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I expect most folks head to Spokane for most things other than routine medical care.
An acquaintance of mine has pretty serious heart problems .
He's had two heart surgeries and both were done in CDA. So there seems to be some level of care beyond routine care.
I am neighbors with Post Falls and CDA.
My health insurance had a 3 month wait before I could see a specialist for my very painful thing. I was laid up in bed type pain.
Got ahold of a surgeon in Post Falls, paid cash, and he was cutting on me within a week.
Surgery, post op, and two years later I have nothing but great things to say about this surgeon.
So, if you ever need a good arse man in Northern Idaho I got one.
An acquaintance of mine has pretty serious heart problems .
He's had two heart surgeries and both were done in CDA. So there seems to be some level of care beyond routine care.
Good point. The Spokane–Coeur d'Alene combined statistical area is large enough to have medical care on both sides of the state line. But the point is that folks in smaller cities/rural areas will typically head to this urban area for non routine care. This isn't unique to NID, just one of the trade-offs of living rural or in a small city.
Last edited by AnythingOutdoors; 05-23-2023 at 09:38 AM..
I have not been to Boise (its on my list of things to do, my aunt who traveled the midwest and west for her work told me that it was always one of her favorite cities) so I cannot compare the two directly, but last year my family and I moved from GA to N ID. The N GA mountains into TN are pretty, but I was so sick and tired of the heat and humidity for close to half of the year, after decades of it, I was done. TN might be a little bit better. IMHO, it is definitely something you need to experience in the peak of summer. I love Idaho because I can wake up, go outside early and it is in the 50s, in GA the day started out in the 70s with humidity and you feel sticky. And lots of bugs, cockroaches are the state insect (or should be). We had a wooded section in our backyard, which they love, we'd often see them scurrying over our patio, sidewalk, or driveway and they sometimes got into the house. We didn't like spraying chemicals everywhere for various reasons so we tried more natural routes. Southern hospitality is certainly a thing, but even bigger cities in the south are changing with the huge influx of people from other regions of the country. How big of a city are you considering in TN? Go visit in August and stay for a couple of weeks if you can, really try to do all of the things you do in Boise, hiking, walking, whatever those things are. See how you like it in the heat. The heat didn't bother me so much in my 20s and it might not bother you as you are young, but for myself, after a couple of decades of the heat I just stopped wanting to go outside and do things (gardening, walking, etc). OK, back to N ID, I grew up with snow and was looking forward to four seasons again and this past winter was absolutely amazing for me and my family, we loved the cold temps and snow. Last summer was great even with the heat spell that came on through, we could still open the windows at night and let the house cool down. Traffic here is great *to me* but I've heard others complain. Depends on what you are used to. We do drive to Spokane once in a while but CDA actually has most everything we need. People here in N ID are very nice, so far I've actually only met 1 person who was born and raised here, but everyone has been so inviting. Visit both, see what you think. Wish you the best.
OP, I lived in N. Idaho (CDA/Sandpoint area, out in the country) for nearly 30 years, and recently (2 years ago) moved to East TN, so I'd be happy to help compare/contrast the two. First-you are looking at what I consider two of the greatest places in the country to live-I don't think you would go wrong with either and don't worry too much of either turning into SoCAL any time soon. Both places are flooded with transplants, housing prices are increasing quickly in both areas (Idaho was hit sooner, but TN is following suit-both have been "discovered"). And in both, you'll find lots of warm, welcoming people, so long as you make even a minimal effort to fit in, treat others as you'd want to be treated....and don't try to turn your new home into something else.
Weather-wise-N. Idaho winters aren't that severe in terms of cold or snow (I'm from the Buffalo area for comparison-a birth defect that I corrected about the time I turned 30-biggest mistake was not doing so sooner). But they are LONG, days are short due to the latitude, and they are somewhat grey and gloomy. But a sunny winter day is spectacular with the snows in the mountains, makes up for the grey. Summers can be very hot, with a few days over 100, and a lot in the mid-upper 90s. They are also very dry, with minimal rain all July, August and sometimes most of SE. On some (too many) years, wildfires are both a threat to property (and of course lives) and even for those not impacted in that way, wildfire smoke can be a major issue, blocking the views, and being oppressively choking (actually dangerous at times to some people). The other issue-in summer, most vegetation (other than evergreens) is dead and burned. You won't see green grass without watering. On the days when the weather is "perfect" (high 70s, low 80s) and sunny and clear, NID is absolutely spectacular, among the nicest place you'll find anywhere. But sadly, those days are far too few-spring seems to be very short. Now, even on the hottest days, it cools off nicely in the evening (40 degree temp swings day-night aren't uncommon) and the low humidity (<20%) means even high 90s are pretty comfortable if you're in the shade.
As far as TN, winters are wonderful! I've been able to motorcycle year around (not every day but at least every week or two). The last two years, snow has been minimal, 2, 2" snowfalls my first winter, one "dusting" last year. Both gone in a day. Not typical from what I understand, but even normal winters are very mild (and a threat of 2" of snow shuts EVERYTHING down, leaves the shelves bare and of course schools closed, kind of funny). Summers are actually cooler than NID (in my experience). Temps are high 80s, very low 90s (saw a high of 96 one day, otherwise not over 93 IIRC). Humidity is an issue, but not as bad as some places (FL and AL are far worse). From what I've seen, May seems to be worst for humidity, with summer months better (or maybe by then we're acclimated?). We're among the mountains, so that helps, and morning/evening temps are pleasant. The biggest difference-everything is so incredibly green all summer-lawns, along the highways, etc. And everything grows so quickly, especially brush! Yes, humidity is an issue, and very notable coming from NID in particular. But for the most part, not terrible (right after a rain is BAD though). One oddity, our wildfire season, what there is (generally pretty minimal, usually just grass fires and duff, not running crown fires) is in the winter. In ID, open burning season in OC-MY, here it's MY-OC. In the summer, things are green enough that fire risk is minimal.
If you're concerned about bugs, don't sweat it. I find there to be less than in NID, and that wasn't bad. Very few mosquitoes, fewer flying bugs attracted to your lights at night. Where I grew up in Western NY, mosquitoes were horrible, you couldn't stand to be outside in the evening, here they are a non-issue. We do have chiggers (little biting bugs) that will chew on you if you work in the woods/brush, but they are a minor annoyance. One thing both have in rural areas is "buffalo gnats" (tiny little flies, sometimes called no-see-ums). They are bad in some places in NID for a few weeks-here then can be much of the summer, but usually settle by evening.
Biggest difference I notice is TN is MUCH more crowded. I love getting out into the backcountry away from people (especially on a motorcycle and camping). Lots and lots of remote backcountry in ID where you can ride for a day and only see a couple people, and lots of major roads where you can go a long while not seeing a house. Not so in TN, it's more densely populated. I miss that. But flip side, far fewer people go play in the backcountry it seems. We have a little FS campground a few miles from my place and I've never seen anyone it it in the few times I've been by. In NID, every camp site and dispersed camp spot near CDA will be full on a weekend.
Politically, NID is much more libertarian and less tolerant of government overreach. Gun laws are good in TN, but not as good as in NID, no campus carry and places you can carry are more limited, though both have Constitutional Carry. People seem more tolerant of government intrusion-for example in TN, LE has DUI checkpoints where you have to stop and allow them to check you out. That wouldn't fly in NID-you can support police but not be a police state. Both states are strongly patriotic.
TN wins on the tax standpoint, with no state income taxes. Property taxes are reasonable, but they make it up with high sales taxes. Cost of living otherwise? Hard to say. Housing, especially if you want acreage, is expensive in either, but currently not AS bad in my part of TN (granted I'm in one of the most rural, and poor, counties in the state. But it's in the mountains-and looks a lot like NID but with different trees). Pay scales in my county are bad-but NID wasn't great either, especially given COL. CDA was becoming something of a tech center though.
Feel free to ask any other questions you can think of.
If you are north of CDA, yes. Lewiston, Moscow, and CDA have some large hospitals and there are supporting hospitals on the WA side of each.
That's true anywhere I'm aware of where there is not a decent sized city/population base to justify a significant medical center. Most smaller towns (Sandpoint, Wallace???) will have a much smaller, and less capable hospital. Not that they aren't good and caring, but they don't have the staff to offer a lot of the specialty services. Many will get a patient in, stabilize and triage and transport to a larger medical center, and only keep the less serious cases that they have the specialties/skills to treat. Nothing unique about Idaho there. Now, a great many people that know they will need medical care will most often be the more basic, normal care-that those smaller hospitals are perfectly capable of providing.
Feel free to ask any other questions you can think of.
Really appreciate the weigh-in. Have you spent any time over the state line in Western North Carolina? Seems like a potential opportunity to exchange some of the Summer heat in E. TN for moderately colder and snowier winters. But I'm not sure how culturally different things would be from Eastern TN. Other than the higher elevation it seems the wilderness experience would be similar.
I expect most folks head to Spokane for most things other than routine medical care.
I don't think the hospitals in Spokane are any better. We moved here 7 years ago knowing my wife would need a hip replacement. The main risk with joint replacement surgeries is post-op infection. The Spokane hospitals had the lowest ratings on that score, followed by Kootenai Regional. She ended up having it done at Northwest Specialty in Post Falls, which is a surgeon owned hospital that mainly deals with things like joint replacements, cosmetic surgery, and I think some cardiac procedures. They do not treat sick people, so their post-op infection rates are great.
Later, my wife broke her ankle. It was a bad break and needed surgery to stabilize the joint. That procedure was done at Bonner General (it happened in Sandpoint). The surgeon was great, and we really like him. The hospital, OTOH, definitely showed signs of deferred maintenance, and her experience while waiting in the emergency room to be admitted wasn't great.
Both of these experiences were before Covid, which I think has negatively impacted medical care throughout the panhandle.
Many years ago I've said on this forum that in the context of medical care a decision to move to north Idaho will need to be made with your heart and not your head. If you have real concerns about getting the best medical care you should either be prepared to travel to get specialized care, or perhaps look somewhere else. IMO it's definitely something you compromise on when you live in the panhandle.
Really appreciate the weigh-in. Have you spent any time over the state line in Western North Carolina? Seems like a potential opportunity to exchange some of the Summer heat in E. TN for moderately colder and snowier winters. But I'm not sure how culturally different things would be from Eastern TN. Other than the higher elevation it seems the wilderness experience would be similar.
I'm right near the NC border, in the mountains, about 10 miles from the border. Biggest issue I saw with NC is that the taxes are a lot higher, and politically the state is more liberal, if that matters to you. But it is beautiful in the Appalachians. I miss real mountains but the hills here are pretty too! I need to get further into the state and explore. The Blue Ridge Parkway is a great motorcycle road-probably the only one I enjoy more than ID 12.
Concerning Bonner General (hospital) I only had one personal experience at the ER but they were great. Short wait time, the doctors and nurses were professional and sewed me up and had me on my way pretty quickly. And the rate wasn't unreasonable.
I don't think the hospitals in Spokane are any better. We moved here 7 years ago knowing my wife would need a hip replacement. The main risk with joint replacement surgeries is post-op infection. The Spokane hospitals had the lowest ratings on that score, followed by Kootenai Regional. She ended up having it done at Northwest Specialty in Post Falls, which is a surgeon owned hospital that mainly deals with things like joint replacements, cosmetic surgery, and I think some cardiac procedures. They do not treat sick people, so their post-op infection rates are great.
Dave
I made a post upthread about my great (out of network) experience at Northwest Specialty.
I needed a surgeon to take care of business quickly and the surgeon got me in within a week.
No problems during surgery, post op, and two years later doing better than expected.
So, I am a fan of Northwest Specialty.
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