relocate to Boise or North Carolina? (appointed, how much, homes)
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Hi all- just looking for a little advice on relocating to either Boise, ID or North Carolina. We currently live in Seattle (for the past 2 years) and really dislike it. Before that we were in Athens, Georgia which really enjoyed our time there- originally from the Bay Area of California.
At times we wish we had stayed in Athens. Loved the friendliness of people in the south, the thunderstorms, sun & warmth, big trees. We are both "liberal" and not religious but had a fine time. Cost of living was a big plus and we enjoyed the artistic subculture- it's not as trendy and mainstream as large west coast cities. Also folks were not as intense and self important.
But our family is on the west coast, and we have a family cabin in Idaho. So we moved to Seattle. Yikes. Can't stand the long dark winters and super passive aggressive culture. We plan to move on, ASAP, if and when jobs rebound from the recession. We are both in architecture/landscape architecture and the job market has been hit hard- so for now we are sort of stuck here.
Still we are looking for a mellow, friendly place. Can deal with a fair share of conservative values if it's accompanied by true friendliness (ie. not Seattle politeness). Love a healthy outdoor environment- and being around others who appreciate it also. We don't have kids and are in our 30's. We enjoy random cultural events and are not so big on uptight yuppies. Also like being close to an Airport as we travel a fair amount. It seems Boise or NC could be a good fit...
just looking for some feedback.
Also open to suggestions but FYI we have already scoped out Washington/Oregon/Colorado/Montana and for various reasons crossed them off the list.
It has that infamous northwestern reserve you mention that Seattle has - I've mentioned this on this board many times, and some agree and some disagree. But it's there for sure, no matter what anyone says. It's a hard place to make friends, even though the people are nice on the surface.
But other than that, I think everything would check out for you. Boise does have somewhat of a Southern feel to it, I think, if just a little.
i moved to boise from seattle in 2004, for a lot of the same reasons you listed....
I don't find boise to be anything like seattle in terms of people. while I will agree it does have a similar northwest reserve to it, it certainly is not passive agressive like seattle is.. Seattle was always said to be the land of friendly people, but nobody wants to actually be your friend. Boise is nothing like that trust me... I've met so many people here in boise that are down to earth, friendly, fun, and yes even many liberals. Granted, what part of town you choose to live in determines the level of liberalness. I don't think moving to an area based on political ideology is a smart or logical move...
I know of many people from Seattle that now live in the boise metro area, and they absolutely love it.
North Carolina, I'm not particularly certain, I do have a friend in the air force stationed down there, and he absolutely hates it, and says it's kind of "ghetto". But like many places back east.. the difference between a place being ghetto and absolutely wonderful is determined by how much money you make...
not so much in idaho... plus you'll be direct flights away from your family.. most southwest airlines flights out of boise go to every west coast destination round trip for under 200 bucks.. I know you can fly to seattle for 90 round trip..
It's a tough call...
Personally, unless you have family and a solid draw taking you across the country to NC, I would give boise a try first... Moving across the country because of nostalgic memories shouldn't be your only guide.. I'd hate to go through all that trouble, and be a continent away from my family to only be disappointed...
Come to boise, it's cheap to fly here, its cheap to stay, and check it out first.. hell even a day roadtrip will get you here.. and a beautiful road trip I might add.. summer is a great time in boise, especially early summer...
Best of luck
go to carolina..you'll hate boise: it's being californicated with cali, seattle and portland emigres. It's too hot in the summer and ass cold in the winter and the unemployment rate is higher than the national average. Go east young man!
Wow thanks Boiseguy. You hit the nail right on the head- it was uncanny! We get a bit wistful about Athens, but that's easy to do when it rains for two months straight and is dark at 3pm.
We have already made two trips to Boise, and have another trip in the works for the summer. If you think of anything else as a heads up let me know. Cheers.
The OP wasn't specific with where in North Carolina. Charlotte has 3 pro sports teams? That seems to indicate a pretty decent sized city. Boise people split Pro Allegiances between Seattle and Denver. Boise is probably a small town compared to Charlotte. This is important because depending on what kind of artistic subculture you're looking for NC might be a bigger option.
If you need easy access to the West Coast, I think Boise would be a great option. It's cheap, the weather is probably SIGNICANTLY better than anywhere in NC and everything's easy to get to and find. Boise probably has/had the same sense of growth that Charlotte, NC has/had.
You might want to look at SE Boise and SW Boise, Boise Bench area also...especially Bench area you'll find some really nice and unique homes there..people are nice and close to the airport (you have heard our airport basically rolls itself up by 9pm right? LOL) Boise is a great place to live and the people are really nice..I grew up in SLC Utah and moved here 14 years ago and was struck by how outwardly friendly people are here compared to SLC.
I live in NC been here for almost 10 years I've worked in Charlotte during the summer time. If you love humidity you'd like it out here I can't stand it. I'm being serious when I say this, by the time you get from your front door to your car you are already sweating. It can be 95 degrees but the heat index will be 110 to 115 degrees. When it's like that when you open your door to go outside it almost takes your breath away. You can work in your garden after 15 minutes you look like you jumped in the shower with your clothes on because you are sweating so much. It's just nasty. NC is a beautiful state, not as beautiful as Idaho IMO, but the humidity out here isn't worth it.
I lived in Boise for a couple of years and the weather is so much better there. I'll take that 100 degree weather any day. It's a dry heat, low humidity. I actually plan on moving back there sometime after the new year.
Hi Klio,
I've lived in Boise 12 years this time (grew up here) and also lived in Seattle for 10 years in the 80's. My husband is originally from North Carolina and we had been planning to move back there when he retired this year. I have never lived in North Carolina but I have spent time there for the last few years checking out different places to relocate. We don't have children either. We had planned to move to Charlotte, which is huge, but probably more on the outskirts. The housing prices were great, lot of things to do and close to many other interesting places. The people seemed genuinely friendly and the economy seemed stronger (at that time) than other places. We are "liberal" and I am not a churchgoer. I didn't think it would be as much of an issue in Charlotte or the bigger cities but I was still apprehensive. The humidity in summer was my biggest concern. We had originally wanted to move to Asheville in western NC which is in the mountains. We both loved it-funky, diverse, fun town. At times reminded me of San Francisco (on a much smaller scale). Apparently, lots of others loved it too because now it is very expensive, much more crowded and has the problems associated with that growth. Still, if we could afford it, I'd move there. Anyway, we liked Charlottle and also considered Winston Salem. We didn't make it over to the Raleigh-Durham area so that's a whole other possibility. I've heard great things about that area.
I've lived in Boise three different times. Obviously, something pulls me back. I still have friends here that I have known since grade school. People are friendly here. If you plan to have children, it's a great place to raise them. I think the climate is wonderful-all four seasons, no "deadly" weather. It is dry here but in summer that is a good thing. The air quality is not what it used to be. We can get terrible inversions in the winter and even somewhat in the summer. If either of you have respiratory problems, that would be something to consider. The water is safe but on the hard side (we have a water softener).
If you like the outdoors, this is the place. If you just like to look or you participate in outdoor sports, you will love it here. You don't have to drive far to ski, hike, camp, etc. Boise has a wonderful green belt that you can walk or ride bikes on. The downtown has been revitalized and is still working on that. Boise State adds a lot to the community and we have two major parks, Julia Davis and Ann Morrison, that always have something going on.
The politics are RED (although there are more Democrats than there used to be) and things lean toward the conservative but Idahoans tend to be "live and let live". If you don't bother them, they won't bother you. We are a biracial couple and we have never had any problems although Boise is not terribly diverse. There are certainly more African Americans here now than when I was growing up but it's still fairly white with some Hispanics and Asians and immigrants from various places around the globe.
Sorry to go on and on. If you have any questions feel free to ask here or DM me. As for Seattle, ten years was too long and I was glad to leave. It's a nice place to visit but...
Jeanine
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Anyway, we liked Charlottle and also considered Winston Salem. We didn't make it over to the Raleigh-Durham area so that's a whole other possibility. I've heard great things about that area.
