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I might need to post this in a general forum, but I'm curious if there are areas in Idaho or nearby that are similar in scenery (lakes, rivers, forest) and close to similar city amenities ... but with a shorter winter and more sun in the winter months?
We've taken a handful of trips all over the West/Northwest and absolutely fell in love with Coeur d'Alene ... but coming from the Southern Nevada desert ...I just don't think I'm cut out for 6-7+ months of cold-very cold weather. I love the snow and think I could tolerate a good 3-4 months of cold, if the rest of the year made up for it. I really liked Boise a lot and thought being close in proximity to McCall and the surrounding area would be sufficient... but the immediate surroundings are a little too brown for my liking... and its just not close enough to the lakes and the wilderness as I'd like. Not to mention how much home prices have shot up in the last couple of years.
My goal is to get closer to family in Western Washington and British Columbia. I've found possibilities in both Oregon and Washington... but Idaho just has a different feel to me. You can see there's a sense of pride on how the public areas are maintained that appeals a lot to me. Access to good schools is important (I'm aware of the challenges in Idaho overall) and within 20-30 minutes of a largish city (ie: Target, Sams Club, etc.) I'd also love a strong sense of community, which is something I've really struggled to find in Las Vegas where we are now.
Moscow has hit my radar, but the weather averages just don't look all that different?
You might look around Pocatello, ID. I think it's a bit greener than Idaho Falls or Twin Falls. It has the services, shopping and outdoors you are looking for.
[Wild eyed crazy flag on]
Build a nice, cozy superinsulated house and include a nice greenhouse / sunspace, to temper those chilly days. There's no greater comfort than to sit, rocking away, watching nature trudge through 3' drifts. :-)
I don't think you will find an option in Idaho that looks like the Coeur d'Alene area with milder winters. Everywhere in the state that is situated in the mountains and forests with evergreens is going to be cold during the long winters. The CD'A area has also gotten very expensive for housing.
If you are looking for an area in the state with 3 - 4 months of winter cold, Boise is going to be your best bet. Winter in the Treasure Valley isn't as harsh as most of the rest of the state. The city and valley are adjacent to national forests and the alpine wilderness in Boise's backyard is the largest roadless wilderness area(s) in the Lower 48. You seem to be somewhat familiar with Boise by knowing how close McCall is. There is also the Stanley area and all of the lakes there, about the same distance away as McCall. There are alpine lakes nearer to Boise but they require driving on bumpy forest roads or hiking. Luck Peak, Arrowrock and Anderson Ranch are all large reservoirs along the Boise River and easy to access.
If you are into the mountains and wilderness, Boise is a great base camp for some of the best scenery in Idaho. McCall, Cascade and Stanley are all within a few hours drive and you can be in the wilderness within a 45 minutes winding drive north of town. During the warm months it takes about 20 minutes from downtown to drive up to Bogus and be in the pine forests. If you like to ski then you are in luck because of the close proximity to the valley.
Garden Valley and Crouch are about 45 minutes to an hours drive from Boise/Eagle and is situated in the mountains surrounded by forests and whitewater rivers. The winters can be tough but you are close to the Treasure Valley. Many people who live up there commute to the valley for work.
Based on your desires, I would suggest the Eugene area in the Willamette Valley in Oregon.
Quote:
Originally Posted by ejisme
You might look around Pocatello, ID. I think it's a bit greener than Idaho Falls or Twin Falls. It has the services, shopping and outdoors you are looking for.
The major difference in landscape between Poky, I.F. and Twin, is that Poky is situated next to the foothills and mountains with the more diverse landscape.
Based on your desires, I would suggest the Eugene area in the Willamette Valley in Oregon.
Thanks for all of your advice. I kind of figured it was some wishful thinking as I've done a lot of research. I liked Boise, and for all the reasons you stated it was initially a very strong contender. My parents took me through Idaho when I was a kid and we all fell in love with McCall... if it weren't for the hundred(s) of inches of snow a year, it would be #1 on my list.
We went through Boise in 2019 on a scouting trip...we even extended our trip and felt like it was a very strong contender. We left there and went through Eastern Oregon up to Hood River and then over to my sisters in Washington. When we left, we looped around Seattle through the Cascades to Leavenworth, Chelan and over to Coeur d'Alene and then came back down through McCall, through Eagle. On the road back from McCall, it became apparent how windy that stretch of road is. It's not really the easy day trip I was hoping for, and I kind of thought... is this a road I'd want to be doing all the time? In Boise, we'd still sort of be commuting....where I really want to be right in the thick of it. After CDA it was like, this is no-contest... until I started watching the weather. lol.
I haven't been to Stanley or up that area, but I have a friend who's been up there a bunch recently and is in love with it. Are there smaller towns near Boise I could be considering?
I've spent a teensy amount of time around Eugene and I'm not crazy about it. My former best friend moved to Florence from Vegas, ended up in Eugene and got hooked on meth. I think the differences in winter sun in Eugene and Coeur d'Alene are probably negligible? I'd even guess there's more sun in Coeur d'Alene in the winter months... but it may deserve a second visit. I kind of think if I'm going to the Willamette Valley ...I'm probably better off in Salem or a burb of Portland? Corvallis is also a place I haven't visited, but has been recommended. Geographically, Seattle is the best positioning to be between my family but I just haven't seen a single area that got me excited, I've been from my sisters in Montesano/Aberdeen to Gig Harbor to North Bend Wa...up to Bellingham and around there. I guess I just need to keep taking trips until a place calls to me.
[Edited to add] I know Coeur d'Alene has gotten expensive, but then again so has Las Vegas where I'm living now. If I'm going to spend upwards of 700-800k on a home.. which is where I'll wind up to get any sort of decent sized lot, I want to live somewhere I love.
Thanks for all of your advice. I kind of figured it was some wishful thinking as I've done a lot of research. I liked Boise, and for all the reasons you stated it was initially a very strong contender. My parents took me through Idaho when I was a kid and we all fell in love with McCall... if it weren't for the hundred(s) of inches of snow a year, it would be #1 on my list.
We went through Boise in 2019 on a scouting trip...we even extended our trip and felt like it was a very strong contender. We left there and went through Eastern Oregon up to Hood River and then over to my sisters in Washington. When we left, we looped around Seattle through the Cascades to Leavenworth, Chelan and over to Coeur d'Alene and then came back down through McCall, through Eagle. On the road back from McCall, it became apparent how windy that stretch of road is. It's not really the easy day trip I was hoping for, and I kind of thought... is this a road I'd want to be doing all the time? In Boise, we'd still sort of be commuting....where I really want to be right in the thick of it. After CDA it was like, this is no-contest... until I started watching the weather. lol.
I haven't been to Stanley or up that area, but I have a friend who's been up there a bunch recently and is in love with it. Are there smaller towns near Boise I could be considering?
I've spent a teensy amount of time around Eugene and I'm not crazy about it. My former best friend moved to Florence from Vegas, ended up in Eugene and got hooked on meth. I think the differences in winter sun in Eugene and Coeur d'Alene are probably negligible? I'd even guess there's more sun in Coeur d'Alene in the winter months... but it may deserve a second visit. I kind of think if I'm going to the Willamette Valley ...I'm probably better off in Salem or a burb of Portland? Corvallis is also a place I haven't visited, but has been recommended. Geographically, Seattle is the best positioning to be between my family but I just haven't seen a single area that got me excited, I've been from my sisters in Montesano/Aberdeen to Gig Harbor to North Bend Wa...up to Bellingham and around there. I guess I just need to keep taking trips until a place calls to me.
[Edited to add] I know Coeur d'Alene has gotten expensive, but then again so has Las Vegas where I'm living now. If I'm going to spend upwards of 700-800k on a home.. which is where I'll wind up to get any sort of decent sized lot, I want to live somewhere I love.
I love Stanley but I wouldn't want to live there. It's super tiny. Target, Sam's Club... LOL. There's a combo general/grocery store and a couple of pretty decent restaurants, but that's about it. Amenities aren't the point, instead it's about the amazing Sawtooth and White Cloud mountains and the Salmon River. It's also dang cold during winter, subzero is fairly common. Tonight the forecast here in Boise is 21 whereas in Stanley it's 2.
Honestly, I don't think what you're looking for really exists in Idaho or perhaps anywhere. Conifer forests (other than arid pinyon juniper) require a lot of precipitation. This means either a long damp rainy season (coastal PNW) or long snowy winters (North and Central Idaho). Climate wise, La Grande OR may be somewhat close to what you're looking for, but it's relatively small. Not Stanley small, but no Target although there is a Walmart. The valley isn't really forested, but it's much closer to mountains and conifer forests than the Treasure Valley.
I love Stanley but I wouldn't want to live there. It's super tiny. Target, Sam's Club... LOL. There's a combo general/grocery store and a couple of pretty decent restaurants, but that's about it. Amenities aren't the point, instead it's about the amazing Sawtooth and White Cloud mountains and the Salmon River. It's also dang cold during winter, subzero is fairly common. Tonight the forecast here in Boise is 21 whereas in Stanley it's 2.
Honestly, I don't think what you're looking for really exists in Idaho or perhaps anywhere. Conifer forests (other than arid pinyon juniper) require a lot of precipitation. This means either a long damp rainy season (coastal PNW) or long snowy winters (North and Central Idaho). Climate wise, La Grande OR may be somewhat close to what you're looking for, but it's relatively small. Not Stanley small, but no Target although there is a Walmart. The valley isn't really forested, but it's much closer to mountains and conifer forests than the Treasure Valley.
Yeah... I didn't mean to give off the impression I'd ever consider living in Stanley... just that it might add to the list of reasons to reconsider living in or around Boise. Or that perhaps maybe there's someplace in between, closer to the conveniences of Boise.
I do realize there are tradeoffs, and no place will have everything... but I'm convinced there is a place that will come a hell of a lot closer than where I am. You're right about the valley around La Grande.... I was blown away by the beauty. I wanted to get off the freeway and check out Baker City, but hesitated too long. I don't need to be IN the forest, having it in close proximity or being able to see it would be fine.
Honestly, if climate and scenery were the only factor... I think the Rogue Valley has all of it... but that area gives me a lot of pause.
Yeah... I didn't mean to give off the impression I'd ever consider living in Stanley... just that it might add to the list of reasons to reconsider living in or around Boise. Or that perhaps maybe there's someplace in between, closer to the conveniences of Boise.
Got it. Generally the mountain towns around Boise are very small with harsh winters. McCall, as you already know, is a little more developed but very pricey with a housing market that's even hotter than Boise. There are towns near Boise in the Treasure Valley that are more affordable, but these are also very brown and dry. Places like Emmett and Caldwell. As others have mentioned, East Idaho is greener and the summers are cooler, but then the winters are colder and longer. I do think Pocatello is worth consideration.
Quote:
Originally Posted by meramos
I do realize there are tradeoffs, and no place will have everything... but I'm convinced there is a place that will come a hell of a lot closer than where I am. You're right about the valley around La Grande.... I was blown away by the beauty. I wanted to get off the freeway and check out Baker City, but hesitated too long. I don't need to be IN the forest, having it in close proximity or being able to see it would be fine.
Totally agree. And being IN the forest is a major fire hazard, one that I was keen to avoid. I'd much rather visit the forest and the mountains while living in a city in the valley with mild temps and little snow. It works for us. Today we got the kids out the door on their walk to school, then my wife and I drove 30 minutes up the mountain for a ski date. During the summer months I can drive 3 hours east or north or west for amazing backpacking to alpine lakes. During fall the rivers running through desert canyons have incredible fly fishing.
Quote:
Originally Posted by meramos
Honestly, if climate and scenery were the only factor... I think the Rogue Valley has all of it... but that area gives me a lot of pause.
Yeah, we explored that area in 2019 while looking for places to land. It checks a lot of boxes, but it was clear why some have nicknamed it "Methford" -- lots of tweakers on the prowl for crimes of opportunity.
... then my wife and I drove 30 minutes up the mountain for a ski date.
Yeah, we explored that area in 2019 while looking for places to land. It checks a lot of boxes, but it was clear why some have nicknamed it "Methford" -- lots of tweakers on the prowl for crimes of opportunity.
Are you guys in/around Boise?
I laughed out loud at Methford. I know it's not funny, but it's a huge concern... especially for my kids. We were hanging out at a park in Jacksonville, which I really loved... and this older couple struck up a conversation and started telling us about the issues..., including how Grants Pass busses homeless and addicts down to Medford.
I have a friend whose family owns a real estate brokerage there, so a move would be easy. But I see all of her posts about all of the fires over the summer ... it's pervasive.
I laughed out loud at Methford. I know it's not funny, but it's a huge concern... especially for my kids. We were hanging out at a park in Jacksonville, which I really loved... and this older couple struck up a conversation and started telling us about the issues..., including how Grants Pass busses homeless and addicts down to Medford.
I have a friend whose family owns a real estate brokerage there, so a move would be easy. But I see all of her posts about all of the fires over the summer ... it's pervasive.
Yes, we're in Boise. We get wildfire smoke when NorCal is burning. It's usually somewhat dissipated by the time it gets to us, but it still makes the AQI and visibility bad. But the reality is that smoke from wildfires blows all over the West and even to the Midwest and East Coast. The foothills near Boise can have fast moving grass/brush fires, we had one last summer near Eagle. Not much fuel so they are relatively easy and quick to extinguish, though the speed at which they move can be a problem for houses in the hills. We live in the North End with lots of irrigated landscaping and deciduous trees, so the fire danger in town is much lower.
Sadly, my sense from our travels in 2019 is that a drug/crime problem exists along much of the I-5 corridor, yet was more pronounced in the Rogue Valley.
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