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OK, here we go. I've posted on C-D before so I know for experience how quickly threads can get hijacked down a road completely unrelated to the OP questions, so I'll ask all you nice people to stay focused, objective, honest and accurate in your guidance.
I've been to Banff Canada a number of times, and always thought I'd love to retire there, but alas that can't happen, so I am seeking places in the lower 48 that are in some ways similar. One place that is up for consideration is Couer D'Alene (Ashland OR is also in the running but that's a different thread) a few things I'd like clarification on:
Weather - Winters. Yes I know for some it's a skiers paradise, and we are not skiers. We originated from Chicago so nobody can out-winter us in some ways, but be honest...we'd be back to full-on, shovels, boots, parkas, etc. for what, 5 months? We're resigned that if true we'll have to become snowbirds). Franklly , this is the one variable thats holding us back from going "all in" on CDA.
More sensitive stuff - I'm reading on a few threads there is (for its size) a homeless population. I have little tolerance for that, especially if I'm shelling out big $$ in taxes. Can I get an accurate read on this situation and is it getting worse, better or staying same.
And speaking of California - Yes, I know, you hate them and wish they'd keep driving north. Is the impact on housing prices as bad as I read here? Its undeniable its almost 100% CDA ID, and although we have the $$, I don't want to have to settle for a tiny [mod cut] house just to live anywhere (Except maybe the Hamptons or Carmel, but those are out).
Politics - We are relatively conservative. No, not Rush-listening, Trump-loving, right-wing zealots, and on some issues we're downright Libertarian. That said, will we be shunned or have a difficult time making friends there?
We are very enticed by what we believe CDA could be to us in retirement (during the 9 months a year we'd be there...lol) and hope to hear the unvarnished truth, good or bad. So, be nice, don't hijack the thread with unrelated nonsense, and let the information flow. We greatly appreciate your willingness to help guide strangers from the other coast.
Last edited by volosong; 05-12-2020 at 12:24 AM..
Reason: profanity not appreciated here
For background so you understand my perspective: I grew up in NJ, college in PA. Moved to SoCal where I spent my working years as an engineer. Moved to north Idaho in 2016 with my wife (a CA native) when I retired. I'm a registered Libertarian who often votes Republican. We love all sorts of outdoor activities: hiking, fishing, kayaking, snowshoeing, skiing, ...
We live in Sagle, which is just south of Sandpoint. We prioritized a secluded, rural area over the amenities of the "big city."
Now, to your questions:
Yes, there are winters here. Not at all like the midwest though. I spent a lot of time in Cedar Rapids IA, and while we get more snow here, the temps are much friendlier. Yes, there is often a week or two when it gets very cold, but usually we see temps in the 20s/30s. It's a dry cold, so not like the midwest or northeast. We can get snow in November thru March (leaving aside the odd very early/late storm), but I usually figure the snow won't hit hard until December, and by mid-March we seem to be as likely to have rain as snow. So it's more like 4 months of real snow vs. 5.
If you decide to live here thru the winters a bigger adjustment will likely be the short, gray days. Not to say we don't see the sun in winter, but those glorious blue sky days stand out. Maybe 1-2 days per week will have good sun. Some don't mind it, others are affected quite a bit.
You will need to figure out a way to deal with snow removal. If you really don't want to be involved with that personally, you can always hire someone. Even if you are going to be s snowbird I think you want to have snow removed just so there is access to your place in case of an emergency. I think CDA gets less snow than we do in most winters. I figure 65" on average up where we live. Most will come in the form of storms that drop less than 10" (average is ~5"?), with perhaps one or two storms a winter that are >10".
I've not seen much in the way of homeless folks either here in Bonner county or down towards CDA. In Spokane, yes, there is some of that. I can tell you it's not at all like CA. I don't think they like the climate here.
It's hard to judge your concerns about housing costs without a better understanding of what you'd be looking for and what your price range might be. I'd suggest you look at one of the real estate sites on line to get a sense of the market here. We also considered western NC as a retirement destination (roughly speaking the Asheville area). At least back in 2012-2014 I don't think there was a huge difference in values between western NC and NID for what we were looking for. Things may have changed since then.
Based on how you describe your political views I would not worry about that being a factor. Being relatively conservative you'll fit in fine. Yes, there is a fringe element, but they are a definite minority and you won't run into them often. There are also some pockets that are quite liberal, so overall I think you can strike a balance that suits you based on the circles you choose to frequent. In general we find folks here to be very friendly, and I would not expect you'll have problems making friends.
It sounds like you haven't visited here. I'd suggest you spend some time here before getting too far down the road with your decision process. There is no substitute for experiencing an area first hand.
Your response is valuable and clearly objective, just what I am looking for. Hope others add to it. The whole CDA/Sandpoint area sounds great...as for the snow, we'd just have to resign ourselves to traveling from Jan-March to places warm. Never imagind myself a snowbird but if thats the adjustment we'd need to make, so be it. I'm particularly eager to be so close to fabulous lakes and an alpine setting.
I think we'll be planning a trip sometime in the next 60 days.
Just be sure to read up on local COVID precautions. The requirement for visitors to self-quarantine for 2 weeks is in effect until early June, I believe, but things may change, of course.
BTW, this forum is not known for thread-hijacking or hostile, opinionated posters. We're a pretty congenial bunch, just here to help, and socialize at a safe distance without masks... If you read through old threads you'll learn a lot about North Idaho as well as the regulars here. You'll also find that several of us have CA connections in some form or other.
Thnaks Clark Fork Fantast - we won't be considering a trip until things ease up on restrictions but good point nonetheless. Hope its before end of summer so we can really enjoy our time there!
More sensitive stuff - I'm reading on a few threads there is (for its size) a homeless population. I have little tolerance for that, especially if I'm shelling out big $$ in taxes. Can I get an accurate read on this situation and is it getting worse, better or staying same.
Trivial vs.the big cities...for now...
Quote:
Originally Posted by NC_Cpl
And speaking of California - Yes, I know, you hate them and wish they'd keep driving north. Is the impact on housing prices as bad as I read here? Its undeniable its almost 100% CDA ID, and although we have the $$, I don't want to have to settle for a tiny [mod cut] house just to live anywhere (Except maybe the Hamptons or Carmel, but those are out).
There is nothing particularly about Californians. Their impact on prices is similar to yours. The more interest, the more demand and the higher the prices.
Quote:
Originally Posted by NC_Cpl
Politics - We are relatively conservative. No, not Rush-listening, Trump-loving, right-wing zealots, and on some issues we're downright Libertarian. That said, will we be shunned or have a difficult time making friends there?
I think you will find your crowd.
Quote:
Originally Posted by NC_Cpl
We are very enticed by what we believe CDA could be to us in retirement (during the 9 months a year we'd be there...lol) and hope to hear the unvarnished truth, good or bad. So, be nice, don't hijack the thread with unrelated nonsense, and let the information flow. We greatly appreciate your willingness to help guide strangers from the other coast.
I think your biggest challenge by car will be downsizing your habits fro one of a large Midwest City to a city of $50K on a lake in the Inland NW in a state that takes fiscal responsibility seriously.
Sandpointian - Noticed you skipped weather. We've done enough research to know you get a ton of snow up there. This is and will remain our biggest hurdle to overcome. In Raleigh, we have become pretty much used to no winters, and we're very familiar with snow too having lived in Chicago for 20+ yrs.
Sandpointian - Noticed you skipped weather. We've done enough research to know you get a ton of snow up there. This is and will remain our biggest hurdle to overcome. In Raleigh, we have become pretty much used to no winters, and we're very familiar with snow too having lived in Chicago for 20+ yrs.
None of us can tell you whether or not you'll be happy living here in winter. We can share some relevant facts about the weather, and perhaps relate our experiences having moved from other climates to Idaho. But in the end we all react differently to winters here.
Since you have spent time living in Chicago it may help to do some research on how the weather here compares to Chicago. You know what Chicago is like, and I think in some respects the weather here is similar (IMO snowfall amounts in Chicago aren't too different than CDA for example), while in other respects I think our winters are more mild (I suspect average temps here are warmer than Chicago). There are any number of good sources for long term weather averages on line, including over on the other side of City Data. The one thing I would caution you about is to be specific about where you think you might want to land in north Idaho, because I think there is a difference between CDA vs. Sandpoint vs. Bonners Ferry. Comparing data for Chicago, where you have a visceral understanding of what winters mean, with the averages here in north Idaho might help you get a better sense of how you will react to winters here.
This brings me to my second point, which is I think one needs to enjoy winters here in order to be fully satisfied with living in the area, at least if you are going to live here year round. It can't be a case of "Oh no, here comes winter again we're going to be freezing and have spend all our time shoveling snow. What misery!" Winters here are long enough and serious enough that it can't be a season you dread. I think it's best if you actually look forward to them to some extent, whether that's because you get a chance to ski or snowshoe or snowmobile, or just because it's a quieter time of year when you can spend time sitting by the fire and enjoy a good book. Doesn't have to be your favorite time of year, but it shouldn't be a time of misery for you.
Now, if you are planning to be snowbirds anyway, then why does winter weather matter? IMO it really shouldn't matter in that case. There are some financial considerations for that sort of lifestyle, and you might consider the inconvenience of moving twice a year, perhaps worrying about maintaining two residences, etc. But again, most of us can't help you figure out if that's the right lifestyle for you. I might be wrong, but I don't think any of the regulars here are snowbirds. (Setting CFF aside for the moment who I think plans to live here year round, but hasn't made the full time move just yet. )
I can tell you that it's not very unusual for people who own places here to spend winters somewhere else. Drive down the road a mile from where we live and you come to a small bay on Lake Pend Oreille. There are about 25-30 homes there, and all but a handful of them sit vacant over the winter. So there are plenty of homeowners here who snowbird somewhere else. One of our neighbors actually "snowbirds" up at the base of Schweitzer Mountain, but that's a different matter! The snowbird lifestyle isn't for us, but then we wanted to move from the two season climate of SoCal to somewhere with four real seasons, and in many ways winter is our favorite season.
I hope that doesn't come across wrong. I think this is a question each individual needs to sort out on their own. I can tell you I love winters here, but that doesn't really help if you are a warm weather and sunshine person who hates being cold.
All very good points Dave and I agree if you choose to enjoy winter it becomes much easier to live with. Ironically, we're also not considering places like AZ, So. Nevada or New Mexico because of heat. I suppose it boils down to ....we are fine with four milder seasons, just not anything one might consider an extreme.
As for making winter fun, sadly, we don't ski anymore (two torn ACL's skiing and age has put an end to that.... We dont snowmobile, so I can't clam we do anything in the winter, and have not lived with any winter at all for the past 12 yrs. Its hard to put into words, but if you're not a winter enthusiast, AND, once you've been out of it for a prolonged time, it feels very "uphill" to attempt to re-integrate it back into your daily life.
As for becoming snowbirds...was not ever our intention and I agree that wehn I really think through all the effort involved, seems like a LOT of work!! I don't think we'd buy a second home, but rather get a decent size RV and just road-trip it for 90 days. It's the only reasonably simple "coping strategy" I have at this time..lol!!
Yes, its a very individual decision so I'm just happy to know facts rather than speculate, and since we won't be visiting in winter that remained a big question mark. All said, the PNW has the most beautifiul terrain in my opinion.
Let me shift gears...the lakes. We are VERY attracted to the numerous lakes in your area. How many months a year are the "boatable?" Do they get overcrowded with boats in the summer? We would be more of a pontoon type than speedboat. Is it easy to transport to different lakes? We used to live on Lake Norman in Charlotte. During the peak summer months parts of it became downright dangerous there were so many boats speeding and criss-crossing paths.
Let me shift gears...the lakes. We are VERY attracted to the numerous lakes in your area. How many months a year are the "boatable?" Do they get overcrowded with boats in the summer? We would be more of a pontoon type than speedboat. Is it easy to transport to different lakes? We used to live on Lake Norman in Charlotte. During the peak summer months parts of it became downright dangerous there were so many boats speeding and criss-crossing paths.
Recreational boating shuts down during the winter. Boats that are moored in the lakes are pulled out and wrapped in some type of white plastic wrap and placed in a storage yard. Probably because of the cool/cold temperatures. During the winters, the high daily temperatures are usually around freezing. The small lakes freeze over and become a haven for ice fishermen. The boating season runs from sometime in April to around November.
Pontoon boats are popular, but there are all types. Can't personally say if the lakes are overcrowded or not. I've only taken my Coronado 15 sloop to Lake Pend Oreille and it never felt "crowded". It's a big lake. Haven't taken it to Coeur d'Alene or Hayden Lakes, (which are more busy). Fernan is much smaller, and is crowded, being the primary sculling lake in the area. Rivers are always busy with small fishing boats.
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If you read through old threads you'll learn a lot about North Idaho as well as the regulars here. You'll also find that several of us have CA connections in some form or other.
. We dont snowmobile, so I can't clam we do anything in the winter, and have not lived with any winter at all for the past 12 yrs. Its hard to put into words, but if you're not a winter enthusiast, AND, once you've been out of it for a prolonged time, it feels very "uphill" to attempt to re-integrate it back into your daily life. 
