I currently live about 25 miles north of Seattle — not that it needs to be said, but this whole region is a shit show. Even this far outside the city ... it’s a liberal shit hole.

My wife and I are considering moving to Coeur D’Lane, ID (or this vicinity).

My sister and her family moved from Seattle to a city right on the WA side of the WA/ID border last year and they absolutely love it.

... I think we may follow suit.

But it’ll need to be in Idaho. Especially with the looming (possible) high capacity mag ban here in WA. Living in a red state is a dream of mine and this whole Coeur D’Lane area is amazing — we visited last Summer and really enjoyed it. It seems like a great place to raise a family and to just take a step back and live a little easier.

Other than our visit last Summer we know almost nothing about this area.

I have a wife and two young kids (5 and 3). How are the schools? Are there any particular areas to look to buy in or things to look out for? In my searching so far I’ve been eying Hayden, Rathcut, and Post Falls as potential areas. Budget is $650,000, preferably mid 500s, though. Looking for a neighborhood setting (as opposed to a bunch of land) so we can socialize and meet new folks.

How are property taxes? I also see there’s a state income tax, which would be new to me.

Any input you have would be greatly appreciated!

Well, lessee... I have a buddy who lived in Post Falls for quite a while. Raised a family there. He seemed to like it, and only moved for his career. I visited once, thought it was just fine. Seemed on the conservative side if anything. Coeur d'Alene is beautiful. Got a cousin who just moved there.

You might be disappointed with the wages around here. What sort of work do you do? House prices are going to put a smile on your face, you can get a nice place for your budget. You probably want to look at Post Falls if you will be working in Spokane for the shorter comute. Just depends on what you are looking for. Don’t worry about the income tax, there are offsetting savings. It would be smart to rent for six months or so until you get a feel for the place.

quote:

Originally posted by Stlhead:
You might be disappointed with the wages around here. What sort of work do you do? House prices are going to put a smile on your face, you can get a nice place for your budget. You probably want to look at Post Falls if you will be working in Spokane for the shorter comute. Just depends on what you are looking for. Don’t worry about the income tax, there are offsetting savings. It would be smart to rent for six months or so until you get a feel for the place.

We’re going to go visit my sister here in about 8 weeks and spend some good time in the area to get the general feel for it.

As far as work goes, I won’t be working locally as I work remotely for a company in CA.

I really liked Moscow, about 90 minutes South of Coer d'elaine. Cool college town with open country, right outside of town. Airport nearby. U of Idaho and another college in town with the U of Washington a few minutes away, as well.

Bruce

I have a few acres of land just North of Coeur D’Lane, in Blanchard. Land is cheap up there, and the taxes are low. Our plan is to eventually build our retirement home on the land - which is up on a hill overlooking a valley. Very beautiful area!

As a remote worker the world is your oyster. I live in an area north and west of Spokane, and my office is in Spokane, some guys at work live in Idaho, and we work in Idaho often. It is common for people to live in Idaho and work in Washington, have houses or lake cabins on either side of the border, and have family that is spread out in both states. Some live in Washington but work or own business in Idaho, it is more like a large extended community area than two different states or cities. Not sure on the question of schools on the Idaho side, you will need to research that one yourself. Moscow is an entirely different place, nice in its own right, but not at all like the Spokane Coeur D’alene area. There are great opportunities for recreation in the area, many people choose to live close to or on lakes or rivers if they like fishing or water sports, there are gun ranges, ORV areas for dirt bikes and snow machines,hiking trails, sports complexes, ski areas, and much more. Think what you want to be close to, and what you want your kids to be around. As a telecommuter, you should consider the Silver Valley if you like to ski or mountain bike, Kellog and Wallace are great, might be smaller and less cultured than you are used to, but if you enjoy gravity sports it is hard to beat a gondola to the top of a mountain right in the middle of town. Have fun with your choice.

I was born and raised in Lewiston. Of course it has grown a lot since I left there (1955) but still pretty good place to live.

Land is fairly cheap in a lot of areas there.

One cannot find a more beautiful location if they are looking for natural, undeveloped land.

Couple of nice lakes and a lot of good trout streams in the northern part.

Not to mention some outstanding white water rafting!! Hunting is good, but can get expensive if one is not a resident, due to license costs, depending on what game you might take. Deer tags are/were reasonable last time I was out there.

Of course, if you are a resident they are much cheaper.

If you like the outdoors, that is an incredible place to live.

Thirty years ago Idaho would have been a great place to move to. But it has become quite septic and the color is no longer red. Emigration is the source of increased property costs, taxes, over crowding of schools, highways etc. Yeah, I remember the 'good ole days' of lower populations and open spaces. I used to see a couple of hundred deer outside my window (now down to the occasional three or four) and did not have a murder a week etc. etc. Idaho is and has changed from looking outward to being one of the most popular places to move to. It's not the paradise you think it is. Remember, California was once the 'goto' state!

I live in Spokane Valley, just minutes away from Post Falls where my stepson lives. North Idaho is growing in leaps and bounds with transplants from more liberal areas and it's causing traffic and infrastructure problems not to mention politicly as well. It's still a great area with a lot of activities available for the outdoorsman.

With the budget you have you'll find a super nice house with money left over for other options. My stepson says the income tax is not a problem because it is offset by savings in other areas, one of which is some of the lowest gas prices in the country.

Good luck in your quest,

Jim

My wife’s cousins live in Coeur d’ Alene and are builders there. We fly up and visit every few years (in the summer). It is beautiful and there is a sense of independence and being treated like an adult that is really refreshing.

Last time we were up we went to a street/park fair there and happened to run into a fellow we knew from local IDPA matches. He had been the CO of Camp San Luis, but when they wanted to give him another assignment in CA he said, “No thanks.” and retired, moving to Cd’A.

On the same trip, I went with the cousin’s husband on a quick trip to Post Falls (I think, but it could have been Hayden) to pick up a building permit. He lamented that building permits which a few years earlier were $3-5k were now closer to $30k for a typical home. Of course, the cost gets passed on to the buyer, but at some point it gets harder to sell product...

ETA, he also mentioned that after living his whole life there (he’s in his 50s), he’s getting a little tired of the snow in the winter. They’ve taken to taking a few weeks off and heading to Arizona. If snow is an issue for you, that might be a consideration.

My MIL moved to Priest Lake in 1991 and until a recent divorce, lived there year round for 25 years. She's now in Priest River, a bit closer to Spokane and CDL. I haven't visited for a few years, but we enjoyed visiting in the summer months.

Spokane appeared to be a mix of old and new. Post Falls looked a little newer.

We visited some friends that live in Boise a few years ago. Trekked over to the Ashton/Island Park area to go into Yellowstone & it was -26*F. I imagine it's as cold or colder further north.

Not sure I could handle that weather every year, but it wasn't bad for a visit.

Lovely country out there, though.

Some good insight here, thanks guys.