Tell me about Boise, ID

[Hugh R]

Going there over the Thanksgiving weekend to see if its a place we might consider for "retirement". Hooked up with a realtor and she sent me some links to houses in Eagle, and Star, ID.

For $500k you get one heck of a nice place, I'm looking at one that is one-story, 3,000 sq. ft. with a detached 1,700 sq.ft fully insulated, HVAC-equipped shop that I could park my RV in (FIVE ACRES).

Weather seems tolerable, a little cooler than where I live now in the Winter, and a little cooler than in the Summer here. The "total" cost of living seems to be around 2/3 of what it costs to live in the Los Angeles suburbs.

Any thoughts?

[J P Stein]

A couple of friends (husband & wife) moved over there and say it's a great place to live.

[herr_oberst]

Hugh, I grew up in Boise, and I go back a lot to see my friends and family.

Traffic is a beeyotch. A huge population boom in the last twenty years and with not a lot of urban growth planning, there are oodles of housing developments, far flung and connected by two lane farm roads.

Star is a pretty long way from Boise, so is Emmett, but loads of people make the commute.

If you're retiring there, (especially as a CA. native), the distances would be easy. For an ex denizen like me, well, those are the places we drove a long ways to ride dirt bikes when I was a kid, if you know what I mean.

(Eagle Road has just become a nightmare at 5:00)

I think that politically, you'd fit in well. It's conservative, with a large Mormon population. I make absolutely no judgement with that statement.

If I'm not mistaken, it is also the home of second largest Basque population in the world, and they are proud and have lots of fun community events.

There are lots of things to do, the vibe is sort of, hey, aren't we lucky to be living here?

Boise State Football is played on the Blue (smurf) turf. Lots and lots of support for the team. (Closest thing to a pro team in Boise, and it shows.)

Double A baseball and minor league hockey are real popular too.

Lots and lots of restaurants, but most of the finer dining is in downtown Boise. If I'm not mistaken, they now have Ruth's Chris downtown, among other things. Try Barbacoa out by the greenbelt.

Sizzler, Applebys, Ribs, whatever, lots of that kind of that kind of stuff in the malls, and boy howdy does Boise/Eagle/Meridian/Nampa have malls.

There is a great car culture, but you have to look for it. I believe the Porsche region is Silver Sage.

It's home to all kinds of people, you can easily find a tribe that you'd be comfortable with.

As for the weather, all 4 seasons make their presence known. It can get real cold in the winter, real hot in the summer.

PM me with questions.

[gavin85]

inversions in the winter & wildfire smoke inversions in the summer.

[Gogar]

I think the city and the people are just fine; i think if you have the access to the things you want to see and do it's great.

Reminds me of Salt Lake City with a slightly more relaxed social atmosphere and not as great of access to the mountains.

[aigel]

I could do ID - for the hunting / fishing / outdoors. But it would be too cold for my taste. I guess you'd keep a CA pad for the winter. And while you may be a conservative - these states are a whole new level. Lacks diversity in my book at 80%+ white and less than 10% foreign born.

I find city data a great resource when looking at places to live:
Boise, Idaho (ID) profile: population, maps, real estate, averages, homes, statistics, relocation, travel, jobs, hospitals, schools, crime, moving, houses, news, sex offenders

My advice would be to NOT buy a home, but rent one and move there for a year. See how you like it. Last thing you want is a $500k ball and chain in a place you don't like. These places aren't CA, where you can sell a home in 2 weeks tops. You'll sit on it and lose some money.

Have fun! Exciting times!

George

[LakeCleElum]

Take all the Excellent advise you received here in the past about Sequim and Couer D'Alene......Add 10 degrees in the summer and subtract 10 degrees in the winter.....

[sammyg2]

I like Idaho falls.

[KNS]

Originally Posted by aigel

My advice would be to NOT buy a home, but rent one and move there for a year. See how you like it. Last thing you want is a $500k ball and chain in a place you don't like. These places aren't CA, where you can sell a home in 2 weeks tops. You'll sit on it and lose some money.

My dad retired to Hamilton, MT many years ago (gorgeous). He's from SoCal like a lot of other transplants up in the area. He stated that he knows of more than a few people who left after a spending a couple of winters up there.

[Hugh R]

Thanks Guys, just going to look right now. Economics says I stay with Disney and the wifey with CalPers for 3 more years, medicare, pensions, etc. Just going to look at this point.

Herr_Oberst it will get to 105 here in the middle of the day in July-October, and a low of 28 in the middle of the night.

I think I can buy a machine gun there. And the pcar might be SMOG exempt.

Yeah, thinking about keeping the Oxnard, CA Condo for the Winters (two blocks from the Beach) and living somewhere else 6 months and 1 day so I don't pay CA income taxes.

[Cajundaddy]

I have family in southern ID and MT. Beautiful country, coldass winters. I prefer Bozeman MT or Idaho Falls for a primary residence but would probably need a condo in San Diego for Jan/Feb. I guess if you don't have to be out in it you adapt but snow is for skiing, not everyday winter living IMO.

[herr_oberst]

Yes to the winter inversions and they can last weeks. Obviously, they've gotten worse with the population increase. Gloomy. And, it snows and the snow stays and gets brown and ugly. It's important to get out of town and get some sun and fun..
If you snow ski, there is a great mountain just 16 miles out of town called Bogus Basin and it's always above the inversion layer. A nice dose of Vitamin D is yours for the drive, and as a bonus you can crank a few ski turns and get some exercise.

Fun fact, I've only seen The Stones once in my life, and it was in Boise - and that was fairly recently.

The Wood River Valley is only 3 hours from Boise. Home to World Class fly-fishing. And Sun Valley.

It's possible to snow-ski, water-ski and golf on the same day.

The majority of the population in Idaho leans right, politically; Boise and the Treasure Valley have a good number of progressives, however the rural areas are definitely mostly hard core right wing. The current Governor is a Mormon if I'm not mistaken (Butch Otter)

"Why's it always windy in Twin Falls? Because Utah sucks and Montana blows"

[craigster59]

My brother has lived in Boise (Meridian actually) since the late 70's. He loves it, wouldn't live anywhere else. The times I've visited up there we always had a great time (State Fair, River Fest).

Some of the guys I've worked with have tended to settle in Couer D'Alene or Hayden Lake area. Mostly for the hunting and fishing, car culture, etc. Most were still working for the studios and it was easy to catch a direct flight from Burbank to Spokane on a Friday. The drive to Hayden Lake is about 45 min from what I'm told. And yes, they do tend to winter back in So Cal., best of both worlds.

[vash]

i love ID.

my wife, not so much. i should have considered the ramifications of marrying a woman born in the Tropics. puffy jacket in the low 60's.

McCall ID is super cool. smaller, like a ski town. cool restaurants and things. nice people.

great outdoor stuff. elk and wolves running around.

[Rick Lee]

I bet your purse is less acceptable in ID, but I'm just guessing.

Originally Posted by vash

i love ID.

my wife, not so much. i should have considered the ramifications of marrying a woman born in the Tropics. puffy jacket in the low 60's.

McCall ID is super cool. smaller, like a ski town. cool restaurants and things. nice people.

great outdoor stuff. elk and wolves running around.

[aigel]

Reading about Applebees, Sizzler and having a Ruth Chris as the attraction, that's all I need to know.

We think of ourselves as conservatives here in CA - but whenever I go to one of those states, I am an instant liberal. The worst for me is the inability to find a good restaurant and the fact that everyone asks "where are you from" in a way that has "you don't belong around here, do you?" undertone ...

Not sure if you are religious. It isn't a requirement, but sure helps.

G

[recycled sixtie]

Originally Posted by LakeCleElum

Take all the Excellent advise you received here in the past about Sequim and Couer D'Alene......Add 10 degrees in the summer and subtract 10 degrees in the winter.....

I would think that Idaho gets cool weather like Alberta in winter. A bit further west like where LakeC is in my mind more acceptable in terms of weather... Each one to their own.

[SilberUrS6]

Originally Posted by aigel

the fact that everyone asks "where are you from" in a way that has "you don't belong around here, do you?" undertone ...

That's what I hated about ID. Glad to be away from there, and glad to not go back.

[Hugh R]

The wifey and I have talked about renting for a year if we decide we like the area. Maybe a condo there and keep the Condo in Ventura (Oxnard) CA. As some of you have said, its not so easy to bail if you don't like it.

[rattlsnak]

Didn't someone else recently post an inquiry about Boise? I seem to remember that? Anyway, I have never lived there but go there 3-4 times a year and I really like that area as well.