Seeking a new family home in Idaho/Montana. Help us choose. (Twin Falls: real estate, low crime)

[rainymountaincountry]

We are looking for a low crime, friendly community to raise our family. Husband is teleworking so employment isnt an issue. I stay home with our children.
We have been considering Northern Idaho and Northwest Montana.

Seeking:
*mountain views
*home not in a subdivision- unless it has an acre +
*a variety of places to shop (groceries, household needs)….a cute downtown/other area with coffee shops, bakeries and other shopping desired but not essential.
*variety of good restaurants
* plentiful parks (with play equipment for kids)
* good schools - Test scores are important but so is the quality of teachers, educational tools and involvement with families.
*within 30 mins of healthcare ( including hospitals, naturopaths, massage therapists and chiropractors)
*no more than an hour or so from cultural attractions and fun activities for kids.
*an airport nearby (within 2 hours) would be great.

We are conservative leaning but have enjoyed living in a blue state until recently with law enforcement restrictions and the corresponding staggering rise to crime rates, mental illness, drug addicted
homeless persons encountered in town. I mention this not as a point of discussion but as additional information about what our family is experiencing/leaving and seeking different elsewhere. As for weather, we enjoy a temperate climate and get excited about snow. Not 100% sure how we would feel about deep snow in Northwest Montana. Still thinking on that. If we found a place that checked most of our other boxes, I think we would be fine. Also, thinking about the summer wildfire smoke. Can anybody weigh in on how frequently that is experienced? Is it ever-present in the summer?

We currently live on a couple acres in an unincorporated county near several small towns ranging in population from 10,000 to 20,000. That is a sweet spot for us. We have loved being centrally located and being able to drive 10 to 20 minutes in one direction or another for shopping and recreation. We would love to re-create that scenario in a new place.

Lastly, we have enjoyed being near towns with lots of seasonal community fun including parades, fireworks, apple orchards/ pumpkin patches. Would love to be part of this again in our new home.

Given all these details, where would you direct our search?

[AnythingOutdoors]

What's your budget? You're not going to get your checklist of items for under $1M, probably more.

One can be near amenities (shopping, eating, culture, airport, etc.) for much less if willing to live in a subdivision/small lot in the city.

And it's possible to find land and mountain views for less in a more rural setting, but going to town or the airport is a long process. You mentioned remote work, so know that internet is limited in these areas. And wildfire smoke isn't your biggest concern, but rather actual wildfire risk. Finally, in remote areas of snow country travel is difficult and often dangerous in the winter months.

Basically, the intersection of what you're looking for (views of nature, land, cute downtown, amenities) is what a lot of people want, but you're kinda late to the party. The areas around Bozeman, Helena, and CdA roughly check the boxes, but these have become very expensive, especially homes with land near town.

[Heron31]

Originally Posted by rainymountaincountry

Seeking:
*mountain views
*home not in a subdivision- unless it has an acre +
*a variety of places to shop (groceries, household needs)….a cute downtown/other area with coffee shops, bakeries and other shopping desired but not essential.
*variety of good restaurants
* plentiful parks (with play equipment for kids)
* good schools - Test scores are important but so is the quality of teachers, educational tools and involvement with families.
*within 30 mins of healthcare ( including hospitals, naturopaths, massage therapists and chiropractors)
*no more than an hour or so from cultural attractions and fun activities for kids.
*an airport nearby (within 2 hours) would be great.

Wow, you ask for a lot! And mountain views and acreage are practically mutually exclusive with restaurants, shopping, and parks with play equipment for kids. As an anecdotal example, we're temporarily on a 3-acre riverfront property in Heron, Montana. Beautiful and remote. But there is next to nothing in Heron, not even a small cafe. it's about 20 minutes to Clark Fork, Idaho, which has a small market, bar & grill, and restaurant (The Squeeze In, lol). It's more like an hour to Sandpoint, Idaho, which has the restaurants, supermarkets, and some healthcare. And BTW, it snowed about a foot a couple days ago, and it looks like it's going to snow another foot today.

[NW Crow]

Obvious options would be outside Kalispell- toward Whitefish or Bigfork and outside Sandpoint (probably to south). Other options might include around Stevensville MT. Or possibly La Grande / Baker City OR (locally fairly conservative). That fits the two city model (15k and 9k or 30k & 15k counties). And yes there are mountain views.

[NW Crow]

You might also consider area around Rathdrum. Between Rathdrum and Sandpoint or between Rathdrum and say Post Falls. Places of moderate size and different styles.

Schools are subjective. Rural schools may not be as desired by some. So you may want to be in city school districts.

Snow, there will be under 50 inches per year places and over 50. Most of northern Idaho and northwest Montana will be snow CAN come in 5-6 months of year (though mainly 4) and hangs around places. Can check snowfalls and average snow depths here: https://wrcc.dri.edu/Climate/west_coop_summaries.php

Other possibilities include Powell Butte area between Redmond and Prineville OR or maybe in hills east of Walla Walla WA and Milton - Freewater OR. Or well north of Weiser ID. Parts of Twin Falls area might work. Some of these suggestions may not appeal enough if immediate / dramatic / classical mountain scenery is a top priority.

[509]

Originally Posted by Heron31

Wow, you ask for a lot! And mountain views and acreage are practically mutually exclusive with restaurants, shopping, and parks with play equipment for kids. As an anecdotal example, we're temporarily on a 3-acre riverfront property in Heron, Montana. Beautiful and remote. But there is next to nothing in Heron, not even a small cafe. it's about 20 minutes to Clark Fork, Idaho, which has a small market, bar & grill, and restaurant (The Squeeze In, lol). It's more like an hour to Sandpoint, Idaho, which has the restaurants, supermarkets, and some healthcare. And BTW, it snowed about a foot a couple days ago, and it looks like it's going to snow another foot today.

Wait....Clark Fork has a market, bar& grill and restaurant!!! When did that happen?? Everybody moved in to hunt ducks??? There are that many duck hunters in Clark Fork??

Sandpoint has supermarkets and healthcare!!! Why would Sandpoint have more than one small market??

Don't tell me the Idaho I knew is gone. Is the LiteHouse Restaurant still there. Good views, and their food was really good. Especially their salad dressings.

I did enjoy floating the Pack River down to the lake. That probably is still there. Pretty river, without any development.

Might do the float again, next spring. Maybe do a little fishing in Sand Lake.

[Heron31]

Originally Posted by 509

Don't tell me the Idaho I knew is gone.

Apparently so, lol.

Originally Posted by 509

I did enjoy floating the Pack River down to the lake. That probably is still there. Pretty river, without any development.

Well, it goes right by the Idaho Club golf course and country club, which includes a fairly large development. (That is one NASTY course.) And of course the Pack River delta is dry now that they've taken the water level of the lake down to its winter level. That whole delta area apparently never gets more than 6 or 8 feet deep! Good for kayaking, though.

[Clark Fork Fantast]

Originally Posted by 509

Wait....Clark Fork has a market, bar& grill and restaurant!!! When did that happen?? Everybody moved in to hunt ducks??? There are that many duck hunters in Clark Fork??

Well, we gotta eat once in a while. We can't eat ducks all the time.

[rainymountaincountry]

Edited to add that we are also now considering the Bozeman area. Interested in any insights you may have about Bozeman or the immediate areas outside ( Belgrade, Four Corners, Gallatin Gateway, etc.) related to what we are seeking as a small family. According to niche.com, Livingston has quite high violent crime statistics so we are not considering that area at this time. Thanks!

[AnythingOutdoors]

Bozeman and the entire Gallatin Valley is a great fit for your search criteria. I assume you're already looking at real estate listings. It's pricey and the market is competitive. Just make sure you can find the type of housing/lot you want on your budget. I've only visited, so cannot comment on the finer details of living there. My only recommendation is to visit in person during winter (to experience the climate) and summer (to experience the tourists) to make sure you're good with those aspects. Winter is long and pretty cold, whereas summer is relatively short and mild.