Can anyone tell me about Hagerman? (Boise, Pocatello: for sale, attorneys, houses)

[vaidpa]

I did a search but all the posts were pretty old. Is there much in the way of jobs in Twin Falls? I'm currently an attorney but considering a total restart in a simpler life. Is there a sense of community? Liberal/conservative? Families, retirees? What kind of stores are within say a 1/2 hour drive? Harsh weather? Any info or perspective on living in Hagerman appreciated!

[pnwguy2]

Conservative. Very small. They do have a US Bank, a smaller grocery and a couple of gas stations. Nearest major shopping would be Jerome and/or Twin Falls, atleast 30 minutes away. It does have nice access to the Snake River, weather isn't any worse than Twin.

[SelwaySasquatch]

I haven't spent any time in Hagerman, but small towns in south-central Idaho
are generally unfriendly to outsiders, and compound that if you're not Mormon.

[VandalsLOL]

Super small town; mostly older people. It's in kind of a "banana-belt" in Southern Idaho - generally warmer and less wind.

On a small scale, lots to do nearby (fishing, boating, kayaking, hunting). However, like any super-small towns... there are no jobs. If you're an attorney, you won't find work there. You'll barely find work in Twin Falls, which is a 35 minute freeway drive away.

[banjomike]

The town of Hagerman rests above the Snake River canyon at the place where the canyon widens out from it's deep constraints in Twin Falls, but most of the region lies down on the canyon floor or the hills nearby. When Lake Bonneville blew out and drained down the Snake River eons ago, it carved through the bedrock that was the river bottom in Twin Falls, and then cut the canyon wide in Hagerman, where there was much less resistance to the enormous flood waters.

Th bottoms are about a mile lower than the surrounding area on either side of the river, which makes Hagerman one of the most sheltered and warmest places in the southern half of the state. It's one of few places in Idaho where the climate is warm enough to grow fruits and vegetables that won't grow here anywhere else. The only trouble with farming there are the very big rocks that were flushed out by the flood, which are always being uncovered by plows; many are too big to move with farm machinery.

As was said, Hagerman is small. But Twin Falls is a very short commute, and Twin is currently booming. I don't know what the situation is for attorneys in the area, but Hagerman lies more or less in the middle of a bunch of small towns that surround Twin Falls; Wendell, Buhl, Jerome, Gooding, Bliss, Kimberly, and others are all fairly close by, and Rupert and Burley aren't much farther to the east, while Glenn's Ferry and Mtn. Home are about the same distance westward. Boise is slightly closer to Hagerman than Pocatello, and Hailey and Ketchum also lie fairly close by to the north.

It seems to me that a lawyer's job wouldn't be all that hard to find if you are willing to travel a commute, and if you still want to practice law here.

While the entire area is largely LDS, living among the Mormons is not what most folks think its like for a non-member. Here, the LDS religion is very old and long-established, so many of its members here were born to it but don't practice it with any more fervor than in other faiths.

But the smaller the community, the more the church becomes the major social center for everyone. The Mormons have as many secular activities as their religious activities, and all their church houses are built to accommodate their secular activities- indoor sports, dances, socials of all kinds, etc.

At the same time, even the tiny towns have at least one or two bars. Idaho isn't Utah, by a long shot, and never has been. At the same time, the smaller the town, the less opportunity there is to socialize, period, if one is single.

If you are married, and have some kids, much of how well you integrate with the locals depends on you alone. You won't get many attempts to covert you, but once Mormons get to know a person face to face, it's very easy to participate in activities that may not exist outside of the religion, depending on your own ability to mix with them.

Contrary to Sasquatch's observation, I've found Mormons very polite to others in general, helpful, and generous. They have a keen sense of hostility anyone shows towards them, and they'll meet it with their own, but if you are gracious, so are they. It does take a while to become accustomed to some of their churchy ways, but it's the same in a town that is mostly Baptist or any other predominant religion.

[vaidpa]

Thanks to all for the replies and especially banjomike for all the details. Very good to know that Twin Falls is doing well! I am single, so that might make it a little more difficult. However, not that I'm antisocial or anything, but I love the outdoors and would be quite happy hiking, etc. with my dog. I lived in Challis for a summer many years ago, and traveled around Idaho a little and thought it was just beautiful. I'm not sure if I'd still want to practice law, but since it's what I know, I'm definitely considering it. I'm looking to move somewhere that would have the things that I enjoy (beautiful, peaceful outdoors, opportunity for outdoor activities, ability to have a garden, no rat race), and I really don't have it narrowed down very far except "out west." Most places in OR and WA are crazy expensive, and ID seems to be more reasonable. There is a little house for sale in Hagerman which is why the town caught my eye. I'm hoping to take some time off so that I can stay a while in some of the places that interest me to help me decide where I'd like to move. I guess I am kind of doing it backwards...should probably find a job first, but after working so much my priorities have kind of changed.

[banjomike]

Personally, I think you could have a very nice life in Hagerman. it's definitely worth a look-over.
It's quiet and peaceful down in the bottoms, and the scenery, looking out and seeing the canyon walls in the near distance instead of the usual stuff, is unique.
I have always enjoyed my visits to friends who live there a lot. It's low enough to be more temperate in the cold seasons, and warmer in the summers, which can be a good thing here. The bottomlands are not at all closed in feeling, even though they lie in a canyon bottom.

And just about anything can be grown there. Another uniqueness is Hagerman has the only house in Idaho that was built by Frank Lloyd Wright. Archie Teeter, the artist who commissioned the home, appreciated the area's beauty as much as I do. The folks who live there are very much like those who live in Challis, or all of Idaho.

One thing is certain. It's damned hard to beat the summer twilight of a summer evening in Idaho. Down here, that's the time when the doves come out, things begin to quiet down, and a person can hear the noises of nature being a quiet little symphony, and our magnificent sunsets begin to bloom. There's not a more pleasant place to be found on earth at that time of day.

[vaidpa]

Ah you are bringing back all the wonderful memories I had of my summer in Idaho! Maybe it was partly because I was much younger and carefree, but I also clearly remember being in awe of the natural beauty and also how loved how different certain regions were. Just beautiful. Went kayaking on the Salmon river (my first time kayaking). I bought a VW Squareback while I was out there and drove it back to VA. Fun times. Off to Google the Frank Lloyd Wright house.

[banjomike]

Originally Posted by vaidpa

Ah you are bringing back all the wonderful memories I had of my summer in Idaho! Maybe it was partly because I was much younger and carefree, but I also clearly remember being in awe of the natural beauty and also how loved how different certain regions were. Just beautiful. Went kayaking on the Salmon river (my first time kayaking). I bought a VW Squareback while I was out there and drove it back to VA. Fun times. Off to Google the Frank Lloyd Wright house.

Yup. Old Mother Idaho has her way of sinking into your heart forever. She doesn't call out to everyone, but those who hear her call never can forget her.

Ill save you the trouble if you can't find pictures.

http://www.steinerag.com/flw/Artifac...s/PhRtS352.htm

Although I knew Archie, I was never in the house. He had a tiny log cabin studio in Jackson Hole where he spent his summers, selling and painting pictures for the tourists and later, the nouveau-riche who moved in. An architect in Sun Valley bought the place and lives in it now, and he had to do a lot of renovation and restoration to it. Like a lot of Wright's homes, it was more beauty than daily living practicality, but the present owner kept his additions true to the original design, and actually improved on some of it.

An old friend of mine from Hagerman, who has since passed on, lived in it for some time when the Teeters grew old, and said it is cramped for more than 2 people to live in, and the roof was always leaking in some new spot, but he sure liked the view.

[vaidpa]

Thanks for the great stories! By the way, I am intrigued by your statement that Twin Falls is booming. I have been considering moving somewhere without first having a job, only because my job search from so far away has been unsuccessful. I think that I would have a better chance if I am local to wherever I am searching. I have done a bit of research and it seems like Idaho in general is projected to have job growth in the near future, so this is encouraging.