Reviews & Comments
Mountain Home, ID
Mountain Home -
1/13/2008Wow, Can't believe I'm the first one to review this city considering it's about 10 min from a military base named the same. Lots of people must be stationed here or have been. Mountain home is a small town of about 11,000 people. It has a wonderful relationship with the military base. They have a great parade veterans day and really show their appreciation for the military. I have to admit there isn't a lot to do here. I am from Freeland, Michigan which is another small town and there wasn't anything to do there growing up either. I've found that to be the case with small towns. It does have a pool, coffee shops, library, parks, and golf course. It also has car dealerships, eye dr's, dentists, spas, grocery stores, clinics, small hospital, gas stations, etc.. It is in the desert so it's pretty flat and lots of cows and sagebrush. I've also noticed on base a lot of grouse and rabbits. On the highway you can see falcons flying overhead. I've also seen an occasional coyote and some antelope. You can see the mountains in the distant from different areas of the town. We arrived in July 07 and it was HOT ( in 100's) and dry. The winter hasn't been to bad so far. We've gotten a few inches of snow, but it melts relatively fast within a few days. It has been windy on/off through the winter so far though ( it's Jan). They have your typical fast food restaurants and some mom and pop places. There aren't a lot of choices for eating out. Shopping is limited to Wally world and Maurices ( women clothing store). Boise is only an hr drive and has every convience you could ever want and more. I've heard rave reviews about the elementary school system. I have a 4 yo son who isn't in the school system yet. I've heard drugs are a problem in the high school from my 17 yo daughter with pot and drinking being the most popular. I think that's the case with a lot of high schools though. We were stationed in Montana and meth was the problem there, Alaska pot was popular, and again when I grew up in a small town pot and drinking were the thing to do. I'm not saying it isn't a big deal, but the key is to be involved in your child's education and keep that child involved in sports, after school activities, church, etc.. The housing market is A LOT higher than I expected with a nice newer house averaging around $178,000 and up. There are TONS of new subdivisions going up. I don't know where the people to buy them are coming from, but have heard because of Boise's increasing housing prices and high traffic problems people from Boise are commuting to Mountain home. I don't know a lot about the crime in town, but haven't heard it being to much of a problem in Mountain home. Boise pretty much dominates the news. The town is making some efforts to grown with a new cheese factory that opened in 07 and they are suppose to build some kind of race track. Hopefully, they will bring more business's into this area. I have heard quite a few military spouses say they cried when they got here. Some say they got use to it and some say they can't wait to get out of here. I have found that I didn't really like Mountain home at first, but SLOWLY I have found that it snuck up and grown on me somehow. I have a good job and my husband is retiring in 2 yrs, so for now we are going to probably retire here. I think any place is what you make of it. You have to be willing to go out and find things to do and surround yourself with family and friends.
Saginaw, MI
Look elsewhere -
10/31/2006I lived in Saginaw till I was in 4th grade and then the town was slowly going down hill, so my parents decided to move us to Freeland. That was in 78 and things have been getting worse ever since. The crime rate is horrible. Rapes, murder, burglery you name it. NOT a place to raise children. School system is horrible. The town is trying somewhat with the renovation of the Saginaw zoo which has a wonderful carousel and for being so small some pretty exotic animals. The waterpool is a nice addition also, but often to packed to go to. I'm afraid it's not enough to help out the cities bad rep. This is not a town I would be Driving through at night and I know the area!
Midland, MI
Midland -
10/31/2006I grew up in Freeland, not very far from Midland. I agree with previous post that people can be snobby there. We always considered it a more "high-end" town. It is very well kept for the most part with cute neighborhoods. I definately recommend the tridge. It's a nice place to go on a picnic. Also, Dow Gardens is gorgeous and where I got married. They have a nice mall too. If I'm not mistaken you can go fishing and boating in Midland also. In the winter they have all kinds of Christmas decorations that is worth investigating. Overall a very nice town that the residents seem to take pride in.
Great Falls, MT
Longing to go back...... -
5/14/2006I was fortunate enough to be stationed in Great Falls for 5 yrs. It is a "wholesome" place to raise kids. It has GREAT schools, museums, art, interpretive center, parks, pools, restaurants, shopping. It is true that salaries are lower, but so is the cost of living. Jobs are not plentiful unless you want minimum wage. The people are friendly and helpful. If you are lucky enough to get a good job there I recommend staying. It really is one of the last great places.
Fairbanks, AK
Great place to visit....... -
5/14/2006I've lived in Fairbanks for 3.5 yrs now. It is GORGEOUS in the summertime. The temp is warm and the sun is up about 20 hrs. The problem is the summer only last about 3 months. The sunlight all the time also messes up with your internal clock and you can't fall asleep. The winter is long, cold, and dark. It also messes with your internal clock. Winter is great if you like all the winter activities such as skiing, sledding, ice skating, snow mobiling. The problem is you can't really do that when the temp drops to minus 40. Don't get me started on driving in ice fog. The Cost of living here is also VERY high. Everything here is just about double what it cost in the lower 48. Like I started, Fairbanks is a GREAT place to VISIT. I recommend in the summer!!