Freedom of sorts in Idaho - 3/27/2019

I started going to Moscow, Idaho from college WSU....because drinking age was 19. Federal government said no more highway funds unless states raised their drinking age to 21. Anyway, I now live in E. Washington and farm (kind of a retirement hobby). I am about 50 miles from Idaho border (as the horse flies) but about 120 by highway. I have driven to most places in Idaho, and have found that if a person wants remote.....living or camping.....it is probably the best state for remote. Sometimes I think my

[Comment on this Posting]

Retire?????? - 6/2/2018

Place to retire ????

[Comment on this Posting]

Potates (3) - 4/30/2018

OMNOMNOMNOMOM YUMMY POTATES

[Comment on this Posting]

Almost heaven.....compared to CA - 9/7/2017

After living in California for over 30 years, we finally gave up on trying to adapt to the "progressively" worsening conditions. Which? Ever increasing taxes and bonded indebtedness by the left-wing state government; adding more benefits & services for illegals (oops, I mean undocumented immigrants). Governor (Moonbeam) Jerry Brown is still stuck in the 1970's, knowing only how to increase taxes and the size of government. Air pollution, urban sprawl and gang violence are all out of control. We said, "Enough!" and relocated to Idaho, and have never had any cause to regret our decision. Idaho has a much smaller, less intrusive state government, along with with modest, reasonable taxes. And the violent crime rate is miniscule compared to CA. I'm almost afraid to post this review, on the chance that it might bring more disgruntled Californians up here to Idaho, and ruin a wonderful place to live.

[Comment on this Posting]

Why I like Idaho - 9/22/2015

Living here is great because I like to live around people with conservative values.

[Comment on this Posting]

Nampa, Idaho the good, the bad and the ugly - 8/13/2014

I have lived in Nampa, for the past 6 years and I can tell you a lot about this place. I grew up in Idaho, born and raised and have lived in many of the cities here so I have a pretty clear idea of what is what and the Idaho expectation. Nampa is a bedroom community so don't expect the amenities of living in a city here because they don't exist. All in all Nampa is one of the better places in Idaho that I have lived in. So Nampa has a a lot of pros and cons... Lets start with the pros... 1- The education depending on the high school is one of the greatest! My son attends Skyview and I am blown away by the school and the teachers. NSD 131 has a program called the academies which is kids can graduate High school and start college as a sophomores. They can take classes geared towards their futures. Some of the academies they offer are Medical, engineering, automobile you get the picture, the real kick is it is a public school system. This is no charter thing. 2- There is a gang presence but they are most Saturday morning rejects with spray cans. 3- Close to Boise, Idaho and easy to commute to Boise with a 13 - 15 minute drive if not in rush hour. If you hit rush hour it varies from 30-45 minutes depending on if there is a wreck or not. If you are a church goer there is a very diverse church population, catholic, christian, Mormon, Jewish, Presbyterian and Nazarene are the big ones here. 4- Very diverse cultural background. 5- Reasonable home purchase prices. 6- 90% safe 7- It is a bedroom community for Boise and is very family oriented. Not really a good place for single parents or single people. 8- The main druggies you will find here is meth, pot, acid and over the counter. 9- There is pedophiles in town, that is everywhere though but honestly don't fear the sex offender list and check it because they are spread out and in some cases you would not even be able to guess. But for the most part people are very conscientious of the kids. 10- The state mental hospital is here and that is good and bad. 11- People are false accepting of outsiders. They will be polite and rude all at once, until you become more local. Unfortunately there are more cons than pros... 1- Very few job opportunities. This fact alone cripples Nampa. The best money you can hope to make here is 10.00 - 12.00 an hour and that is if you are lucky enough to get on at Walmart, Amalgamated or Scentsy. Basically major dept stores or factories. 2- Overpriced rental co

[Comment on this Posting]

Its not the best place to live"anymore" - 5/26/2014

I have lived in Boise for over fifty-three years and have in horrible dismay seen changes that compromise my beloved city. This State is run by the rich and powerful, and the groups of these people make sure that those to be elected are backed by some serious money; any ordinary state born person has no chance. They want those with money to come to this, what once was a peaceful urban state because of the "low" cost of living. This state advertises that it has the “lowest cost of doing business due to the low cost of labor, and how they state this is “Boise” supports business with a lowest cost of wage base”. People here are lucky to find a job that pays $7.25 to $7.55, and there be a least 20 applicants for that one job. The unemployment here is greatly understated. The schools here are insufficient and have a great level of low education standards. How they avoided losing monies from taxpayer/federal funding was to build alternative schools for those that have problems reading and writing, by using a lower level of teaching but showing high marks of education. They also were being deceitful on the school records of those who dropped out, as leaving to obtain their GED’s when they actually were not. Costs were taken way from teachers, and those teachers have had to support the costs for themselves. In the end, the increase of unemployed, unemployable people has risen. The land that was used to produce food (wheat, alfalfa, corn, beans, livestock, dairies) for the area for its people, are no more. The fresh smell of mint has been replaced by industry. The cost to the farmers made by the state has cost them to go out of business and forced them to sell their land for subdivisions. Taking beautiful country roads and making them five lane highways, some which are very dangerous. Only after several deaths does the highway department take notice. The most interesting thing that I have seen is places that raise apples, peaches, grapes for wine etcetera, have been using aerial pesticides in an area which has a great deal of drift. The spraying companies have made an effort to inform local residents of the spraying and to not eat produce from their gardens and to keep livestock such as chickens inside. A woman who uses the same butcher that I do brought two chickens that had been in a group that she raised to eat in to see if there was anything wrong, there was, tumors throughout . The other interesting thing is that it is advertised for local farmers markets a

[Comment on this Posting]

Boise is correct not "Boise City" - 8/14/2012

As a native I notice Sperling references to "Boise City", supposedly Idaho 's capitol. This is incorrect. Boise is the name for Idaho's capitol--just Boise. Thank you for not perpetuating false naming references on Sperling. Please note there is an Idaho City, Silver City etc but no "Boise City" in Idaho. I now live in Boston (not Boston City). Enjoy your visit to Boise (Idaho's capitol, nicknamed the "City of Trees" on the Snake River in Treasure Valley, Idaho.)

[Comment on this Posting]

Boise is correct not "Boise City" - 8/14/2012

As a native I notice Sperling references to "Boise City", supposedly Idaho 's capitol. This is incorrect. Boise is the name for Idaho's capitol--just Boise. Thank you for not perpetuating false naming references on Sperling. Please note there is an Idaho City, Silver City etc but no "Boise City" in Idaho. I now live in Boston (not Boston City). Enjoy your visit to Boise (Idaho's capitol, nicknamed the "City of Trees" on the Snake River in Treasure Valley, Idaho.)

[Comment on this Posting]

Idaho - 1/27/2011

Great camping, hiking, fishing, hunting, etc.

[Comment on this Posting]

crime rate - 1/13/2010

I like to know more on your stae Idaho

[Comment on this Posting]

Idaho Costs Too Much! - 8/11/2009

I've grown up in Idaho. I have lived here pretty much my entire life. I was born in Portland, Oregon and moved to Idaho when I was under 1 year old. I live in Pocatello Idaho in the same house I grew up in. My parents never moved while I was growing up and now I see why. It isn't that Pocatello is extremely expensive compared to most cities in the US but that you can not make enough money to pay for a house here. My Husband and I currently decided to buy a home and simply could not find a house worth the money. We make $30,000 to $35,000 per year together. That is really low. There are not many jobs that pay over $7-$10 per hour in Pocatello unless you commute out of the city or out of state. If you are someone looking for a job at a restaurant or store you will find plenty of jobs available here to suit that. As for pretty much any other field, you are not going to have much luck. If you don't want to work as a cashier or make food for someone I would recommend becoming a doctor, dentist or lawyer because there really isn't much of a choice in jobs here. My Husband is lucky enough to have a job that pays $15/hour. He has to commute to work though but luckily it's only about an hour one way. When we went to get a house we were qualified for $125,000 which will get you a 3 bedroom 2 bath house and about 1,500 sq ft. if you are lucky. These houses are also all built before 1950, some even about 100 years old. None of them have been updated and all of them need major repairs. If it's not a new roof it's new pipes or new electrical work. If your basement doesn't flood or have backup sewage your lucky. Basically we decided that buying a home in Idaho would become a hassle and have decided to continue living in my Dads basement. The prices haven't been this bad forever though and started going up around 2000. To buy a brand new home of any size will cost more than $250,000 these days. What we can not understand is how the people here are affording these insane prices. Maybe it is because they have been able to build up equity and we are first time home buyers. A lot of people from California are moving here because of the cheap (to them) prices which may be the cause of the spike in Real Estate. While the rest of the countries Real Estate prices dropped because of the economy, Idaho only seemed to get more expensive and we are still rising in price every day. I think that Idaho is a great place for people from California to come down and buy a house after sellin

[Comment on this Posting]

best place to live - 7/16/2009

I would like to know the best place to live and the safest

[Comment on this Posting]

Idaho is The Best - 5/5/2008

Idaho offers the best of all worlds in quality of life, from the desert to the mountains. In my opinion, it cannot be beat - no where, no way!

[Comment on this Posting]

Idaho is The Best - 5/5/2008

Idaho offers the best of all worlds in quality of life, from the desert to the mountains. In my opinion, it cannot be beat - no where, no way!

[Comment on this Posting]

Mother natures masterpiece - 7/21/2006

From the sun setting on the Sawtooth mountains, the smell of the sagebrush after a summer rain storm, or the sounds of children splashing and playing in one of the many lakes throughout the state, this is one of the most stunning states that a person can VISIT!

[Comment on this Posting]

2 years in the Panhandle of Idaho - 7/13/2006

Before I speak about crime in this beautiful state, I want to speak of the positives. It has unparalled beauty - the mountains and lakes of northern Idaho, the huge rivers of central Idaho, and the high desert of southern Idaho - all offer breathtakingly beautiful scenery. Each road trip we've taken (during our two years in Idaho) has left me in awe of its raw beauty. We relocated from a small town in southern New Hampshire where there was virtually no crime to the Panhandle of Idaho where the crime index is certainly greater. Until our move out west, my husband & I had never heard of methamphetamine, but we are definitely aware of its presence and know exactly what physical characteristics to look for in meth users as well. While there are fewer and fewer people actually cooking meth, it continues to be a growing problem in the Pacific Northwest. My understanding is that the primary source of methamphetamine is now coming across the Mexican border. Incredibly, a lot of meth travels through Idaho - most likely since it is a large, rural state without the funds to sustain a long-term war on drugs as well as its close proximity to Oregon, Washington, California, Montana and so on. It only stands to reason that along with an increase in the availibility of drugs (especially hard drugs like LSD, Ecstacy, Methamphetamine, etc.) is an increase in crime. These two problems seem to go hand in hand and in fact, feed off each other. The $64,000 question is how to put an end to this ever growing problem. Certainly, securing our borders is a must, but so is finding the money to fight this drug war within each individual state. One thing is certain, action is a necessity if we are to save our children from the scourge of methamphetamine and other hard drugs.

[Comment on this Posting]

Does Idaho support small business? - 3/15/2006

I am looking for a home and job......My state does not support small business but rather, state services and government

[Comment on this Posting]

Boise LACKING in many "GROWING" city amenities. . - 2/23/2006

I admit, Boise is a great place to raise kids, the K-12 schooing is very high quality. If you like to ski or snowboard, it is a snowhounds dream. The population has grown dramatically over the years, but due to the tightwad employers in the area, YOU ARE MORE LIKELY TO GET FIRED THAN TO GET A RAISE. It amazes me that the cost of living factor is so low...because it isn't. These jobs DO NOT PAY AT ALL. PERIOD. People are lucky to find entry level jobs paying more than $10.00/ hour. PATHETIC. However, if you're college educated, there is vast untapped potential for the home or small business. But the college is VERY POOR, it is cheap, and you get what you pay for. The football team is more important than academics, and most of the classes are disgustingly under par. The Californians have invaded as well, bringing a dash of their LA/Compton culture with them. There has been a very STRONG RISE IN VIOLENT crime, and property crimes are on the rise. I didn't mind living here for 6 years, and I would come back if I could get a decent education. DO NOT GO TO SCHOOL AT BOISE STATE. Trust me on this. So I am moving to Arizona, I guess this makes me sound hipocritical, but there are MANY BETTER JOB OPPORTUNITIES there, and ASU has a better reputation as a fun and diverse college. Please DONT MOVE TO BOISE if you look to strike gold working at 1 of the 2 decent paying jobs. Serious.

[Comment on this Posting]

Northern Idaho - 2/22/2006

Sandpoint, Idaho is a wonderful place to live, although we find it hard to get used to the cloudy winter months. Our Lake Pend Oreille is SO beautiful but we can only enjoy it a few months a year, really only in July & August. The town is nice and the people are wonderful!

[Comment on this Posting]