Considering moving to Idaho from California? Our Experience (Boise, Idaho Falls: rental, motels)

City Data Folk:

This post is quite long because it deals with two very important aspects of moving to this state and is based on current information and my own experience. If you do not have the attention it takes to read such a post you will not benefit from it.

April 18 2011

I write this from my laptop in the front seat of my Ford F 350 on Hwy 84 southbound to Boise.
On our way out of this godforsaken state to Oregon, we just cant leave quick enough.

About 2 years ago my husband and I started planning our exit strategy from California to Eastern Idaho. We chose Idaho for the conservative values and privacy rights. Not so much for the weather. We chose East Idaho for the cost of living index, thus allowing us to put money away while paying living expenses.

So, we saved and invested in our F350 for the snow country. Then we saved again and invested in our Truck Camper that would serve as our temp housing. We then invested in our needed clothing for the cold climate and had our truck fluids changed over to synthetic. We then saved over 5000.00 for the move itself(bills, space rent, food ect) while paying the bills.


Our move day was 6 days ago, we took 4 days to get to Idaho Falls and arrived on a Saturday. We paid our space rent of 350.00 at Sunnyside Acres Rv/Mobile Home Community Park. We checked out town on Sunday and thought it was just wonderful.. Monday morning we headed right to DMV (As most states require 10-30 days as a norm for moving in/out reporting change over ect).

We stood in line for about 15 minutes (A short jaunt by California standards), when it came time to go to the counter, the women greeted me with a smile and asked what I wanted to do, I said I needed to change over my license, she said “can I see your license” I handed her my California License and It was like flipping a switch, she got real aggressive with me telling me essentially that I needed to jump through all these hoops to get my license in Idaho and then said she needed a 12 month lease agreement. I told her we wont have one of those -ever-we pay space rent and live in our rig. She was cold and rigid, so I got out of line.


My husband then went in to talk to them, he got the same response but worst. He asked what the regulations were and were there any 'other' options for obtaining residency


Her response was as follows and I quote “ I don't know what your moral ethics or values are but I will show it to you to make you happy”.


How that even relates to questions one asks to better understand what they are up against I will never know.

It was then that we learned we were not only not welcome, but would not ever be. We spoke with everyone in the office at DMV and was given the same response. We would never be able to register our truck because we live in our RV. An Rv in the state of Idaho is considered a “vacation home”. It is not considered a residence by any means. So, even though we moved into a designated space, paid our rent, and got a receipt to show were on month to month, that was not acceptable. My husband offered to get a printout from social security, that too was denied as acceptable proof of residency, never-mind that Social Security if a Federal program which must have his current address information.



June 11 2011

Now, there are two issues I see very clearly here.

The first, is the intense reaction to my Drivers License- being from California
The second, the deceptive insinuation that Idaho is not participating in REAL ID

First -

As a result of the 'Light Switch' at the DMV I Googled and this is what I found.
There are several dedicated Facebook sites to this effect,one entitled “We Hate Californians” out of Idaho, the Facebook page owner is out of CDA. Nice........you should check this out before obligating your finances to a move here. It is disturbing, and I am surprised it is even allowed to be published as it is so hateful, they talk about spitting on people who have California plates or treating them unfairly and celebrating the hate, it is a social scene for California haters and there lots and lots of comments to this effect. I suppose it is OK to publish and support such things in the name of the state of Idaho?

Site Names and Links:

Keep Californians out of North Idaho
https://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=2419615465#!/group.php?gid=2419615465&v=wall (https://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=2419615465#%21/group.php?gid=2419615465&v=wall - broken link)

“Keep the ****in lame ass rich californians out of North Idaho...bringing all this damn ****ing traffic, developing every single piece of land they can and now theres more mexicans then ever which is just what we dont need or want. AHH I Hate it and i hate all of you for ****in moving here. And I hate when they say "well we moved from LA to escape that type of atmosphere" and now there just bringing that **** to CDA. **** you californians.”

Damn Californians
Damn Californians | Facebook (http://is-is.facebook.com/topic.php?uid=2230500643&topic=2446&start=0&hash=e 25beadf4e4e466b382ac7d94dc9511d - broken link)
Kelly-
"Um yeah I've lived in the Lane since I was 6 months old. I work retail and I want to viciously beat everyone who shows their Cali ID. Can we just shut down the town to tourists so that our town is actually fun in the summer and not filled with snotty tourist batards?”

Rika-
"cali peeps tend to get hit by cars while walking the streets of Sun Valley... I find it funny... serves them right... if you want tto be a blonde haited big tited bimbo... stay where it's welcome... cali... not Idaho... Idaho is for people of natural curves and **** like that."

The Stupid Shall Be Punished
The Stupid Shall Be Punished: Kooky Local Simpleton On Cause Of Boise Wildfire


To Be for warned is to be for armed.

Second

Idaho has written a statute prohibiting “REAL ID”, however one of the REAL ID requirements is the strict residency requirements, as what we ran into. Now as it has been a few months since then and I have had ample time to research the errors in my own judgment concerning such things. This is what I have found, an “Enhanced Drivers License” is REAL ID.

Real ID is also known as the Enhanced Drivers License- it has a long list of requirements, none of which are to the average persons benefit. As those of you most likely already know it isn't about what is good for you and I. It is meant for all Chattle (Definition: A civil relationship in which one person has absolute power over the life, fortune, and liberty of another.) and a means by which to prevent very much movement in certain areas and a way to discard those who are less than privileged. Comes at a perfect time, in which half the country in now unemployed and moving around in search of work and respectability. An unexpected side effect of out politically volatile times.


What surprises me, as the large Mormon populaces have always held conservative values and had privacy concerns, is that this has been put into place. It is written that Idaho is one of the holdout states, however I think that remains to be seen for now.
Link: REAL ID Implementation Embraced by 41 States | Center for Immigration Studies

Basically, according to the law and regulations as I understand it, the following people are not permitted residency:
Homeless, transient people in night shelters, people who live in weekly monthly motels, people who rent month to month(who really wants to be on a lease with how the economy is honestly folks come on) people who's primary residence is their RVS, people who live in battered womens shelters and people who live with friends or relatives(who would not be part of a 12 MONTH LEASE Agreement).

Seems to me, that would be quite a oversight in counting the state of Idahos population. As well it would serve also to keep people unemployed as they would not have an ID in which to verify residency or identification, in which is needed to work and pick up a paycheck, which in turn prevents them also from moving forward.

Also, in my travels I have also discovered that Idaho has terrible Labor Laws, in my opinion this is why it is business friendly. And since I do not work for free, I consider it a good thing our move here was averted. Here the links for that:
U.S. Department of Labor - Wage and Hour Division (WHD) - Minimum Wage Laws in the States (http://www.dol.gov/whd/minwage/america.htm - broken link)
Employment and Labor Law [Archive] - Labor Law Talk


It cost us 2050 unnecessary miles on our truck, a 1000.00 dollars in diesel, and a set of new tires way before we had anticipated. As well as the loss of most of our savings and racking up our cards on expenses. A year ago I had second thoughts of moving to Idaho, but my husband really liked it so I went with that.


The Idaho laws concerning personal privacy are questionable. A better move for a family looking to move ahead and concerned with the future lives for themselves and their children might be Nevada, Missouri, Alaska, Oklahoma, or the like.


Although we had a terrible venue in our experience, we were able to leave it behind us because we had a way in which to do this. Which raises the question, what do others do who find themselves as new residents faced with the same predicament that are without the means by which to leave the situation do? Are they stranded? Do they become part of the population that does not get counted by the county? Are they left by the wayside?


Need ID to get job. Cannot get ID due to qualifying for ID-thus rendering them without a way to either support themselves or move on.


Consider this carefully.

[Shaner]

So I read this entirely and I have one thing to point out. Your post is concerning all of Idaho, when all you did was go to IF. All of Idaho is not IF.

[kayy911]

I have friends who moved from Texas to CA to Twin Falls, ID. They got jobs in ID with Texas IDs and now are settling into a house they bought and are in the process of getting an Idaho license.

[Timj17]

Let me get this straight--you have one experience in one DMV in one city of one region of Idaho, and all of a sudden the entire state is off-limits?

It's true that some people in Idaho harbor anti-California feelings. And, like any other place, some of the rules are just plain silly. But it seems like you were already dead-set against Idaho and only went there because your husband wanted to, and at the first sign of trouble you ran.

And just to let you know, the moral ethics statement is way, way out there. Even for Idaho Falls. Wow. So maybe, at some level, I can see why you ran.

[Cnynrat]

Most of the Facebook links posted above look like not much more than a bunch of kids in a state of arrested development who get a kick out of seeing how many four letter words they can use in their Facebook posts.

Not really impressive, and I somehow doubt this is representative of the entire state of Idaho.

[norcalmom101]

can i report a thread for being annoying?

[boisefan88]

It's amazing that one person's experience, if it isn't in line with the tenor of the forum, is considered "annoying" or trolling or slighted.

Yet her account was far more detailed and explanatory than the dozens of others that claim everything is just so peachy, jovial, and heavenly.

I do agree that their experience in IF should not be generalized across the rest of the the state, but to say that this same xenophobic attitude also doesn't exist in every town in the state is also mistaken.

[Anak]

I appreciate CapitalKid's sharing of experience. It is good to see what can happen. I can believe the story.

At the same time, I believe a different story can be written.

I am looking at moving my family to Idaho, but we are doing it a bit differently. By the end of this summer we will have made our third trip to the area we are looking at moving to. We are already building relationships with people there. It may be several more years before we finally do make the move. Whenever that time comes, we will have someone there who welcomes us.

Yes, coming from California carries a bit of a liability, but that is not an insurmountable obstacle. Those of us who are in that situation simply have to make it clear that we are on the side of low taxes, dirt roads and the freedom of a right to work state. We aren't coming to change the world. We are coming because we like the world that is Idaho.

Taking the time to learn the rules and unwritten codes in advance can save a lot of heartbreak for both sides of the picture. That's one of the great things about this forum. It offers a lot of the personality of an area which the charts and graphs cannot convey.

Thanks to those who participate so the rest of us can learn.

[cleosmom]

In response to the OP's experience with DMV here is what is required by the state of California

If you become a California resident, you must get a California driver license within 10 days. Residency is established by voting in a California election, paying resident tuition, filing for a homeowner’s property tax exemption, or any other privilege or benefit not ordinarily extended to nonresidents.

taken from Driver License and Identification (ID) Card Information

When going further to check out Idaho's requirements, this is what I found

What do I need to bring with me?
Proof of Idaho Residency—You must reside inside Idaho’s borders to be issued an Idaho driver’s license or ID card. Proof of residency can be shown with documents such as lease or rental agreements, utility bills, employment records containing your physical Idaho address, school enrollment records, etc. Your home address (where you live) cannot be your workplace, vacation residence, a part-time residence, P.O. Box, mail drop, or general delivery (that have been mailed to the applicant.) Please check with your local office to determine the acceptability of your documents.

taken from Idaho Driver's License Program

When reading both, they are quite similar in nature and both are easily found online to be prepared.

I am in SE Idaho and over 20 years ago I did come from CA and never experienced the stuff that the OP did, not stating that it's not true, I believe them. However basing being ill prepared when applying for a driver's license and using sources such as juveniles on Facebook should not be considered for painting a dismal picture.

I am sorry that your brief visit to our state was not an enjoyable one to you and wish you luck with Oregon.

[mo2010]

My experience was quite different as well. I moved from Los Angeles to Boise last June. I have found everyone to be quite friendly and helpful. When I tell them that I am from California, I usually make a joke that I can imagine how sick they are of hearing that. I have never had anyone agree with me, but, instead, I am always told that they are glad to have me. My DMV experience was also quite different: DMV opens at 8:00, so, I got there at 7:30 thinking that the line would not be too long. It wasn't; I was the only one on line until about 7:45. First in line at the DMV - that alone was worth moving for. I only had to show my CA id and a utility bill to take the written test for an ID license and to get ID plates.

Obviously everyone is going to have a different experience, but, for what it's worth, my experience, that of my 16 year old son, my sister, and, my mother have all been positive. Idaho is not perfect (but, who in their right mind would expect perfection), but, it has been a dream come true for me.