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1) Would you say Idahoans are extremely patriotic, more so than most states possibly?
2) What music would you say is most popular there? (please don't say hip-hop!)
3) I saw a news story about a moose in the Boise river near downtown Boise, is that very unusual to see? Do you guys see many moose, eagles, deer, elk around on a somewhat regular basis? Even in Boise, or mostly other areas?
4) What would you say the AVERAGE view of an Idahoan is on illegal immigration? And please note I said illegal, not ones coming through the proper channels.
5) When you guys visit the coast which one do you most visit? What state/beach?
6) What are the foods you feel are Idaho staples/favorites? Also what food would you say is unique to Idaho? (for me as a current central Californian, although hopefully not for long, I would say seafood of various kinds, tri-tip and avacados put on many things.)
7) Speaking of tri-tip, do you guys have that in Idaho? When I lived in Texas no one had heard of it, just curious because I do love it.
8) Are people and businesses there still comfortable saying Merry Christmas instead of feeling the need to often change it to happy holidays?
9) Are Idahoans very worried about being PC all the time?
10) I have read that Idaho seems like America did 20-30 years ago ( in a good way and meant as a compliment) would you say that is true?
11) When you travel from one city or town to another or go to visit a lake or go up to the mountains or whatever is it always crowded? Like traffic on the roads and then also when you get there?
12) Does Idaho have good coffee and coffee shops?
So quite a few random questions, please answer any or all you feel like. Thanks in advance for any replies! I look forward to learning more about mine and my family's (hopefully!) future home.
I'll give it all a shot....these are my opinions, so grain of salt time.
Idaho folks tend to be patriotic, in a Constitutional Libertarian sort of way. We don't have a lot of flag burning hippies here or flag hating illegals and their enablers.
Music....well lots of country, rock and 80's but I listen to AM talk radio and when I want music I use Itunes or my record collection (love to collect records and have a primo vintage Marantz HiFi rig)
I have just about every kind of wildlife in my front and backyard. Mostly deer but yes all kinds of animals. In the right season Eagles are a daily sight just over my home and lake. I live in North Idaho however which is more woodsy and mountainous than Boise. North Idaho looks a lot like Middle Earth in the hobbit and lord of the rings movies.
Don't see a lot of illegals here, don't like them in general. You will be in for a shock here, in Kalifornia illegals commonly take up all the entry level jobs and the construction industry. Not so here, if you go to McDonalds in my town the neighborhood kids are working there. I haven't seen many construction teams here filled with illegals either but it might be more common in Boise.
Don't visit the coast, lived on both at one time or another and have no need to see them again.
Foods....well all kinds here, my favorite is red meat. You can find just about every kind of food here but don't expect to say you feel like Peruvian food and actually find a specific restaurant. I'd say comfort foods are popular here as well as homey hearty chow.
Yes we have all kinds of red meat cuts here though I don't like tri tip as it's often to tough, I'm a rib eye man.
Yes we say Merry Christmas here, you will here it all over town.
No we aren't the PC types really. We won't go out of our way to insult people but half that PC crap is made up and is really cultural Marxism.
Yes Idaho feels a lot like America did in the 80's. It's a pretty neat thing we have going here.
No not crowded at all, we have a beach that you can regularly be alone on. The lake is very quiet sometimes and you can end up being alone on it as well. During the summer we have more visitors and the snow birds are here but in the winter it's not crowded at all. There's little traffic most places and it's easy to get around.
Yup, very good coffee, nice places to have it in. In CDA try Jimmys down the street, great coffee and chow.
Central Kalifornia? Like Visalia/Porterville area? Is Lyndsey still filled with illegal aliens and liquor stores? I remember the last time I had to visit that place it had the most liquor stores per capita of any town in Kalifornia. It was like 110 degrees, 0 percent humidity, everything was dead and brown.
Sounds like a fair enough list for North Idaho. When I have time I will chime in my opinions of Boise and southern Idaho.
Quote:
Originally Posted by DEADTIME
Foods....well all kinds here, my favorite is red meat. You can find just about every kind of food here but don't expect to say you feel like Peruvian food and actually find a specific restaurant. I'd say comfort foods are popular here as well as homey hearty chow.
Peruvian food can be found in Boise. One thing about Boise is the restaurant scene is diverse and becoming more so as time goes by.
DEADTIME I'm in Bakersfield. Very, very dry and I have heard they are planning to drain our largest man made lake in town for water. Last I heard at least. And MANY illegals. Some good people here too though, not as crazy progressive as most of California, but of course some of those too.
I echo Deadtime's assessment for NID almost completely.
It's so refreshing to not hear hip-hop/rap crap booming from people's homes or vehicles everywhere. It's pretty rare to even hear it here and that's SO nice! People for the most part don't really play loud music of any type very much out in public as far as I can tell.
The lack of illegals taking all of the teen's and lower paid jobs and everyone speaking ENGLISH is also wonderful. Having people that are friendly and speak clear English everywhere is SO nice. I was SO disgusted by the flood of illegals taking all of the jobs of this type on other places since the '80s. For those of you who have not lived in places that where this has transpired during the last 30 years, the illegal alienation of the USA is a MAJOR problem and plague sweeping across the nation. Everybody needs to get serious about this or we WILL lose our country very quickly! Places that have been overrun practically have Spanish as their primary language and if you live in one of those places you will constantly run into issues communicating with these illegals in daily situations like ordering food in a drive-thru to more serious issues like parent to parent communications and in issues of accidents/emergencies.
Food/restaurant options in NID generally SUCK when compared to larger metro areas, including even Boise. Lots of comfort food here and some of it is decent. We have just resorted to learning to cook our favorite dishes that we miss from other places we live at home...which isn't really a bad thing.
You will see lots of eagles and deer and sometimes elk, moose, coyote, fox, raccoon, etc. There's also a chance you'll see a bear or cougar, etc. It all depends on how much away from civilization you are and how often, plus a little luck.
People say Merry Christmas everywhere here in NID and in general there is not the suppression of Christian expression here like you hear about and see elsewhere.
There's GREAT coffee here in NID and so many options.
NID is like turning back the clock 30-50 years, depending on where you go. I would urge anyone who moves here to help keep it that way!
I think people here are polite generally, but not PC thankfully. You generally won't get any sympathy here if you are offended by how someone looks at you or says something that rubs you the wrong way if you are one of those over-sensitive types.
1) Would you say Idahoans are extremely patriotic, more so than most states possibly?
I would say that yes we are patriotic, but not necessarily more so than other states. I would say less so than many states, especially states with a large military presence, states like Texas, Georgia, et al, but that doesn't mean that I think we're not patriotic. It's a bit less jingoistic here.
2) What music would you say is most popular there? (please don't say hip-hop!)
This is an impossible question to answer. It really depends, on where, who and how you're hearing music. Short answer: you can find what you want.
In Boise, popular contemporary music is VERY popular, just like most places. That pretty much means rap and hip-hop, especially among the younger crowd. That's likely true anywhere in Idaho, really. Kids were listening to hip hop in small town Idaho 20 years ago; trust me, I was one of those kids (though I listened to rock, metal, and punk more).
But Boise also has a varied music scene, with indie rock, rock, metal, jazz, EDM, and everything else. So do many of the cities in Idaho. However, if you're downtown Boise, it's probably going to be 50% rap/hip hop, 30% rock/indie, and 20% club music/EDM.
Country music is also pretty big here, too. But, as is the overall trend in music, country, pop, and rap are growing hugely, and rock is dying somewhat slowly as things are getting more saturated.
3) I saw a news story about a moose in the Boise river near downtown Boise, is that very unusual to see? Do you guys see many moose, eagles, deer, elk around on a somewhat regular basis? Even in Boise, or mostly other areas?
Not that unusual. Especially deer and various birds of prey. And lots of geese. Lots and lots and lots of geese.
And the occasional cougar finding its way into the periphery, eating some poor dogs or cats.
4) What would you say the AVERAGE view of an Idahoan is on illegal immigration? And please note I said illegal, not ones coming through the proper channels.
Luckily it's not an influence here much, so I would say it's tempered compared to NV, AZ, TX, etc. On the other hand, the demographics and politicians here suggest likely the attitude is they don't like it, and it's a boogeyman for most of the US's problems.
5) When you guys visit the coast which one do you most visit? What state/beach?
It depends. Probably mostly the Oregon Coast and California beaches, as the former is closer, but with the latter since 46.5% of our population are ex-Californians (hint: not entirely accurate here), most of them probably visit their home beaches when they go back to California.
6) What are the foods you feel are Idaho staples/favorites? Also what food would you say is unique to Idaho? (for me as a current central Californian, although hopefully not for long, I would say seafood of various kinds, tri-tip and avacados put on many things.)
Beef. Potatoes. Pub food. Sugar beets (ahahaha). Veggies and salads. Salmon and trout. And generic "ethnic" food, including Mexican and Italian. Basque food is pretty authentic and good, though...
7) Speaking of tri-tip, do you guys have that in Idaho? When I lived in Texas no one had heard of it, just curious because I do love it.
Yes. Probably less delicious than Texas, but who knows?
8) Are people and businesses there still comfortable saying Merry Christmas instead of feeling the need to often change it to happy holidays?
Yeah, but it's changing... at least in Boise. It's not that we're becoming overly "PC" but more that we're being more respectful of other people and their views, opinions, and cultures. On the other hand, we still have a large lighted cross overlooking the city, so people aren't afraid of being religious or of religious people.
9) Are Idahoans very worried about being PC all the time?
No. This will change as we add population, but right now very much no.
10) I have read that Idaho seems like America did 20-30 years ago ( in a good way and meant as a compliment) would you say that is true?
Probably in parts. But this sentiment is exactly that - an overblown, indulgent bit of nostalgia.
The smaller towns and more rural areas will feel slower, more relaxed, but really that's true in small and rural areas throughout the country. I notice the same thing when I visit New England.
People here, even in the smaller towns, have modern vehicles, internet, cell phones, DirectTV, 60" flat screen televisions that they watch 6 hours a day, they're becoming more and more antisocial with the prevalence of technology, just like anywhere else..., they shop at Walmart...
You'll see in a place what you want to see. But to suggest generally that smaller towns in Idaho are slower, a bit more behind the times, and a bit old school... sure.
11) When you travel from one city or town to another or go to visit a lake or go up to the mountains or whatever is it always crowded? Like traffic on the roads and then also when you get there?
I think so. I spend nearly every weekend away from Boise, either on the Payette River, or in Valley County (Cascade), or in the Stanley area, or toward Fairfield.
Others will disagree, and I'm speaking strictly of Southern and Central Idaho, but during the summer months (Memorial to Labor Days) it is very crowded here, particularly the weekends. Less so on weekdays. Especially between Riggins to McCall, from McCall to Boise, from Boise to Stanley to Ketchum, and from Ketchum to Salmon, from Banks to Garden Valley to Lowman, and everything between there.
Highway 55 is bumper to bumper gridlock a good majority of the time, though it still will flow pretty good unless there's a wreck or fire. Highway 21 is less busy, but still busy enough with trucks pulling trailers to a weekend getaway. Same with Highway 20 to Fairfield, the Smokies, Anderson, the Boise River, etc.
As a general rule of thumb, the further you get from the towns and cities, the more you drive in the backcountry, and the more rugged it is... the more you'll escape crowds of people. But, it's also hard to justify a 6 hour drive out, and 6 back, on a typical 2 day weekend.
The more accessible a place is, the more convenient or close, the more people you'll get.
But for the most part Recreation.gov cabins and campsites are booked a year in advance or on the first of the year, whichever applies, and drive up campsites to busier, more popular destinations will be taken starting Friday afternoon.
12) Does Idaho have good coffee and coffee shops?
Boise seems to. I'm sure there's good coffee just about anywhere now.
So quite a few random questions, please answer any or all you feel like. Thanks in advance for any replies! I look forward to learning more about mine and my family's (hopefully!) future home.
It was just easier to reply in bold to each of your questions.
Re: Q10:
We went to the Costco in CdA the other day. Oh my goodness, employees actually asked if they could help us find things! And other customers were careful with their carts, and smiled at us! We realized we were still full of SoCal paranoia after 11 months in exile. Welcome back to sanity!
Yes, 20-30 years of time travel. And worth every minute of it.
I echo Deadtime's assessment for NID almost completely.
It's so refreshing to not hear hip-hop/rap crap booming from people's homes or vehicles everywhere. It's pretty rare to even hear it here and that's SO nice! People for the most part don't really play loud music of any type very much out in public as far as I can tell.
The lack of illegals taking all of the teen's and lower paid jobs and everyone speaking ENGLISH is also wonderful. Having people that are friendly and speak clear English everywhere is SO nice. I was SO disgusted by the flood of illegals taking all of the jobs of this type on other places since the '80s. For those of you who have not lived in places that where this has transpired during the last 30 years, the illegal alienation of the USA is a MAJOR problem and plague sweeping across the nation. Everybody needs to get serious about this or we WILL lose our country very quickly! Places that have been overrun practically have Spanish as their primary language and if you live in one of those places you will constantly run into issues communicating with these illegals in daily situations like ordering food in a drive-thru to more serious issues like parent to parent communications and in issues of accidents/emergencies.
Food/restaurant options in NID generally SUCK when compared to larger metro areas, including even Boise. Lots of comfort food here and some of it is decent. We have just resorted to learning to cook our favorite dishes that we miss from other places we live at home...which isn't really a bad thing.
You will see lots of eagles and deer and sometimes elk, moose, coyote, fox, raccoon, etc. There's also a chance you'll see a bear or cougar, etc. It all depends on how much away from civilization you are and how often, plus a little luck.
People say Merry Christmas everywhere here in NID and in general there is not the suppression of Christian expression here like you hear about and see elsewhere.
There's GREAT coffee here in NID and so many options.
NID is like turning back the clock 30-50 years, depending on where you go. I would urge anyone who moves here to help keep it that way!
I think people here are polite generally, but not PC thankfully. You generally won't get any sympathy here if you are offended by how someone looks at you or says something that rubs you the wrong way if you are one of those over-sensitive types.
I got a chuckle over the bolded part. When we have visitors, they all comment on how many great places there are to eat! I guess that's one of those "opinions will vary" things.
OP: I think DEADTIME and Disciple1975 both did a good job of summarizing how North Idaho feels to a Central California refugee.
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