New job in Pocatello, live in Idaho falls? and other questions.... (Blackfoot: real estate, neighborhoods)

[MrSportsNut]

Finally getting to retire and taking a new job in Pocatello and debating if I want to drive from Idaho Falls or not.

So here are some basic questions: internet speed / provider Pocatello area?

Do people really commute between Idaho Falls & Pocatello? I’m use to a 40 min bumper to bumper commute.

Any other advice or what to look for feel free to add in your thoughts.

[f5fstop]

Basically, there are two large internet providers in Pocatello; Centuryline and Cableone. In my area, Chubbuck, the fastest Centurylink offers is 7 mbps; barely fast enough for Netflix HD. I have Cableone, 100 mbps, cost is $55.00 per month. Been extremely reliable and clocking via a direct line to my laptop it clocks at just a bit over 100 mbps; and that is around 7PM usually the busiest time, so I'm getting what I paying for. And at those speeds, you can watch Netflix 4K content.

And Cableone is installing fiber optics in the Pocatello area and that usually means some extreme speeds. but might be for business only.

But other areas will have different speeds, and there are some smaller providers.

I'm sure there are some that do a commute. From my place it is 47 miles or 49 minutes, but about 10 miles is two-lane. If you live closer to an entrance to I-15 it will cut off some time. Most of the time it is a nice drive; some days in winter could be miserable.

[banjomike]

I live in Idaho Falls.
I've known many people who live in one city and work in the other. As f5 mentioned, the drive is about 50 minutes, about any route a person takes; there are several, and there are many exits on/off I-15 in both towns. The interstate exits don't get jammed as they do in other states, but the most heavily used exits can sometimes make traffic slower through the stop lights in both towns during peak drive times.

There are lots of net providers in both; many are local/regional, so it can pay to look around for the best rates and speeds. I have had good luck with my Century Link service, and I chose it for its convenience; it's the major telephone provider.

The winters here can make the commute hard after a big storm, but for most of a winter, about the only problem on the Interstate is ice under overpasses and over the Snake River bridge in Blackfoot. The road is always plowed early and frequently during snowstorms, and almost all of it is exposed, so it usually clears very quickly.

As f5 mentioned, it is a very nice drive. Going south from Idaho Falls, a driver gets great views of the great plain that lies to the west and of the mountains that surround Pocatello- they aren't seen from Idaho Falls, so they rise up unexpectedly as one approaches Fort Hall, the Sho-Ban reservation just north of Pocatello.

They are both nice towns to live in. Idaho Falls is larger and more hustle-bustle, and has the falls running through downtown, but Poky has great mountain views and it's own river winding through town. Neighborhoods in both are typically quiet, and both are very family-oriented.

The biggest difference is Idaho Falls is higher and more exposed; Poky lies in a hole where several ranges converge, so it's more sheltered and warmer year round by a few degrees. Poky is more prone to temp inversions in the winter, but they happen in both towns. Real estate prices are similar in both, as are city services etc. Idaho Falls is typically a bit more sunny in the winters, and both are typically dry and very sunny in the summer.

Poky was always a railroad junction town, and more industrial than Idaho Falls, which has always been more agricultural. Both lie in the heart of southern Idaho's best ag zone, and are surrounded by lots of big farms.

Really, the only way for you to know which would be the best for you is to come out and look them both over. Essentially, one is the major service center for the bottom of S.E. Idaho to the Utah border, and the other the major service center for the upper portion of the S.E corridor and for W. Wyoming and S.W. Montana.

Both are gateways to some of the most beautiful scenery the West has.

[f5fstop]

Mike, ever wonder why we reply to threads, taking our time and offering info; just to be ignored?

[Clark Fork Fantast]

Mike and f5fstop, you are cherished and appreciated by the rest of us! And some posters only check C-D sporadically. That reminds me, I asked a question a while back over in the Videogames forum. Maybe I should check if there are any more answers!

[f5fstop]

Guess I'm different. If I ask a question, I check on it daily, until I say thanks and indicate the subject is over. If they continue to post, so be it. But I believe it is not polite to ask a question and not return and acknowledge the answers in a day or two.

[banjomike]

Originally Posted by f5fstop

Mike, ever wonder why we reply to threads, taking our time and offering info; just to be ignored?

Oh, yeah. All the time.

MrSportsNut seems to be a real lookie-Lou. I checked some of his old posts after replying, and they go back a ways. It's always the same with him: he's about to retire and is looking for a place to retire and settle down.

Given the nature of C-D, and it's purpose for being, I guess it's just part of being a regular. I doubt he will ever come west, or come to Idaho, but hopefully, someone else who's more serious may get something valuable from your good work here.

When it comes to back country expeditions, you and Toyman both know far more than me or almost all of us here, and your expertise is very valuable for a lot of folks who want to do the same stuff.

It's not a wasted effort if all the other regulars here, and our moderator, continue to keep referring newbies to the Idaho forum archives. I've noticed the Idaho forum is particularly good at that- better by far than some of our neighboring states' forums.

I just hope to see more of your killer pictures! Your eye really captures what back country adventuring is all about here and how rewarding it can be.

Thank God you carry a camera! I never did, back in the day when I was having lots of fun trying to fall off mountains and getting into big trouble out there all the time. Not leaving a photo record behind of those days is one of my greatest regrets, especially now that some of the other youngsters I went with are now dead and gone.

The bravest and most adventurous of us all died a few years ago, leaving nothing behind but a few pairs of worn-out boots and other old junk. I didn't even know he was still around until I read his death notice in the paper. We had fallen completely out of touch.

[MrSportsNut]

Actually I do check on the posts I start & do follow up but the last few days I've been very very busy. You'll have to forgive me for not posting a quicker response, it was only 6 days ago. (Didn't know there was a need for instant response...I'll keep that mind going forward).

[Clark Fork Fantast]

Some of us follow up quickly, others not. There really are no rules in that respect, other than the rules of courtesy, and we may have different perceptions about that. Checking in every weekend is what a lot of people do. Sometimes I check a response, but I'm too busy or exhausted to reply right away.

[cleosmom]

Originally Posted by MrSportsNut

Actually I do check on the posts I start & do follow up but the last few days I've been very very busy. You'll have to forgive me for not posting a quicker response, it was only 6 days ago. (Didn't know there was a need for instant response...I'll keep that mind going forward).

I certainly hope there are no rules regarding response time. If there are I should have been banned eons ago?

You're fine MrSportsNut, we do have real life as well as the Internet