2 wk vacation where should I start (Boise, Coeur d'Alene: homes, subdivision, property taxes)

[kazranch]

Well Im going to retire in a couple of yrs. and looking to move out of Ca. I love the country life, and I have been checking out other states, I will be coming to Idaho this summer for two weeks, and need some good advice, this is what I would like, of course doesnt mean that thats what I will get, I want a Min. of 5ac. horse property, with trail access close, I was talking to a realtor, and she gave me 5 towns to ck out of course I looking for towns with the least amount of snow, she gave me Juliaetta,Princeton,Genesee,Kendrick and Potlatch, I need some input on these towns, also how are your property taxes there, and are there any strange covences. thanks kazranch

[cleosmom]

Didn't want to be one who reads the post and you get no reply.... however, I've only heard of one of those, Potlatch and I know nothing about it. Sorry, hope someone else can be of help.

[RodFarlee]

These are all very small farming towns in Latah County. I mean very small (300 to 800). Princeton isn't incorporated; the others you ask about are. There's nothing in particular to recommend these small towns over dozens of others in Idaho.

Genesee is in the middle of the Palouse, which are rolling hills entirely covered with wheat, pea, lentil and hay fields. There aren't any riding trails nearby, unless you wish to ride on gravel county roads. Paradise Ridge is about 10 miles north and might have the nearest riding trails, but it is all private land, not national forest or park. Genesee has been losing population for decades, and there's not much shopping left in town; drive 15 miles to Moscow for gas and groceries.

Kendrick and Juliaetta are small towns in a valley which is a tributary of the Clearwater River. The valley is forested, and the surrounding plateau above is mostly open farmland, with patches of woods. There may be trails in the valley, but again it isn't national forest or park, so you may have to ask landowners for permission to ride on their land. Good riding 20 miles east of there, in the Clearwater Nat'l Forest around Dworshak Reservoir. Because they are in a valley at lower elevation, they do get less snow, but can collect colder air on calm clear winter nights.

Potlatch and Princeton make more sense, in that there's a lot of national forest land within 10 miles of town. There are hiking and riding trails, but you would probably have to trailer your horse a few miles up a gravel road to a trailhead (or live several miles out of town to ride directly onto trails). Potlatch has your basic stores (grocery, gas, hardware); Princeton doesn't.

In this area (rural Latah Co.), I'd suggest Troy is a nicer and more interesting small town than those you mentioned. Especially the area north and east of Troy, along eastern Moscow Mtn., have good hiking, riding and snowmobiling trails in national forest.

If you are looking beyond Latah County alone, Harrison or St. Maries may be good candidates. Both are on the eastern shore of Lake Coeur d'Alene, and everything more a few miles east of them is national forest all the way over into Montana. There are many riding opportunities. Land may be a bit more expensive there than in Latah Co.?

Also, I'd suggest Bonners Ferry, in particular the area a few miles north of town, overlooking the Kootenai valley and backing to national forest. Good hay, many horses, many trails in the area. And it's a nice town. Winters are a few degrees colder than Latah Co.

When you ask "are there any strange covences", if you mean covenants, no, definitely none. Do any of these little towns even have zoning? They certainly have no "subdivision" type developments, just individual homes and farms. CCRs are unheard of in Idaho (outside of Boise).

Property taxes in rural Latah Co. are roughly 1.77% of the assessed value above the homeowner exemption (the exemption is 50% of the assessed value, and the maximum exemption is currently $75,000, rising next year to $89,000). Example: on $100,000 property, tax would be roughly $900; on $200,000 property, tax would be roughly $2200.

[RodFarlee]

p.s. Kazranch, I noticed you also posted about "west of Boise". I think you're on the right track in looking for good horse country in North Idaho rather than in Ada County. I've lived in both, and it's just too hot and dry in summer in Boise. Near Boise, you can't get even one good hay crop without irrigation; it is semi-arid sagebrush country. North Idaho will always produce one good spring hay cutting and usually a second cutting or pasturage without irrigation. (The areas you mentioned get 23 to 30 inches of precipitation per year.) North Idaho has hills, mountains, forests, lakes, unlimited and a lot more interesting backcountry riding.

[jinxs18]

Funny how you put "less snow" when referring to No Idaho-that's Norwegian Fjord sisterhood up there. My friends who moved to Sandpoint just love it, but don't forget to check out SE Idaho too. We went towards the tristate area and just love it..(WY MT ID)

[Lauriem]

If you are looking to relocate to Northern Idaho and prefer areas with less snow, I think that you ought to plan a winter vacation also. North Idaho is beautiful in the summertime. But, depending on the altitude of your chosen site and proximity to mountains and who knows what other factors, you may find that winter is the predominant season of the area. I live in Troy and am quite familiar with all of the communities that you mentioned. I usually tell people that we have spring from May - June, Summer is July and August,Fall is September and October, and Winter is November through April. However, it really varies from year to year. I prefer snowy winters because I have kids that like to sled and we have a multitude of good sledding hills. (Snow also covers up all of the outside work so that you don't have to feel bad about not getting it done.)

If you don't want to shovel snow, Julietta and Kendrick are great choices. Kendrick is more of a full service community than Julietta and even has a city pool. You may want to check out the Orofino area while you are here. They are on the Clearwater river with low elevation and are also next to the Dworshack dam with all of the boating and water recreation associated with impounded water. There is national forest close by. I think that they get quite a bit of fog in the winter. Iwould rather deal with snow than fog. Kendrick and Julietta also get more fog than the communities at higher elevations.