Best-Worst places in Idaho????

[Sage of Sagle]

Originally Posted by oregonslee

Hey folks, I've read the thread thoroughly but haven't Quite heard what I'm interested in. I have driven through your beautiful state many times. north south east and west, but I don'y know your state really. My two older teens, a young mate of theirs and me, dear old dad tagging along, want to move in about 18 months. They want a small town with access to hunting, fishing etc. as well as the kind of financial growth that a trio of hard working young people have right to expect from their efforts. For myself I primarily want to live in a place where the town fathers are hands off and the neighbors mind their own business. We live in Portland, OR and there's a new tax every six months. The city literally crawls with parking and code inspectors looking to fine you for something or other. I've had it with diversity, crime, traffic, busybodies and aggressive cops. I want to chop my own firewood again and not get a dirty look from neighbors for having a messy yard, put up a tee-pee in the summer for the visiting teenagers without needing a permit from the city. A quiet place and smallish population but not dead isolated, know what I mean? We're not worried about finding or creating jobs because this is still the USA after all and if you can't earn money here you're just not trying hard enough. Ideas?

While northern Idaho is in the midst of economic hard times still, especially with Coldwater Creek's closing really hurting Bonner County, What you're otherwise seeking sure sounds like Bonner or Boundary counties...especially Boundary County. (These two northern counties contain many of the BEST parts of Idaho, IMO)

[Walkaboutcda]

Originally Posted by oregonslee

Hey folks, I've read the thread thoroughly but haven't Quite heard what I'm interested in. I have driven through your beautiful state many times. north south east and west, but I don'y know your state really. My two older teens, a young mate of theirs and me, dear old dad tagging along, want to move in about 18 months. They want a small town with access to hunting, fishing etc. as well as the kind of financial growth that a trio of hard working young people have right to expect from their efforts. For myself I primarily want to live in a place where the town fathers are hands off and the neighbors mind their own business. We live in Portland, OR and there's a new tax every six months. The city literally crawls with parking and code inspectors looking to fine you for something or other. I've had it with diversity, crime, traffic, busybodies and aggressive cops. I want to chop my own firewood again and not get a dirty look from neighbors for having a messy yard, put up a tee-pee in the summer for the visiting teenagers without needing a permit from the city. A quiet place and smallish population but not dead isolated, know what I mean? We're not worried about finding or creating jobs because this is still the USA after all and if you can't earn money here you're just not trying hard enough. Ideas?

I only know Coeur d'Alene but it sounds like some of the smaller towns north of us would be something you are looking for. From what I have heard we have a lot of codes as far as building goes but otherwise I think for the most part you can chop your wood, put up a tent, have a garden in your front yard and no one cares.

[oregonslee]

That's a nice area. I've been through there but never got my feet wet. When you say north of CDA do you mean 20 miles north or up at Bonner's Ferry? How do you find the Clearwater corridor down Hwy 12? For instance I know people complain about the smell in Lewiston but that's about the right size community we'd like to be near, but not in.

[Sage of Sagle]

About 30'ish miles north of CDA (at Granite Hill) you cross over into Bonner County. It's another 25 miles yet to Sandpoint.

[banjomike]

Originally Posted by boisefan88

You hit on a number of good points, but you also severely misread my post and intent.

Look, these things happen in small towns, and they happen in cities. Someone can just as easily say Arco is a boring dump as Los Angeles or Bakersfield. Different strokes for different folks.

At the same time, no where is Mayberry, either. I know for a fact that small town Idaho - like many small towns anywhere - suffers tragically from drug problems (meth in particular) and economic and job issues (we are more and more becoming an urbanized nation, and small towns are dying because people can't work there). Ask the city of Filer how much they love their police force, after that cop shot up a dog on video and nothing happened.

I think it's important to point out the the very subject of this thread is best and worst places in Idaho. Just saying.

There's no Mayberry anywhere but on late night TV.
Sure, lots of our little towns are slowly dying. The best of a dying town are most often the first to give up and leave. That's just as true here as it is in New York or anywhere else.

All I intended to say is there is a point of viability for every small town. Filer ain't no prize, but it still has enough people to keep it functioning. Not functioning well, possibly, but functioning. As a little Idaho town, there are better and worse that are also just getting by, and will, for a long time to come.

In the greater view of good and bad, while shooting a dog isn't a good thing, it's not as bad as cops shooting people, or citizens shooting each other. Size isn't important; a tiny town can go rotten, just as a larger city can.

Of course Toyman exaggerated out of ignorance. That's not hard, when a good share of our population has never been south of the Treasure Valley or north of it, either.

At least, he admitted his ignorance, and he can't be faulted for anything but boosterism. Lord knows there's plenty enough of that to go around here on this forum.

Half of us here have invested everything they have in living here, and the other half are mighty proud of our family heritage here, even if it hasn't been a lifelong heritage. I think only the folks who have lived here and left, never to return, are the only ones who are qualified to answer the question at all.

You and I have the advantage of being born here and have travelled around some. There are towns here that I sure would never choose as a place to spend the rest of my life in, but there are no others I would rather live in than where I am right now.

That wasn't always true for me, so I'm just happy things worked out for me like they did. You may not share my feelings, and Toyman won't ever make a good comparison to know how he feels for sure until he spends some appreciable time down here.

None of us are exceptional; there are many here who are just like the 3 of us. As far as I'm concerned, we're all equal in our Idahoan. We are all 3 still here, aren't we?

If some stranger wants to know what town I think is the worst place in Idaho, he's not going to get that pulled out of me.
That's something I'll only talk about to other Idahoans who have similar experiences to mine, state-wide. Someone I know face to face, not some casual stranger I know nothing about.

For sure, I do have my worst place here. But since I'm not living in it, I'm quite content for someone who is to call it out instead of me. Most newcomers and droppers-by wouldn't know the differences anyway if they never went looking for better. Or for worse.

[Watts87]

It's hard to chose just one because there are so many in each category. For me, both places are in Teton County. Tetonia is the town I love, and Victor is the one I absolutely hate. As far as it being an armpit though, I guess it's not. Pocatello would likely fit that description.

[Teufelshund20]

Originally Posted by breezymtns

I live in Bonners Ferry, Idaho & am very happy with it. My ******* daughter started school here with a month & 1/2 left of the school year & the teachers & other kidlets have welcomed her with open arms. We feel like we have lived here forever. The wildlife & water is incredible! The scenery is breathtaking.

I retired from the Marine Corps here in CA and I'm thinking of the Bonners ferry area for relocation. I'm into fishing, hunting, and riding my horses. Is it a pretty safe place? No meth heads, etc.

I have been looking at Colorado, Montana, Alaska, and Washington State. Colorado will give you a ticket for collecting rainwater (it's illegal)\ so that's out. Montana is to expensive, Alaska (hay for horses is hard to get), and Washington State, Maple Falls area has the Russian mafia and too many meth heads.

[modernjew69]

The worst is the magic valley. boise is great , but the mountains areas like haley Stanley are awesome so Is top panhandle like Moscow are beautiful.

[Sage of Sagle]

Originally Posted by Teufelshund20

I retired from the Marine Corps here in CA and I'm thinking of the Bonners ferry area for relocation. I'm into fishing, hunting, and riding my horses. Is it a pretty safe place? No meth heads, etc.

I have been looking at Colorado, Montana, Alaska, and Washington State. Colorado will give you a ticket for collecting rainwater (it's illegal)\ so that's out. Montana is to expensive, Alaska (hay for horses is hard to get), and Washington State, Maple Falls area has the Russian mafia and too many meth heads.

There are meth heads everywhere, Idaho is not immune. But it's not nearly as bad as a lot of places.

[lurtsman]

I really like Boise Idaho. It was near the top of my list of places to move when I relocated 3 years ago and since then I've been through the area twice and really enjoyed it both times. It is a beautiful mid sized city. The only reasons I didn't move there were the lack of diversity, high taxes, and availability of better whether patterns in Colorado. All around, Boise is excellent.

I haven't found any "armpit" areas on my trips through Idaho, though I'm sure they exist.