Idaho Falls-Couer D' Alene- Eagle/Boise- My Trip May 2017- Observations, Experiences and Research (Coeur d'Alene: low crime, motel)

[NW Crow]

Sounds like the OP liked several places. Is there a leader? Any remaining key questions (besides where the job offers come from)?

[treedroppings]

Thanks for the review. Seems like a really nice place to go visit.

[K-Dog]

NW Crow- I keep writing and re-writing my response as I am really conflicted. My wife and I cannot go wrong on either CDA or Idaho Falls. If we did go wrong (Which either would be a blessing) or wanted a change of pace, two or so years later we could move. My family I think would love both as well, although I think my family would think CDA is more beautiful. I personally love a country sunset/sunrise with hills in the background more than a mountain one, but both places have lots of pros and a short list of minor cons.

Basically, I do not know yet.

[Smokinlib1]

K-Dog, my wife and I read your post and both of us just went, "hey, that's us!" We too took our vacation this year and went looking for a new home in Idaho. We currently live between the Bay area and Sacramento and the sooner we get out, the better. Like you we spent the first part of the vacation in southern Idaho: Boise, Pocatello and Idaho Falls. We found Boise too big and too much like our current home (hot!), Pocatello was beautiful but something was missing, Idaho Falls was pretty but just too flat. Leaving Boise we took the scenic route across the state to visit Challis and Lemhi before heading south. Beautiful country but again, something was missing. Not sure what it was but it was missing. At the last minute my wife said she wanted to go to CDA. I remembered how beautiful it was there in the past but I was afraid that it would have changed and not be as I remembered. How wrong I was! Still the most beautiful place I have ever seen especially coming down the 4th of July pass and seeing the lake below.
My wife has fallen in love. Realtor has been found and is getting bugged almost daily as my wife prepares us to move there. One more trip this winter just so she can never say I didn't warn her about the snow and clouds but I think her mind is already in Idaho no matter what.
I have the luxury of having a job that only requires me to be within an hour or so of a major airport for a commute so CDA/Post Falls/Rathdrum all fit the bill with Spokane having direct flights 2x a day to the Bay Area (gotta love Southwest!).
We have to wait until next year so our senior can graduate and then we are on our way.

And don't worry folks, we are leaving any CA attitude we may have at the CA border. I personally can't wait to rip those CA plates off our truck/car and get Idaho tags on. We are the "middle class" that CA wants gone so bad and are glad to oblige by joining the thousands of others that, like us, will always have a special place in our hearts for the CA we used to know and love but have been forced out by the liberal la la land that Moonbeam and the coastal elites have created.

[K-Dog]

@Smokinlib1- That is really cool that my post resonated with you both. Thank you for sharing your experiences too.

Like you, we are there to embrace the culture and to leave CA behind. I bet you and I would get along real well as I feel the same way. Home has changed and feels like we are being pushed out or to accept crazy. Many blessings to you when you do move once you are able. It will be exciting.

Right now I need to find wisdom to decide if we stay here for another 1 1/2 years or so for more experience or take a slightly lesser position in the CDA area. The CDA position has a recruiter flying to a Kansas City military base for ten days to recruit because they are hard up for new people.

@NW Crow- We are leaning CDA area.

[Axxlrod]

Excellent review and thread.

I'm curious if any of you who have visited ID, specifically CDA, on house-hunting trips, have been there in the winter?

How much snow are we talking about here? Do you not see the sun for weeks on end?

Being a native of SoCal, I have no idea how to live in the snow.

[Cnynrat]

There is good weather data on the data side of City Data, as well as on many other web sites. Not sure what the average annual snowfall is in CDA, but a little further north it's about 65". We just went through a year with 90+ though.

Usually there are more cloudy days than sunny days in winter, but it's not as though the sun never shines.

Dave

[Walkaboutcda]

Originally Posted by Axxlrod

Excellent review and thread.

I'm curious if any of you who have visited ID, specifically CDA, on house-hunting trips, have been there in the winter?

How much snow are we talking about here? Do you not see the sun for weeks on end?

Being a native of SoCal, I have no idea how to live in the snow.

A visit during the winter is still nothing like living here through the winter. I have enjoyed 20 winters so far in Coeur d'Alene. They aren't really any different than those that I knew growing up in Eastern WA, they are never consistent. Some winters we get lots of snow that stays on the ground, others it snows and then disappears or its just rain the whole winter. It can be dark and gray for days on end but those days where the sun is out on the newly fallen snow at 20° are spectacular. There have been a few winters where shoveling snow off the roof was necessary but that is rare.

[redwood66]

Thanks for such a wonderful write-up. I wish I had found C-D when we were looking 12 years ago because there is a wealth of information and friendly people here. The CDA Post Falls area has grown so much in the years we have been here that it is a bit overwhelming.

[CAHntr]

For the OP, thanks for a useful write-up. I especially appreciate the LE angle as that tells one a lot about places that you wouldn't get as a tourist or visitor.