TF, Pocatello or IF better town to retire in (Boise: 2014, condo)

[Geog101]

Looking to get out of the hot sun in Phoenix and go north. Which city has more things to do, varied climate, best scenery and restaurants. Thinking about purchasing a condo. Thanks in advance.

[NW Crow]

How much snow do you want / can tolerate? From least to most- TF, Poc, IF.

Do you care about visits to Boise or SLC?

I'd go with Twin Falls or Pocatello unless you like snow a lot. Between the first two, Pocatello has a full scale university but is also higher on religious adherence, if either of these matter to you.

[banjomike]

Pocatello and Idaho Falls are only 50 miles apart, so they share the scenery and climate. Poky is lower and more sheltered, so it's usually warmer by a couple of degrees than Idaho Falls, but it's a little more prone to temp inversions during the winers as well.

The scenery has a lot of variety nearby, but neither of the towns has a whopping big natural feature. Twin Falls does- Shoshone Falls is higher than Niagara and is very literally breath-taking. But it can't be seen in Twin unless a person goes looking for it.

That, oddly is the way it is with most towns here. There's so much spectacular scenery in this state that the pioneers chose practicality over it to settle in. All the best stuff lies just over the hill or around the bend, outside the city limits.

Twin Falls' scenery does lack the variety the other 2 have. The falls is a jaw-dropper, but most of the surrounding area is cultivated farmland in large pieces, interrupted here and there by some natural feature than usually has some connection to the Snake River in it.

Idaho Falls lies closest of the 3 to the Teton range, which is clearly visible from just outside of town, and the falls actually lie in the heart of the city, surrounded by an extremely pleasant river walk. It's scenic, for sure.

Pocatello has mountains close by on 3 sides, so it could be said to be scenic, too. All 3 cities open up on one side to the great Snake River plain, and on the east, part of the Arco desert's features can be seen from Poky and I.F.

As to all the other stuff: It's all here. You would have to come and experience it and answer your own questions afterward. All 3 cities have colleges, but Poky has the largest and oldest- Idaho State U.

No one can say how much you will like or dislike Idaho. Old Mother Idaho has a way of selecting her children for herself; there are those who come expecting the worst and thrive the rest of their lives here, and there are just as many who think life will be grand here and end up in misery for their remaining years.

My own opinions don't count for anyone but me, as I'm a native, and my roots are so deep I've never been as happy anywhere else all my life. Even when I'm not very happy here. That's deep roots for ya.

[Geog101]

Thank you for your responses

[pnwguy2]

As usual, banjomike is spot on.

I lived in Pocatello from 2006-2009, then Idaho Falls 2009-2014. There are certainly some differences. IF is much more centered around the LDS Church, though it isn't a required course, so to speak. Pocatello seems a bit more liberal, perhaps due to Idaho State University, but in general eastern Idaho is conservative.

As banjo reported, Poky is a bit more scenic with lower mountains surrounding. It is slightly warmer, and tends to get more thunderstorms. (I love thunderstorms, and there is a thunderstorm tunnel that operates from southern Idaho to western Wyoming...in fact there is a sign on I-84 warning of "severe storm area".)

IF is the bigger retail center, and is growing faster. Pocatello seems to be somewhat stagnant in population growth, not sure why. In between is the smaller town of Blackfoot. Not anywhere near IF/Poky in size, but might provide lower housing prices.

As for Twin I have always felt it as a Boise junior. It is nice and is growing, somewhat a military town feeding off Mountain Home, with plenty of retail. But it is a strong city in the Idaho hierarchy.
.

[f5fstop]

I live in Chubbuck; just north of Poky can't say I totally disagree with all that has been said. However, the big question is what do you like to do outside of your hometown?

I moved here to camp in the Rockies or in the deserts of UT/CO. So for me Poky was better place to move. If it wasn't for the camping trips I had planned, most likely I would not have moved to Idaho.

[nowhereman427]

It seems to me that East Idaho has more affordable housing in that you can get a newer home or newly constructed home from Rigby, Rexburg to Idaho Falls, Chubbuck and Pocatello.

Boise is suppose to have less snow fall with less harsh weather but more people and traffic?

Also Boise uses a different compound to get rid of their light snowfall so the cars there don't rust out their frames.

I need privacy, least amount of noise and little to no traffic.

[nowhereman427]

Originally Posted by pnwguy2

As usual, banjomike is spot on.

I lived in Pocatello from 2006-2009, then Idaho Falls 2009-2014. There are certainly some differences. IF is much more centered around the LDS Church, though it isn't a required course, so to speak. Pocatello seems a bit more liberal, perhaps due to Idaho State University, but in general eastern Idaho is conservative.

As banjo reported, Poky is a bit more scenic with lower mountains surrounding. It is slightly warmer, and tends to get more thunderstorms. (I love thunderstorms, and there is a thunderstorm tunnel that operates from southern Idaho to western Wyoming...in fact there is a sign on I-84 warning of "severe storm area".)

IF is the bigger retail center, and is growing faster. Pocatello seems to be somewhat stagnant in population growth, not sure why. In between is the smaller town of Blackfoot. Not anywhere near IF/Poky in size, but might provide lower housing prices.

As for Twin I have always felt it as a Boise junior. It is nice and is growing, somewhat a military town feeding off Mountain Home, with plenty of retail. But it is a strong city in the Idaho hierarchy.
.

Isn't the new Costco being built or near completion in IDF?
What is Poky? Pocatello?

[pnwguy2]

Originally Posted by nowhereman427

Isn't the new Costco being built or near completion in IDF?
What is Poky? Pocatello?

Yeah it is a somewhat disliked slang name for Pocatello. However those us who have lived there don’t really mind it.

[nowhereman427]

Originally Posted by pnwguy2

Yeah it is a somewhat disliked slang name for Pocatello. However those us who have lived there don’t really mind it.

How does Pocatello compare to Blackfoot?

Is Blackfoot and around that area too Close to that "Atomic City"
Where they had a nuke disaster?