Opinions of Mullan, Osburn, Wallace areas outside of CDA?

[pnwguy2]

As an aside, I-90's last traffic light was in Wallace, Idaho. The Interstate, in highway form, still went through the Wallace downtown district until 1991. The freeway bypass was specifically built to preserve the downtown area, and today it veers off to the northeast and is elevated over some parts of the town, but indeed spares the historic district.

[Corinna Thompson]

Has Wallace cleaned up all it's lead up and safe to live? ... Most post on here are 2 years old...

[Dwatted Wabbit]

Originally Posted by Drathen

Sorry to thread jack, but I'm curious as to what you mean by this? I'm also researching a possible relocation in the distant future and was curious. Thank you

Plus it's a long long incline that can look like you're falling straight downhill if you're at all height-sensitive.

Going back up, it's a long long way up.

[banjomike]

Originally Posted by Corinna Thompson

Has Wallace cleaned up all it's lead up and safe to live? ... Most post on here are 2 years old...

I don't know, but I tend to doubt it's all cleaned up. Wallace is probably safe to live in, but there was so much mining that I doubt it will ever be completely safe from contamination. Very few of these old mining towns ever are.

It's not just lead. There's arsenic, for sure, sulphuric acid, and some other stuff that's always found around old mines. There also may be radon as well, as that, too, is common.

[Engineer Guy]

I'm not going to sugarcoat it; Mullan, Idaho is a scary place. The people are like what you would expect out of the movie Deliverance. I had to go the area once a week, when I was a driver for a company about 10 years ago. The people are...odd and scary. And I'm a typical white guy. God help you if you are brown. There is also a hidden drugs and alcohol problem no one wants to talk about. There really isnt anything to do in that area. Horrible restaurants. Yeah, there is a ski resort but Lookout Pass is super ghetto and the whole resort stinks like feet. Not exaggerating. There were a few stops I had to make at a gas station and I seriously thought the mouth breathing gas jockey was going to club me over the head and make a skin suit out of me. I could go on but I would HIGHLY suggest you look elsewhere for a home. Wallace, Mullan, Kellogg are all pretty depressing towns. They might be okay for a trip in the summer but in the colder months, they are bleak and depressing places that I couldn't imagine living in. I'd definitely kill myself if I lived there. Osburn is also scary.

[Adrian71]

We just moved to Wallace. We discovered it last year and were thinking about moving out of the Seattle area anyway. People here seem pretty nice and willing to get to know you. Quirky, like most small towns are, but much more personable than the big city, where everyone's in a hurry and doesn't take the time to get to know you. (At least that was our experience in Seattle. The Freeze is real.)

There's not a heck of a lot to do once you've done all the touristy stuff. But then maybe you don't mind that. We didn't. There is, as mentioned, a Walmart in Smelterville, plus a McDonald's and a Subway in Kellogg. Beyond that, a few mom-and-pops, boutique shops, and light manufacturing. If you want shopping, you'll have to drive 45 minutes to CDA, or about an hour and 15 minutes to Spokane. I'm told I-90 is well maintained in the winter, so that shouldn't be a problem.

I work from home and was able to bring my job with me. If you aren't retired and can't do the same, expect to make a significant commute.

[cdelite]

Anyone considering Mullan should know that it's a very snowy place, and also quite a bit colder than the rest of the Silver Valley because it's higher up than Wallace or Kellogg. Be prepared for at least 10 ft of the fluffy stuff each year. Plowing is hit or miss. Some of the nearby I90 exit ramps simply aren't plowed at all for a good portion of the winter.

As you head west on I90 toward Washington, the annual snowfall gradually diminishes. By the time you hit CdA (where I live), you're looking at 3 ft per year on average. If you head east from Mullan, on the other hand, you'll shortly hit Lookout Pass. The ski area there is renowned for its 400 inch annual snowfall.

[Hebrews12]

Originally Posted by Adrian71

We just moved to Wallace. We discovered it last year and were thinking about moving out of the Seattle area anyway. People here seem pretty nice and willing to get to know you. Quirky, like most small towns are, but much more personable than the big city, where everyone's in a hurry and doesn't take the time to get to know you. (At least that was our experience in Seattle. The Freeze is real.)

There's not a heck of a lot to do once you've done all the touristy stuff. But then maybe you don't mind that. We didn't. There is, as mentioned, a Walmart in Smelterville, plus a McDonald's and a Subway in Kellogg. Beyond that, a few mom-and-pops, boutique shops, and light manufacturing. If you want shopping, you'll have to drive 45 minutes to CDA, or about an hour and 15 minutes to Spokane. I'm told I-90 is well maintained in the winter, so that shouldn't be a problem.

I work from home and was able to bring my job with me. If you aren't retired and can't do the same, expect to make a significant commute.

I realize this is an old thread, but I'm curious to know how you like Idaho and whether you miss Seattle (esp the ocean.)

[banjomike]

Originally Posted by movintime

Good feedback! Looking for a semi-retirement home, & can still work from home p/t if needed. We both want quiet yet semi-close to amenities.

But I'm open to further north in ID -- yet g/f likes more stores closer than say, the Bonners & Moyie areas can provide us since being further out there. I even think of NW MT & Eureka for us, & maybe Troy, but not Llibby due to asbestos cleanup still ongoing from yrs ago.

WA state (tho NE WA is good) is out due, most likely, to the "other side of Mountaint" (no, not a typo in Taint) politics (aka Olympia) & all the negative I heard from there re any conservative or patriotic individual moving there. The left owns & operates the west side of the "Mountain", & thus is a no-no in my bk.

Thx again for this quick reply.

Semi-close never means it's an easy drive here.
Our passes can be treacherous, especially in the winter, and even when someone knows how to drive in the winter, driving over a steep, narrow and slick pass can be so intimidating some folks choose to go without for as long as they can to avoid a trip to town.

In SID There are fewer passes, but in the summer, there's more wind and dust to contend with on the drive, and during the winters, the roads are just as slick in the south as they are in the north.
When any road is icy, the only way to drive safely is to slow down. That makes an easy drive last for much more time than when the road is dry and clear.

Even good roads can be intimidating. When all the big retail stores are 70 miles away, one way, a trip to the store becomes an all-day effort. In passing bad weather, a 90 minute drive can turn into a 180 minute drive. One way. Returning home always takes longer when a person is tired.

In general, the older a person becomes, the more difficult living in a small town in Idaho becomes.

A trip to town is measured in hours here, not miles.