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Hi Everyone, I am new to this forum and this is my first post!
I'd like to start by asking that you not judge me for being from California; I promise I am not planning to move to your beautiful state to change it. My husband and I are attracted to Idaho for what it offers and as an opportunity to flee the political and cultural climate we are surrounded by.
I'll try to keep this short...haha
I am 29 and my husband is 39, and we currently live in the northern part of the County of San Diego (not to be confused with the City). We moved to North County (in a red city) to get away from the heavy liberal bigotry near the City of San Diego. We don't identify with any particular political party, but our views lean right...generally we just want to stay out of people's business while they stay out of ours. We love this particular town but have been talking for the past few years about moving out-of-state for better scenery, privacy, and more land (hoping for 2+ acres).
Now over the past months, I have done many broad searches of Idaho to get a feel for the housing market, and from there narrowed it down to areas near Sandpoint - I have explored Dover, Sagle, Bayview, etc and all seem like good options, but again this is all online research. On paper, it has everything we are looking for - access to mountains and lake, beautiful scenery, a nice town, volleyball leagues, slow-pace, etc.
We will be visiting in September 2019 to check out the area. Assuming we fall in love with it, we want to move by the end of 2020. We plan to rent out our home in Oceanside, rent a home to live in Sandpoint or a surrounding area until we find jobs, sell our Oceanside house, then buy in area. PERFECT! ...hmmm...sounds too good.
1) ***What is the employment market like? I currently work as an analyst and have a financial/accounting/administrative background. I currently make $29/hour but am not sure how that will translate in Idaho...I am thinking about $23/hr?...what are your thoughts? I am willing to take a lesser paying, part-time job until I find the perfect fit. I'm not as worried about my husband's job as his employment is very niche and he has explored that a bit already...but I may revisit this.
2) ***How far will I have to commute to find a job? I am willing to drive to Spokane or anywhere in between, or in another direction. Is this possible? What's the commute like in the winter? I have done commutes as long as an hour and 45 minutes in the past, and while it's not desirable it is doable. I would prefer under an hour, though.
3) ***From my limited explanations, do we seem to fit in with the cultural climate of Sandpoint and surrounding areas? I understand the town itself can be a little more left leaning (please correct me if I'm wrong) but as long as it's not being forced down our throats I am fine.
4) ***Do you have other areas to suggest (other side of the lake, etc)? We really would love to be immersed in the trees and be able to see the lake from our home with a max of 15 minutes drive from town (so live in a private setting with easy access to towns amenities..)
5) ***Anything else?
Thank you so much!!
Last edited by Tangapika; 10-02-2018 at 10:16 AM..
We moved here from the LA area a couple years ago. We live in Sagle, about 9 miles outside Sandpoint as the crow flies. It sounds like our list of things we were looking for is quite similar to yours.
I can't really address the specifics of your job market related questions since I am retired and my wife was able to bring her job with her when we moved. In general though, the job market in north Idaho is not as robust as what you are used to in CA. That doesn't mean jobs don't exist, but they are harder to come by than in CA. In descending order, I think the job market is strongest in Spokane, then Coeur d'Alene and the surrounding area, then Sandpoint.
The commute time from Sandpoint to Spokane will probably be outside your 1 hour or less criteria, but it will depend on exactly where your starting and ending points are located. Personally, I would not want to commute to Spokane from Sandpoint. That can be well over an hour drive depending on the specific starting and ending points, and longer in winter if the roads are bad.
Speaking of winter roads, in general they get plowed early and plowed well. If you end up looking at living in a more rural location I recommend trying to find a place that is on or near a school bus route since they tend to get plowed early. Up here, downtown Sandpoint actually does the worst job of snow clearing on their roads. I find the county roads are much better. If you have a good AWD vehicle you shouldn't have trouble getting around in winter, but travel times do get longer.
If I was working in Spokane I'd be looking somewhere further south. Post Falls would be a common destination for commuters to Spokane, but you could be in CdA or places a little outside CdA. These areas don't have the same feel as the Sandpoint area IMO, but that's part of the tradeoff you may face depending on where you find work.
You are correct that Sandpoint itself does lean to the left. It's been called a "hippy town" by a friend of ours who grew up here, and I think that is a reasonable description. Bonner county overall is still quite conservative though. There are some fault lines that show themselves between political factions, but overall folks don't usually let politics get in the way of getting along. In fact, one of the first things we noticed when we first started visiting here 5 years ago was how friendly strangers are - there is a marked difference compared to SoCal IMO. You won't find anyone forcing their politics down your throat here.
Sandpoint is fundamentally a small tourist town. There is a bit of an artsy culture in town, a surprisingly good live music scene for a town of it's size, and a small but interesting selection of restaurants. We love it, but I can see how some who come from a more metropolitan area might find the range of cultural choices to be somewhat limiting. When you visit be sure you think about whether you would be satisfied with that in the long run. It is very different than living in SoCal.
Well, that's a start at some of your questions. I'd be happy to try to answer any other specific questions you might have.
We moved here from the LA area a couple years ago. We live in Sagle, about 9 miles outside Sandpoint as the crow flies. It sounds like our list of things we were looking for is quite similar to yours.
I can't really address the specifics of your job market related questions since I am retired and my wife was able to bring her job with her when we moved. In general though, the job market in north Idaho is not as robust as what you are used to in CA. That doesn't mean jobs don't exist, but they are harder to come by than in CA. In descending order, I think the job market is strongest in Spokane, then Coeur d'Alene and the surrounding area, then Sandpoint.
The commute time from Sandpoint to Spokane will probably be outside your 1 hour or less criteria, but it will depend on exactly where your starting and ending points are located. Personally, I would not want to commute to Spokane from Sandpoint. That can be well over an hour drive depending on the specific starting and ending points, and longer in winter if the roads are bad.
Speaking of winter roads, in general they get plowed early and plowed well. If you end up looking at living in a more rural location I recommend trying to find a place that is on or near a school bus route since they tend to get plowed early. Up here, downtown Sandpoint actually does the worst job of snow clearing on their roads. I find the county roads are much better. If you have a good AWD vehicle you shouldn't have trouble getting around in winter, but travel times do get longer.
If I was working in Spokane I'd be looking somewhere further south. Post Falls would be a common destination for commuters to Spokane, but you could be in CdA or places a little outside CdA. These areas don't have the same feel as the Sandpoint area IMO, but that's part of the tradeoff you may face depending on where you find work.
You are correct that Sandpoint itself does lean to the left. It's been called a "hippy town" by a friend of ours who grew up here, and I think that is a reasonable description. Bonner county overall is still quite conservative though. There are some fault lines that show themselves between political factions, but overall folks don't usually let politics get in the way of getting along. In fact, one of the first things we noticed when we first started visiting here 5 years ago was how friendly strangers are - there is a marked difference compared to SoCal IMO. You won't find anyone forcing their politics down your throat here.
Sandpoint is fundamentally a small tourist town. There is a bit of an artsy culture in town, a surprisingly good live music scene for a town of it's size, and a small but interesting selection of restaurants. We love it, but I can see how some who come from a more metropolitan area might find the range of cultural choices to be somewhat limiting. When you visit be sure you think about whether you would be satisfied with that in the long run. It is very different than living in SoCal.
Well, that's a start at some of your questions. I'd be happy to try to answer any other specific questions you might have.
Dave
Hi Dave! Thanks for the welcome and for all of that information. I really appreciate it.
Our biggest priority is finding an area that suits our interests and lifestyle, and it’s more important to me than the job market. I really just wanted to get an idea of the available employment markets around the area. Luckily, we have been preparing our finances to cover at least 6 months of expenses without any income for our move, in addition to savings and retirement, so we will have time to find jobs. Eventually, probably about 5 years after the move, we plan to switch to less stressful part-time positions so we can enjoy our life together and the resources our environment will give us.
There is so much to plan for when moving from a snowless city. We are actually currently in the market for an AWD vehicle so that will be covered, and will probably buy a second when we move. That’s great advice about the school/bus route. We will need to visit the area during winter, as well, before confirming it’s where we wish to move.
Thanks for confirming the cultural leanings of the town, I don’t think it should be an issue (I mean…we are coming from Southern California so it can’t be as bad as that!) We aren’t planning to live in town either, but the culture is something to consider since it will be part of our life. The restaurant options should make up for any shortcomings haha.
We will definitely have a better understanding once we visit!
We're in San Diego East County, and we spent 11 years in Encinitas. So like Dave I know where you're coming from, in more ways than one! We're building a retirement cabin "on the other side of the lake," in Clark Fork on the east side of Lake Pend Oreille
I used to commute from Pacific Beach to Long Beach 3 times a week for 3 years. That's about 90 miles one way, and it got tired after the first year. And that's without severe weather. I wouldn't want to commute more than 30 minutes in North Idaho in winter. So what I would do in your case is imagine several centers of attention--either imagine a work place (although that's not a top priority), or a favorite home site, and draw a 30-mile radius around it, and see what you come up with, as the basis for your search. We didn't want to be more than 2 hours away from Spokane International Airport, and we wanted to be east of WA, so that allowed us to include Sandpoint, CdA, and (with a bit of a stretch) Bonners Ferry, and the small towns in-between. We even looked as far as Troy and Noxon in Montana. In the end, after 1 year of online research and 3 visits (and 3 years of vacationing in Sandpoint before that) we bought property in Clark Fork.
If you can handle a 25-mile commute to Sandpoint, you should at least take a look at Hope on Highway 200,right on the lake. You won't find more stupendous view anywhere in the area. You've got a nice beach on the Hope Peninsula next to an excellent (seasonal) Italian restaurant , boat docks and boat rentals in East Hope, and mountain trails right behind you. The Floating Restaurant is seasonal, but the views and the food are excellent. There is a pizza place that's open all year round, that's about it for winter entertainment. There is a new grocery outlet opening up in the old Hope Marketplace/Gallery, and that will be a blessing for the entire region (although I will miss the gallery) so people won't have to go to Clark Fork or Ponderay for a gallon of milk. But it is a tiny town, and for all entertainment and serious shopping you'd have to go to Sandpoint and even CdA.
If you have Google Earth (don't download it if you don't want Chrome to take over your computer...) you can travel in the area and see it in 3-D, as well as Street View.
Been a long time since I lived in North County. Difficult to believe San Diego shifted politically as much as y'all say. I lived for five years in Escondido in the late 70's/early 80's. My daughter was born in the hospital there. Received my bachelors from SDSU.
Back on topic. I agree, forget about a Sandpoint/Spokane commute. Especially in the wintertime. It takes me more than a half hour from Rathdrum, and that is pretty close. To give you a rough analogy, a Sandpoint to Spokane commute would be similar to a Temecula to downtown San Diego commute, in "bad weather", (of which you don't get very often).
A Bayview/Spokane commute would probably be at the limit of a commute I'd be willing to make. Bayview is a cute little town . . . but there is nothing there. You'll be going to either Sandpoint or back to CdA/Hayden/Post Falls for shopping. Like they say, "you can't eat the scenery". And there is some spectacular scenery in the Bayview area.
We're building a retirement cabin "on the other side of the lake," in Clark Fork on the east side of Lake Pend Oreille
We have been considering going the build route; although I know it can be more expensive it's nice to get exactly what you want. Do you have any suggestions, warnings, or important things I should know about going this route?
Quote:
Originally Posted by Clark Fork Fantast
And that's without severe weather. I wouldn't want to commute more than 30 minutes in North Idaho in winter. So what I would do in your case is imagine several centers of attention--either imagine a work place (although that's not a top priority), or a favorite home site, and draw a 30-mile radius around it, and see what you come up with, as the basis for your search.
Thanks, I've been looking on job sites and there seem to be a lot of options for employment if I'm not picky about what I'm doing, which I'm not. As long as it's something my organizational, management and/or financial skills fit with, I'll apply. Who knows by then though...maybe I'll be a dog groomer I really just don't want my job to define my life; we want to enjoy our time together!
Quote:
Originally Posted by Clark Fork Fantast
If you can handle a 25-mile commute to Sandpoint, you should at least take a look at Hope on Highway 200,right on the lake. You won't find more stupendous view anywhere in the area.... There is a new grocery outlet opening up in the old Hope Marketplace/Gallery, and that will be a blessing for the entire region (although I will miss the gallery) so people won't have to go to Clark Fork or Ponderay for a gallon of milk. But it is a tiny town, and for all entertainment and serious shopping you'd have to go to Sandpoint and even CdA.
I checked out the area on Zillow, and while there are not a lot of options (at the moment) it does seem like an area worth looking into while we are visiting. It is stunning! And glad to hear about the grocery outlet, that will surely make life easier!
Been a long time since I lived in North County. Difficult to believe San Diego shifted politically as much as y'all say. I lived for five years in Escondido in the late 70's/early 80's. My daughter was born in the hospital there. Received my bachelors from SDSU.
Sounds like you got out in time!
Quote:
Originally Posted by volosong
Back on topic. I agree, forget about a Sandpoint/Spokane commute. Especially in the wintertime. It takes me more than a half hour from Rathdrum, and that is pretty close. To give you a rough analogy, a Sandpoint to Spokane commute would be similar to a Temecula to downtown San Diego commute, in "bad weather", (of which you don't get very often).
A Bayview/Spokane commute would probably be at the limit of a commute I'd be willing to make. Bayview is a cute little town . . . but there is nothing there. You'll be going to either Sandpoint or back to CdA/Hayden/Post Falls for shopping. Like they say, "you can't eat the scenery". And there is some spectacular scenery in the Bayview area.
Okay, so if Sandpoint is in then the commute to Spokane is out! Thank you for the clarification on distance. I'm in Oceanside, so the commute I used to do was Oceanside to Downtown which could take me up to an hour an a half in rush hour....add in Temecula and that's another 30-40 minutes from me. YIKES!
I have no problem living in a less populated area as long as there is something within about 25 miles. Is there grocery shopping close by, or would that be in Sandpoint/CdA, too?
30 mile radius..... we get some weather in the winter that I wouldn't like to do a 30 mile daily commute in. I suggest closer to work, and do your longer commute to recreation, which you can postpone when weather is bad.
The further north you go, the more snow and ice you will get. Whether or not a person moving from the far south end of the USA will enjoy the weather is a guess. Some do and some never adapt. It's a really different lifestyle.
I have no problem living in a less populated area as long as there is something within about 25 miles. Is there grocery shopping close by, or would that be in Sandpoint/CdA, too?
There is a Super 1 supermarket that just opened in Athol off the 95. It is the 95 exit to Farragut State Park, (Bayview abuts Farragut on the north). Athol has needed a supermarket and this Super 1 also has an Ace Hardware inside. Farragut is a very popular campground as well as a mountain biking, hiking, boat launch ramp, cross-country ski, shooting range, and Frisbee golf area. (Farragut used to be a Navy boot camp and German POW camp during WWII. One of my favorite places in NID.) I could tell from the extensive deli that the Super 1 caters to the Farragut crowd.
Quote:
Originally Posted by oregonwoodsmoke
The further north you go, the more snow and ice you will get. Whether or not a person moving from the far south end of the USA will enjoy the weather is a guess. Some do and some never adapt. It's a really different lifestyle.
True words of wisdom here. Before I moved, I visited in both summer and winter for about four years before making my final decision to move to NID. In the wintertime to see if I could "handle" the winters, and summertime to "get the lay of the land".
I concluded that winter cold/snow/ice is something I could manage fine. However, there is one aspect that I was totally unprepared for and caused me considerable "trouble" last winter. I had lived my whole life between 32˚ and 34.5˚ latitude, so was used to the seasonal shifts in the length of the daylight hours. However, up here at 48˚, the length of the days are so very different than what I've known.
The long summer hours are glorious. Fantastic, especially if you like to do "stuff" outdoors, which is the big draw to this area. However, in the depth of winter, when it was pitch black at 8:00 in the morning, then again by 4:00/4:30 . . . that was just weird. I found myself losing motivation to do anything, and on those days when I forced myself to get out, by the time I was ready and moving, I had to cut short whatever activity I wanted to do because it would be dark soon.
Just a warning. I was unprepared for that first winter last year. This year, I know what to expect.
I have no problem living in a less populated area as long as there is something within about 25 miles. Is there grocery shopping close by, or would that be in Sandpoint/CdA, too?
I think the closest full service grocery store to Bayview is the new Super 1 in Athol. Probably about a 15 minute drive from Bayview
Quote:
Originally Posted by Clark Fork Fantast
There is a pizza place that's open all year round, that's about it for winter entertainment.
I assume CFF is referring to The Old Ice House Pizzeria. That's one of the two best pizzerias in north ID IMO (the other being Embers at Hauser Lake). This would be a benefit of living near Hope.
Dave
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I really just don't want my job to define my life; we want to enjoy our time together!
