Gentrifying at light speed
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9/14/2019
Development is only a good thing when it's beneficial for the whole community. Lived here for 36 years. It's changed from a strong, middle class community with a university to dominated by a very wealthy church that is very powerful (and shelters perverts.) Emsi, a tech company, has members of this creepy church at their upper levels. The expensive private college affiliated with this church is buying up property downtown, though the city council put a stop to that, for now. Three real estate companies opened in the past ten years are owned by this church's members, and incidentally, housing prices have become ridiculously high. A 2 bedroom bungalow was $180K in 2010. It would now be $300k. As of writing this in 2019, i don't see how prices can't crash.
Local families are unable to buy new houses, as the cost of living is artificially inflated by this church. This church actively seeks "culture war," and at one point maintained a directory of church member businesses to patronize. They make no efforts to engage in the community. Their intellectualesque prosperity gospel isn't big on evangelization or helping the poor outside their own flock.
If you can afford a house here, you're either a professor, or affiliated with this culty church. It's started to affect much of the county. Middle class citizens are relegated to renting duplexes, trailers and apartments.
A.C. | Potlatch, ID