Looking at Idaho from Vermont.

[brother227]

Vtguy,I moved out here to the Boise area back in the 90's from NH(born and raised there)so my experiences here my be of some help to you.

[Sage of Sagle]

Vtguy,

Economy is still tough. Unemployment running 9-11%, people are hanging onto their jobs, not much lateral movement. The construction/craftsman trade is NOT the place to be right now in Idaho...although I would think remodeling would be safer than new construction right now...

[Vtguy]

Thanks Sage, tough business for me to be in , where ever I go , I'll bet.

brother227....your experiences would be of interest.

[jja100]

Originally Posted by Vtguy

My wife and I are looking to relocate, to a slightly warmer climate. Winters are just too long now here in central Vermont. I've been to Boise several times in the Winter and found that very agreeable. I'm hoping to fly out and rent a car , and just drive all over the place. Boise is too big a city for us to live, but possibly to work, and probably a landing place initially. We want a small working class town,(like here...1000 pop.) .....maybe 1000 to 5000 population would be great. Rural, not too much snow, preferably. The cost of living / wage picture is on the high side here (low wage / high cost.) First question is how Idaho might compare, in that regard....and second.....areas where we might look. I am a finish carpenter/cabinetmaker/chairmaker, high-end of 30 years, and my wife is an RN. currently in Hospice. We are in our early 50s. Any advice or info is greatly appreciated. Michael

So long as you are not a flaming Lib trying to change the state so that it is inline with your value system you should be fine in Idaho.

[tdna]

Originally Posted by jja100

So long as you are not a flaming Lib trying to change the state so that it is inline with your value system you should be fine in Idaho.

Gosh, what an insightful, or maybe that's inciteful, reply.

I moved from Vermont to Victor a little over a year ago. The lack of humidity here is quite a nice change. I have had to adjust to the comparable lack of trees and, therefore, shade, especially on long hikes. I also really miss the foliage, but not the Leaf Peepers. The length of winter is about the same, but the temperatures seem slightly more mild here (while last winter was my first as a resident, I have spent a lot of time here during all times of year for the past 9 years, so I'm not basing my opinion on only one season).

The cost of living is about the same with the exception of power, which is substantially less. In fact, I'm paying about 1/2 of what I paid in VT.

Like most Vermonters, most Idahoans seem very friendly and open-minded. In my experience, as long as you are kind and respectful you will be treated the same way and no one will care about your political or religious beliefs. Too much is made, in my opinion, about conservatives vs. liberals and the LDS influence. It seems to be a problem only for those hell bent on making it so.

I like Victor a lot. In Vermont, I lived 6 miles out a dirt road, with no neighbors, in a town of 350 people; so, Victor felt downright metropolitan with its TWO gas stations, a grocery store, multiple restaurants, a brewpub and a brewery. It took a while to get used to the fact that I could hear traffic from my house and my neighbors laugh because I guess you actually have to listen pretty hard to be able to hear it.

There seem to be a lot skilled craftsmen who have no trouble finding work just over the hill in Jackson and St. John's Hospital always has nursing positions posted. A lot of people don't like the commute over Teton Pass, but I've never had a problem. Being from central Vermont, I'm sure you've driven the App Gap or 125 in the winter and both of those are steeper and have sharper corners than Teton Pass.

Anyway, from one Vermonter to another, good luck with your decision, whatever it turns out to be.

[Mtn. States Resident]

Originally Posted by tdna

Gosh, what an insightful, or maybe that's inciteful, reply.

I moved from Vermont to Victor a little over a year ago. The lack of humidity here is quite a nice change. I have had to adjust to the comparable lack of trees and, therefore, shade, especially on long hikes. I also really miss the foliage, but not the Leaf Peepers. The length of winter is about the same, but the temperatures seem slightly more mild here (while last winter was my first as a resident, I have spent a lot of time here during all times of year for the past 9 years, so I'm not basing my opinion on only one season).

The cost of living is about the same with the exception of power, which is substantially less. In fact, I'm paying about 1/2 of what I paid in VT.

Like most Vermonters, most Idahoans seem very friendly and open-minded. In my experience, as long as you are kind and respectful you will be treated the same way and no one will care about your political or religious beliefs. Too much is made, in my opinion, about conservatives vs. liberals and the LDS influence. It seems to be a problem only for those hell bent on making it so.

I like Victor a lot. In Vermont, I lived 6 miles out a dirt road, with no neighbors, in a town of 350 people; so, Victor felt downright metropolitan with its TWO gas stations, a grocery store, multiple restaurants, a brewpub and a brewery. It took a while to get used to the fact that I could hear traffic from my house and my neighbors laugh because I guess you actually have to listen pretty hard to be able to hear it.

There seem to be a lot skilled craftsmen who have no trouble finding work just over the hill in Jackson and St. John's Hospital always has nursing positions posted. A lot of people don't like the commute over Teton Pass, but I've never had a problem. Being from central Vermont, I'm sure you've driven the App Gap or 125 in the winter and both of those are steeper and have sharper corners than Teton Pass.

Anyway, from one Vermonter to another, good luck with your decision, whatever it turns out to be.

Great post, tdna.

MSR

[jlcoffin]

I was an Idaho native now living in Las Vegas Nv and looking to perhaps move to Vermont.

Like many of the blogs have mentioned, Northern is very woody and tons of water as oppossed to the south which is dry but close to mtns and streams. I lived in Boise and went to college there. Great town although much bigger than the late 80's. Like all spraw....Home depots and Hollywood video looks like everywhere else. However, Boise's downtown is one of the best in the west. They have a huge greenbelt along the river that is full of bike trails, parks, etc. In the summer everyone floats the river and although it appears crowded, a very fun and safe place to be. This is largely due to the fact that most of Boise is upper middle class and well educated as the world headquarts of Albertsons, Boise cascade, etc are stationed here. The blue collar type factory jobs lie in the small towns around the state. A very clean and comfortable city for great restaurants and tons of public land and mtns close by. When it hit the cover of Time magazine several years ago, housing prices soared. Expect to pay 250-350 in a well kept metro area wether it be an old "mill" house or a tract home. Boise reminds me of what Seattle and Denver used to be like before they allowed the liberals to take control and
encourage explosive welfare benefits and all of the problems that go along with it. Idaho is still fairly conservative in that respect, and for the most part, it shows.

On the other side of the coin am looking for a small Boise back east. I currently have a summer home in southern maine. Maine's politics have changed over the past few years and as a result is dramatically changing our landscape. The welfare population has boomed and the junk trailers and hillbilly crap is creeping fairly quickly into our old village surroundings. Not a snob, and am not rich, but I like well kept areas. Am looking at the Burlington Stowe area. Am I barking up the wrong tree here?? The pictures look great, but they don't ever tell the whole story. Hope this helps and any info you could give me would be great.
Thanks

[jlcoffin]

Boise has seen explosive growth since I lived there and realestate has taken the brunt of it. Take a serious look at Pocatello on the eastern side. The railroad industry has been replaced with some highend medical things and Idaho State University has seen a big expansion. I grew up there and my daughter still lives there. It's about 50,000, but feels like 30,000. Great location and close to tons of public land and mtns. Winters are slightly harsher than Boise but over the years falls are lasting longer and longer.Pocky went through a small surge of growth and housing is a bit inflated, nothing like Boise. My daughter just bought a five year old home...2,000 for 145,000. As the professionals have moved in and factories out, it has had a cutsie facelift but still a real town. people are great and you will meet all kinds. Like much of Idaho, it is very common to walk into a bar and see a biker, a college kid, and a rancher all sharing conversation. Everyone for the most part minds their own business as well. I have a summer home in Southern Maine and am trying to get some info on the Burlington Stowe area for a possible relocate. Any info you could give on that end would be mush appriecieted as well.

[MichelleBailey]

I think the cost of living is relative. I'm from Northern California and didn't find much that changed....except housing of course. Food, gas and auto insurance didn't change at all. I was really shocked about the auto insurance but I live in Meridian and at the time they only had one zip code which located a number of the busiest intersections (and therefore auto accidents) in the state. Since adding a new zip code a couple years ago, and no longer being a member of the busy zip code, my insurance hasn't changed. Hmmmm...interesting. I always thought it would be cheaper to live here but really it's no different. It's all relative to the salary you make.

I agree with most of the comments made about the Boise area. You can find good jobs and commute from a small town. I will warn you about commuting. It really does take a long time to get from here to there! I used to laugh when my friends in Eagle would complain about driving to Costco in Boise. Afterall, I'm used to driving 55 miles one way to work. Once you move here and get used to the slower pace...you will probablly find the traffic annoying.