches but we do have mice here. I'm sure others can help you with some of your other questions.
You're right, much of southern Idaho is dry and some is desert, but North Idaho is generally well-forested and not prone to terribly extreme summer temperatures, although as we were reminded this year, our winters can get bitterly cold. In southern Idaho it's common to have nice, clear summers with a good run of days above 100 degrees and a few reaching into the 110s. It's a dry heat, so it's not sticky or oppressive. In North Idaho we'll typically get up into the 80s or 90s for couple/few weeks, and every once in awhile top out around 100. Coeur d'Alene's hottest temperature in 2013 was 97 on July 1. The highest temperature ever recorded in Coeur d'Alene since 1895 was 109 on August 4, 1961. The coldest temperature ever recorded in CdA was -30 on January 30, 1950.
I've never had much of a problem with mosquitoes. Maybe a bite or two per summer when I spend a lot of time outdoors. I think I've been stung by bees and wasps more in North Idaho than I've been bitten by mosquitoes.
The worst place I've lived as far as mosquitoes go is close to Lake Lowell, just outside of Nampa, Idaho. Swarms. There are some marshy areas around in North Idaho, and I'd assume they have a decent population of mosquitoes, but around the lake I've never been bothered.
Gnats have only been a problem for me when I've gone out along the rivers east of Coeur d'Alene.
Flies seem to come and go by the year. Some summers a day won't go by when my cat isn't happily munching on one while I flail around with the fly swatter trying to kill the rest. Other years I won't see any at all.
Mice are everywhere in Idaho, but I've seen far fewer up north than when I lived in southern Idaho--my working theory is that living in the middle of southern Idaho's farmland contributed to the perception that there are more mice there. Most people I know who have had a mouse problem have resolved (or mitigated) it through traditional traps baited with peanut butter or bread.
In all my life I've never seen or heard of a wild rat causing problems. There has a few out there, but they don't seem to bother with people much. I've heard of cockroaches being found in Idaho periodically, but haven't seen a single one in person. I don't think they handle the cold very well.
There's no lack of farmland in Idaho--north and south. Our growing season is shorter in North Idaho, so depending on what you're growing, you may need to find heartier varieties and make adjustments to the way you grow crops.
Hmmm…
I think this is the first time we have had a cockroach question asked.
The only Idaho cockroach I ever saw was in Moscow, when I was attending the U of I. An architecture student caught it and leashed it to his drawing board with a piece of thread as a mascot.
I have never seen a rat, ever, in Idaho, or have even heard of one. But deer mice are everywhere in the state, and are carriers of Lyme disease. We haven't had many cases of Lyme disease here, but that can always change; our rodents typically go through cycles of population booms and crashes.
Mosquitos vary a lot from year to year due to mostly 2 things- the cold and the moisture. W. Yellowstone can be full of them in a rare circumstance; when herds of elk or buffalo decide to spend the summer close to West, they bring the skeeters with them. W. Yellowstone is surrounded on 3 sides by the park and national forest. When the wildlife isn't in the area, the mosquitos aren't bad.
I live in S.E. Idaho, and the mosquitos aren't nearly as bad here as when I was growing up.
When Montana burns, so does Idaho. Both states are equally prone to forest fires. Last year, the Idaho fires were the worst in the nation, but in any given year, it's a tossup as to which state will be the worst. Only California is a prone to fire as Montana and Idaho. If you are looking for living in timbered country, fire is a fact of life. It has to be considered; while a magnificent cabin in the timber might be beautiful, it isn't worth much even if it's saved when the timber burns and leaves nothing but charcoal behind for the next 30 years.
Montana won't send out fire trucks to save your property if you don't have a road wide enough for 2 fire trucks to pass each other, a turnaround by your home, and a cistern or catchment pond that holds at least 30,000 gallons of water. This state law was passed after a particularly bad series of fire years beginning in 2000 and lasting into 2003. Millions of acres burned because the fire fighters had to respond to too many single homes that were threatened, and many of the homes were lost because there was no effective way to fight the fire once crews reached the house. The Montana law came after the state was sued by the owner of a $2 million dollar trophy cabin that was lost to a forest fire. The owner lost the suit, but Montana made sure another similar lawsuit would never happen again.
As far as I know, Idaho has no such law, but the state announced home fire defense in a big fire was no longer a priority. In essence, Idaho simply won't come save your house if there's a bigger fire to fight. Clearing a safety zone in surrounding timber is up to the homeowner, as is fire defense. But Idaho hasn't been sued yet, so we may adopt a similar law eventually.
I'm not being nosy, but why are you thinking about so much acreage? Even 15 acres is a lot to take care of, and 40 would be a full farm, but not much of a working ranch here. If you are thinking that's what is needed for isolation or outdoor activity, that much ground isn't needed- like Montana, wilderness is always very close by.
Idaho taxes much differently from Montana. Montana has depletion taxes that once paid most of the state's revenues due to the Anaconda mine and it's forest industry, but both bring in nothing now. There are no sales taxes in Montana, but the state nails you on everything else, especially property taxes and licensing. Idaho has a sales tax, and overall, we pay more taxes here than in Montana, but they don't hurt quite as much. In Idaho, we pay sales tax on food and just about everything, but our property taxes are lower, so we're constantly nibbled on. Montana taxes are shockingly painful only because it takes bigger and fewer bites.
If finding a back-up job is important to you, you might want to look at the southern half of the state seriously. NID is beautiful, but good jobs are harder to find there. The southern cities, especially Boise and the Treasure valley, Idaho Falls, and Twin Falls is where all the major commerce and job growth is happening. Coeur d'Alene and most of the north depends more on tourism than big agriculture, manufacturing, engineering and the other stuff that's happening in the south.
Even so, don't expect to get N. Carolina wages in either state. Idaho's wages are the lowest in the nation overall, and Montana isn't far behind. Our costs of living are lower, but much depends on what a person is qualified for as to whether the two balance or not.
Everywhere in Idaho, from top to bottom, is more scenic than Billings. If that's important to you. Every major town in Idaho is very close to major scenery, even if it doesn't appear so at first glance.
Last edited by banjomike; 01-25-2014 at 08:13 PM..
Thanks for the replies! I think the main thing about the property is to have a nice buffer - but you do have a point that it's a lot to keep up. The land I was looking at in Montana was a good bargain and it had an adjacent lot for sale which is why I said 40 acres, but I'm not totally decided on that.
I make a good bit of my income on the web and I don't anticipate that ending, but you never know - things change. We just want to find a place to live for the next 30 years, raise a family and be happy with it. We want to be away from the subdivisions and the HOAs etc.
Interesting thoughts on the Boise area. I appreciate your thorough response, things to think about for sure.
Thanks for the replies! I think the main thing about the property is to have a nice buffer - but you do have a point that it's a lot to keep up. The land I was looking at in Montana was a good bargain and it had an adjacent lot for sale which is why I said 40 acres, but I'm not totally decided on that.
I make a good bit of my income on the web and I don't anticipate that ending, but you never know - things change. We just want to find a place to live for the next 30 years, raise a family and be happy with it. We want to be away from the subdivisions and the HOAs etc.
Interesting thoughts on the Boise area. I appreciate your thorough response, things to think about for sure.
You're welcome, bronson.
I fully understand your desire for a buffer; they are nice to have. Give some thought as to alternatives to only lots of ground, though, and bear in mind that a piece of land out here may not have any neighbors close by for a long time. There are many reasons why rural land for sale is, on the surface, a good deal.
One thing to especially keep in mind is where a home will be placed on the property. Clearing a 10 acre long driveway to the closest public road is not a small undertaking after a major blizzard or even just a good solid snowfall.
It's very good that you're taking your time and looking around extensively. The more you get to know how life is out here, the better prepared you will be for your final decisions. Ask lots of questions wherever you go.
It is always funny how just being that few degrees warmer means their snow goes away that much faster than Priest River and the Dufort Valley. Our road and driveway are still one solid thick sheet of ice and we have 5-8" snowpack in many places still, where our friends in CDA have spring conditions.
Does anyone have any information on builders in the Cda area? Or information on what most homes look like that are in the rural areas? Any log cabins or homes that blend in with the surroundings? I've seen a lot of log home builders that use "kits" to put their homes together. I'm not a carpenter or builder by any means so just trying to get an idea of who is reputable in the area and who is not. What is the typical price for a 2,000 sq ft home?
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