Considering NID to relocate to, job and food questions (Coeur d'Alene: RV parks, 2014)

[Canuckabilly]

I would like to first say, I have been researching various areas for about a year or so now as me and my wife want to relocate, and this site has come up more often than not for statistics. Just realized it had these forums a few months ago, and has been a great resource to me so far. It has been a great way to gain insight to actual life in different states from people who actually live there. Besides us, I have a friend who wants to relocate his family also. Both of us currently live in upstate SC, about an hour and a half apart. But, we have differing opinions on where to go and why, mostly due to different mentalities. His choice has been New England somewhere, most likely NH. Mine was either NH with him, western NC just north of where I am now, or to the west/northwest area. So we have been going back and forth with our research, trying to convince ourselves and each other of the best choice. I have referenced this site and forum many times, so thank you all for the info!


I think me and my wife may have decided on northern Idaho for several reasons. Distance from family, different culture, an almost totally fresh start, dreams of western mountains, desire for 4 actual seasons, just done with the humid oppressive heat to name a few. We had been thinking western MT as I have a brother and now a sister living there, but weather, job market and taxes seem worse there. Also, from the pictures I've seen on here (yes, I perused the entire 50 pages of the Idaho picture thread ) we prefer the scenery in NID. For me, mainly because I like trees Tax structure and small community base seems really similar to western NC which we also both love, but is getting pretty crowded and honestly, a little less conservative than I care for.



So, to the point of the post Planning is not my forte, but since it's such a large change and a very long way away from anywhere and anyone we know, I'm attempting to plan ahead as much as possible. I know in many of the areas, the consensus is the job market isn't great, but I'm assuming that it's like anywhere and there are base level jobs one could get to sustain at least a basic lifestyle? I have no degree and have generally done manual labor jobs (25 years of automotive experience, 7 years on a horse farm, couple on a hog farm, couple in stone masonry) most of my life, and am not above going back to that. But I've also been working for Oreilly Auto Parts since 2014 now, and am currently a store manager. So I do have retail and management experience. How hard would it be to find a job quickly in any of those fields? I understand I will probably have to rent to start with, so will need to make enough to pay an average rent and bills there. Wife has some medical issues that prevent her from working a regular job, but can sometimes make a little supplemental income from home.



Also, she has Celiac's so is gluten intolerant, how available is gluten free food in the smaller towns out there? Here on the east coast, pretty much all the chain grocery stores have a gluten free selection, some better than others. We also buy organic and non-gmo whenever possible. We would go to farmer's markets, but the local ones are kinda hit and miss, closest good one is 45 mins away. Mostly shop at Ingles and Earth Fare right now. Is there anything like these out there? My brother says there not really "grocery" stores in MT, other than Walmarts maybe ( which I refuse to go to on principle).



As to where specifically in NID we want, I don't know yet. I was looking at Salmon pretty hard for a bit, but reading through the forum this past week has the Lake Pend Oreille area and Bonners Ferry on my radar too. Sandpoint /Sagle and Clark Fork seem really nice and not too far from CDA for any major shopping/medical, and might be easier to find work at.


Edit: Oh something else I just thought of. Are there any laws there preventing you from essentially living in an RV? If not, I could just buy a few acres of land and stay in the RV for a while rather than renting a house. Or, are there decent RV parks we could stay at until we found the right place?

[Cnynrat]

As far as the food/ dietary considerations go you would not have a problem in Kootenai, Bonner or Boundary counties. We moved here from SoCal, and other than certain fresh produce at some times of the year we don't see much difference in the grocery stores here. In fact, if you deposited me inside Safeway store here and didn't tell me otherwise I'd think I was in a Vons in SoCal (same corporate parent).

I don't have a problem with gluten, but my casual observations are that many restaurants offer at least some gluten free options.

I can't really help with many specifics on the job front (I'm retired). In general, I think there are more opportunities in the CdA area, and the job market becomes more challenging as you travel north from there. Look at the populations of these counties and it's apparent why that's the case.

Dave

[Canuckabilly]

I kinda figured CDA would be best chance at work. How far is that from Sandpoint, 30 mins? I drive about that to my current job now. Guessing winter would add 15-20 mins onto that up there though.

[elousv]

I think you would be at least 45 min CDA to SP.

[nm9stheham]

The laws on living in you own RV on your own land are usually OK with it; in some locales, you may need to have the septic system in place before doing that for an extended period of time. And some developments will have covenants restricting what you can and cannot do.



Go on to the website of the counties you are interested in (I assume you will be looking outside of a the city limits?) , and see if they have direct info on camper living on your own land; it usually will be in the municipal code, so see if you can download the code and read that part. Or, call the building and planning department.. or the health department who will issue the septic permit. And no offense to realtors, but don't count on a realtor to necessarily know the local codes, but they should be able to help obtain copies of any covenants for you to read.


I'd expect employment opportunities to be a lot better in the CdA area than an area like Salmon.

[redwood66]

Can you transfer to an O'Reilly here? There is one in CDA and also in Post Falls. There is plenty of retail work, my husband is a retail manager as well. Turnover is high and pay is on the low end, store managers do well.

The better RV parks can be expensive for monthly living - $600 plus in CDA/PF. As far as living on property in an RV most likely any issues will be with city ordinances rather than county, though Kootenai will have the most restrictions. Not so much in Bonner or Boundary. You will have to travel to dump your black water unless you get a honey bucket. Lots of people do that. Properties in housing developments (even large acreage ones not in city limits) will likely have CC&Rs that restrict RV living.

Good luck in your decision. I would suggest visiting before moving and renting before buying anything, even land. Definitely spend a winter here before buying.

[oregonwoodsmoke]

4 seasons, yes, but be prepared, winters are harsh if you aren't accustomed to living with snow and ice, and in the dark.


There are plenty of entry level type of jobs in Coeur d'Alene that pay more than minimum wage, but rent is high, so a low wage job with a single worker family is going to make cost of living tough. Go to Craigslist Spokane rentals and put CDA into the search feature to see how high the rents are. That will bring up rentals in Coeur d'Alene and all the surrounding small towns.


Be aware that competition for the lower priced rentals is extremely tough. You won't just walk in and get the one you see online. Dozens of other people are applying for it, too.


I don't see people in RV's living on private lots, so suspect that it isn't allowed. Do your own research on that. The RV parks are charging as much as the cheap motels, so no bargain living there.

[oregonwoodsmoke]

You can buy the same gluten-free foods here that you can find anywhere else. I don't like very many of them, so I make all of my gluten-free food at home. If you actually end up moving here post a question about where to find gluten free food and I will help, but I'm not going to give a shopping list to someone who hasn't committed to living in the area,

[nm9stheham]

Originally Posted by oregonwoodsmoke

I don't see people in RV's living on private lots, so suspect that it isn't allowed. Do your own research on that. The RV parks are charging as much as the cheap motels, so no bargain living there.

FWIW.... If Teton County WY (Jackson WY area) allows you to live in an RV on your lot while building (which it does for 1 year with possible extensions up to 2 more years, IF you have the septic system in) then I'd be surprised if it was not allowed there around CdA.

Hence... check the county or city ordinances and the covenants.

[banjomike]

The issue of living in an RV while building a home has been discussed on this forum in the past.

A search may prove to be fruitful in answering these questions.