considering a move to east central Idaho, any experience from there

[shawnba67]

Sometime in next couple of years my growing family needs a bigger house, I have at least been given the floor to make my case for going west young man. However I havent been told LOL. Any one from there looking for opinions on lots of lifes little things, weather, bugs, people, hunting , fishing and anything else youd like to share wuth me. West Montana hasnt been completely ruled out nor Oregon

[Geraldo]

You'll freeze your eyes out, kid.

[leftiye]

I'm a bit confused, central Idaho is all primitive area. Any towns in mind? And, yes it is cold, bigtime. But only in the winter. Eastern Idaho is some nice country!

[shawnba67]

I'm a bit confused, central Idaho is all primitive area. Any towns in mind? And, yes it is cold, bigtime. But only in the winter. Eastern Idaho is some nice country!

No towns decided on yet, would need a place for me to work fixin cars and a place for the wife to do her nursing thing. They seem to have a lot of home health out there though. I'm in southern Indiana now and last winter we spent most of a week sub zero, what do you guys call big time cold?

[shawnba67]

Don't over think this guys its a pretty broad question, just if you would share the small talk talking points about where you know about in the general area. Example; here in Indiana Ive woken up to 60 degrees and gone to bed with 4'' of snow in the same day

[BrassMagnet]

Sometime in next couple of years my growing family needs a bigger house, I have at least been given the floor to make my case for going west young man. However I havent been told LOL. Any one from there looking for opinions on lots of lifes little things, weather, bugs, people, hunting , fishing and anything else youd like to share wuth me. West Montana hasnt been completely ruled out nor Oregon

I was looking toward relocating to Idaho. I decided not to. Too much nuclear power there, including all of the Navy's nuclear power training reactors.
Really nice places to live are usually lacking in work to pay for living there. Mechanic and Nurse are two trades applicable to anywhere in the US. Good luck. You should be able to move anywhere you want to move to.
My Dad used to say, "Live where you want to live and do whatever work you have to do to stay there." Good advice, but choose well as the cost of relocating is extreme!

[obssd1958]

I live in Boise, but recreate in central Idaho. I try to spend as much time as possible out of town!
I don't have much time this morning, but will try to answer whatever questions you might have about places like:
Grangeville, Riggins, Kooskia, Kamiah, Cascade, McCall, Council, Weiser, Cambridge, etc..., later this evening.

[jmort]

"West Montana hasnt been completely ruled out nor Oregon"

Move to Oregon? If you like firearms, that is asking for a world of pain. Just wait and see what they cook up for their residents.

[waksupi]

Actually, the winters are milder out west than the midwest. Not nearly as much humidity, so the cold doesn't go right through you.

[shawnba67]

well here is a partial list of all my questions, (open to anyone with out west experience)
when do you start winter heat and when do you stop?
How friendly are the people and how long would you be "not from round here"? here in IN people are friendly but not terribly voluntary with it, you are more than welcome to walk by quietly but a hello is usually replied to in like fashion.
Whats the access to "public" hunting and fishing?
whats up with the above nuclear power claims?
Is there work in or around the hunting and fishing or is it mostly work in the city and commute to recreation?
Are the people overly religious? (will they notice if im not in church on Sun morn?)
Anything at all else you'd like to mention? Thank you very much

[rush1886]

Howdy! I live close to Idaho Falls. A "city" of approx. 60K people.

Typically we begin serious usage of winter heat around Thanksgiving, generally leaving it on and available until the end of March. Natural gas is available in the cities and some towns, rural living is either electric or propane.

Most folks are friendly enough and will readily engage in conversation. As is human nature, there are some who act suspicious. This carries over to the dominant local religion, Mormon or LDS. Most folks don't have a problem if you are not of this faith, though SOME small, rural, towns, are definitely church//religion centered.

Access to public hunting and fishing is excellent. Not much travel involved. The fishing, however, is mostly for trout. Very few opportunities available for warmwater species.

Getting back to your OP, questioning East/Central Idaho, if because of growing family needs, you need to be near a city, your main opportunities would be in the Idaho Falls/Rexburg area, or the Salmon/Challis area.

The nuclear power thing ??? The DOE operates the Idaho National Laboratory, approx. 30 miles west of Idaho Falls, which does have an operable reactor, and some Naval training. To my knowledge, no nuclear power is operating commercially, or on a commercial scale.

[odis]

I've lived in Minnesota my whole life and there is no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothes.

[HABCAN]

With those skill sets you'd both be welcome here in easygoing East Central Alberta, but I don't suppose an American would want to get out from under the present media hypes of election hoopla, racial strife, and police state, pending civil war stuff we just goggle at? The weather is no worse than Wyoming/Montana, and there's no 'religious affectations'. It's CANADA, but here we are closer to Texas than to Ontario in attitudes. Think on't: we have the oil, cattle, and wheat to hand, hunting within a five minute drive, lotsa different shooting opportunities on our local world-class 1,500 yd. range, fishing within reach..........there's worse places.

Edited to add: right now your US$ = CDN$1.25

[onceabull]

You would do well to save time & effort and just start looking for a place in/near Salmon,Id. Once there, you can be shopping for value priced items @ the Wisdom,Mt.annual gunshow every summer. Onceabull

[starmac]

I heard a guy once ask an old timer how folks were around his parts. The old timer ask him what kind of folks were back from where he was from. The guy respnnded that they were pretty much donkeys hindends, and the old timer told him it was pretty much the same here. That was in about as friendly a place as you could imagine.

I have pretty much found his words to be true though in all my travels, how folks treat you is in direct correalation to your attitude.

All that said, why stop in Idaho, mechanics and health care providers are in demand in Alaska, and if you have a decent work ethic, jobs are easy to come by. PLUS the folks are great, and a wonderful climate. lol Hunting and fishing, camping, shooting everywhere you look, and no need for a ccw. if you want to carry.

[376Steyr]

Stay away from Oregon. It is run by dirty hippies and commies, with no hope in sight of getting reformed in the near future.

[gpidaho]

I'm forth generation Idaho and have a great-grandson on the way. To say I love Idaho would be an understatement. I spent 25yrs in west central Idaho before moving back to the Boise valley. Things you should consider if moving out here, central winter is long in valley county where I lived, when ask by an outsider "What do you do around here in the summer" reply usually went "If it comes on a weekend we usually have a picnic" Idaho is a "right to work state" and wages are not high although medical field is always in demand. LDS is mostly in southern Idaho but is state wide , I have never had any sort of problem with Mormons or their religion and believe them in the most part to be fine people. On the plus side you have a very gun friendly attitude here and untold outdoor opportunities. Hunting and fishing are the other state religion. Just keep in mind rich people come here to recreate, very few come here with hopes of becoming rich. I love the place and will be here from now on, If your tough and honest come on out. Good luck Gp

[MT Gianni]

well here is a partial list of all my questions, (open to anyone with out west experience)
when do you start winter heat and when do you stop?
How friendly are the people and how long would you be "not from round here"? here in IN people are friendly but not terribly voluntary with it, you are more than welcome to walk by quietly but a hello is usually replied to in like fashion.
Whats the access to "public" hunting and fishing?
whats up with the above nuclear power claims?
Is there work in or around the hunting and fishing or is it mostly work in the city and commute to recreation?
Are the people overly religious? (will they notice if im not in church on Sun morn?)
Anything at all else you'd like to mention? Thank you very much

when do you start winter heat and when do you stop? Depends on how big of a wimp you are. I lived in Grace/Soda Springs for 10 yrs now in SW MT. It is a good year when you can put off heating until Oct. First frost in Grace was within a week of Labor day, MT now usually the 3rd week of Sept. Last frost in ID was around June 20 in MT mid May. I am at 4500' elev, ID was 5850'.

How friendly are the people and how long would you be "not from round here"? here in IN people are friendly but not terribly voluntary with it, you are more than welcome to walk by quietly but a hello is usually replied to in like fashion.
Any one not answering a How ya doing is considered a smelly body part or a person from either coast, neither are positive. Walking past someone without greeting them is just rude in a small town.
Whats the access to "public" hunting and fishing?National forest access is good but the best hunting is generally on private. Knocking on doors cold in May to hunt in the fall gets you about 10-20% maybe in the fall to hunt the same day gets you 1-2%.

whats up with the above nuclear power claims? No claims, INEL has a large facility their training Navy sub drivers and others. As with anywhere, someone coming to town and acting elitist gets labelled as jerks.
Are the people overly religious? (will they notice if im not in church on Sun morn? Tough call in many cases it is the best way to get to know the locals with land.
Anything at all else you'd like to mention? Grace had snow on the ground from Halloween until April every year we lived there. We never saw it colder than -40 and winter highs were rarely over 30. One of the coldest spots in the nation. Montana at the lower elevation is closer to -25 for low temps with highs in the teens to mid 30's. Most winter days will have lows in the single digits and highs around 30. Wind is a prob;em here but wasn't in ID, I have seen 85 mph and most days if I target shoot I need to be done by 10AM. Great place to live but I could sell my home on 1 acre a little out of a small town and relocate to the midwest on 160 acres. ID is not as expensive but the wages don't make up for it in either case. Too many employers assume a $4-5 an hour cut for the scenery as acceptable.
Mechanics and medical are usually in good demand.

[quilbilly]

Stay away from Oregon. It is run by dirty hippies and commies, with no hope in sight of getting reformed in the near future.
No question about that and I used to be an Oregonian.
I would think the Salmon Falls area or the Twin Falls area would be a good place to look. You will have many members of this board near enough to get into trouble with. Being in the Snake River plain, I don't think the winters are nearly as severe in Twin Falls over long periods as elsewhere. Twin Falls also has many of the amenities of much larger cities (i.e. Costco, Sportsman's Warehouse, Dept. stores in malls, etc.)

[shawnba67]

Man you guys are great. Keep it coming. We are already planning to drive out in the spring and look around a bit. Haven't zeroed in on an exact spot yet but digure well spend 2 weeks taste testing about.

[cajun shooter]

The best thing to do is spend some time in the areas you are thinking about before uprooting your family and ending up in a place that does not fit well with you. The Canada offer from one member left out a few things like handgun ownership and carry law. Bugs are so bad that you can't go into the woods without a bug suit. I've made two hunting trips to Quebec and was surprised at the amount of people who live off the government. If you smoke or drink then be ready to pay big dollars for these items also. Staying somewhere for a few days will not give you the overall facts about the other 360 yet to come. Some rural places don't have electric or cheap winter fuel. I've paid anywhere from $80 a cord to $500 for the same while staying in different parts of the west.
Don't rely on any info supplied by the different chambers of Commerce as they only give you the positive and not what the actual cost of living are. This is found out by speaking to the people who pay those bills.
Good Luck in Finding that special place, David

[HABCAN]

"The Canada offer from one member left out a few things like handgun ownership and carry law. Bugs are so bad that you can't go into the woods without a bug suit."

Yes, you have to go through a few humps and bumps for handgun ownership, but it's not too big a deal. Yes, it's considered a privilege as opposed to a right (dammit!) As for carry, this is CANADA and there really is NO need defensively, although personally the cities are a-changin'! (Would you rather be tried by twelve or carried by six? Your choice.) The black fly will drive you nuts if you don't have a head net........in the Eastern woods, in season, near running water. BTDT. Here, there aren't any!!

[Char-Gar]

Home is home and nobody needs an excuse or a reason to love their home territory. But why in the love of God, would any contemplating a move, want to do where there are long, cold and snowy winters? There are lots of nice places with much less cold and zero snow. Fixing cars is nice, but do you really want to do that in subfreezing weather?

[shawnba67]

Home is home and nobody needs an excuse or a reason to love their home territory. But why in the love of God, would any contemplating a move, want to do where there are long, cold and snowy winters? There are lots of nice places with much less cold and zero snow. Fixing cars is nice, but do you really want to do that in subfreezing weather?
Have to be better than doing it in 90+ degrees in the shade at 100% humidity. I went to orlanda in early august and was amazed that it wasn't a noticable bit hotter or muggier than southern indiana

[starmac]

Char-Gar, to each his own, many folks would take long cold snowy winters over hot humid weather any day.
I was born and raised in Texas, but would not trade my winters here for yours, much less your summers. lol

[jonp]

Lewiston is fairly liberal. I cruised timber near Weiser on the snake and the people were pretty laid back but that was 25yrs ago

[jonp]

Char-Gar, to each his own, many folks would take long cold snowy winters over hot humid weather any day.
I was born and raised in Texas, but would not trade my winters here for yours, much less your summers. lol
Ill take cold over hot any day

[quilbilly]

Man you guys are great. Keep it coming. We are already planning to drive out in the spring and look around a bit. Haven't zeroed in on an exact spot yet but digure well spend 2 weeks taste testing about.
Keep an eye on plans for NCBS when you plan your trip. You can get face-to-face advice from our Idaho shooters that way and have more fun than you should be allowed to have.

[doc1876]

it is one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen.

[onceabull]

You have been receiving plenty of commentary about Idaho country,and it's (IMO) mostly accurate... Quilbilly's comments re: Twin Falls/Salmon Falls areas trump mine on Salmon & environs in 2 or 3 areas which may be important to you & Family..Employment opportunities,bird hunting,and warm water fisheries(by far the best Walleye fishery in the State)....downside for me is the population in that valley,and NOTHING that close to Nevada is "East Central Idaho".. This state is a great place to be, and I really regret that I've only been able to be here since 11/63.. Another tout for NCBS from this seat,too... :coffeecom Onceabull

[onceabull]

shawnba67: You might something of value in John Taylor's post in the Humor & O.T. room. re: rednecks in Idaho..Not all those mentioned qualify as "east CentraL", but Salmon is #1, and there are a couple of burgs close to Twin Falls that finished well above honorable mention status.............Onceabull

[odis]

How do Idahos schools measure up? Oregons are pretty bad.

[shawnba67]

I'll check out the rednecks thread and the schools are not of much concern, kids are unlikely to have public education forced on them. Idaho is supposedly very homeschool friendly.

[Paul_R]

I farmed near Soda Springs ID but that was about 30 years ago. Beautiful with lots of wild things, used to hunt from my front porch and bedroom window. Sorry I don't have anything more current. Don't rule out Wyoming, there's no state income tax...

[onceabull]

Soda Springs will test you weatherwise in the winter..!! Offsetting that is the fact that it is close to TinCup Creek...Onceabull

[Paul_R]

These days I fail that test anywhere water is solid and white stuff falls from the sky :wink:

[condorjohn]

It's an invasion without a shot being fired...

[MT Gianni]

When I lived in Idaho most business's had air conditioning but not a lot of homes. In MT AC is rare in a home W of the Rockies and angling from N of Helena to E of Bozeman. It cools down enough at night that it just isn't needed.

[runfiverun]

I dang near bought an A/C unit this summer.
it was over 90 for almost 2 weeks.

I can tell you about the S/E corner of the state, but Gianni has most of it covered.
our furnace is either on or on stand-by from sept to june.
it's snowed here already this year [twice] but it's 75 today, and there's farmers out cutting wheat today.
anyway the religion thing is pretty much confined to certain towns, and if you don't bother with them they don't bother with you. [you'll miss out on the gun talk in the church's hallway's if you ain't there :lol:]

I can sum it up quickly though.
I live here but work elsewhere, it was worth the effort to keep my family here.