Becoming a bit much - 6/6/2022

After escaping the liberalism in California I moved here with my family and loved the friendly folks, cleanliness, and beautiful views. Some things that I dislike is the very high winds, long winters, and the hand numbing -10 degrees. It’s an adjustment for someone in warmer climates for sure! I know of people who have left because they couldn’t hang with the conditions. I’m from Northern California where it’s not as sunny as Southern California and even I feel it’s very depressing during winter. You probably only get 3 months of true summer as it’s raining/very cloudy all May and always rains or snows every Memorial Day weekend, guaranteed! As I’m writing this in June, we had a pretty bad thunderstorm and lightning last night. This definitely isn’t the best climate for everyone. So since we have been here there has been an influx in crime, littering, and dangerous drivers. Not sure where these people are coming from but it’s definitely disappointing. The traffic can also be horrendous which isn’t fun to deal with. We have contemplated moving to a smaller town in Idaho but for now it’s home. All in all, it’s a great town for families and outdoor activities. Also, this is a very conservative town/state so you definitely may feel out of place if your not. When I moved here and spoke with people and told them where I’m from they all have made it clear that I’m welcome here as long as I don’t try and change things. They like it the way it is and don’t want anyone to change it and rightfully so. Another note, there is a very large community of LDS. You won’t find very much diversity in religion here so if that’s something that would bother you I suggest to look elsewhere. I’m not bothered by them at all but I do have a tad bit of concern when my children are in school that maybe my children may be picked on or looked at differently because we are not LDS. But I will cross that bridge down the road or maybe not. Good luck on finding your new home town!

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Got a little much for this small town boy - 12/3/2021

I have lived here for about 17 years. I will admit that I have difficulty with the winter, the wind and the traffic. It seems that the traffic is constantly getting worse. If you try and drive the speed limits, someone will be up your a$$ looking for polyps. I don’t even venture out on Friday, it’s just insane. Wages are low compared with the cost of living. It was not my idea to move here but my choice to stay. It seems like I am the proverbial frog in the boiling pot but I actually think that I am aware of the dangerous situation now. People are mostly friendly if you agree with them. I am treated well when I am dressed well. On weekends when I am working around the house in my grubbies and need to go pick up something...not so much. Please don’t get the wrong idea. Like I said before, winters, wind and traffic are my biggest complaints. I have actually gotten somewhat used to the wind but especially notice on the occasional days it doesn’t blow. The city has grown quite a bit since I have moved here. I am now looking for a smaller city or town a little less busy and laid back.

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One of the last best places - 7/9/2021

Anywhere in Idaho, Montana, Wyoming and Utah are now THEe BEST places to live. There is a reason people are flocking there...to live red, since blue has driven them out due to the unlivable conditions they have created. If one chooses to escape the blue, one shouldn't ruin their new home by bringing the red with them.

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OK place with terrible climate - 1/20/2020

Idaho Falls is the anchor city for a wide region of smaller cities so the shopping and services are better than you would expect for its population. The cost of living is fairly low and so are wages. The city government works better than most and I have found them very responsive to requests to fix things. Sales tax has gotten out of hand in Idaho, rising to 6% but they tax everything, including groceries at 6%. We pay higher fuel taxes than most other states. Property taxes are reasonable in IF. Electric power is distributed by the city and the per kwh rates are low but the service fee is absurdly high so you can't save money by conserving. The worst thing about IF is the climate. The winters are brutal, long, dreary and depressing. The salt they spray everywhere on the streets will destroy your car. The summers are hot in July and August and the shoulder seasons are completely ruined by vicious winds. The cold blooded need not apply.

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What you see is what you get - 5/17/2019

If you visit here before moving here you'll know exactly what you're getting in to. After living here for three years I can't say there have been a lot of surprises. Yeah there's lots of white people and mormon's but that's what a lot of Idaho is so it seems kind of silly to bag on Idaho Fall's for it. They (the "mormon's") did for the most part settle the area 150+/- years ago so I'm not sure what people expect? I guess I "fit in" because I'm both, but as a guy from the east coast, both have their drawbacks. Fitting in here is more than just stereotypes or the difficulties of not matching a homogeneous population, it's a close knit, old community with a lot of long established and extensive family/friend relationships so that can have it's challenges too. There's really great people here and some people you just roll your eyes at. Volunteering in community organization's is a great way to fit in here. Working at a moderately diverse (if we make faith a factor of diversity) employer I haven't seen or experienced or received any discrimination or benefit for any of my "affiliations", or to anyone else for their's, for that matter. Yes, some places close on Sunday but so does Chick-Fil-A which is definitely not a mormon establishment. A lot of people who aren't mormon (and some who are!) really like to go out to eat, shop and go to the movie theater on Sunday because half the population isn't there, but yeah, some places might be closed. From my personal experience there are definitely people here that openly hate mormon's and I'm more reserved to wear BYU clothing, i.e. reveal my "mormon-ness", than I have been in more diverse communities or even more specifically, the southern united states. Whether the hate is justified? I can't say, but I've heard plenty of anecdotal evidence from my non/ex-mormon friends / co-workers in the community so I'm sure some people might have legitimate gripes. Like I said, there's really great people here and people you just roll your eyes at, but I'm willing to bet you could say that about a lot of places. It's pretty dry most of the time, I would say that big snow storms are more common than big rain storms but neither happen too often. Winter's are long, cold and seem to extend or come back too long into the spring. Summer's can be hot but generally not too hot. Warm days and cool nights are the norm for half the year. Summer nights/evenings are fantastic and the fall weather can be great if winter doesn't show up early. Be ready to wear a winter coat when you go trick-or-treating! Beautiful sunrises and sunsets can be found in many places. When the days get longer I love getting outside at the break of dawn. When it's windy it's WINDY. If you aren't in to the outdoors, this might not be the place for you. There are so many great places to explore in central and eastern Idaho and along the eastern border. Hiking, biking, hunting, fishing, camping, skiing, etc. and it's incredibly beautiful country in the mountains. Relative to my experience, food is cheaper here and there's a lot less bugs. Gas is more expensive, cost of housing is going up fast. The area is growing and there are good people that are working/investing to improve the community, especially downtown along the river. Melaleuca puts on a great fireworks show every 4th of July which is a can't miss (coming from someone who has attended many a 4th in Washington DC). I'm not really sure why the community is growing as fast as it is as I don't see a lot of new / growing businesses in the area. Though my political opinions haven't changed, I was a conservative republican in Virginia but I feel like I'm a liberal democrat in Idaho Falls. I have to take multiple allergy medicines every day to breathe / sleep here and sometime's that's not enough. Crime is low enough that I don't really notice it but not to the point where I don't lock my doors. Public schools are good but not great here. While we appreciate the focus on STEM, the Arts are woefully under-represented. Overall, I like living here. I wouldn't be disappointed if I work to retirement here and I wouldn't be sad to leave if other opportunities took me away.

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Southern California Escapee - 5/15/2019

We moved (escaped) from Southern California to Idaho Falls last year. Personally we love it here. Some on this site are complaining of the LDS in the community but we find them to be genuinely kind. I was hired by a small business where I'm the only non-LDS employee and am treated with total respect and kindness. We wouldn't move back to So Cal after experiencing no traffic, slow pace, low crime and low cost of living. We're here to stay!

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I love Idaho Falls for the shopping - 3/14/2018

We live in Rexburg where there aren't a lot of stores. So I spend a lot of time in Idaho Falls. Love Sam's club but I wish there was a Costco. My husband and I go there for the restaurants too. They have an awesome 4th of July firework show every year.

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I Love Idaho Falls - 2/21/2018

This is where I raise my family. This is where I work. It is a great community with great schools. It is growing like crazy.

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did i make a mistake - 11/28/2017

moved here from chicago to get away from the busy city life plus the violence. but after reading dailytruffles.com/idaho im not sure if i made a mistake. i know it's not as bad no where near to chicago but there are some crazy people here. just my 2 cents

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House in Idaho Falls - 1/6/2017

People love to buy house in Idaho falls. They like the main part of the town. It has nice theater, schools, lands, farming land, etc If you are looking to buy or sell land in idaho falls. I am one of the expert Real estate Agent here. Contact me.

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Idaho Falls is a family friendly and economical pl - 3/4/2016

I have lived in Idaho Falls for a few years now and find it to be a smaller sized town that is family friendly and inexpensive place to live. In particular, housing is relatively inexpensive with the average home price of $145,000. Another inexpensive part of IF is the utilities. This includes electric, gas, water and trash. I live in a 3600 square foot home and I average $43 per month for gas and $150 per month for electric, and yes I have central air which I use a lot in the summer time.

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Cost of living and lack of crime are the only posi - 11/17/2015

I recently moved here from a very large city to get away from the crime so my kids can have a nice place to grow up. Living here is nice because housing prices and rent are pretty cheap... but that's also due to the fact that most employers in this town don't pay a livable wage. If you plan on coming here thinking you'll find yourself a new career don't count on it.. and if you don't belong to the LDS cult you're screwed entirely. Everything is closed on Sundays and I really do believe the church controls the majority of the city.. if not the entire region. There's a "ward" on every corner and even the local news station reports on all things LDS. They completely cater to the brainwashed masses and don't report on the real news. This would really be an awesome place to live even with the LDS nonsense if there was just a tad bit more culture, food options, stores, or things for families to do.

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New to Idaho - 7/5/2015

Very open and friendly people with very poor driving skills.

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Idaho Falls - 6/17/2013

I have lived in the Idaho Falls/Ammon area my entire life. I have to warn anyone that is not affiliated with the mormon church to never move here. I am not part of this church and because of this have faced constant discrimination. At the moment i left the mormon church I lost every friend that I had. the mormons here control EVERYTHING. mormons receive special benefits in the workplace and the non mormons get treated like pieces of trash. I know this from personal experience. School is hellish for non mormon children due to the constant bullying from the mormon kids that feel like they are better than everyone and everything because of their religious views. As far as weather goes, there are two seasons. Winter and not winter. Winter like weather usually starts in October and sometimes extends into May.

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Cost of living, housing prices low - 11/18/2012

Discovering that Idaho Falls may be slightly more expensive in other areas, but we have a great cost-of-living and also comparatively low housing prices.

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Productive working non mormans don't fit in this c - 10/12/2012

After two years of buying investment properties and fixing them to rent, I have learned that the majority of the population has no work ethic! They don't want to work they are quick to ask for government help and their church handouts. They work if it's convenient and they are so overworked working a 40 hour a week job! The people of every econimic background have no problems telling lies, cheating and stealing then looking you in the eyes and saying God Bless!! They hide behind their religion and excuse their behavior easily! I have never met a more disgusting, dishonorable group of people in my life! I wish I hadn't spent my money here!

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Almost There??? - 1/9/2012

Obviously 'Quality of Life' is subjective. Idaho Falls is very close to being a premier place to live. The business base is very well rounded with many national chains and if you pay close attention you will see that there are also many successful small business that are locally owned. The biggest factor that holds Idaho Falls back is the lack of a major institution of higher education (although there is a technical college---Eastern Idaho Technical College-EITC). Many of the young people must leave the area to enroll into a university and many do not return, which loss plagues the area. The crime rate is low and Idaho Falls has a pretty good hospital. Cost of living is low, but wages are also relatively low. There is no real public transportation (typical sprawl city), but then again the population base currently will not support public transportation. The climate is okay with the exception of the seemingly perpetual wind which can make any mild weather seem harsh(the Fall is absolutely beautiful...Best season of the year). If you like rural outdoor activities, Idaho Falls is a gateway to a lot of fun. If you are more interested in urban cultural activities...well we are still working on it. There is a love/hate relationship with the area Mormon religion. I think Idaho Falls is around 58% Mormon and many will argue that the the Mormons control everything. Although I do not think this is the case in reality, the perception cannot be denied and it does cause much disdain with people not practicing the Mormon religion. The best way I can describe Idaho Falls, "A diamond in the rough".

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No better place! - 3/15/2010

Quality of life is everything! Idaho Falls has got to be one of the best places for quality of life. Low crime, good schools, great access to recreation; what more could a person want? Add to these home prices that won't break you and a fairly low unemployment rate, even with the current economy. If you want to raise a family or just move to a place that has a bit of everything, come to Idaho Falls!

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Wonderful Environment - 9/10/2009

We have lived in Bremerton, Poulsbo, Seattle, Silverdale and Puyallup, Washington as well as San Diego, California; Fairbanks, Alaska; Preston, Idaho; Salt Lake City, Utah and several surrounding areas there. We have currently lived in Idaho Falls, Idaho for 2 and a half years. Of all the places we have lived Idaho Falls is our favorite. It is a beautiful, clean city with many places for outdoor recreation year round. The countryside around here is endlessly interesting and very diverse. In a matter of just a few minutes travel you can be in Wyoming, Montana or Utah. The people are among the most open, friendly, welcoming people we have ever met. There is not high crime here, the schools are very good, the cost of living is very low compared to other places we have lived. The climate in the winter can be off-putting to some people but is incredibly beautiful and the snow is well managed.

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homelessness - 7/16/2009

They got a nice mission there.

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