Pocatello/Chubbuck Neighborhoods (Idaho Falls: real estate, apartments, rental market)

[The Denim Dude]

Hello all!

There is a decent chance I will be making a move to the Pocatello area for a job within the next month or so. I am from Southeast Idaho and have been to Pocatello a number of times. However, I am not too familiar with the different neighborhoods and the perception those who live in the area have of them. I am single and would rent for the first year or so before buying a home. Although open to renting a house, I would prefer just a basic apartment.

Safety is my top priority for finding a place to live. I realize Pocatello is generally a safe town, but are there any areas or neighborhoods to be wary of when it comes to finding an apartment? I once heard a real estate agent suggest to stay away from most areas near the train tracks. Not sure if that's the case or not.

Anyway, any information would be greatly appreciated. I will continue to look through the older threads as well to gather info.

[BannockCounty]

As a very general rule the neighborhoods adjacent to the tracks in the center of town are more modest with a higher number of people with economic challenges. But that doesn't mean you wouldn't find a little pocket here and there with a streak of "house proud" occupants. As an aside, I have a relative who owns quite a few duplexes around ISU. She told me that the rental market turned in to a buyer's market right after ISU lost a whole lot of international students a year ago, but that it has rebounded quite a bit this summer. Best wishes! (P.S. - what little Pocatello activity there is on the CD forums usually tends to end up under the Idaho Falls thread (perhaps because we are a shared TV market with them ).

[The Denim Dude]

Thank you for the info and heads up BannockCounty. I appreciate it!

[oregonwoodsmoke]

I'd advise to stay away from the train tracks, too, if you don't like train noise.

I hear a lot of griping from tenants about train noise. It's not like someone moved the tracks there after they signed the lease. The tracks are there; you can see them if you drive around the neighborhood If there are trains, there will be loud train noise and often at night because trains don't run just when the sun is out.

If train noise doesn't bother you, then it is a non-issue.

[f5fstop]

Chubbuck has some nice areas and I have lived here for almost three years and have heard of no problems other than an occasional drunk hitting a pole on Yellowstone ave. Walmart, Home Depot, Lowes, the mall are all located in Chubbuck or just across the border in Pocatello; so it is convenient. And Downtown Poky is only about 15 minutes away during the day. Chubbuck has their own police department and they work closely with Poky if needed. I have often seen Chubbuck police helping to direct traffic on Yellowstone ave, clearly quite a way into Poky and last year there was a robbery at one of the credit unions just inside the Chubbuck city limits and Poky sent officers to help out in the search (probably the biggest crime for years in this area.)

Any serious crime appears to be north of Chubbuck in the Indian reservation or in the center of Pocatello. Last year, over Christmas there was the typical vehicle break-ins at Walmart, and the Mall (Walmart is in Chubbuck; however, part of the parking lot is actually in Poky and I have always wondered if the Southern Chubbuck border/Northern Poky border was drawn in a bar by a bunch of drunks.)

But if you look at the outer areas of Pocatello, there are a lot of nice subdivisions that are generally well-kept up.

I picked Chubbuck only cause I can walk the dogs and be surrounded by farm fields within five minutes of leaving my house while walking.

And they are actively building some new apartments on Siphon road, just west of Yellowstone; not sure of the finish date but there are some that were finished last year. No idea of the rent, etc. And on the corner there is a small complex, I believe there are openings.