<p>Napoleon Dynamite was filmed near Boise, IIRC.</p>
<p>ucsd<em>ucla</em>dad:</p>
<p>We have indeed considered Santa Fe and Flagstaff! They both look wonderful. I don’t know of any companies that need my skills in Santa Fe, but Flagstaff looks like a viable option. Thanks for the suggestions.</p>
<p>I recall a story on NPR that Flagstaff was full of underpaid and over qualified lifetstyle seekers.</p>
<p>When I was younger I would have bristled at that. Now it doesn’t sound so bad.</p>
<p>A bit of historical trivia.</p>
<p>When Oregon Territory was about to be divided in the 19th century, (Oregon was on its way to statehood), the settlers in the Idaho panhandle petitioned the territorial government in the land that would become Washington State. They asked to be included in the new Washington Territory, for fear of being dominanted by Mormons in what would eventually become the southern part of a new State of Idaho.</p>
<p>Stepbrother-in-law lives in Boise. His brother lives up in Hailey, near Ketchum/Sun Valley. Both grew up on the East Coast and wouldn’t leave for anything. We spend Christmases in Ketchum/SV. If DH had a reason to move to Idaho, he’d do it in a heartbeat.</p>
<p>I don’t think southern ID is as pretty–kind of lava-y, but Boise is a real city with cool older downtown. You get up in the Sawtooths and it’s stunning. Love the weather in the summer–hot days but cool nights. The winters don’t feel as cold as those in the mid-Atlantic because of the dry climate. ID also shows up at/near the top of states whose populations are expanding. </p>
<p>I don’t know if the presence of various religions/white supremacists would be bothersome or not. I doubt it in Boise.</p>
<p>Yikes, I’ve been traveling and missed this thread until today!</p>
<p>I’m an Idaho native, have lived around the west, and moved back to raise the kids in Boise 15 years ago.</p>
<p>Boise has a lot of positives: 35 miles of greenbelt for cycling and running along the Boise River that runs through the middle of town. There’s a ski area 15 miles and 3,000 feet above the city and miles and miles of mountain biking/running/hiking trails in the foothills in between. </p>
<p>We have beautiful lakes/summer recreation towns and bigger ski areas within 1-2 hour drive.</p>
<p>Boise has a real mix of politics: we elect both D’s and R’s to the state house from the districts that encompass our city. Our state is still sending primarily R’s to Washington, although we now claim a blue dog D. Rural Idahoans tend to be conservative.</p>
<p>Our city is vibrant: downtown is alive and well with a tremendous Saturday market, live music/art walk nights are frequent. We have a Shakespeare Festival, decent Philharmonic, Opera and Ballet companies. Hey, the Rolling Stones came here a couple of years ago! Bands my kids are interested in seeing seem to make tour stops here, although they’re usually on Tuesday nights :(</p>
<p>We have virtually no professional sports: just farm teams for hockey, baseball and basketball. We do have a good college football team: the BSU Broncos. You mighta heard of 'em. The college itself is a decent state school of about 18,000 students. Biggest employers are Micron (tech-silicon chips), two large hospitals (we’re a regional medical center), HP, and we’re a capital city, so lots of government agencies.</p>
<p>The climate is warmer than Denver and much drier than Seattle. It’s a high desert. The city itself is green, and it’s easy to get to the woods, but the surroundings are definitely dry. Most people who drive here along I-84 are disappointed until they head north out of town into the hills.</p>
<p>Our city is just large enough to support a range of businesses, restaurants, shops activities etc, but small enough that we care deeply about each other.</p>
<p>My daughter left for college two years ago, and went to a school that draws kids from all over the world. She’s commented more than once, that she had the best life growing up, of anyone she’s ever met.</p>
<p>I agree that flights in and out can be inconvenient, usually taking an extra leg unless you’re heading for the west coast. It’s really cheap to get to Portland, Seattle, Salt Lake City or Denver.</p>
<p>The Mormon thing doesn’t dominate Boise in any way. Yes there are LDS families here, but their political and social influence is nothing like in Salt Lake City. White supremecist activity has always been in the northern part of the state, and is not tolerated at all when it is discovered. It’s been years since I’ve heard anything about this issue in Idaho.</p>
<p><note to=“” riverrunner:=“” dh=“” just=“” picked=“” up=“” a=“” permit=“” run=“” the=“” middle=“” fork=“” of=“” salmon=“” in=“” late=“” july.=“” soooo=“” excited!=“” he=“” +=“” some=“” other=“” portion=“” family–depending=“” on=“” availability–have=“” an=“” idaho=“” river=“” 4=“” last=“” 5=“” summers.=“”></note></p>
<p>ingerp, it should be great this summer! Love the Middle Fork. I guess I should have stated what to natives is the obvious: if you are a kayaker or rafter, this is paradise.</p>
<p>. . . or hiker or skier or golfer or. . .</p>
<p>Thanks to everyone who replied to my questions about Boise!</p>
<p>Ever since I was little, I would look at maps, and certain places would catch my eye. “Gosh,” I would think, “Charleston, South Carolina [or wherever] looks like it would be so nice. Maybe I’ll live there one day!” That simple fascination has stuck with me somehow. I will occasionally just up and decide, “I’m going to find out about Kearney, Nebraska!” And I’m off to Wikipedia, etc. I wonder how many people do this.</p>
<p>mantori, I still spin the globe with my eyes closed and my finger ready to land somewhere exotic. You get a do-over if you land in the ocean.</p>
<p>Or New Jersey. :D</p>
<p>What a great game! When I used to play, if I landed in the ocean, I would pretend that I had to swim to the nearest island and live like Robinson Crusoe.</p>
<p>I too love maps and all they represent. Over the years I got to most of the places in the uS I wanted to see–including Kearney, NE. It was actually features in a film.</p>
<p>I’d STRONGLY suggest you have an extended vacation anywhere you’re planning to relocate, just to be sure it is a good fit for you & your family. My niece enjoyed Pocatello Idaho, as a grad student, but it was not so convenient to fly in & out of. </p>
<p>It’s my understanding that there is a fairly strong Mormon presence throughout Idaho, depending on how you feel about that. We had friends who were Christians in Twin Falls who were not that comfortable because of the clash of religions they felt.</p>
<p>HImom, yes the LDS church is a stronger influence, the closer you get to Utah. Idaho Falls, Pocatello and Twin Falls are definitely Mormon-dominated. Not so for Boise, resort towns like Sun Valley/Hailey McCall, Coeur d’Alene, or any of the northern towns like Lewiston or Moscow.</p>
<p>Idaho Falls is extremely windy, but close to Yellowstone, which is fantastic. Boise is hot in the summer, cold in the winter. If you like to fish, hunt, hike in the wood and visit hot springs, it’s all very close once you get out of the desert. Personally, I like greener places than Boise, and it starts getting dull as soon as you leave Ada County. The parents and children like the schools… Real estate is still reasonable compared to most places even though it spiked upward with the surge or people moving here at the beginning of the century. It’s a conservative state, with lots of churches, but among the educated, I haven’t seen intolerance. Among the poorly educated in cities a little bit out, it can get like a hick town. Some very cool people live here. Stage theater stops here on the way to Seattle.</p>
<p>My son - the essence of hip - was surprised by how much he and the rap group he was travelling with liked Boise. (Although the group apparently singlehandedly increased the diversity factor in town quite a bit!)</p>