Quote:
Originally Posted by family first
We did not go into Boise or East. Have heard goof things about that part of the state as well. Curious if there are suggestions about towns/cities in that region that might fit description from first post.
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Your list is a mixed bag of contradictions.
If you want to live in a small town, it's likely the education system won't be as good as it is in a larger town here.
If you want to buy property that may rapidly increase in its value, the same thing applies. A small town's real estate may not increase as much or as fast as one of our growing cities.
The same things are true regarding medical care.
That's the way Idaho is. Things like strong communities are common here, because Idaho has far fewer people living here. The state is very conservative, so it doesn't spend a lot of tax money on things like school funding. Here, schools are the responsibility of a community or a county much more than the state.
Our small towns comprise most of our 'cities', and some are tiny. A city of 40,000 is a large city here. Medical services concentrate where there are numbers enough to keep them profitable. Seeing a doctor here if one lives in a small town may require a 120 mile round trip.
Some of our small towns are growing, and others are not. But real estate values are always a crap shoot here anyway. Move to a small town and the property you buy may never be worth any more than what you bought it for, while moving to a property in one of our fast-growing cities may be purchasing it at the top of the market.
Which is better- desert or forest? Personally, I like them both equally. That's a matter only you can determine.
So that's why I say the only way you'll ever really know any of these things is to come, spend time, and do some research all over the state.
Here are a few specific answers to your question above.
The southeast corridor, which stretches from the Utah border on the south, the Wyoming border on the east, and the Montana border on the north, is one of the faster growing areas of the state.
It has 3 major urban centers, each surrounded by small towns. Pocatello is the southernmost, Idaho Falls is in the middle, and Rexburg is the northernmost. All 3 are growing, but each has different growth factors.
The reason why this area is so popular are also varied. Every city isn't in the midst of a forest, for example, but is very close to one.
Each is also close to some of the most spectacular scenery here. But the closest scenery to each differs.
Each is also close to some of the best outdoor activities Idaho has to offer- hunting, fishing, adventure sports, white water rafting, skiing, mountain climbing, etc.
Each has local hot-pool swimming resorts and areas. But each is different.
Job prospects are generally better here than some other areas of the state, but this also differs.
On the southwest side of the state, there is only one city that's similar; Twin Falls. It's smaller than Idaho Falls, larger than Rexburg and smaller than Pocatello, but is also growing fast. The scenery there is much different, as are the job opportunites, and life in the small towns that surround it.
Twin is almost always warmer than the SE corridor. Boise is even warmer by a bit. The corridor overall is higher, and the terrain more varied than the west and central areas of the state. The panhandle is lower than the corridor but as mountainous, but the extremes are not as extreme as they are in the south.
The south is where all the 'big' is- highest mountains, highest waterfalls, largest rivers, etc. Most of it is only semi-accessible, and a good portion of it has never been inhabited.
Hope this helps you out...
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