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I'am thinking about moving from Cali to Idaho. I have 2 daughters and a son that range from 11yrs to 1yr. My husband and I have lived in Cali pretty much all our lives and are looking for a "better" place to raise our kids. I love the weather out here in Cali but the kids would love to be in the snow. I would like some info on how my experience would be if we did move out to Idaho. My husband is black and I'am white. My kids have never experienced racism, so my question on that is would they experience it out there? My husband is a mechanic and I do medical billing. How is the job market out there for this type of work? We are very family oriented people and just want our kids brought up in a family oriented environment...could Idaho be the place for us? Any responses would be greatly appreciated.
Are you moving from a major metro area in California? Do you have a location in mind for your move to Idaho? We relocated from California to Idaho a couple of years ago. My husband deals with a lot of shops and mechanics in the Boise area. He says that there are quite a few jobs in this area for mechanics. Depending on where you're coming from in California, your husband can probably expect that wages will be less here in Idaho. Yes, it is very family friendly here and a good place to raise your kids.
I'm actually moving from Monterey County, about 5 min away from Monterey off the coast. People tell me I must be crazy to want to move away from such a beautiful place. It's just really hard for a middle class family like myself to make it out here. I want to own a nice home. Out here in Monterey County you cant get anything "nice" for under 500k. I have a co-worker that has a brother that lives in Boise Idaho and she's thinking about moving as well. So that's kinda where I got the idea. So no, I have no clue as to what part of Idaho I would like to move to . Any suggestions?
Boise- I think you would do just fine in Boise. It's the largest city in the state and you will be very comfortable. Come for a visit and see what you think. You're probably looking at a 13 to 15 hours if you choose to drive or fly out of San Jose- it will be cheaper probably than Monterey. It's about an hour and 45 min flight without stops- look at Alaska Airlines.
Good luck with your move,Monterey is one of the most beautiful places I have seen in my life...You should really go visit Idaho for about a week and do what people that live there do-go to the grocery story,commute from where you might live to where you might work,go for a walk with your husband and kids in a neighborhood you might consider living in,go to the coffee shop with a book and sit for a few hours,Check out the local paper for mechanics jobs,,,but from Monterey plan on a pay cut but it does not matter if you can still afford to buy a home and live better,,,check out the schools....Good luck
I moved here from California via England (long story) and was born in Santa Cruz. Boise is a huge difference from your area. It took me a long time to adjust to the loss of the ocean nearby. I will address your concerns honestly without hype. Summers are very hot and expensive for our AC bill and utilities keep going up. Housing is nice and much cheaper - you can get a 3 bdrm/2bath home in good school area of Boise for $225K up. One note of contention is the infrastructure is badly in need of maintenance because the population boom has taken it's toll so the tax base will have to be raised each year to keep up with the demands for road, bridges, freeway, water mains, electrical cable, etc to be maintained. So what is a bargain today won't be a bargain in five years.
Racism, honestly? Some - very large Hispanic population, very small black population, primarily white population. I have seen people of all colors readily assimilated into the community - depends on behavior - they give everyone a fair shake here from my observation. Many friends are teachers and tell me the school system though over-crowded with high teacher-student ratio, is adequate. They have spoken of some levels of racism within the system. But having lived in California, I find it hard to believe that your children have never experienced racism anywhere - I have many relatives who say the opposite.
Jobs are a problem particularly with layoffs in Boise's major companies - the market is flooded with mostly low-paying, service-oriented jobs. Mechanics make less here than in California, as do most other skilled workers, but then the cost of living is less. Idaho is a Right To Work state meaning that the employer has the rights and unions are not recognized so the worker has few rights. That is very different than California. Medical billing, depending on experience, can be done from your home and work done at home is never as highly paid here and if done at a workplace it is an average paying job here.
New businesses abound but then so do they fail because the economic base is changing. Lots of churches, few bars, little nightlife assures some semblance of safe and secure lifestyle for families. Higher education is stressed here and only that and money opens doors for you. The population ratio of higher educated people is very high. This means the area attracts and retains people who are leaders, who contribute to the community and are intellectually stimulating. That being said, the natives are friendly ;-) and the parks are plentiful. Boise is not a place where you see children playing outside much - but rather in groups sharing common interests either outdoors or in clubs or in church or school groups. If it sounds like what you are looking for, I don't think you will be disappointed!
There are not very many black people in Idaho Falls, but it seems that the ones there are don't have many problems with racism. Two of my daughter's friends in elementary school are black and I've asked her before if there are any incidences of the kids treating them differently and she was actually surprised by my question (a very good sign in my opinion). Most people I know are more concerned with what people are like than the color of their skin. As far as jobs, I know that Idaho Falls currently has the lowest unemployment rate in the country. I don't know a lot about employment opportunities in those particular areas, but I'd imagine there's always a pretty good market for experienced mechanics.
Excellent post, Crionna! You've covered a lot of the differences between California and Idaho. I'm glad you mentioned summer heat. Temperatures are much higher than the "average" charts indicate and the heat lasts for about 2-3 months.
Higher education is stressed here in the job market, and Boise's first community college is now in the planning stages and supposed to be opened sometime in 2008. Due to the increase in property taxes necessary to fund the college, there were a fair amount of homeowners who objected to the community college. Homes are reassessed annually here, unlike California under Prop 13. Idaho government apparently doesn't run in the red, so if they can't raise the taxes necessary to fund a project, it just doesn't happen. This can lead to difficulties in building new roads, expanding the limited public transportation, etc.
Although there are other infrastructure issues, the public schools here in Boise are excellent. The schools seem to be a priority and are well-funded, in comparison to some schools I've seen in California. There are some excellent charter schools here in Boise and the school facilities themselves are well-maintained. I agree with Crionna in that you really don't see kids playing outside, so it can be a challenge for kids to socialize outside of school and group activities.
One surprising issue, at least here in Boise, is the traffic. There is only one East/West freeway in Boise and all other traffic moves on surface streets. On the average, the time spent in traffic in Boise is far longer than what I've experienced in San Diego. Improvements will most likely occur as the government has time to catch up with the population growth.
As everyone has mentioned, your wages will most likely be lower here. Housing and utilities are less expensive here, but most other living expenses average out to be the same as California. For example, vehicle registration is much less in Idaho, but Idaho charges sales tax on all groceries.
Do come and visit for awhile and get a feel for the area. That will help you and your family make the decision if Idaho is right for you.
the average, the time spent in traffic in Boise is far longer than what I've experienced in San Diego.
I don't agree with this part of the post at all. A California native myself and recently having been in San Diego I find this untrue. Boise has thick traffic during the typical rush hour times, but beyond that it's very easy to get around compared to what you would experience in San Diego. I just don't see how you could even compare the two IMO.
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