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We may be relocated within a year to a northern border (of our choosing) for employment reasons, and we've spent a few years thinking about where we'd like to end up. We keep coming back to Idaho for various reasons (culture, political climate, weather, freedoms chief among them). We won't have ability to choose a location OTHER than a northern land border so for the purposes of this post, anywhere beyond, say, 30-60 minutes' commute from a border crossing is "out" for us.*
I have been stalking this forum for a long time, as well as googling the bleep out of stats for a similarly long time. I do have a few remaining questions that I'm hoping the locals can help us with! I so appreciate all of the wisdom*+ lore here that has helped make the decision easier for us.*
I hear a lot about the snow, etc, but how DEEP is the snow? I've read so many forums and weather websites and have been down the rabbit hole of statistical probabilities, but nothing has really been able to accurately represent for me how much snow we can realistically expect to have on the ground at any given time during the deluge of winter. Is it 5"? Is it 5'? If both, is it 5", 70% of the time? 5', 70% of the time?
We HATE the heat and pervasive sunshine. I grew up in the desert on the way to Vegas, and he grew up on property in a rural area in central California. We currently live in San Diego (for work). We are in perpetual gloom whenever the sun beats down on us: aka 346 days a year. (And we pay a high "sunshine-tax" for an environment of beaches, sunshine, etc. that doesn't in any way appeal to our souls.) We sing to our daughter: "You make me happy / when skies are BLUE" instead of grey, because grey skies make us happy. It was almost a hundred degrees here on THANKSGIVING last year. Gah!
We spend most of our free time driving to mountains nearby to catch a tiny bit of gloom. We strongly dislike the climate in San Diego, and spend most days wishing for less sunshine. I know--and I have read here dozens and dozens of times that it is totally different when you're stuck in something for the first time, so we definitely plan to rent FIRST for a year or two prior to buying, however, if we do choose NID for the spot to end up, we'd likely be stuck there for the remainder of my husband's career (around 10 years) regardless because in his line of work, you can't just get a transfer every time you want one. We DO plan to visit during winter, to get an accurate-if-abbreviated feel for things ahead of making a decision on where to ask to be relocated.
Where should we stay when we come for an exploratory visit? I want suggestions about the most ghastly weather (what month should we visit?) and the most inhospitable winter, just so we can inform ourselves. Plus, if we visit for, say, a week, where is the best place to stay? We are used to just choosing Airbnb's wherever we go--is that suitable and appropriate, and likely to give us a good glimpse of things as they are?*
My husband is conservative, a grit-filled sort of person, a welder by hobby, has tons of woodworking pursuits, and likes working with his hands such as rebuilding engines and tinkering with household stuff. I'm confident that he can take care of most/all home maintenance concerns.*The political, rural, and other considerations of NID appeal strongly to him. I am a fan of the great indoors, a total homebody, and I work full time now but we feel we could survive on his income when out of an area with extremely high cost of living, daycare, 2.5+ hour daily roundtrip commute each, and other costs. We have young children.
How do children get to school in the winter? Is it the responsibility of the parents to drive them to elementary school in the (5"? 5'?) snow, or is there, like, a school bus that comes around, even if you're a little off the beaten path? I know (and am glad) that the school system is totally different in ID than in CA, but I do want to gain a little insight into the everyday routines we can come to expect.*
How does the snowplow situation work if you don't live on a thoroughfare?*My husband would be working long hours. (In San Diego, we'd call it sunup to sundown, but for NID in the winters it would be more like pre-dawn to long post-dusk.) If there's snow on the road if he's leaving at 4 AM to get to work, is it common to take a snowmobile to work? (I lived in Maine briefly -- so glorious!--as an early 20-something and there were always snowmobiles on the freeway! I was totally taken aback as a youngster. Not sure if that's common elsewhere). What I'm trying to get at is, how passable are the roads? What happens if a snowplow doesn't come to your area or if you're in a rural or unincorporated area?*
We'd like to have a few acres and perhaps a cow or a horse or some chickens or (???). He grew up in an agricultural area and dreams of having some animals on his property again. Approximately for how many months of the year is it too cold for a horse or cow to be out in the elements, leaving it/them confined to a barn?*
What are the primary pests? Are there mosquitoes? Prevalent ticks? Things that prevent children from being outside in the summer? (I lived in Texas for awhile and we had to deal with chiggers: please, for the love, tell me that NID does NOT have chiggers.)*What are the most pesky pests, and how do you appropriately handle them?*
How truly bad is the internet service?*I am not looking to start any online internet video game tournaments, but we do watch Netflix, will want to do video chats with grandparents in other states, etc, and would prefer reliable internet. What are the chances that I'm going to move someplace that doesn't have any access to internet, regardless of how much we're willing to pay for it? What is the most reliable source of internet?*
In the dead of winter, how far away from a norhern border crossing can we move, within a 30-60 minute commute? On the treacherous days, my husband will still need to get to work--like I said, at o'dark thirty. He'll need to work for another 10 or so years, so this is a concern for us. We have basically no concept of distance-to-time ratio in our current living situation: my 20-mile commute takes me 1.5 hours one way (did I mention that I hate San Diego traffic!?) so we don't really have a grasp on true distances.*
What costs, as a native Californian, will I be unprepared for? I know that food costs will be higher, as well as access to certain items we can get here, year-round (specialty produce, etc). I know that we will actually have to pay for heat (how novel) and snow-related costs (tires, clothing, etc). Our housing costs here are pretty high (we pay in the $2500 range for a 3-bedroom house on a postage stamp sized lot crowded in with 28 other homes on a few acres) and we have daycare costs etc. to consider, so I feel that overall the cost of living would be lower there, but what am I missing?
How on earth can I find a rental home?!*I have been haunting realtor.com, zillow.com etc for months, and there seem to be no rental houses (we'd really like a house, as opposed to an apartment, but aren't picky much beyond that). What is the best way to find a rental house where we can sit through a few winters and make sure that we really want to buy, and when and how, etc?
What else do I need to know?
Thank you so much! I am so looking forward to learning more from your answers, and thanks in advance for taking time to respond. (I have no idea why all of those *s appeared in my post--I regret that I don't have any interesting footer to explain them!)
Hi MBLB, welcome to CD and the forum! My role here for now is to be your greeter, I guess , because we have yet to spend a winter in NID, but since we live and work in San Diego Ct and we're building a retirement home about 60 miles from the Canadian border in NID, I may be able to offer some kind of advice. Feel free to DM me. The border crossing I hear about the most is Eastport. I noticed there is also Porthill further west. Either way, I guess you'd be relocating to Bonners Ferry. Anything further south will be too much of a commute, I'm afraid. It's only 30 miles or so from the border, but that's far enough during winter. If you're willing to push it, you might consider Naples, or Moyie Springs.
For your exploratory visit you could certainly stay in Sandpoint, another 30 miles to the south. It has more amenities, and a variety of hotels as well as good restaurants, and you'll be able to get a sense of the entire region. There are actually apartments being built in Sandpoint now, and I'm not sure the same is the case in Bonners.
I know all about the San Diego traffic, weather, escape to Pine Valley and Julian for some gloomy relief, and so forth, so I get what you're saying, but above all you need to come up for a visit. NID can be hot and sunny, too. The decision to choose NID is huge for a SoCal native, and you need to experience it first hand before making a decision, if possible.
I'll leave it to other members to chime in about the snow. All I know is from 1 winter visit (that was fun!) and pictures from our builder and our neighbors. 5 ft of snow last year in Clark Fork! County roads get plowed, but most homes on acreage have private gravel or dirt driveways and access roads, and you're responsible for your own access to the county road.
We may be relocated within a year to a northern border (of our choosing) for employment reasons, and we've spent a few years thinking about where we'd like to end up. We keep coming back to Idaho for various reasons (culture, political climate, weather, freedoms chief among them). We won't have ability to choose a location OTHER than a northern land border so for the purposes of this post, anywhere beyond, say, 30-60 minutes' commute from a border crossing is "out" for us.*
I have been stalking this forum for a long time, as well as googling the bleep out of stats for a similarly long time. I do have a few remaining questions that I'm hoping the locals can help us with! I so appreciate all of the wisdom*+ lore here that has helped make the decision easier for us.*
I hear a lot about the snow, etc, but how DEEP is the snow? I've read so many forums and weather websites and have been down the rabbit hole of statistical probabilities, but nothing has really been able to accurately represent for me how much snow we can realistically expect to have on the ground at any given time during the deluge of winter. Is it 5"? Is it 5'? If both, is it 5", 70% of the time? 5', 70% of the time?
We HATE the heat and pervasive sunshine. I grew up in the desert on the way to Vegas, and he grew up on property in a rural area in central California. We currently live in San Diego (for work). We are in perpetual gloom whenever the sun beats down on us: aka 346 days a year. (And we pay a high "sunshine-tax" for an environment of beaches, sunshine, etc. that doesn't in any way appeal to our souls.) We sing to our daughter: "You make me happy / when skies are BLUE" instead of grey, because grey skies make us happy. It was almost a hundred degrees here on THANKSGIVING last year. Gah!
We spend most of our free time driving to mountains nearby to catch a tiny bit of gloom. We strongly dislike the climate in San Diego, and spend most days wishing for less sunshine. I know--and I have read here dozens and dozens of times that it is totally different when you're stuck in something for the first time, so we definitely plan to rent FIRST for a year or two prior to buying, however, if we do choose NID for the spot to end up, we'd likely be stuck there for the remainder of my husband's career (around 10 years) regardless because in his line of work, you can't just get a transfer every time you want one. We DO plan to visit during winter, to get an accurate-if-abbreviated feel for things ahead of making a decision on where to ask to be relocated.
Where should we stay when we come for an exploratory visit? I want suggestions about the most ghastly weather (what month should we visit?) and the most inhospitable winter, just so we can inform ourselves. Plus, if we visit for, say, a week, where is the best place to stay? We are used to just choosing Airbnb's wherever we go--is that suitable and appropriate, and likely to give us a good glimpse of things as they are?*
My husband is conservative, a grit-filled sort of person, a welder by hobby, has tons of woodworking pursuits, and likes working with his hands such as rebuilding engines and tinkering with household stuff. I'm confident that he can take care of most/all home maintenance concerns.*The political, rural, and other considerations of NID appeal strongly to him. I am a fan of the great indoors, a total homebody, and I work full time now but we feel we could survive on his income when out of an area with extremely high cost of living, daycare, 2.5+ hour daily roundtrip commute each, and other costs. We have young children.
How do children get to school in the winter? Is it the responsibility of the parents to drive them to elementary school in the (5"? 5'?) snow, or is there, like, a school bus that comes around, even if you're a little off the beaten path? I know (and am glad) that the school system is totally different in ID than in CA, but I do want to gain a little insight into the everyday routines we can come to expect.*
I lived in Priest River very rurally for many years. There is almost always, bus service. I chose to drive my kids but I didn’t really have to. Buses in north Idaho run unless they cancel school. How does the snowplow situation work if you don't live on a thoroughfare?*My husband would be working long hours. (In San Diego, we'd call it sunup to sundown, but for NID in the winters it would be more like pre-dawn to long post-dusk.) If there's snow on the road if he's leaving at 4 AM to get to work, is it common to take a snowmobile to work? (I lived in Maine briefly -- so glorious!--as an early 20-something and there were always snowmobiles on the freeway! I was totally taken aback as a youngster. Not sure if that's common elsewhere). What I'm trying to get at is, how passable are the roads? What happens if a snowplow doesn't come to your area or if you're in a rural or unincorporated area?* You can take a snowmobile to work but Idaho is VERY good at plowing.
We'd like to have a few acres and perhaps a cow or a horse or some chickens or (???). He grew up in an agricultural area and dreams of having some animals on his property again. Approximately for how many months of the year is it too cold for a horse or cow to be out in the elements, leaving it/them confined to a barn?* Horses don’t need to be confined to a barn at all..even in the worst of winter. A three sided loafing shed is nice to provide a wind and sun break though. A hen house with precautions for predators works well for hens.be advised though...you will have to feed hay year round in most cases.
What are the primary pests? Are there mosquitoes? Prevalent ticks? Things that prevent children from being outside in the summer? (I lived in Texas for awhile and we had to deal with chiggers: please, for the love, tell me that NID does NOT have chiggers.)*What are the most pesky pests, and how do you appropriately handle them?*
We never had a problem with ticks at all. Mosquitos only in June. No chiggers. Some black flies but only early in summer. How truly bad is the internet service?*I am not looking to start any online internet video game tournaments, but we do watch Netflix, will want to do video chats with grandparents in other states, etc, and would prefer reliable internet. What are the chances that I'm going to move someplace that doesn't have any access to internet, regardless of how much we're willing to pay for it? What is the most reliable source of internet?*
In the dead of winter, how far away from a norhern border crossing can we move, within a 30-60 minute commute? On the treacherous days, my husband will still need to get to work--like I said, at o'dark thirty. He'll need to work for another 10 or so years, so this is a concern for us. We have basically no concept of distance-to-time ratio in our current living situation: my 20-mile commute takes me 1.5 hours one way (did I mention that I hate San Diego traffic!?) so we don't really have a grasp on true distances.*
What costs, as a native Californian, will I be unprepared for? I know that food costs will be higher, as well as access to certain items we can get here, year-round (specialty produce, etc). I know that we will actually have to pay for heat (how novel) and snow-related costs (tires, clothing, etc). Our housing costs here are pretty high (we pay in the $2500 range for a 3-bedroom house on a postage stamp sized lot crowded in with 28 other homes on a few acres) and we have daycare costs etc. to consider, so I feel that overall the cost of living would be lower there, but what am I missing?
How on earth can I find a rental home?!*I have been haunting realtor.com, zillow.com etc for months, and there seem to be no rental houses (we'd really like a house, as opposed to an apartment, but aren't picky much beyond that). What is the best way to find a rental house where we can sit through a few winters and make sure that we really want to buy, and when and how, etc?
What else do I need to know?
Thank you so much! I am so looking forward to learning more from your answers, and thanks in advance for taking time to respond. (I have no idea why all of those *s appeared in my post--I regret that I don't have any interesting footer to explain them!)
I answered what I can help you with in boldface. Good luck!
I hear a lot about the snow, etc, but how DEEP is the snow?
It will vary depending how close you are to mountains. It really isn't an issue. Most of the border areas are liveable.
Where should we stay when we come for an exploratory visit?
Anyplace....just talk to everybody local!!! Ask questions.
How do children get to school in the winter?
School bus. Before buying a house or renting check with the school district for school bus routes. You want to be on a school bus route with kids. You don't want to be in a situation where you drive your kids to a school bus stop!!!
How does the snowplow situation work if you don't live on a thoroughfare?
School bus routes. ALL rural areas plow the school bus routes FIRST. So if your husband needs to get out early, live on a school bus route!! BTW...he probably will be fine driving in the snow before it gets plowed. But it is great to live on a school bus route.....particularly if you have kids.
After than they plow primary routes and then the secondary routes. We currently have a home on a secondary route. It can get plowed on the SECOND day after a snowstorm.
We'd like to have a few acres and perhaps a cow or a horse or some chickens or (???).
You need a barn with animals. For some reasons we lived in homes without GARAGES in rural areas. Those are stupid. Get a garage, workshop, barn anything to get stuff out of the snow!!!
What are the primary pests? Are there mosquitoes? Prevalent ticks? Things that prevent children from being outside in the summer?
None....in some areas you might want to keep an eye out for bears and cougars. Particularly, once the kids start ranging away from home.
The safety issues are partially frozen ponds in winter, high spring run-off, and the other issues of living in the woods. DON'T let your kids go out on ICE covered ponds without you being there!!!
How truly bad is the internet service?
It various. Idaho and Montana have the worst internet by far. Eastern Washington is much better. Check with local folks about internet access. I have a friend in eastern Washington he has fiber and 1gb internet 35 miles in on a dirt road....that is the exception.
In the dead of winter, how far away from a northern border crossing can we move, within a 30-60 minute commute?
Think this through.
In many areas, there is more development on the Canadian side of the border. In many cases, you will be shopping in Canada instead of the states. Not sure if your husband can find work in Canada, legally, and in your case it MUST be legally. But check.
What costs, as a native Californian, will I be unprepared for
First winter...cost of winter clothes for you and the kids. I was shocked at how much I spent on clothes my first winter. With a family, it would be much worse. Buy your winter clothes in California at a thrift store and don't tell your kids their used. That will give you time to transition rather than spending gobs of money at once.
Snow tires and rims that first winter. Plus if your heating with wood....you will need to pay for ALL your wood at the front end.
How on earth can I find a rental home?!
Best bet is ask at work. Rental's are word of mouth in rural areas. You have a good job and one that's visible. People will be happy to rent to you. I would probably buy since it is will be cheaper than renting.
What else do I need to know?
Snow tires on all rigs, plus good weight distribution for traction. Drive slow enough that stopping safely is not an issue. Driving in the snow is easy....stopping is VERY DIFFICULT. I would put studded tires on ONE vehicle. Get a house that is south facing. That will keep your driveway ice free and open most of the winter. Don't ever live in a house that faces NORTH.
Drive times....basically 60 MPH in summer......and much slower depending on conditions in winter.
Get a house with a wood stove. Heating with wood is cheaper than any other fuel around the border.
Plan on taking a winter vacation in California. January is great if your kids are not in school. Plan on it....summers are great on the border. Winter...well, I would rather be in California.
Get a house with lots of windows out in the open. You will definitely crave light in the winter.
Just do it...it will be an adventure. My recommendations is Highway 97 in eastern Washington. Nice weather, great, great communities just across the line in Canada. Fairly inexpensive housing. You might even be able to find a "summer" home to rent that first winter. It also has a great regional library system.
On education, the best schools are in Montana. Washington would be second, but it has a very good home schooling option. Idaho is my last choice for schools.
By way of background, we moved to Sagle (other end of the Long Bridge from Sandpoint) in 2016 from the LA area. My wife was born there, I was born in the northeast, but spent my working life living in SoCal.
Snow Depth - Here's what I recorded at our place in eastern Sagle over the past 3 winters:
2016/17 - We had a total of 90" of snowfall, and the peak snow on the ground was 29". That year we quickly built up to 20" plus on the ground, and for the most part stayed around until spring.
2017/18 - We had a total of 102" of snowfall, and the peak snow on the ground was 27", which happened in late Dec/early Jan. By late Jan we were down to about 11" due to some warm weather and rain. We were starting to see bare spots under the trees. It built back up to about 16" in late Mar due to some late season snow storms.
2018/19 - We had a total of 92" of snowfall, and the peak snow on the ground was 29", which happened in late Feb. The snow arrived late that winter, so in early Feb we only had about 10" on the ground.
My take away is that total snowfall you experience will vary based on where you live, and that can vary from year to year based on how the storms track through the area. Higher elevations will reliably see more snow than lower elevations in any given winter. At times we see more precip happening down near CdA vs. up our way, and at other times the reverse. How much snow will stay on the ground is highly dependent on how the weather pattern develops through the winter. NID is typically not a bitterly cold climate, so mid-winter warm spells are not uncommon. An extended warm spell, especially when combined with rain, can quickly decimate the snow pack. Warm sunny days do also, but sunny days are not as common during winter.
Where to stay: I agree with CFF that Sandpoint is probably your best bet. They have more lodging and restaurant options compared to Bonners Ferry. CdA also has plenty of options, but it sounds to me like you will be looking to live closer to the border, quite possibly in Boundary county. If you are going to be working at the border you probably want to think about living somewhere near Bonners Ferry in order to keep your commute more reasonable. IMO Bonners is a charming small town, like something out of 1950's Americana. It was our alternate location when we were looking for properties.
Pests: There are mosquitoes and ticks, but not a crazy amount. The biggest issue we have with flying pests are yellow jackets and other varieties of wasps (paper wasps, bald faced hornets, ...) They are very numerous around our place. If you garden you may have issues with voles. Deer and moose will come eat your shrubbery, so some might put them in the category of pests. Like most places with high deer populations we have cougar, but they tend to keep to themselves. Racoons and other animals will get in your trash if not stored properly, and you need to design chicken pens/coops to keep them out, as well as coyotes. Hawks will also come after your chickens if you let them free range.
Horses, Cows, Chickens: We have a couple neighbors who keep both cows and horses. As far as I can tell they are left out year round. With cows this may depend on the breed. My wife is interested in getting a small herd of Highland cattle, and they can be left out all winter. In fact, the bigger weather issue may be keeping them cool enough on hot summer days. With chickens there are some breeds that will handle the winter weather better than others. And yes, as noted above, you do need to design your coop and pen to keep out various predators. We do not heat our coop in winter, but you will need a solution to keep their water from freezing. Some people put a light in their coop to extend daylight hours and keep productivity up. We choose not to do that, and our egg production does drop off for a couple months.
Internet Service: There are some older threads about this that you may want to look for - I think they are still up to date on the options. In a nutshell, it depends on your location. Away from the towns your options are likely to be limited to satellite, microwave, or 4G cellular. Satellite is available everywhere, but is costly and suffers from high latency. The actual data speeds are not what you are used to, but that isn't the biggest issue with them. Microwave (e.g. Intermax, Air Pipe) reportedly offer better service, but you need to have a direct line of sight to the closest tower, and you need to be close enough to the tower. So, availability is kind of limited, and has to be determined almost on a property by property basis. 4G cellular will depend on whether you are close enough to a cell tower to get a good signal.
Cost of Living and Other Things: Food costs are higher, but for the most part food selection in the groceries isn't too different than what you are used to. In fact, if I dropped you into a Safeway here I'll bet you would think you are in a Vons in SoCal. You will miss things like good avocados, but OTOH there is a thriving farmer's market culture here that offers some nice options in season. There are also many small scale farmers where you can purchase beef, lamb, pork and chicken directly from the farmer. We love to cook, and are quite happy with the local food availability.
You may find you end up driving more here since things are spread out a bit more. That's especially true if you want to take advantage of the outdoor recreational opportunities beyond those that may happen to be right in your neighborhood. You might also find that periodic shopping trips to CdA may make sense. We are down there every 4-6 weeks for that purpose. The saving grace there is that gas prices are lower then they are in CA.
For your husband, if his woodworking hobby involves building with hardwoods he will likely find it more difficult to source materials, and will spend more than he does in San Diego. I've only found one good hardwood supplier in NID (Merrill's Hardwoods in Hayden). They are nice people, very helpful, and can usually get what you need in 1-2 days if they don't have it in stock, but they are more expensive than what I used to pay in the LA area.
Cattle have no problem staying out in our weather. Horses can stay out but should have some shelter, not from the snow, but from the rain. Chickens will need shelter, both from the weather and from predators. Ditto your dogs and cats. They will need protection from predators.
I just partially quoted all of the great posts I've received so far -- since directly quoting all of the responses would be very long, but a huge THANK YOU to everyone who has responded so far! I've saved your responses and it means a lot to me that you took time out of your days to offer such practical and helpful advice. Thank you!!
Quote:
Originally Posted by mistyriver
I answered what I can help you with in boldface. Good luck!
Thank you for the advice! I am relieved to hear that there are no chiggers and it's great advice to move on a school route, as well as to be reassured that school routes *do* run unless school has been cancelled.
A shelter for animals sounds perfect, too. Thank you for taking the time to respond, much appreciated!
Quote:
Originally Posted by Clark Fork Fantast
Hi MBLB, welcome to CD and the forum! My role here for now is to be your greeter, I guess
I know all about the San Diego traffic, weather, escape to Pine Valley and Julian for some gloomy relief, and so forth, so I get what you're saying, but above all you need to come up for a visit. NID can be hot and sunny, too. The decision to choose NID is huge for a SoCal native, and you need to experience it first hand before making a decision, if possible.
Thank you! Yes--Pine Valley, Julian and Mt. Laguna are our happy places! Although last year during our "snowstorm" up here, there was about 1.8" (yes, 1.8!) of snow on the ground and it seemed that half of San Diego lost their minds traveling up to "the snow." So I definitely know what you mean--and totally agree--about experiencing it first before making a decision, since our perception is limited! Thanks so much for the great welcome, and when I think of more questions I'll DM you.
Quote:
Originally Posted by 509
[b] How do children get to school in the winter?
School bus. Before buying a house or renting check with the school district for school bus routes. You want to be on a school bus route with kids. You don't want to be in a situation where you drive your kids to a school bus stop!!!
How does the snowplow situation work if you don't live on a thoroughfare?
School bus routes. ALL rural areas plow the school bus routes FIRST. So if your husband needs to get out early, live on a school bus route!! BTW...he probably will be fine driving in the snow before it gets plowed. But it is great to live on a school bus route.....particularly if you have kids.
After than they plow primary routes and then the secondary routes. We currently have a home on a secondary route. It can get plowed on the SECOND day after a snowstorm.
Wow--your answers to all of my questions were just spot-on! Thank you for giving me tips that I wouldn't have thought of -- particularly about moving onto an active school bus route for best luck at having reliably-plowed roads, for choosing a south-facing house, a house with windows, and to pursue housing leads with my husband's employer and colleagues before we arrive. All fantastic tips, and thanks for reassuring me, too, that most areas are livable, and encouraging us to take the plunge! Buying winter clothing in SoCal is also an amazing idea -- because they can't get rid of it fast enough or cheaply enough here in the thrift stores, since we HAVE no winter. (For reference, it was 106* with some humidity in my neighborhood in east San Diego today. And yet we were at a clothing consignment shop yesterday and there were coats for sale. I was thinking: why?!? Now I know why: they'll be my secret money-saving weapon for when we move. Thank you again!
Quote:
Originally Posted by Cnynrat
For your husband, if his woodworking hobby involves building with hardwoods he will likely find it more difficult to source materials, and will spend more than he does in San Diego. I've only found one good hardwood supplier in NID (Merrill's Hardwoods in Hayden). They are nice people, very helpful, and can usually get what you need in 1-2 days if they don't have it in stock, but they are more expensive than what I used to pay in the LA area.
Good luck!
Dave
Dave--thank you SO much! Your very practical stats on the snowfall are immensely helpful, plus your insider tip on the hardwood materials for my husband is great--I already sent him an email to flag this store, for future! Thanks also for the very practical advice on internet--which gives me a lot to think about. The pests info prompted me to think of proper storage to keep out the pests that are so off-the-radar here in a big city (like raccoons!) Thanks for taking the time to so thoroughly address everything in such a systematic manner. Much appreciated.
Quote:
Originally Posted by oregonwoodsmoke
Cattle have no problem staying out in our weather. Horses can stay out but should have some shelter, not from the snow, but from the rain. Chickens will need shelter, both from the weather and from predators. Ditto your dogs and cats. They will need protection from predators.
Thank you so much! This is so helpful, and something that I (foolishly) had not considered.
In the dead of winter, how far away from a norhern border crossing can we move, within a 30-60 minute commute? On the treacherous days, my husband will still need to get to work--like I said, at o'dark thirty. He'll need to work for another 10 or so years, so this is a concern for us. We have basically no concept of distance-to-time ratio in our current living situation: my 20-mile commute takes me 1.5 hours one way (did I mention that I hate San Diego traffic!?) so we don't really have a grasp on true distances.*
I am going to go out on a limb and assume your husband will be working CBP at either Eastport or Porthill? If not, please forgive the assumption. State hwy 1 and US95 are both kept very clear (wet pavement) in the winter and should give you no problems. Bonners Ferry and Moyie Springs will definitely be commutable in that time allotment. Perhaps even the areas north of Sandpoint. Since you will need to take a state highway to both locations, most anywhere in Boundary County should fit in your commute time window. The driving will be much different than San Diego though and you should allow more travel time than in the good weather months. You won't be able to operate an ATV or snow machine on state highways. Secondary city and county roads will be hit or miss on when they get plowed and if it is a private road it is up to the local residents.
We live in the Coeur d'Alene area and our horses are outside all winter and we feed them inside but they don't stay there. They hate stalls.
For me our worst pests are field mice, voles, and mosquitoes.
Zillow is terrible for much info. I would try to find a property manager in Bonners Ferry if it were me. Definitely rent for a year if you can to find out the areas you like and ones you don't before buying.
We use wireless for internet (AT&T) hotspot because there is no cable internet where we are, satellite is also available. There are parts of Boundary county that don't get 4G LTE, or cell service of any kind - Moyie River Road, US95 north of the Y with SH1, US2 few miles east of Moyie River Bridge, parts of Highland Flats in Naples, to name a few. I know because we are constantly looking at property up there and always check. It is my favorite place in Idaho.
Good luck to you! Ask me any questions you like and I will answer if I can.
Last edited by redwood66; 09-18-2019 at 06:47 PM..
Zillow is terrible for much info. I would try to find a property manager in Bonners Ferry if it were me. Definitely rent for a year if you can to find out the areas you like and ones you don't before buying.
We use wireless for internet (AT&T) hotspot because there is no cable internet where we are, satellite is also available. There are parts of Boundary county that don't get 4G LTE, or cell service of any kind - Moyie River Road, US95 north of the Y with SH1, US2 few miles east of Moyie River Bridge, parts of Highland Flats in Naples, to name a few. I know because we are constantly looking at property up there and always check. It is my favorite place in Idaho.
Good luck to you! Ask me any questions you like and I will answer if I can.
Thank you so much! I really appreciate your help, especially on the internet and hotspot questions as well as pointing us to some great areas, likely commute times, and the wisdom of a property manager. All great info, very helpful! When I think of future questions I'll definitely engage you again!
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, because we have yet to spend a winter in NID, but since we live and work in San Diego Ct and we're building a retirement home about 60 miles from the Canadian border in NID, I may be able to offer some kind of advice. Feel free to DM me. The border crossing I hear about the most is Eastport. I noticed there is also Porthill further west. Either way, I guess you'd be relocating to Bonners Ferry. Anything further south will be too much of a commute, I'm afraid. It's only 30 miles or so from the border, but that's far enough during winter. If you're willing to push it, you might consider Naples, or Moyie Springs.
