Last drop I hope is somewhere in Idaho (Pocatello, Idaho Falls: chapel, get credit)

[Last stop]

Hello. I am a 40 yr old manufacturing guy originally from Tennessee for 30 + yrs, moved to Dallas for 3 yrs and now Fort Smith, AR. I have children 13 and 10 and a wife that is a teacher. Seriously weary of the hustle and bustle and thinking of a move out west. I do not want to be foolish in this decision and base it upon the wow factor of scenic areas. I lean towards the Pocatello and the Idaho Falls area as I visited last year and know a couple there.

Concerns:
1. Jobs in manufacturing or may just open a music store to get by
2. Teaching chances for my wife ( certified in 3 states but no chance to get established with me moving often.
3. Handling the winters
4. Finding baptist churches and concerns about LDS influence in the area and at schools
5. Being so far from family in TN
6. Transitioning the boys to a simpler more rooter life
7. Cost of living concerns (no debt but plan to step back several notches)
8. public schools (would private Christian be an option in our case)
9. Music in the area ( everyone is musical (not just casual) and pretty talented
10. Again making a living, finding a good baptist church, and bearing the winters (wife is not into cold)

What is the best airport to get close to the area? I plan to take the gang out there in June.

Thanks to all that can help.

[cleosmom]

The jobs arena is very narrow right now in SE Idaho to be frank.

Winters are a tad milder in Pocatello than IF.

Idaho Falls has an airport, however you can find cheaper flights out of Salt Lake City.

Calvary Chapel (non-denominational) in Idaho Falls does have a school. As for the LDS influence, it's present, but the are is becoming more diverse now than it was 15 years ago.

There is a music scene, probably more quaint than what you're used to.

[banjomike]

Hi, Last Stop...
Finding a job in Idaho Falls will depend on what your manufacturing skills are. The housing industry here remains slow, but there is quite a lot of diversified manufacturing of many kinds going on here, so some might not be doing as badly as others.

Your wife may find a job as a teacher, but education in Idaho Falls took a big hit this year when a bond for building new schools failed by a close margin. Teacher's salaries are taking a hit all over the state as well.

The winters may or may not be something you can deal with. I think it's mostly an attitude adjustment- some newcomers never accept the cold (and typically, you can expect at least a week of below zero temps anywhere in the state), while others make an adjustment. I know a family who moved here from Louisiana, after Katrina, and they said from the first that the winters were no big deal. They moved here just a few months before their first winter here.

The weather here year round is much drier than Tennessee. You will hardly ever experience a high humidity muggy day in any season. N. Idaho is more humid by far than S. Idaho, and most winter days are very dry, which makes dressing for the cold pretty easy to adjust to. But if you've lived your life in milder winters, it takes a big adjustment for sure. But if your wife comes here thinking she will hate the winters, she will, unless your family takes advantage of the many winter sports and activities we have here.

The upside is the Idaho summers. Idaho Falls is simply wonderful in the summertime, high wide and handsome.

There are quite a few Baptist churches in town. The LDS culture is strong here, but the Mormons are not at all exclusionary to other religions. There are, however, separate buildings called 'Seminaries' that are close to the high schools where Mormon kids are taught their religious topics. No religion is specifically taught in any of the schools, and I'm not certain of the current teaching credit situation. In the past, students could get credit for religious education that is non-Mormon (I took some religious classes that were not LDS). You could inquire at the school district for further information.

The family separation issues are something I can't comment on. My ex-Louisiana friends' parents come out every year for a month-long visit and have always really enjoyed Idaho summers immensely.

Life here for kids is as complex as it is anywhere in the U.S. But Idaho tends to keep the folks who are best suited for life here- kids either stick like glue or move away and never come back, and it's always been this way. Old Mother Idaho either sinks into your bones or not. Idaho is a state of great isolation and quiet. Once you leave any town in the state, it's only half an hour or so until you are in a spot that is essentially unpopulated, or nearly so.

Cost of living is something you'll have to discover for yourself. Housing is lower here, but so are wages. Energy costs in Idaho Falls are quite low, as we make our own electrical generation. Outside the city, power is more expensive. Typically, food costs are comparatively low, gasoline is often higher, and natural gas prices are somewhat low.

Idaho Falls has 4 music stores now, including a very large one. I'm a long-time musician, and unless you have a real good customer base you can bring with you, or you have a well-established niche of some kind in the business, another retail music store would probably fail.

There is a lot of amateur music going on here of all kinds. You name it, and there's probably a group in the area that plays it. It's a very tough place for professionals these days, though... I made a good part of my living for 30 years playing all over this area, but it's all karoke and sports bars now.

The Idaho Falls airport is the largest and best connected in a wide area. Folks who live in Jackson Hole most often fly out of here, and we have direct flights to Las Vegas and L.A. (as I recall). Salt Lake City's airport is the closest large international airport. It's 200 miles south, and the drive is all Interstate. There are also several shuttle companies that offer bus service to the SLC airport.

Speaking only for myself- I'm an I.F. native, and have lived off and on in other states, including the East Coast and California, but I've always come back. I've spent the majority of my life here, and when I last returned in 2004 from living a couple of years in Montana, I'm back for good now. I'm happier here than any other place I've ever lived.