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When wildfires burn in the West, the smoke all seems to swirl around in Idaho. For snow, you will have a hard time finding a place near the mountains that gets less snow than CDL.
Thanks for all of your advice. I kind of figured it was some wishful thinking as I've done a lot of research. I liked Boise, and for all the reasons you stated it was initially a very strong contender. My parents took me through Idaho when I was a kid and we all fell in love with McCall... if it weren't for the hundred(s) of inches of snow a year, it would be #1 on my list.
We went through Boise in 2019 on a scouting trip...we even extended our trip and felt like it was a very strong contender. We left there and went through Eastern Oregon up to Hood River and then over to my sisters in Washington. When we left, we looped around Seattle through the Cascades to Leavenworth, Chelan and over to Coeur d'Alene and then came back down through McCall, through Eagle. On the road back from McCall, it became apparent how windy that stretch of road is. It's not really the easy day trip I was hoping for, and I kind of thought... is this a road I'd want to be doing all the time? In Boise, we'd still sort of be commuting....where I really want to be right in the thick of it. After CDA it was like, this is no-contest... until I started watching the weather. lol.
I haven't been to Stanley or up that area, but I have a friend who's been up there a bunch recently and is in love with it. Are there smaller towns near Boise I could be considering?
I've spent a teensy amount of time around Eugene and I'm not crazy about it. My former best friend moved to Florence from Vegas, ended up in Eugene and got hooked on meth. I think the differences in winter sun in Eugene and Coeur d'Alene are probably negligible? I'd even guess there's more sun in Coeur d'Alene in the winter months... but it may deserve a second visit. I kind of think if I'm going to the Willamette Valley ...I'm probably better off in Salem or a burb of Portland? Corvallis is also a place I haven't visited, but has been recommended. Geographically, Seattle is the best positioning to be between my family but I just haven't seen a single area that got me excited, I've been from my sisters in Montesano/Aberdeen to Gig Harbor to North Bend Wa...up to Bellingham and around there. I guess I just need to keep taking trips until a place calls to me.
[Edited to add] I know Coeur d'Alene has gotten expensive, but then again so has Las Vegas where I'm living now. If I'm going to spend upwards of 700-800k on a home.. which is where I'll wind up to get any sort of decent sized lot, I want to live somewhere I love.
How small of a town are you ok with? Horseshoe Bend is a small lumber town that is growing because of its proximity to Boise and the valley. It is along the Payette River at the base of the timbered Boise Mountains and about a half hour from Eagle and is a very small town but close enough to the amenities of Boise. There are a lot of new homes being built in that narrow valley.
If your budget allows, Ketchum $$$$$ would be a sweet spot as long as you are ok with driving to Boise or Twin Falls for the "big city" amenities like Costco, etc., and enduring longer winters than Boise, but the rest of the year is awesome.
East Idaho is very similar to West Idaho in that the green areas, outside of the cities and farmlands, are typically in the mountains. East ID and West ID are probably equal in the green category.
If your budget allows, Ketchum $$$$$ would be a sweet spot as long as you are ok with driving to Boise or Twin Falls for the "big city" amenities like Costco, etc., and enduring longer winters than Boise, but the rest of the year is awesome.
Besides being super expensive, Ketchum has a weird vibe similar to Jackson Hole. It's been hollowed out by the urber wealthy jet set and no longer feels like a real community. Many of the homes are second or third homes that sit empty most of the year. The boutiques mostly sell the same basic boho wellness woo that appeals to this group. The town struggles to find people to work retail and lifts, many end up quasi-homeless in the USFS/BLM.
Don't get me wrong, it's super pretty and the skiing is great if you like long steep groomers. It's a lovely place to visit.
Besides being super expensive, Ketchum has a weird vibe similar to Jackson Hole. It's been hollowed out by the urber wealthy jet set and no longer feels like a real community. Many of the homes are second or third homes that sit empty most of the year. The boutiques mostly sell the same basic wellness woo that appeals to this group, and the town is struggling to find people to work retail and lifts. Many end up quasi-homeless in the USFS/BLM.
Don't get me wrong, it's super pretty and the skiing is great if you like long steep groomers. It's a lovely place to visit.
It's a great place with a strong community spirit, almost too strong because the locals are fierce about how they want the area to grow. There is a lot of old money mixed with the new money. The current struggles it is experiencing mirror what is going on in every other mountain resort town. I do know that Ketchum is working on affordable housing for the working class which needs to happen fast.
I used to live there and would live there again if the stars aligned. The shops, albeit expensive, but they sell kush sporting gear, the diverse restaurants, the Pavillion, the art scene,the history and of course the world class outdoor activities.
Last edited by TohobitPeak; 02-07-2022 at 09:05 PM..
It's a great place with a strong community spirit, almost too strong because the locals are fierce about how they want the area to grow. There is a lot of old money mixed with the new money. The current struggles it is experiencing mirror what is going on in every other mountain resort town. I do know that Ketchum is working on affordable housing for the working class which needs to happen fast.
I used to live there and would live there again if I could afford it.
It's a great place, but not sure I would consider what they're doing to workers a strong community spirit. This situation didn't happen overnight, it's been years in the making. While it's good that the town has finally approved the Bluebird Village despite protests from NIMBYs, they need a lot more than 54 affordable units to address the problem.
It's a great place, but not sure I would consider what they're doing to workers a strong community spirit. This situation didn't happen overnight, it's been years in the making. While it's good that the town has finally approved the Bluebird Village despite protests from NIMBYs, they need a lot more than 54 affordable units to address the problem.
Regardless, it is a step in the right direction. The southern area of the Wood River Valley; Hailey and Bellevue, used to be a lot more affordable and that is where many of the workers lived and still live. Many also live down the highway in the Magic Valley, Twin Falls/Jerome and commute. But, I agree that they should have focused on affordable housing years go.
Ironically, the same scenario is taking place here in Boise, Portland, Salt Lake City, Seattle...and many more dots.
Regardless, it is a step in the right direction. The southern area of the Wood River Valley; Hailey and Bellevue, used to be a lot more affordable and that is where many of the workers lived and still live. Many also live down the highway in the Magic Valley, Twin Falls/Jerome and commute. But, I agree that they should have focused on affordable housing years go.
Ironically, the same scenario is taking place here in Boise, Portland, Salt Lake City, Seattle...and many more dots.
Yes, but it's a matter of degree. I can't speak to the other cities you list, but Boise has indeed struggled to keep up with demand as people migrated during the pandemic. We have our NIMBYs here, but so far they have mostly been kept in check and the city is up zoning and approving multiple higher density and affordable housing projects.
We aren't going to agree on qualitative judgements of living in Ketchum. But I think(?) we can agree that it's a tourist town, or in Idaho Tax parlance, a Resort City. The vibe I get in Ketchum is primarily from being a tourist/resort town. Due to the high levels of vacation homes and transient population of visitors, these places have a different feel from regular towns. I know because I lived for decades in a tourist town and I've decided it's just not my jam. If you like it, that's fine. And who knows what OP thinks about it, but I think it's worth noting.
My opinion is that Ketchum and the rest of the Wood River Valley has a tight hometown vibe regardless of being an international tourist destination. I've lived there so I've experienced it from a local perspective.
North or west of Wenatchee WA might be worth considering, but not too far in the hills.
Would you consider Redmond or Prineville OR? Carson City NV?
If you like northern Idaho but not winter, could live in or near Lewiston (milder winter because of low elevation) and drive to CDA country in good weather. Or substitute lakes and go out by Orofino. Still low elevation / milder winter with a beautiful, less crowded Dworshak Reservoir. But not "fancy" land.
Or Liberty Lake southeast of Spokane and Long Lake to the west?
OP, the greenery that you seek in that region is associated with winter snows laying on the ground for months. It keeps moisture in the ground and prevents very deep freezing of the ground in winter. So in that part of the continent, snow tends to go hand-in-hand with greenery. Less sun and colder temps promote snow sticking for months. So it all goes together; you won't get green without some combination of snow, less sun, and colder, plus a local topologoy that promotes snow. Find a sunnier, warmer area in that region and it is going to be drier and browner.
For you shopping conveniences: The larger developed towns and cities tend to lie where there is good transportation and long term economic activity like agriculture (crops in particular, which promotes private land ownership), and forestry. You can find plenty of other areas with the greenery but no local shopping. We ended up in Dubois WY; less wintery, a lot of sun, windy, on the edge of dry, but still in the mountains with greenery in plain sight. But 75-80 miles one way to a grocery store of any size! (We also looked seriously and long in Stanley.)
Couer d'Alane is somewhat unusual in that regard, with the crop agriculture areas to the east plus forestry plus railroad and river all combining for good economic activity, and yet with the conditions to sustain winter snows for the greenery. So most areas won't have any of that combination and so won't have a large town, even if they have the greenery.
That greenery (and winter snows laying for some months) occur as you go further south in places where you have higher elevations. The suggestion of Sun Valley is a forested area that came to mind; higher elevation, the right topological site for snows, and limited direct sun in the valley all help. I would suggest you simply visit there; it is indeed a ski area so will be just that, like Jackson Hole in WY. Ketchum is the center but Haley is the southern neighboring town that is less in the hub of the ski activities and more oriented to average people.
Nearest to Boise would be Idaho City, which is an the old original capitol. Next would be Garden Valley. Both have some minor development but not a lot. Both have elevation over Boise and are in the lee of some mountains which helps the snow last. The McCall area was mentioned. Again more elevation, and less winter sunniness. All 2 have limited shopping and so you would head to the Boise area for that; make a day-long trip and load up once a month! And you'll be driving in snow at times.
Kalispell in NW MT is similar to CdA. But again, the greenery is there due to winter and snows and less sun.
Western ID (Moscow) has some forests but not consistently all over like further north in ID and to the east over in MT. Less sun is typical there in winter, like around CdA.
You have the right idea.... travel and visit. You'll filter out places and gain a better perspective of what is around. We spent 5 years and made multiple trips traveling around the region.
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