Living in Northern Idaho

[DJG1994]

I want to get some honest opinions on living in Northern Idaho as a younger cat (28 years old), specifically in the Sandpoint/CDA area. Trust me, I know everyone's default answer is not to move there since everywhere in the west is crowded these days, but it's all relative.

I've dealt with rambling fever in the past, which led to living internationally on three separate occasions. Unfortunately, rambling fever has caught ahold of me yet again, but this time I have my eyes set on Northern Idaho - for skiing (at Schweitzer), summer lake access, hunting, and general outdoor recreation. A current goal I have is to ski 30+ days in a season, and the only way I'll be able to do that is by having a mountain right in my backyard. From all my traveling, Northern Idaho has the best lakes, hunting, and fishing to complement the skiing.

I'm from Arizona and have lived here almost my entire life, with all my immediate family still living here - which is why my biggest concern is making friends in a new area while working remotely.

Rather than the general questions around hunting, it would be huge if anyone could give me a general feel of the social landscape up there. I plan on visiting Sandpoint and CDA this summer with my girlfriend to sell her on the idea of relocating.

 

[Danny Hoey]

Cd'A to Sandpoint is a great place. Getting pretty spendy nowadays. Friendly people, maybe a little more good ole boy-ish the further north you go. Got to deal with a state income tax. Gas is cheap. The prairie is filling up fast and traffic will be getting a lot worse but if you don't have to commute then there should be little worry about that. Great ski hills within 1-2 hours drive, you shouldn't have a problem getting your days in.

We live just on the Washington side and get to enjoy benefits of both states.

 

[Pony Soldier]

The only drawback I saw in that country is that it is in snow/ rainbelt. There is a zone that starts north of Spokane, picks up Sandpoint and covers northwest Montana. Living south of the zone was 22-28 inches of moisture per year. In the zone you could see 70-80 inches per year.

If you select the belt, prepare yourself with a snowplow or tractor in the country or a wide street and a budget in town.

I lived west of Newport in the 80s- in the belt. 2-3 ft of snow per storm with rain to follow. In the late 60s, a ranch I purchased got 7 ft of snow in one storm.

As I remember the closer you got to Couer d' Alene, the lower the moisture levels. Not bad - just something to plan for.

Bonners Ferry could be an experience I am told. I looked at horses up there one time. Drive west to Oldtown and see if you like anything there. But if you are attracted to moisture and heavy vegetation - maybe Priest River. I bought a couple nice horses up there one time.

 

[psirus7]

Great people and good fishing / whitetail hunting. You’ll want a snow machine. What is your career plan?

 

[PNWGATOR]

The region is great. You’ll love the skiing and outdoor recreational opportunities. They’re all here. Lots to do in the immediate area and throughout the region. Great place to raise a family.

 

[Ross]

Schweitzer used to be a great place to hunt muleys and bears what month is it, March maybe April, muddy month down below winter is longggg the further north you go and father lives in Sandpoint. An all around good place for people who like the outdoors, but yes as Pony noted winter is long so be prepared.

 

[Pony Soldier]

It's been 30+ years since I lived there so I had almost forgot 'mud' season. Be prepared for the soggy zones in the spring. Some of them can be memorable.

 

[DJG1994]

Great people and good fishing / whitetail hunting. You’ll want a snow machine. What is your career plan?

I work in software and my job is fully remote - that's why I'm fixing to get up and move to N Idaho. If I don't do it while I have the flexibility now, I probably never will.

The region is great. You’ll love the skiing and outdoor recreational opportunities. They’re all here. Lots to do in the immediate area and throughout the region. Great place to raise a family.

That's great to hear. I've been up there before and loved it, but didn't spend enough time (especially in town) to get a feel for the social landscape. A good place to raise a family is important as well as I'm getting to that stage in my life now.

 

[Jesse Jaymes]

Just left that area...kinda.....I've been around the region maybe 14 years. Spent the last few years N of Sandpoint and would frequent there and thru there often.

It's become VERY Hipster. Very different feel and crowd in 7B v 9B. Sooooo many California plates and CA transplants. Very organic, earthy, wealthy and hippy. Tattoos and Flat Brims and pierced everything. Lots of coffee, micro beers, etc.

Schweitzer is still the same or bigger. Mountain biking still popular. Most everything is dog friendly.

I don't know....it's just what I would call Hipster. Most of the locals and natives are rather out of place. The local feed/general store will have a Range Rover and people in Patagucci everything and hands that have never touched a yard implement ungloved....parked next to a clapped out Yota with a box full of hounds.

I'd say it's about as true of a 4 Season paradise as it gets. Plenty of water, snow, trails and freedom. Idaho very friendly for ORVs and Mountain Bikes.

Just isn't and wasn't for me. I'm much more Yota and hound box than Range Rover.

 

[Jesse Jaymes]

But nobody in Idaho or Montana want anyone else moving there. Seat's Taken.....I get that it's America and that's part of the Freedom. But Idaho is maybe the most "Guardy" state I've ever seen.

Your tires will be flattened at a trail head or your vehicle WILL be fukt with if you have out of state plates.

 

[Geewhiz]

If you want to ski schweitzer prepare for fog and less than ideal visibility.

 

[Pony Soldier]

Most of my exposure to the people there were loggers and ranchers in the late 60s. Just good down to earth people. Granted they were located off the road to Cour d' Alene rather than in town.

Just left that area...kinda.....I've been around the region maybe 14 years. Spent the last few years N of Sandpoint and would frequent there and thru there often.

It's become VERY Hipster. Very different feel and crowd in 7B v 9B. Sooooo many California plates and CA transplants. Very organic, earthy, wealthy and hippy. Tattoos and Flat Brims and pierced everything. Lots of coffee, micro beers, etc.

Schweitzer is still the same or bigger. Mountain biking still popular. Most everything is dog friendly.

I don't know....it's just what I would call Hipster. Most of the locals and natives are rather out of place. The local feed/general store will have a Range Rover and people in Patagucci everything and hands that have never touched a yard implement ungloved....parked next to a clapped out Yota with a box full of hounds.

I'd say it's about as true of a 4 Season paradise as it gets. Plenty of water, snow, trails and freedom. Idaho very friendly for ORVs and Mountain Bikes.

Just isn't and wasn't for me. I'm much more Yota and hound box than Range Rover.

That's a shame I had friends that lived there in the 60s. They were ranchers and loggers and good folks.

I used to drive through there at night on the weekends going to Newport. One time as I went through it was foggy and I thought I saw a german shephard on the road. As I slowed down, the fog lifted and it was actually a mtn lion. It trotted off into a subdivision on the west side of the town.

 

[TheTone]

But nobody in Idaho or Montana want anyone else moving there. Seat's Taken.....I get that it's America and that's part of the Freedom. But Idaho is maybe the most "Guardy" state I've ever seen.

Your tires will be flattened at a trail head or your vehicle WILL be fukt with if you have out of state plates.

Some of that is just that a lot of northern Idaho culture is super backwoods redneck. Truthfully I think that’s being nicer than what I’d like to say but I also don’t want a deleted post. It’s sad to me, I grew up at the southern end of what I consider northern idaho. Property crime, theft, trespassing, etc are fairly high IMO in rural Idaho

 

[PNWGATOR]

JJ is correct. The region has changed and is changing. Not for the better, by a long-shot, either. Growing like crazy and a lot of people with ‘different’ ideas. That said, it’s still a great place and you can surround yourself with good people and there is ample opportunity throughout the region to enjoy a multitude of pursuits and make a living.

 

[cbat]

It is a great place to live. Every places has drawbacks but there are more pros than cons.
I say try it. If for some reason you don't like it you can always move.

 

[jtevanMT]

I am from Wester Montana but spend a lot of time in the CDA area fishing in the summer and have been to most of the the ski areas. I really enjoy both Western MT and Northern ID. IMO- quality of life is very good. Hunting, fishing, backpacking, hiking are all great. Skiing can be awesome in good snow years but the winters are long. I am ready for spring now and thinking about bear hunting but it keeps snowing (good for skiing but not for chasing spring turkeys and bears). Hoping for sunshine, green grass and big bears on the hillsides soon.

 

[BuckSmasher]

I want to get some honest opinions on living in Northern Idaho as a younger cat (28 years old), specifically in the Sandpoint/CDA area. Trust me, I know everyone's default answer is not to move there since everywhere in the west is crowded these days, but it's all relative.

I've dealt with rambling fever in the past, which led to living internationally on three separate occasions. Unfortunately, rambling fever has caught ahold of me yet again, but this time I have my eyes set on Northern Idaho - for skiing (at Schweitzer), summer lake access, hunting, and general outdoor recreation. A current goal I have is to ski 30+ days in a season, and the only way I'll be able to do that is by having a mountain right in my backyard. From all my traveling, Northern Idaho has the best lakes, hunting, and fishing to complement the skiing.

I'm from Arizona and have lived here almost my entire life, with all my immediate family still living here - which is why my biggest concern is making friends in a new area while working remotely.

Rather than the general questions around hunting, it would be huge if anyone could give me a general feel of the social landscape up there. I plan on visiting Sandpoint and CDA this summer with my girlfriend to sell her on the idea of relocating.

What do you mean by 'social landscape'? Is there a specific question in there?



Sent from my SM-G781V using Tapatalk

 

[johnsd16]

Trying to say this without sounding like a jerk, but as someone who lives and works locally for the last 6yrs since we moved here from MN, please don’t move here and be another remote worker. We have a huge issue with how many people are coming here and using the infrastructure and driving up housing prices but not contributing to the local workforce. I could go on and on about this but it is a huge issue. Everyone wants the good stuff the area has to offer but keep their nice remote job. It has jacked up the area big time. The house we bought in 2017 and sold in 2020 was resold by those buyers in 2022 for double what we bought it for in 2017. Remote workers of course.

 

[insanelupus]

We have a huge issue with how many people are coming here and using the infrastructure and driving up housing prices but not contributing to the local workforce.

I understand this idea and can sympathize with the sentiment.

However, respectfully, I would also point out that local workforce participation isn't the only metric by which one can have community investment nor support local infrastructure.

As to housing prices, nationwide real estate prices always seem to trend upward. In ID & MT in the last 20 years, and from my understanding the 20 years before that, there have been spikes/peaks and valleys in the pricing, again with a trend of increase. Strength of the dollar, inflation, etc., all have been part of the cause. The rapid population growth we've seen over the past 5 years has been accelerated, however. Anyone's guess if that continues. Winters seem to cull new transplants, but I'm not sure it will be enough to regulate the current rate of increase of population.


OP, it's tougher to relocate as you take on more responsibilities in life. Making a move isn't an irreversible decision like jumping from an airplane without a parachute. The option to move back is always one you can excercise.

 

[Jesse Jaymes]

With Covid and Politics....everyone now wants to "Bug Out". The entire West has been hit hard. You really do have to Pay to Play anywhere out here. Little tiny shit towns are still VERY expensive vs middle US. There is a premium cost associated with not wanting to see a neighbor or have your own space.

Public land use has spiked 79% since Covid. Add in Instagram....and all the once semi quiet trails and hikes you had to learn about word of mouth of while sitting in Barnes and Noble...are now blasted all over social media.

It's everywhere out here.

As most of the locals across the West say....they're praying for cold and snow to freeze out the pansies and push them back to where they came from.

My only realy hope is that this generation...who can't look up from a phone....have ZERO grit and balls to want anything to do with the West in general. Keep the Wolves and Bears and keep anything no pavement or concrete scary.