what can you tell me about elk city/new meadows, idaho? (Boise: health insurance, house)

[huskerfreak]

hello all. i'm thinking of moving to elk city, or New Meadows in the next year or two and am wondering about the people, weather, etc. I love snow so the more of that the better. I also love to hunt, fish, and backpack. I"ve heard good things about both cities. could you guys give me a good comparison of the two since I have not been able to visit either yet?

[Miborn]

It is breathtakingly beautiful....... Cold in the winter....

[Miborn]

Elk City is way more remote than New Meadows.

[shades_of_idaho]

Huskerfreak,

Because of the Tamarack Resort going in in the McCall area New Meadows is becoming a very expensive area to move into. New Meadows is a nice town with some services. It is about 90 miles to shopping unless you choose to shop at McCall and that is so much more expensive to shop up there. There is a grocery store in New Meadows but it is not like the Albertson's or other large grocery store you might be used to.

New Meadows is very pretty with lots of pasture ground and the cows out -standing in their fields. LOL Then mountains around the edges. The snow can be brutal but in the last few years that has not been the case.

Elk City is an hours drive from Grangeville on a windy narrow river road. Would be icy in the winter. It is a beautiful drive into Elk City but once you get there is could be disappointing. I would choose New Meadows over Elk city any day.

Council is between New Meadows and Cambridge and it is also a nice town and the housing might be a little less than New Meadows. It is 20 miles closer to shopping. Still in the pine trees if it does not get burned down in this years fire season.:^(((( There is a nice grocery store there and hardware ,veterinarian and a few shops. Enough to get buy.

Cambridge is another 20 miles down the highway and this is where we live. It is a nice small town with a few services. Small grocery,expensive, lumber yard coffee hut a couple of greasy spoons and a couple of shops to dink around in.

We have been looking all around. My husband decides to move about every three years. UGH The places we have found we really like are Pierce and Weippe. Then there are a few really nice looking places in Kamiah and Kooskie. Grangeville is a really nice town and I would be happy to live there. Pierce and Weippe are remote and old and not much in either town. Of the two we think Pierce is the prettier town but it is 12 miles further away from Orofino and shoping.

Now I keep mentioning shopping. I really am not a shopper as in cruzing Wally world daily kind if thing is fun for me. I HATE shopping. But when the snow is deep and the roads are icy and it has been a few weeks since a trip to the grocery store."shopping" becomes a consideration. We used to live 189 miles one way to a K-Mart. Shopping was once every 6 months and we just kept a running list of what we needed. Was a long hard shopping day and certainly not fun. When your plumbing breaks on a Saturday and your small town is closed up at noon for the weekend you better hope you have enough saved water to flush or duct tape to get you by until you can go shopping. I have done some pretty goofy things with sink traps and such just to get by until we could go to town.

You did not say if you still need to work? Kids in Schools etc. All of that is a consideration. You really need to come look.

I think the people is all the mentioned towns are great. We have not run into any one cranky in all of our trips around.

Chris

[millagerobert]

If you want remote mountain living then Elk city is your ticket. For ski hill access and more neighbors then New Meadows. For in between Kamiah and Kooskia along the Clearwater River provide a good central location.

[gregandash]

Hi there,
I lived in New Meadows from 1984 to 1996. It's a beautiful area, but can be a bit of a culture shock for many if they are coming from larger cities. The school system is ok - not extraordinary in any way. The outdoor activities you can choose from are fantastic. The skiing at Brundage is wonderful - if you don't ski I do advise it! You must visit Zims Hot Springs (and also Burgdorf - which is just north of McCall - ask around, you'll be directed there). I remember something about the beautiful valley belonging to Indian Tribes and "Old Meadows" was once called Elk City or something but can't quite recall - I know there's an Elk City in Idaho but I've never been.
Word of warning, if you like the Little Salmon River, it floods every year in the spring - DO NOT build a house next to it. Several years, the flooding reached 5 - 6 feet! We had to boat to our home that sat on the hill.
The winters have varied - from 6 foot of snow in 1984 & 1985 to a mere few feet in the 90's.
If you want to settle down in a quiet, fairly peaceful valley, New Meadows is lovely. Again, I do reitterate, if you come from a larger city, it will be a culture shock for you if you plan to live there year round. But you'll eventually get over it!
Good luck - it's a lovely area and wonderful for children to grow in!
Ash

[rcampsr]

Hello,
Are you still living in the New meadows/Council area. We are thinking of retiring in that area. Too much activity in the McCall area.
Thanks, RAC

[wdg57]

I know this is an old thread. Elk City is way remote for Idaho. It's a beautiful place in the summer. Long winters and a long drive to Grangeville. I would suggest visiting in winter and summer before you consider moving there. I worked in the Elk City to Dixie area for many years. I wouldn't want to live there full time and I currently live in a pretty remote area of Alaska.

New Meadows is a nice community. I lived there and in the Cambridge area in the late 50's early 60's and early 70's to the mid 2000's. Long winters, nice summers. Good fishing/hunting. Good access to skiing and snowmobiling. Nice people.

If you're a retiree you may find it a hassle to make trips to Boise for shopping and medical care. My wife and I will be retiring in a few years. We bought a home in the Middleton area. To be nearer to decent medical facilities and cheaper shopping. My wife drove to Boise so much she would wear a car out about every 2 or 3 years if we lived in New Meadows again.

[rcampsr]

Thank you for your reply to my old inquiry.

I have since relocated to the Philippines and have found it quite affordable to live here. I am also able to pay my medical out of pocket for less than the health insurance fee that I was paying each month.

Thanks Again,
RAC

[wildflower82]

Originally Posted by rcampsr

Thank you for your reply to my old inquiry.

I have since relocated to the Philippines and have found it quite affordable to live here. I am also able to pay my medical out of pocket for less than the health insurance fee that I was paying each month.

Thanks Again,
RAC

Wow!!! from thinking of moving to New Meadows and went to the Philippines now that's a move, not much snow there though!!

The worst part of living in this area is the medical care and traveling to Boise for most of it.

Best of Luck