I recently had my first trip to Idaho. Was quite taken with the state based on hunting and fishing opportunities as well as the people and scenery. Thought it might be a nice place for a flatlander from Illinois to relocate to when the rat race in Chicago gets to be too much.

Other than the very high state income tax rate I see no drawbacks.

Any other worries I should think about, plus any suggestions on areas. My thought is north central Orofino area or thereabouts.

Thanks

BigB

Idaho sucks, Keep heading west and once you get to Oregon then you have found paradise. Just don't go to Portland stay on the east side. Heck most people from Idaho are married to there cousins!

quote:

Originally posted by 323:
Idaho sucks,... Heck most people from Idaho are married to there cousins!

Really?
I better go talk to my wife...this could be a problem....

BigB: 323 is right, Idaho is horrible!

There is very little government interference, you are able to hunt private land that is not cultivated or posted...
(people should ask permission of course, but if someone wanders on to private land the worse that can happen is to be asked to exit---unlike some states in which you could be arrested for trespassing....)

my elk season opens in....hmmm....(August 1)...17 days...[yes, thats rifle not bow]...
(hunting seasons are just too long...the animals have no chance....)

people are able to buy firearms and not have to wait for the dealer to call NICS (if you get an Idaho CCP)...
(so everybody is probably heavily armed)

The largest wilderness area in the lower 48 is right in the middle of the state...
(that can make travel by road at times cumbersome)

But, Oregon does allow gay marriage...so maybe 323 is just.....

IV

Move along people, nothing to see here. Nope, nothing at all. Just drive I15 and I84, and you'll see everthing Idaho has to offer. Desert, dust and desolation. Yeah, that's it.

Although I must say I am PRETTY sure I did not marry my cousing. Even twice removed.... Dutch.

Wyoming has better hunting at the moment and lower taxes to boot. Seriously.

Mule deer populations have plummeted in S. Idaho. Elk populations are hurting in central Idaho. Neither situation is expected to recover soon. There are almost no salmon left in the Salmon river. In most years there is no water in the reservoirs.

Californians are taking over and driving up the cost of living. Places where I used to hunt and shoot now are dotted with 5-acre ranchettes.

Wyoming is great. Montana isn't too bad. Oregon has no property tax and Washington has no income tax, or maybe it's the other way around. Idaho sucks, stay away.

Any place but Twin Falls (for obvious reasons)

IdahoVandal,

Like I stated stay away from Portland area and the rest of the state is fine. Besides There is a fellow from Idaho that lives right behind me here in Ft. Huachuca and since he moved here property values have plummeted here on post, as you all know the houses aren't even for sale that how bad it is and he goes By M1Tanker here on this site. Serious note isn't Idaho a right to work state and wages there are extremely low.

quote:

Originally posted by popenmann:
Wyoming has better hunting at the moment and lower taxes to boot. Seriously.

SHHHHH. Don't tell anybody.

Hunted around Buffalo, Wy a couple of times and it is quite nice. Never been to eastern Oregon or Washington only the big cities on the coast. Us FIB's (f!!king Illinois Bastard - just ask any cheesehead) do not know much about the west.
We think a hill is where they make an overpass to cross the hiway.

Thanks for the opinions, keep them coming I need to go somewhere with more than whitetail hunting - although it is very good whitetail hunting.

BigB

323:

Certainly no one moves here for the burgeoning economy, I don't know about jobs as I am on a research stipend....everyone complains about declining mule deer numbers, about 6 years ago I decided to "quit complaining" (someone needs to complain but I figured that job was full), quit my retail job and decided to pursue a career that would (hopefully) contribute to the solution..we'll see...

By the way, I have some pretty hot cousins.....

IV

Naw, you wouldn't like Wyoming, Idaho is much better. No hunting here and no scenery just flat sage brush. Idaho, that's the ticket.

Idaho is being relocated??!

I hope they put it where the Californians can no longer find it. They have already turned the Boise Valley into a little Simi Vally. I fear what might be next on their agenda.

Maybe we can move to California , there can't be
very many left. As they seem to have moved to Idaho
and Colorado.
IT SUCKS!!
Charlie

Nope, there are plenty left here in Calif. The problem is that most of the people here came from somewhere else, too.

If only Boise State would get rid of that damn blue field.

Jeff

quote:

Originally posted by hysider:
Maybe we can move to California , there can't be
very many left. As they seem to have moved to Idaho
and Colorado.
IT SUCKS!!
Charlie

For each Californian that moves to another western state, it seems California has two or three "East Coast Liberals" move there to keep California "communist" or they have a few more " Much Mexicanos" crossing the border ( California is their first stop on the way to Oregon or Washington)......

Oregon is a great state, but the hunting is not as good as everyone from out of state thinks, and this state like any other one it seems nowadays DO NOT have a state government that follows the concept that their goal is to serve the public.... They think the public is here to serve them and keep them in their "overpaid" jobs ( they are overpaid mostly for the quality of employee the public gets in return... being a bureaucrat is not a "good employee" in my book for the good of the citizens)...

Oregon's government is always whining that it is broke, yet you are passed driving up and down I 5 by spendy SUV's with state plates on them, with the drivers exceeding the speed limit as usual...

Education and serves to seniors are constantly cut, yet there seems to be no end to available welfare for welfare bums who know how to milk the system....Budget cuts never seem to apply to Portland, Salem and Eugene or Ashland ( the state's democrate strongholds....

Don't know if it is the transplanted Californians who have done this or what....but Oregon is not paradise as soon as you have to deal with the government in this state.....They are hellbent on communism and no matter how much money they get in revenue it is always "never enough".....

and all hunting is 'regulated" by people who don't seem to be hunters.... and all those that do regulate it, seem to always get those all important draw tags that few are issued on...
( corruption?)

Oregon is paradise if you are Good Democrat, and live in Portland and become part of the crowd that screws up the rest of the state for the convenience of the Portland/Salem/Eugene liberal crowds.... If you are anti hunting, and anti gun, and 'liberal' that will make you love Oregon even better!

Just so you know the real picture and move here to get one of the jobs that 10 people ( 9 just here from California) will apply for!

Good luck!

seafire

quote:

Originally posted by Skibum:
If only Boise State would get rid of that damn blue field.

Jeff

With the lack of radar, homing beacons or any other type of modern electronics at the smooth dirt field we use for an airport, that blue field is the only way pilots know that they are over Boise.

P.S. I have a question for the legal experts - if I divorce my wife, is she still my cousin?

quote:

Originally posted by BigB:
I recently had my first trip to Idaho. Was quite taken with the state based on hunting and fishing opportunities as well as the people and scenery. Thought it might be a nice place for a flatlander from Illinois to relocate to when the rat race in Chicago gets to be too much.

Other than the very high state income tax rate I see no drawbacks.

Any other worries I should think about, plus any suggestions on areas. My thought is north central Orofino area or thereabouts.

Thanks

BigB

Orofino is a nice area but with little work depending on what you do but Lewiston is only a stones throw away.Great Salmon/Stealhead fishing nad Elk/Deer and Bear hunting.Dworshak(The reservoir) is full of trout and Kokanee.Great fishing!!!It does get hot.Just below the dam has the State record for Heat at 117 degree's.I have lived there several times through my work and now live just 50 miles from there and go there often.Best Motorcycle mechanics North Of Boise.

I would rather have someone like yourself move here than some we are getting now!More money than brains!!!

Take care..Jayco

Native people in the west (Wyoming, Utah, Idaho and Montana especially) have a hard time when out of staters move in with lots of money (usually from selling their expensive houses in large cities). It inflates real estate values beyond what the locals can afford with local jobs. Not saying it is fair or unfair either way, but you can understand if there is some kickback if you move there.

Aaron

Aaron,

I have experienced that twice now by owning hunting property in Wisconsin. That is why they refer to us as FIB. I do not think there is any method to avoid this feeling by the local folk anywhere. They are all welcome to come to Chicago and make more money if they want. But most might not want to. I love Chicago but the big cities do have some drawbacks I tell my rural neighbors. For example, 10 people were murdered last weekend in Chicago but the overall crime rate I am told is down.

BigB

If you like hunting, fishing, hiking, skiing, scenery, etc. you will be better off in ILL.

ILL has it all plus you don't have to deal with that nasty elevation and lack of people.

Don't let them thar Eastern Idaho boys diswade you.After BJC-Yes (Boise Junior College) I spent some time at ISU in pokytella.Pocatello and Idaho Falls are almost 5,000 foot high deserts.Colder than a witches ... in the winter and hot as .... in the summer not much different than Twin Falls Idaho.And the way gas prices are...Them fella's have to travel along way just to hunt...

Now Orofino is another thing.Everything including Turkeys off the boat if you wish...

As Pat Benetar sang..Hit me with your best "Shot".


Born and raised in Ideeho..Jayco

North Idaho is a great place if you don't have to eat, pay for a dwelling place or a rig, and are not in a hurry. As mentioned wages are low, jobs can be scarce, State taxes are fairly high and many roads are either overcrowded or goat trails. Another strange arrangement is if you earn wages in Washington where there is no state tax but live in Idaho you pay Idaho state tax on them. On the plus side is that it is one of the most conservative states around. What few democrats there have been over the years were mostly moderates at worst.

I have to admit that I miss the hunting, especially the long seasons, and the rural folks who live there but a person has to eat a few things besides wild game.

The Wife and I recently made a trip back to visit old friends and we both had to admit we do miss it enough that when retirement rolls around we will seriously consider moving back there. If a person does not have an income already I wouldn't plan on relocating there without a very good employment plan worked out now though. When we first moved there in the early eighties there were lots of timber related jobs to be had. Those are drying up faster by the year. As with most places be sure you do your homework extra well before deciding you are moving there.

Orofino is a nice area as are areas just north of there. Lewiston pretty much has all the shopping, important to some gals including my wife, and has been stated it isn't far from Orofino.

BigB: Your only "big worry" with moving to Idaho is that you will soon learn that you drove right through Montana and Montana has about 3.2 times more opportunities and areas that outdoors people enjoy than does Idaho!
Don't get me wrong Idaho comes in a strong third behind Montana considering the outdoorsmans needs and opportunities.
If your heart is set on hotter summers (it was 104 in Boise a few days ago and it was a comfy 90 - cooling to 51 degrees that night, where I live here in SW Montana). The vast Cour de Alene/Panhandle area is gray all winter and depressing. Where I live in SW Montana we have more sunny days than Texas! I am not a sun worshipper but many people are and the Idaho Panhandle is completely grayed out from mid November to about May 1st! That my friend is a long sit in the gray! I enjoy astronomy (among about one dozen other outdoor endeavors) all winter long here in SW Montana and that would be impossible to enjoy in the Idaho Panhandle!
The State of Montana is IMPOSSIBLE to surpass for the outdoorsman amongst the lower 48 states!
Long live Big Sky Country!
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

As long as we are talking among friends, I'm a Realtor here in the Boise,Eagle, Meridian area. There has been an incredible amount of people, mostly from California, moving here in the past 6 months. It hurts to see so much land that I used to hunt birds on be developed into subdivisions but I can't stop it so I might as well make some money in the process. These people moving here are going to help pay for my first guided elk hunt in Wyoming next year. The pheasant hunting has declined dramatically but I haven't noticed more elk hunters in the area around Loman that I hunt. One thing that I would like to see is all these people moving here from the Peoples Republic of California leave their screwed up ideas,as to what a state or federal government owes them, at the state line before they move here. That's why you're leaving there, remember? In regards to the Smurf Turf, don't forget that Boise State was ranked in the Top 10 in the nation in football last year and has been ranked in the top 25 each year for the last three years. Go Broncos!!! (That hurts since I played for the University of Idaho Vandals)

VarmitGuy,

Good point, I checked the cloud cover index on weather underground and you are correct. More gray days than Chicago. In the months you mentioned Chicago is about 65% gray days and Idaho 75 - 80%. Sure something to consider along with the heat. Something tells me Montana might be a tad colder in the Winter though. I will check it out.

BigB

BigB: As far as low temperatures go I will say this - its a dry cold!
Yes indeed.
I have to tell a story here. Since we moved to Montana 8 years ago we acquired a dog. A wonderful Chocolate Lab. On rare occassions his night slumber is interupted by the need to go outside. He barks quietly to signal this. I had just turned off the TV as I lay in bed at about 1:00 AM. I had just checked the weather channel and the temperature was 22 degrees belwo zero and winds calm this night. My dog barks and I am naked and can't find my robe. Oh well for 45 seconds, I think, I can stand 22 degrees below zero. I let the dog out and stand on the door mat taking in the "coolness" in my birthday suit. Nature calls on me now and I think "can I walk down that cement walkway to the grass and stand it long enough to pee"? I venture forth and yes it was cold but my flesh is more like burning a little than cold. I am nearly finished with my business in the calm air when a wind gust hits me! And by hitting I should say more accurately it smashed into me! The cold calm air was intense but bearable - the moving air was just absolutely profoundly hurtful! I grabbed my privates hunched over and darted for the door!
I was gasping for breath by the time I reached the door!
A lesson was learned by this lowlander! Cold AND wind HURTS!
I topped off my mid winter - mid night venture by immediately snuggling up to the VarmintWife with my chilled body! Her screams woke the kids!
Another lesson learned - don't mess with the VarmintWife's slumber.
Yeah the VarmintWife and I were both born, raised and committed sea-level residents in the Seattle area. We had never lived anywhere else. We LOVE Montana!
And we have had no problems at all dealing with the Montana winters! We love winters here in fact!
A typical day in February is a high of 33 and a low of 17 -20 at night.
The coldest it has been here since we moved has been 28 degrees below zero. And those type days do not come often at all.
Like others have mentioned regarding other areas - if you want to try SW Montana bring your own money with you! Good jobs are at a premium here. I am retired and money goes a fairly long ways here. Fuel, food, insurance and other fixed outlays are similar to where I came from but rents, homes and recreation are cheaper here.
Montana has 921,000 people now. That is up about 40,000 people from the 1,990 census and up 15,000 from the 2,000 census. Montana has 56 counties - only 14 of them have increased in population in the last 15 years!!! 12 counties have actually gone down in population while most stayed the same or close about.
Most all the young people once college educated leave Montana. Most young people once high school educated leave Montana! Lots of retirees move here and some former residents moving back (most of these do not Hunt - he he!).
Not many "natives" still here.
Do not overlook Montana in your perusings!
Good luck where ever you lite!
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

VarmitGuy,

I know what you mean about the dry cold and I have been in -40 but still hate the extended subzero stuff. I also would be retired or almost retired when I leave the big city.

SW Montana is a big place, how about suggesting a couple of cities so I can look it up on the net.

Thanks

BigB

VarmitGuy is absolutely correct. Montana is a much better place to live. Wyoming is pretty nice, too. Idaho sucks.

Idaho joke: "If you live in S.E. Idaho, where's the best place to go fishing on opening day?" Answer: "Montana."

BigB: I live in Dillon, Montana but the triangle formed by the towns of Melrose, Montana to Alder, Montana and back to Dell, Montana (this triangle includes Dillon) is where I suggest you look!
The mild and enjoyable weather, the views (I can see parts of 7 mountain ranges from my home!), the services (hospital in Dillon with wonderful Doctors and surgeons who burned out in L.A. and New York traffic etc), a college (University of Montana Western), and a Safeway store - all are good reasons to consider this area!
Recreation though is the MAIN reason and opportunities are ongoing - year round and round the clock for the outdoorsmen! Downhill skiing, cross country skiing, incomparable fly fishing, ice fishing, swimming, snorkeling, mountain climbing, trail riding on horses or motorcycles, snowmobiling, astronomy, power boating, canoing, rafting and float boating are great activities here! Along with the superlative Varmint Hunting (of nearly countless varieties), Mule Deer Hunting, Whitetail Hunting, Bear Hunting, Elk Hunting, Cougar Hunting, Moose Hunting, Mountain Goat Hunting, shed horn Hunting, rock hounding, searching for arrowheads, world class Duck, Goose and Crane Hunting (special permit) along with splendid Grouse Hunting and some Hungarian Partridge Hunting is to be had also! These and many more activities are all to be had with 30 miles of my house!!!
In addition (take a deep breath) the neighbors and opportunities for socializing are rewarding and limitless!
I do not want to leave out these two other favorites of mine! Bird Watching and photography!
A nice drive from my home is a valley that attracts birders (bird watchers) from around THE WORLD! In this one valley each year comes 232 species of birds! This area of Montana is a bird watchers paradise. Some distance from my home I have added two extremely rare birds to my all time list! The Whooping Crane was spotted by near Angela, Montana and on a cold crisp November day we saw on two consecutive days the splendid, ultra rare and beautiful Gyrfalcon! This was near Boxelder, Wyoming!
Bald Eagles, Golden Eagles, Ospreys were seen by me just today on my trip to the Rifle Range!
I mark the beginning of each spring as the day when the Ospreys return here from their wintering grounds in Central America!
In addition to the wonderful variety of birds we also have Wolves nearby (closest to my home was 4 miles), and Big Horn Sheep!
Photographic opportunities are so wonderful and varied that one has to come here and see them for ones self! Wildlife, mountains, sunrises and sunsets, old buildings, beautiful colors and season changes beyond compare are to be had here!
I will add to the above list of outdoor activities here in this "golden traingle" as they come to mind!
Lots of history and "ghost towns" in this triangle also if that is in your bag.
Not to bad a list for the largest physical county in Montana (Beaverhead - population 9,200) and a county that until this past year had exactly NO stoplights! Thats right I could just cruise around in my Cadillac or my VarmintMobile and never have to suffer the indignity of a stop light! We now have one absolutely un-needed stoplight! Big hulabaloo over that I might add! Both of the VarmintSons got their drivers licenses having never ever stopped at a stoplight! The nearest stop light was 65 miles away in Butte, Montana!
The nearest Cost-co is 105 miles away (each way!) in Bozeman, Montana. I would like to say the nearest liberal is that far away but we do have a few here in "my" valley!
Don't get me started BigB I could just rave on for hours about this little corner of Montana!
If you have any specific questions I have or will get the answers for you!
More later
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

Varmit guy-I here ya..I am 200 miles from the neerest freeway..I-84 out of Boise or I-90 out of Coeurd"alene.

Your right..Idaho sucks.30 miles from my house and there ain't one Elk there!

Montana sis the only place to live.I'm packin my bags as we speek.
I do love Montana.....

Jayco

And there ain't know fish here either 2 miles more!

There arn't any Elk here 20 miles out.
I love Montana..My uncle was the Super of the Hungry Horse dam out of Columbia Falls and spent many summers there and in Glacier Park and an uncle had a guide buisness out of Whitefish..Awesome country.

Jayco

Jayco: Cool pictures there!
Now I did not say Idaho sucked!
Being in third place behind Montana is nothing to smirk at!
I have Hunted Idaho from the Caribou country of the northern border to the SE corner of the state and many places in between! And I have fished from Lake Pend Oreille to remote spots and tributaries of the Salmon River and on over to Silver Creek!
And I have Varmint Hunted in Idaho since 1970.
I been there - I done that!
Idaho simply can not hold a candle to Montana when the all around outdoor enthusiast (Big Game Hunter, waterfowler, upland game Hunter, hiker, photographer etc!) makes a legitimate overall comparison.
Long live the Silver State (?) Idaho!
Idaho state motto: Esto Perpetua (Let it be perpetual).
Idaho brags that it has 2,000 mountain lakes! I am not sure but I would be surprised if Montana did not have three times that many.
Idaho encompasses 83,557 square miles - Montana encompasses 147,138 square miles! Thats 64,000 more square miles of FUN in Montana!
Hmm.... yeah bigger is better!
Let it be!
Big Sky Country - forever!
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

Varmit Guy-Your probably right.Idaho has changed and is changing rapidly.I was born and raised in Idaho and remember the Elk and Deer on Shaffer Butte just above Boise when it was small.Not anymore!!!

The panhandle is a mess with people moving in in daily and the prices are climbing rapidly with crime out of control.South of the Salmon River is nothing but a tourist trap anymore.McCall used to be a logging town with a mill but now it is turning into a junior Tahoe along with Donnelly and Cascade.Camping/Hunting and Fishing has turned into groupies with little chance of seclusion on a week-end..That's why I chose Central Idaho to spend my "Senior" years. One of the few places left you can hunt all day long without seeing a sole only because of the job oppertunities are not good unless you Farm/Ranch or Log.Pay is low and groceries are high.

I don't know that much about Montana anymore but if I had to leave Idaho,Thats where I would head.
This will probably be a subdivision in a few years the way things are going in Idaho.


Take care...Jayco

Hey Varmintguy, got to agree with you on the Dillon area. WE stayed there one whole night quite a few years ago on the way home from Spokane Wa. The whole family fell in love with the area, thought my son was going back for the college (11 year old at the time). Now he's a K-State Engineering grad. living in Missouri! Who would a figured! Anyway if I ever get the chance to retire, look for at least one more flatlander neighbor.

I lived a good deal of my life in Idaho, but when the time came for the last move I made it to Montana. Of course, I purchased my lifetime Idaho hunting license before I pulled out and may go back to elk hunt from time to time--- just because I can. On the hand, Montana offers about all of the hunting opportunity that my old body can tolerate. CP.

Ole'270: I can't wait for you to get here! I recently had occassion to travel through Kansas. I had never been there before. I thought it was beautiful country and saw lots of Deer, Geese and Turkeys in my travels. But I could not help wondering where the mountains started! We would drive from horizon to horizon and I kept scanning for mountains! None were to be found!
I was born and raised right between the Cascade Mountain Range and the Olympic Mountains of Washington State. I lived there in the shadow of Mt. Rainier (14,410" elevation) for the next 50 years. And of course everywhere I Hunted and visited during that time had mountains galore. Including Washington, Alaska, Alberta, Oregon, Idaho, Wyoming, Utah and my beloved Montana! I just felt kind of "naked" out there in Kansas with no mountains in sight!

CP: I have heard some interesting things regarding the "unique" Idaho "lifetime" Hunting licenses! You have answered one of the questions I had about it. Apparently you can use it once legally purchased to Hunt there for the rest of yor life whether you stiill live in Idaho or not?
I hope your "stay" in Montana will be and has been as enjoyable as mine!
Long live Montana!
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

VarmintGuy, yes indeed, the Idaho lifetime hunting license is a unique deal. If I decided to hunt in Idaho, I must pay for my tags at non-resident rates, but I am not subject to any non-resident quotas or drawing restrictions. Fundamentally, I pay a higher price for my tags, but I have all of the other hunting privileges that a resident of Idaho enjoys. CP.

CP: Wow that is a great deal!
Thanks for the comeback and the info!
Good luck this fall also!
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy