Which town/city of Idaho has a fair-sized young population and clean air? (Boise: houses, school)

[wheregirl]

Hello, Everyone,

I am researching the next place to move to. Idaho is a favorite because of its beautiful outdoors and friendly people. I would like to ask for your help to spot the right place. Any place in the general area of Idaho, Wy, or even Utah that meet the requirements can do.

I am young and single, so I would like a place that has a fair-sized young and intelligent population, clean air, not extremely cold in the winter.

For example, Jackson, Wy is lovely but the population is too small and the winter is too cold. Boise, ID would have been great except for the polluted air. The SE area of ID seems good but I don't know anything about those towns/cities.

I love beautiful nature and I also like to be close to other professional/intelligent or artistic people. Winter/snow is O.K. as long as it is not as long and as cold as in Jackson, Wy. A fair number of young, single and intelligent guys to meet is also important.

Thanks a lot for your advice!

[Mtn. States Resident]

Originally Posted by wheregirl

Hello, Everyone,

I am researching the next place to move to. Idaho is a favorite because of its beautiful outdoors and friendly people. I would like to ask for your help to spot the right place. Any place in the general area of Idaho, Wy, or even Utah that meet the requirements can do.

I am young and single, so I would like a place that has a fair-sized young and intelligent population, clean air, not extremely cold in the winter.

For example, Jackson, Wy is lovely but the population is too small and the winter is too cold. Boise, ID would have been great except for the polluted air. The SE area of ID seems good but I don't know anything about those towns/cities.

I love beautiful nature and I also like to be close to other professional/intelligent or artistic people. Winter/snow is O.K. as long as it is not as long and as cold as in Jackson, Wy. A fair number of young, single and intelligent guys to meet is also important.

Thanks a lot for your advice!

Hi wheregirl,

What is "young," for you? Are you speaking strictly in years (if so, what range of age), or state of mind? Some 20 year olds seem like they are 70 and some 80 year olds keep up with the 30 year olds.

What are your other interests? It is always great to meet young, single and intelligent guys, but it is also nice to have intelligent friends, both male and female (at least in IMHO). One can meet the "right one," anywhere. Instead of pressuring yourself into moving where you think you can meet the most men who meet your criteria, have you considered listing your other interests and seeing what other place would fit?

For example, if there were NO single, young, intelligent guys in the states you mentioned, what interests would you still have and how could you meet those needs?

I am a little confused what you mean by, " I am researching the next place to move to." How long do you plan to live in the area? That may change where people recommend you locate. What will be after this?

I hope this helps. If we know more about your other interests, we might know more of what areas to recommend where you would be happy.

Also, what about your work. Can you live anywhere?

BTW - are you talking about grad degrees, or a college degree? And are you limiting yourself to certain men because they met certain criteria? Obviously, your life is yours to live. I'm just asking to make sure I understood your question. It also helps me understand when I stopped looking for who I thought I wanted in my life so the space was available to see who was right for me.

MSR

[wheregirl]

Well, I kept it short because I have too many interests to list. Mostly spirituality, arts, nature, also intellectual. (yes, I have graduate degree) Young meaning 20's and early 30's.

I have my own consulting biz so I can live anywhere I want, just phone, internet and airport would serve me quite well. I don't need others to be intellectuals necessarily, just not too narrow-minded.

Most of my close friends have been spiritual(not religious) and brilliant, men and women. As long as I can find some such persons in a population, I am happy.

Perhaps I should head for CO, just not Boulder. But I really like the friendly kind of people, like the Midwesterner or Southerners, and I read that Idahoans are really friendly.

Thanks!

[Need2Leave]

From the sound of things you are looking for a comunity where you will find arts, yoga, and organic comunity garden types, and a cool coffe shop the serves organic chai tea and such where you can discuss books or whatever it is smart people talk about in coffe houses. Stick with college towns and those close to them and your youthfull/inteligent requirement will be met. If weather/ air quality is non-negotiable for you, base you choice on what you can tolerate, and trust you will find your intelectual set.

In short Bozeman, Boise, Pendleton, Spokane, CdA, Portland, Ashland, Olympia...All of wester Co... the list goes on, have what you want. Any town of size in the west will have an artsy/intelectual comunity, albeit some smaller than others. Find one where you won't freeze your but off and go from there. It's beautiful country and yes, people in Idaho, and the rest of the west tend to be very nice people. Best of luck.

[Trace_Rinaldi]

Coeur d'Alene would be a great choice.. Its like a cool beach town with a college right on the lake.. Lots of young people with all the colleges in the surrounding area too. Drop dead gorgeous scenery, and very nice people.

[wheregirl]

Thanks for these wonderful sugguestions, you are right on the kind of place I am looking for. CdA really is beautiful. What are the names of the nice college towns in Western Co you have in mind? You mean Olympia, Wa and Ashland, OR, right?

So essentially there won't be anything that fits me in SE Idaho?

Thanks.

[Need2Leave]

The point was any small town west of the rocky mtn's will fit you if the weather and air will fit you. Boise/treasure valley has been good to me, but I grew up and have lived throughout the pac. n.w. and the faces and climate change but the people and fundamental lifestyle stuff isn't realy that diferent out here from one place to the next. My advice... pick your ideal climate and town size, find the college town between the square bordered by MT, WA, n. CA, and CO that fits the bill and go check it out. As far as air quality, just know that most all major population centers in the west are in valleys wich are inheirently prone to inversion conditions, in the summers much of the west can have smoke accumulation in the valeys from forest fires... funny what 100 yrs of fire supression can do to fuel loads... but the point is air quality can deteriorate quickly pretty much anywhere in the west unless you live in a wind tunnel type of town... even those have their bad days.

And yes Olympia WA, home to Reed Coledge and Ashland Or, home of S. Oregon, One metropolis outskirt, one small college town, and yes, S. Idaho has many beautiful comunities, one of wich may fit you... the Treasure Valley has gotten a bit crowded for my taste, however it may just now be busy enough for somebody's taste. It just depends on what you want, Pick ideal size, coldest winter, hottest summer, go from there.

[katiewa]

Originally Posted by wheregirl

Thanks for these wonderful sugguestions, you are right on the kind of place I am looking for. CdA really is beautiful. What are the names of the nice college towns in Western Co you have in mind? You mean Olympia, Wa and Ashland, OR, right?

So essentially there won't be anything that fits me in SE Idaho?

Thanks.

Could be wrong, but pretty much anything in southeastern Idaho is going to be COLD in the winter. (And winter starts anytime after 31 Aug and ends GENERALLY by June.) E.g.: in Idaho Falls (IF) the 4th of July fireworks were cancelled one year because of the cold. My first year in IF, when I walked to school on the last day (I was teaching then)--June 7--there were piles of snow on the north sides of buildings that were 6-7 feet deep where the snow had been sliding off roofs all winter. My second year in IF I was thrilled when it got up to 0 degrees F and no wind--so much warmer than a month of -30 degrees F and 15mph winds. My third year in IF I went to visit my brother in Tacoma, WA. They were having some unusually cold weather--28 degrees--which was 50 degrees warmer than what I'd left.

And my favorite--Christmas, 1983, my brother and father drove 500 miles to pick me up because my truck wouldn't start (didn't change the oil soon enough--had consistency of old, cold honey--didn't start all winter). On the drive back, going over Monida Pass, there were rabbits sitting up on the highway--frozen solid!! They had gotten up onto the highway just as the sun was setting because the pavement was warm--and froze there. Had to dodge them because we didn't want to risk a bone puncturing a tire. Heater and defroster running full the whole way kept the car comfortable. Think the wind chill was 60-70 below through much of eastern Idaho and Montana.

Might want to check out the Sunset climate map Climate Zone Map: Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, and parts of Canada and see what they say about zones 1 and 2.

Best of luck in selecting the right place to live

Kathleen

[Mtn. States Resident]

Originally Posted by katiewa

Could be wrong, but pretty much anything in southeastern Idaho is going to be COLD in the winter. (And winter starts anytime after 31 Aug and ends GENERALLY by June.) E.g.: in Idaho Falls (IF) the 4th of July fireworks were cancelled one year because of the cold. My first year in IF, when I walked to school on the last day (I was teaching then)--June 7--there were piles of snow on the north sides of buildings that were 6-7 feet deep where the snow had been sliding off roofs all winter. My second year in IF I was thrilled when it got up to 0 degrees F and no wind--so much warmer than a month of -30 degrees F and 15mph winds. My third year in IF I went to visit my brother in Tacoma, WA. They were having some unusually cold weather--28 degrees--which was 50 degrees warmer than what I'd left.

And my favorite--Christmas, 1983, my brother and father drove 500 miles to pick me up because my truck wouldn't start (didn't change the oil soon enough--had consistency of old, cold honey--didn't start all winter). On the drive back, going over Monida Pass, there were rabbits sitting up on the highway--frozen solid!! They had gotten up onto the highway just as the sun was setting because the pavement was warm--and froze there. Had to dodge them because we didn't want to risk a bone puncturing a tire. Heater and defroster running full the whole way kept the car comfortable. Think the wind chill was 60-70 below through much of eastern Idaho and Montana.

Might want to check out the Sunset climate map Climate Zone Map: Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, and parts of Canada and see what they say about zones 1 and 2.

Best of luck in selecting the right place to live

Kathleen

Katiewa,

Sounds like you haven't been in eastern or southeastern ID for a while. Is that correct, or did I misunderstand? Talking about the winter of 1983, wow you have a great memory.

It was really a -30 F in Idaho Falls for a month? I'm trying to think where I could read about that, as that would be record breaking and in some important weather information. I have a lot of friends and family in the area and to the best of my knowledge, no one else experienced those temps (including relatives living in the desert 13 miles outside of Roberts). If you have information you could share here, please do.

I agree it is important to look at graphs, I believe CO had their coldest weather ever 2 years ago when the entire Intermountain West also got the extra blast of cold Canadian area. Local media, chamber of commerces etc. have detailed information.

Besides the resource katiewa share, I'd also watch the graphs on the local weather channels or ask others. SAV says it isn't cold enough this year. That is probably a shock to you, katiewa.

Thanks for sharing your experience katiewa. I hope to learn more about those three years..........................

MSR

[sav]

Yah, our winter to date has neither been cold nor snowy. However, we finally got some accumulation today. Yay!