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I grew up very close to wear you currently live. I am a native Texan and love so many things about the Lone Star State, but the climate is NOT one of them in ANY of the 5 distinct geographical regions of the state.
Our family moved here a few years ago from North Texas (where it's hotter in the summer and colder in the winter than SE Texas, but not as humid or stinky from the refineries). We absolutely love it here and have no intentions of moving back. However, the wages here are much lower than in Texas, and the cost of living is about the same, partly because unlike Texas residents, Idaho residents are required to pay state income tax. We are fortunate because my spouse and I both work for large national companies, so our salaries are based on national averages, not Idaho average wages, which are some of the very lowest in the country.
If you and your family value recreation and spending time in the great outdoors, this is the place for you. If you enjoy shopping, dining out, and Friday night lights, you should probably stay in Texas. Or move to Idaho and plan for regular shopping/fine dining trips to a large city. Also keep in mind that if you like to travel by air, Idaho is not the most convenient place to live. There are VERY few direct flights to anywhere. (However, United did just add a direct flight from Boise to Houston Intercontinental!)
Do you know anyone here that can help you out with a job or introduce you to someone who is hiring? I'm sure you have some transferrable skills from your current job that you can use in a different industry. You could also check out some of the larger employers in the area such as Micron, Blue Cross or Boise State University. I have friends who moved here from Arizona and they didn't have jobs, but they had enough money in the bank to live for quite a while without an income. It took them about 6 months to find jobs - one is a teacher and the other is in sales. They do not regret their decision.
I'm also a native Texan, with a family of 5. We just moved here from Dallas, and I brought my job with me. I knew ahead of time that the job market is very small, undervalued, and difficult to navigate. I made sure we had enough money saved up to move us away if I couldn't keep my income, or if it just turned out to not be as great as we thought. So far, Idaho has been great for us. But the reality is that it costs the same or even a little more. It's difficult to take a lower salary PLUS adding a state income tax.
I suggest you put some numbers together, see what will work, how much you need to save, and be REALISTIC. When you have kids, you can't afford to let your fantasies cloud your responsibilities.
As said above, work is the critical juncture. What do you do?
Right now I'm a VAR (vacations, absesenses, and releifs) in the poly area of the rubber manufacturing facility that I work at! Basically I am a chemical process operator. I get paid more than everyone else because I have to be able to work in five different areas! Normally this is the kind of job one would retire from unless, I got hired on at a better paying facility!
Even if you have a highly desirable skill set, I think you will find it very hard to get $32 an hour for it anywhere in Idaho. Our wages just aren't that high here. You may find your job isn't available here, or may only be available in S. Idaho, where most of our population and industry is. Did it take you a long time to work up to that wage, or can you expect to draw it here as soon as you arrive?
Starting over can be tough in this regard. Odds are, someone here in Idaho already has that job, and at a wage that high, isn't about to be giving it up. A good wage here is half that much.
How old are your children? If they are young, you still have the years when they are most expensive ahead of you. If they're all teens, you already know how expensive they are right now.
Life is a lot more than money alone, but you can't eat the scenery. With 5 kids to support, I think your wisest path is to spend as much time as you can looking at other places as well as here, and to take as many negatives into account as you can find. The positives are always much easier to find and are always more tempting.
Make a list of positives and negatives on where you are living now and a similar list for where you want to move. If the new place is 50/50 or less compared to your present place, it's probably not worth the move.
I worked up to this wage over a five year period. I don't expect that there are alot of chemical process operator jobs in Idaho either. My kids are 13, 10, and 4. Getting away form all the things I listed is just part of why I want to move though. My wife and kids deserve to live in a place that is not so frantic, mean spirited, and for the most part completely closed minded! Not to mention a place that isn't so damn misersable to live for half or more of the year. They want to get out and do things all the time but the heat and humidity, bugs and other things tends to keep them indoors. Hell it keeps us all indoors. I would love to live somewhere with a milder climate, where I felt like getting out and doing things with them! We could make it on less money, we've done it before. I just don't know if it's going to be so much less that it's to inhibiting.
I know there are some people here that work in construction trades that travel alot to different states to work, get paid a pretty good hourly wage, and alot of times there is per diem on top of that. Oilfeild and maritime jobs as well! If there was something of that nature within an 8 to 10 hour ride I would be willing to something like that. I don't think I'm looking for the right things on job searches though, or maybe not in the right areas, because I'm not finding any of that in Idaho or Wahington, etc.
I worked up to this wage over a five year period. I don't expect that there are alot of chemical process operator jobs in Idaho either. My kids are 13, 10, and 4. Getting away form all the things I listed is just part of why I want to move though. My wife and kids deserve to live in a place that is not so frantic, mean spirited, and for the most part completely closed minded! Not to mention a place that isn't so damn misersable to live for half or more of the year. They want to get out and do things all the time but the heat and humidity, bugs and other things tends to keep them indoors. Hell it keeps us all indoors. I would love to live somewhere with a milder climate, where I felt like getting out and doing things with them! We could make it on less money, we've done it before. I just don't know if it's going to be so much less that it's to inhibiting.
I hope you are able to manage the move. It is very rare day here North Idaho when you can't get out and enjoy the outdoors.
One way or another we are going to move! Even if I have to work two or three jobs! And I can always put my truck to work if have to! From what I understand around Moscow and Pullman there is always someone needing to move some furniture or something!
Be sure to consider how moving will affect your kids. They are all at an age where they have friends/activities/normalcy. Moving is much harder at their age than it is at ours.
If you move here, your more than likely going to be working in North Dakota. There is no oil jobs here, and from what I have seen and heard, no chemical plants. Alot of people do it, work 3 weeks on, 1-2 off. It is good money, but you are away from your family.
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