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No, it is a small lake near the ID/WA border northwest of Coeur d'Alene
Ok that sounds good too. I think the northern part of Idaho where it borders the other states might be a great area to start with. We really want to get away from all this urban sprawl and city congestion. Just need more space to breathe.
this is good news.
Washington is nice too but I have heard too many negative things about the property tax on those homes going up (no cap) up to 30% in one year and alot of people losing their homes because of this.
There is also the 'freedom scale' that has ID in top 5, CA is like 49 and WA is in the middle. If you make gobs of money then at some point WA might be worth it for income tax savings.
There is also the 'freedom scale' that has ID in top 5, CA is like 49 and WA is in the middle. If you make gobs of money then at some point WA might be worth it for income tax savings.
YES WASH. doesn't tax on your retirement pay. "Freedom scale" is this wide open spaces or free from government tyranny and interference on private lives of citizens?
Who got the 1-4 slots on most freedom?
bUT isn't Subaru an AWD vehicle and a Honda is front wheel drive which work ok in snow?
I have rear wheel drive vehicles.
I will have to look into the population numbers of Lewiston and Grangeville as well as the demographics. It sounds to me that this might be a good area offering best of both worlds of rural ness and going to places at a distance if one needs to get supplies and food. Must consider other amenties such as auto repair and house repair. I heard that it is very difficult if not impossible to get any kind of contractor to work on your house if needed?
A person can get around in winter here just fine in a rear wheel drive vehicle. All that is needed is a good set of dedicated winter tires, not 4 season tires, and a little practice in an empty parking lot to learn how to slow down in a skid, and how to steer out of a skid. The biggest thing is to simply drive slower that in warm weather all the time, every time. Each kind of drive can get you into trouble if you are going too fast for conditions.
And if you are serious about living in a rural lifestyle, a truck or SUV is almost a necessity. Trucks are still rear wheel drive.
But don't let winter driving be your main concern. Millions of us all over America drive wintery roads every winter from Washington to Vermont and do just fine.
Considering amenities is necessary here, as some small towns here ARE small. 50 people here can be a 'town', and some are smaller than that.
You will have to come and experience for yourself how abundant peace and quiet and rural-ness is here. Even in the heart of Boise, our largest city, it's only 20 minutes away, just over the hill. You can search the net until you turn green and never understand how it is here.
The best way to fully experience Idaho is to get off the Interstate and drive the 2-lanes. If you come, prepare to be amazed.
A person can get around in winter here just fine in a rear wheel drive vehicle. All that is needed is a good set of dedicated winter tires, not 4 season tires, and a little practice in an empty parking lot to learn how to slow down in a skid, and how to steer out of a skid. The biggest thing is to simply drive slower that in warm weather all the time, every time. Each kind of drive can get you into trouble if you are going too fast for conditions.
And if you are serious about living in a rural lifestyle, a truck or SUV is almost a necessity. Trucks are still rear wheel drive.
But don't let winter driving be your main concern. Millions of us all over America drive wintery roads every winter from Washington to Vermont and do just fine.
Considering amenities is necessary here, as some small towns here ARE small. 50 people here can be a 'town', and some are smaller than that.
You will have to come and experience for yourself how abundant peace and quiet and rural-ness is here. Even in the heart of Boise, our largest city, it's only 20 minutes away, just over the hill. You can search the net until you turn green and never understand how it is here.
The best way to fully experience Idaho is to get off the Interstate and drive the 2-lanes. If you come, prepare to be amazed.
this sounds great and is a good starting point as far as which area to start. Sounds like exactly what I'm looking for but like anything else I won't know until I get there. Just as long as there is lots of space between neighbors (privacy) and little or no traffic and I should be fine.
This is what my friend did and he drove and drove. He ended up near Lewiston? He passed on.
+1 for BanjoMike.
All the pictures, videos and google earth did nothing, in comparison to vacationing out here.
The perspective, in person, is awe-inspiring.
The biggest thing is to simply drive slower that in warm weather all the time, every time. Each kind of drive can get you into trouble if you are going too fast for conditions.
I learned how to drive on the snow in northern Wisconsin but while I was stationed in Alaska a friend in the Anchorage PD told me that when people from the lower 48 without snow experience would asked him how to drive on it he told them the same thing, drive slower. It's simply that simple for all adverse road conditions.
Consider this, a lot of the Alaska State Trooper vehicles appear to be rear wheel drive cars, not all are 4x4 SUVs.
+1 for BanjoMike.
All the pictures, videos and google earth did nothing, in comparison to vacationing out here.
The perspective, in person, is awe-inspiring.
I agree you really don't find out until you go there in person to visit. Then you will find out more once you live there.
+1 for BanjoMike.
All the pictures, videos and google earth did nothing, in comparison to vacationing out here.
The perspective, in person, is awe-inspiring.
And the awe always happens in unexpected places and ways. I know this state pretty darned well, and I'm still being awed by something with every road trip I take. The one thing Old Mother idaho is not is being predictable!
Don't worry up yourself about snow. A good set of winter tires, a day spent in an empty parking lot learning how to drive on the slick and a couple of weeks of driving in traffic will be all that's needed to allay your fears of driving in the snow.
Snow is just another fact of life in four season country. Newcomers get used to it very quickly, and the pleasures of winter are just as great as the hassles of winter here.
What's worse? Your present chronic pain in the butt with your present lifestyle or the discovery of a new lifestyle that you could easily come to love?
Or, to be fair, to hate. Some folks who move here do leave as soon as they can, as no place is ever 100% perfect to the pink cloud of wishes and desires we all tend to develop when we aren't happy with where we are living. One cold winter can do it for some folks, for sure here.
More likely, losing much of the urban stuff you have become completely familiar with will be a greater problem. City folks often have a hard time at first adjusting to Idahoan's self-reliant, do-it-yourself nature. It's not always possible here to get what you want 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, especially in our many small towns.
There is always a trade-off between privacy and the total lack of city hassles when you leave any big city. Living here may take you some time to adjust.
The general rule here is: The smaller the town, the fewer big box stores, malls, strip centers, and mass fast food joints will be close at hand. (60 miles is close at hand here in some places.)
Don't expect to see bok choy, arugula, curry sauce, or mangoes for sale at a small town supermarket, either.
If the fear of snow is enough to overcome everything else on your long list, Idaho may not be the answer for you. None of the intermountain west's states would be, either, as they all get snow.
My best friend who is now deceased sold his house in CA and bought one in Idaho in cash. This house was alot newer and had lots of acreage. One thing he told me was that it was near impossible to get someone / contractor to come out and fix his roof on house out there. So perhaps this is one of the amenties/services you mention you may not get and have to become more self-reliant.
But this contractor situation I have had lots of problems here to find one that will even show up let alone they say they will be here at 3:00 pm but they don't show up or bother to call you to let you know they can't make it. I don't know if this is specific to this specific line of work but it's annoying and maybe in this specific occupation anywhere you go it's the norm to be so unreliable?
Self-reliant = more freedoms?
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this is good news.
"Freedom scale" is this wide open spaces or free from government tyranny and interference on private lives of citizens?
