Please tell me anything you can about Idaho Falls, Idaho.

[ilovemygirl]

We are looking at a possible relocation there. I know nothing about the area. I've always lived in the Northeast.

Is anyone on these boards living there or near there or know anything about it?

Is there any "crunchiness" there at all? What is there to do? How much are the property taxes? 

Thanks so much for any info you can provide :)

[ancoda]

I live just north of Idaho falls in Rexburg. 

To me there is not a lot of crunch here, but that is probably because I came here from Portland, Oregon which has a ton of crunch. 

My mom says that she pays a little over $300 a year on her 4 bedroom/ 2 bathroom house and she lives right outside Idaho falls. 

I have trouble telling people things to do, because it really matters what you like to do.  There is skiing in the winter, there are several lakes and rivers so lots of people do water sports.   Lots of people fish, hunt and camp around here.   There are several nice places to go hiking.  Everything from easy hikes to hard mountain climbing hikes.

There is a pretty small zoo in Idaho fall, but I always feel sorry for the animal so we don't go there much.  The park that the zoo is in is a pretty nice park and has several fun playgrounds, and is a nice place to take a picnic lunch. 

We have a drive thru wildlife park called yellowstone bear world near Rexburg. 

Yellowstone national park is a few hours away and makes a decent day trip. 

I would be very happy to answer any questions you have, if I don't know the answer I will try to find someone who does.

[Turquesa]

My extended family in IF all complain about their property taxes, but I don't know much beyond that.  It may be pennies to what you pay in the NE.

Although they're starting to use some wind energy, the nuclear industry dominates the scene there, and recycling is limited, so it's not a terribly eco-friendly place.

Politically and socially, it's a very conservative town.  After living in the Northeast, you may find the scenery bland, but keep in mind that you're really close to the Tetons and other stunning landscapes.  Winters can be brutally cold and DRY!  LDS is the dominant religion, although religious diversity seems to be growing.

For crunchiness, the local La Leche League and Birth Network are both really active.  I love their farmer's market by the Snake River, and you can take walks and runs on the greenbelt.  There was a teeny-tiny natural foods co-op downtown, but I'm not sure if it's still there.   

It's a small city with small city entertainment--going to the movies, some decent restaurants, and even a couple of good pubs.  I know of only two coffee shops, one of them being the Barnes & Noble. 

Hope that helps! 

[ilovemygirl]

Thank you so much for the replies. It's good to hear from people that are there. I suspected it would be a conservative town. 

[jljeppson]

I'm looking at moving to Ammon, not far away from Idaho Falls, so am very interested in this as well.  What about home schooling?  I found an Idaho Falls Homeschool Association, which had stuff for some of my younger kids but not the older ones. 

[ancoda]

There are a decent amount of homeschoolers in the area, but most people seem to just do their own thing.  There are not many co-ops or anything similar that I am aware of.  There is a yahoo group called IFAHE  there is also a mom's school that was started up in the Rexburg area that I could get you more info about if you want.   Most of the people that I have met in the area that do not want to do all their own curriculum on their own use one of the two state run programs.  There is one through K12 and another called Idahoidea.  
 

Originally Posted by jljeppson 

I'm looking at moving to Ammon, not far away from Idaho Falls, so am very interested in this as well.  What about home schooling?  I found an Idaho Falls Homeschool Association, which had stuff for some of my younger kids but not the older ones. 

[jljeppson]

I do all my own curriculum. I'm mainly looking for playdates for the kids, moms to hang out with, that kind of thing. Just looking for other crunchy momma's in the area.

[ilovemygirl]

jljeppson - I saw on hslda that it's a no interference state for homeschooling which is really nice since I will be homeschooling too. If I do really end up here I will be crunchy friends with you :)

Ancoda - That must have been a huge adjustment from Portland! Did you really mean $300 for property tax or $3000? I've been google-ing like crazy and I'm having such a hard time getting an average price for property taxes in the area. Also regarding taxes, is it true that all food and clothing is subject to sales tax? 

Turquesa - It's good to hear there's at least a farmers market and LLL. 

This would be a good opportunity for dh career-wise but I wonder if we will be able to adjust in every other way. We are ethical vegetarians (for over a decade so that's not changing), holistic (I'm active in our local HMN and we don't vaccinate) and while I tend to be a little more moderate, my dh is super liberal in politics and is an atheist - basically as far from conservative, republican, LDS folks as you can get. 

This may sound ridiculous but will we just be lonely or will most people hate us? I don't plan to go around advertising our "crunchiness" but I'm sure it will be pretty obvious to everyone. I don't think I'd want to fake anything or lie about who or what we are, iykwim.

Thanks so much for answering my questions :)

[Turquesa]

Originally Posted by ilovemygirl 

Ancoda - That must have been a huge adjustment from Portland! Did you really mean $300 for property tax or $3000? I've been google-ing like crazy and I'm having such a hard time getting an average price for property taxes in the area. Also regarding taxes, is it true that all food and clothing is subject to sales tax? 

Not Ancoda, but my IL's pay closer to 2500.  They live in a McMansion, though.  But honestly, I wouldn't rely on our anec-data.  Average and median tax rates should be public information, so you could just call the County Assessor:   [phone]

This would be a good opportunity for dh career-wise but I wonder if we will be able to adjust in every other way. We are ethical vegetarians (for over a decade so that's not changing), holistic (I'm active in our local HMN and we don't vaccinate) and while I tend to be a little more moderate, my dh is super liberal in politics and is an atheist - basically as far from conservative, republican, LDS folks as you can get. 

This may sound ridiculous but will we just be lonely or will most people hate us? I don't plan to go around advertising our "crunchiness" but I'm sure it will be pretty obvious to everyone. I don't think I'd want to fake anything or lie about who or what we are, iykwim.

Well, I'll tell you in naked honesty that as an ethical vegetarian, non-LDS Christian, and political liberal, I've only considered moving there because we have somewhat like-minded family there.  But they'd probably be the only people we could hang out with.  LOL!  I don't think that people would outright hate you, but there's a very real danger of feeling isolated.

That is my own opinion, and everybody's experiences and impressions can be different.  But I thought I'd throw that out there.  

If your DH works in a technical field (most people who relocate to IF seem to be!)  and you're both itching to move out West, there are seriously hundreds of opportunities.  You can do a preliminary search on indeed.com or PM me for more info.  If you're considering Idaho, based on how you describe yourselves, I honestly think you'd feel more at home in a place like Coeur d'Alene or Boise. 

[ilovemygirl]

Thanks for your honesty Turquesa. I want to make an informed decision and not be surprised by anything. DH and I aren't particularly social people and might not be bothered by it much as long as people just ignore us and aren't mean or judgey but I do worry about my dd. I don't want her to feel like an outcast or have no friends or to feel ashamed of who she is. 

We weren't really looking to relocate. Dh has lived here his whole life and has worked here at the same place for almost twenty years. This was just one of those weird things where he was scouted out. For a company to come looking across the country we thought it was only right to consider what they had to say. 

It would be really hard for us to leave where we are socially/emotionally. But we have been struggling to make things work financially for years and we just can't seem to keep up with the ridiculous high cost of living here. So it's a really tough call. To be honest, it will probably depend on how much the final salary offer is. 

[ancoda]

I reasked my mom and she says that they are paying a little over $300.  They are actually in a subdivision that is not yet part of any town.  It could get taken up by Idaho fall, Ammon or Iona.  I don't know if that makes her property tax a lot lower then if she was actually part of the city of Idaho falls or not. 

Grocery food is not taxed.  Everything else is taxed, including coupons on your food, which I find strange.  Food such as Fast food, and hot stuff bought at the delis in a grocery store are taxed.
 

Originally Posted by ilovemygirl 

Ancoda - That must have been a huge adjustment from Portland! Did you really mean $300 for property tax or $3000? I've been google-ing like crazy and I'm having such a hard time getting an average price for property taxes in the area. Also regarding taxes, is it true that all food and clothing is subject to sales tax? 

[jljeppson]

All of this is stuff I've wondered about. I'm LDS, but not what you would call typical and I don't truly fit in in ultra-conservative Fargo, ND. We're occasional vegetarians, we HB, we homeschool, we selective vaccinate... The list goes on. It sure would be nice to move there knowing someone already.

[jljeppson]

Oh, and I co-own an adult website (lingerie and adult toys) with my sister. As I said- not typical LDS.

[Turquesa]

Originally Posted by jljeppson 

Oh, and I co-own an adult website (lingerie and adult toys) with my sister. As I said- not typical LDS.

I'd go visit a ward and see what kind of vibe you get.

On the vaccination issue, I know someone there who works for the school system and deals with the "immunization" forms.  We vax selectively, so I asked about exemptions, and she said that they were really uncommon there.  Interesting...

If you move there, don't sign that "required" exemption form.  If you do, draw X's and initial next to any nonsense you see. 

[ancoda]

I know several people who don't vaccinate, it is just that most of them homeschool. So the schools don't know about them.   If you ever wanted to send your kids to public school they would probably try to give you a hard time, but Idaho allows for religious and "other grounds" exception, so they really can't question your other grounds. The  form that I have seen looks like this and really doesn't sound that bad to me. 

Also I do not think I have yet mentioned that we do have a cute little Naturalish health store in Idaho falls.  It is called Wealth of Health.  

I am not aware of the co-op that Turquesa mentioned, but since I live up in Rexburg not right in Idaho falls I am sure I miss a lot. 

They do have bountiful baskets which fill up very fast.
 

Originally Posted by jljeppson 

All of this is stuff I've wondered about. I'm LDS, but not what you would call typical and I don't truly fit in in ultra-conservative Fargo, ND. We're occasional vegetarians, we HB, we homeschool, we selective vaccinate... The list goes on. It sure would be nice to move there knowing someone already.

[Turquesa]

Ancoda, that's a good point about the homeschoolers.  Idaho Department of Health and Welfare is now telling parents that they're "required" to fill out this form:

http://www.healthandwelfare.idaho.gov/LinkClick.aspx?fileticket=NrniSVaaXBk%3D&tabid=387&mid=6833

Nothing in Idaho Law says that it's a requirement.  They just passed their own administrative rule and told parents that they had to do it. 

[jljeppson]

I'll watch out for the forms.  I'm not ok with being told what to do when it comes to my kids, so I usually keep a pretty close eye on what I'm being told I "have " to do with our home schooling, etc.  That is one thing we liked about Idaho; overall it seems to be a pretty intervention free state.  I wouldn't be so keen on moving there if that were to change.

[BusyBeeCin]

I live 1/2hr south of Idaho Falls. We selective vaccinate but rarely run into anyone else that does. The form is pretty basic and just asks what vac's you your skipping and asks for a reason (religious/personal..etc)...then signature. No fancy paragraphs to agree to or anything...just basics. I do some homeschooling (there's a great/active group in Pocatello...but, that's 50minutes away from Idaho Falls.) I use bountiful baskets and love it. The Wealth of Health store is nice and there is also a little health food store run out of a house down by the museum but I don't remember the name of it. There's been a co-op that is on again/off again depending on the year....it's been downtown by the Great Harvest bread store. It's relatively small. As far as "crunchy" goes....not really in Idaho Falls. There's a bit more in Pocatello but still nothing to really crunchy areas. I have some friends in Idaho Falls that say the property taxes are horrible IN city limits. Everyone I know has built outside of the city limits for this reason. A couple acres where I am pays just over $2000/yr. I have a friend with a couple acres in Ammon that pays a few thousand/yr.

A little honesty from me: There's two kinds of mormon's here. Either noses in the air...extreme snobs/two faced/judgmental or total opposite....don't care how you live your life as long as your nice and make really good friends. Unfortunately, there's a ton more of the first kind. Most my friends are not LDS, even though I am. I tend to often do things different from the average LDS.

Also, there's a decent amount to do as far as outside activities go. In the winter, if you don't like the cold & snow (downhill or cross country skiing/snowmobiles/snowshoes)... there's not a whole lot to do otherwise unless you like to travel. The nearest decent size cities are Salt Lake City (4hrs south) and Boise (5hrs northwest.)

[jljeppson]

I ended up in Idaho Falls, am actually renting in Rigby for the moment while we work on our house purchase (which is not going well).  Anyway, if anyone wants to get together my kids could sure use some outside socialization (as could I).