What are the opinions of the hive on a potential move from the Low Country of SC to Boise, Idaho?
I am a retired, late 70s, contemplating a move from SC to Idaho. When I moved to SC in 2020, prices were low, traffic was moderate, and people were great. Now five plus years later, influx of people from NE and PNW has dramatically changed the area: much more traffic which the infrastructure can no longer support, increased taxes, healthcare options narrowly, crime increasing. Welcome thoughts!

You're going to find the same problems in Boise that you have there, except the people are coming from WA, OR, and CA.

Much better weather though, unless you like living in a sauna.

How much shrimp do you eat? Can you get by without it?

How many snow shovels do you own?

As you can see from my location, I divide my time between two very different places...climate-wise and politically.

I still feel like whenever I enter the low country region, I'm on vacation. I haven't felt the effects you describe to a degree I'd not want to be here.

Having the luxury of the two different lifestyles, surely makes a big difference for me.

Have you spent much time in Boise? Serious question.

I had a co-worker who really wanted to move to Idaho, back in ~1998. We both lived & worked in Denver at the time. We were just out of college. He took a week off of work and visited the area. For some reason he didn't like it at all. I've never been there myself.

The mountain west is a completely different animal than the east coast.

I'd suggest spending a few weeks there in the fall, winter and summer to see how you like it.

I don't know the elevation of Boise, but I will say quite a few folks have to move from my area at 7,400' elevation to a lower area when they get older. Something about how the elevation effects you when you get older.

Well, you won't have to worry about hurricanes in Boise.

15 years ago, Boise was one of the top candidates for escaping the gilded cage. But since then, especially after the past 5 years, I've heard it's become very similar to the gilded cage. Same with CDA a bit north of Boise. I'm glad I never moved because I don't think I would like either location now - same shit, different place.

If you find it palatable, I'd love to know. Perhaps it warrants closer examination again.

Yeah, The Charleston area is now FUBARED. I have family in the area and visit at least yearly, slowly watching it turn, not for the better. If you like Boise,Idaho - Might I suggest Rapid City, South Dakota? Was just out there a couple of months ago and its paradise compared to the DC suburb hell I'm in.

What do you like to do? Hobbies? Church? Health concerns? Do you need to be near an airport?

Silent

I grew up in Boise but fled from it in a fit of post-college plans.

I've revisited old friends & family over the decades, but recently lost those few remainders of the Old Boise memories. I'm still nostalgic for the area but my time was during the period when population had barely climbed above 50000. That was half the population of the entire state. Now only 70 years later, Boise is still half the entire state, but pushes 2M.

Elevation downtown is about 2700 IIRC. Hot sweaty summers and moderate winters with occasional bursts of heavy snow.

Boise has metastasized into a host that requires considerably different civic appreciation skills from so long ago.

One thing that made a very good friend of mine move from 40 miles south of Flagstaff (approx 7000 ft) to my area at an average elevation of 5000’.
They saw too many people stay in their homes for too long and not be able to move when the time came.
Getting around and doing stuff is important when the snow hangs around for months instead of only weeks at the most.

Gustofer has it about right.

There is a dramatic difference in outdoor amenities between Boise and CDA. Up north you have mountains, forests, lakes, rivers, lots of that sort of stuff. In the south you have mostly flat dirt, grass and sagebrush, no trees to speak of except in the towns. It borders on the Nevada/Utah desert. That may or may not affect where you want to go. The central part of the state is a gradual transition between north and south, only without the WA/OR/CA transplants. It's a solid day's drive from Boise to CDA.

Boise is a mid-size city that wants to become a big city, and it's trying really hard. It's the only city in the state with a Democrat mayor, and she seems pretty firmly entrenched. As in, the city council pretty much gives her whatever she wants. Boise metro area's population is about half of Portland metro's.

I lived in Boise for 5 years (High School and college) before moving out to Portland in 1978. I retired almost 3 years ago after 45 years living out there. Between Covid, DEI, Antifa/BLM and increasingly woke-ass politics at both the city and state levels, I had to GTFO out of there. I wanted a nice quiet, safe, and very much redder place than where I'd been. CDA was my first choice until I found out that the Californians had got there first and pretty much taken it over. I still have some family in the Boise area, so I settled on Mountain Home. It's about 40 miles SE of Boise. Far enough away to avoid the city crap but close enough that I can get there when needed without undue investment of time or gasoline. There are other similar towns in a similar radius from Boise, in other directions.

One of the things making the local news a lot lately is the rising cost of housing in Boise. The suburb areas aren't as high, yet.

I've been through 3 winters here since leaving Portland. `22-`23 and `24-`25 were very mild. `23-`24 was heavier, but all three have been much lighter than what we used to get in Boise in the `70's. Up north, winters are a lot more like winter than they are down here. It tends to be very windy here, though.

Eastern SD, the Mayo Clinic for the win.

Any kids or siblings to be near? I like Idaho, but SC to ID could be a handful of change. If following through, I’d rent a while first.

Another option is to move to a less busy area within SC.

Living in Reno, I wouldn't move to Idaho. I would consider South western Wyoming however.

Yankees are revolting, as always - but TMK they’re mostly moving into Horry County/Georgetown county. (Well, I guess S of Broad has been taken over by NYC/maybe Daniel Island.)

I think much of the influx is everyone being driven out of their by them.

The people in CHS are lovely, but the politicians are wildly pro-crime.

Consider the quality of healthcare and whether you will have or need a support system. The culture is entirely different and it ismore difficut to adapt when you are pushing 80.

Stay three weeks in Boise in February.

Then decide.

I decided not to move back home to Wyoming simply because a Wyoming winter would likely kill me.

quote:

Originally posted by Sig2340:
Stay three weeks in Boise in February.

Then decide.

I decided not to move back home to Wyoming simply because a Wyoming winter would likely kill me.

THIS, and if that doesn't the lack of food variety definately will. Charleston has amazing restaurants!!!!!!!!

Do you like winter? They don't get a ton of snow there (from the looks of it) but they actually have what's called "winter season" there. It's a shocker for some people here in SC that typically start donning winter coats when it gets down to 60F...

friend moved from Tidewater VA to a town a good bit north or Boise a few years ago,
he loves it,
smaller town, so far he has been ot gunshows in a local bar, and his church has some in the parking lot now and again,