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What can you tell me about Idaho
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Specifically the extreme north, Bonners Ferry area? Climate, terrain, liberties enjoyed/curtailed, etc.? How much sun in the winter?? :). I want more than charts and graphics on a screen. Real- life experience if anyone had any.
My aunt and uncle live in Sandpoint. Have been there for years, running their organic farm, so it’s definitely good for ag. There is a huge farmer’s market in Sandpoint all summer. Seems like Idaho as a whole is pretty conservative, but there are some liberal inholdings I think, like any place. I’ve lived in Southern ID, but would visit them often. In the winter, they had a lot of it. Snow to the rafters, lots of moose. In the summer, it could get very hot (90s), but at those elevations, not for long. My uncle lived in Bonners Ferry for a few years and he described it to me once (this is a guy with no kids, fyi) as a place where people go to get away from something.
Not sure that’s what you were looking for, but hope something helps. 🙂
We have not lived in Idaho, but we have been severely cautioned not to move to northern ID. We have four Chinese children and we have been told our family would be a huge target of the white suprimacy groups that are still in northern ID. Not sure this really matters to you, but I thought I would throw it out there. April
I have lived in North Idaho my whole life and I love it! Our African nephew lived with us for a year and we didn’t have any problems. I have friends with Haitian children who haven’t had any issues either. Quite a few years back, there was a huge court proceeding that ended with the white supremacy group getting kicked out of Idaho. They moved back east.
Southern Idaho is famous for potatoes. haha. Northern Idaho is famous for its pristine lakes and majestic mountains. Winters are only long if you’re high up in the mountains but none of our cities are at that elevation. Schweitzer Mountain is a world renowned ski resort..sooo beautiful! Plenty of sunshine for me but not so much if you’re from Arizona.
Homeschool laws are awesome! I hear we have the best in the country. The parents’ freedom to school their children is well protected. No testing. No government involvement. The homeschool co-ops here often have waiting lists. We see homeschoolers out and about regularly. You certainly won’t feel alone!
Sandpoint has a larger liberal presence unfortunately but we seem to be the top destination to relocate to if you’re from Southern California. (No offense to SoCal readers – my amazing husband is from there!)
Thanks Rakhel! I’m so glad to have another opinion. I heard they moved out, but my husband’s coleage that moved from there said they are still there and gaining in strength again. Hum, maybe he just doesn’t want us to move. 🙂
WE just vacationed there a couple of months ago…and went to a church convention at Bonner’s Ferry!! It’s beautiful! Don’t know if this matters to you…but I discovered that it’s legal to sell raw milk there…even retail!
Thank you, everyone. This is all very helpful. We have a Chinese son so the white supremacy thing, if it still exists, would be concerning. I knew the homeschool laws were hands off. We milk our own cows. 🙂
Is Bonners Fferry area a tourist area? I was under the impression it was quite rural. Any “civilization” close by?
Sheesh! This has been an interesting thread – I would have NEVER thought to ask about white-supremacy groups- very interesting that at least two people on this small forum are aware of it. I DO love the question about sun in the winter. This CA girl has come to appreciate sun and warmth in a way few can understand.
Yes, Rebekah, the white-supremacy thing caught me off guard. It’s probably more common than we realize in many places. Sin is that way. We may have to visit Idaho in the winter to see how much sun there is. As Christie said, I’m a southern girl born and bred. Been in this place all my life.
Christie…may I plead the 5th? Probably not.but not ruling out anything.
Bonner’s Ferry is a pretty rural area. Sandpoint/Schweitzer Mountain area are quite tourist-y and up and coming…about 30-60? miles south/southwest. I think that would be the closest civilization…someone else might know better. Kalispell, MT is …hmmm …about 3 hours? away or so…we flew into there b/c we have friends there (that homeschool 🙂 we met on our trip to MT last year! Kalispell is a nice town too with everything one would need – but not huge.
How about I pray for the Lord’s will either way! Lets just say I wouldn’t want to move my library, much less one the size of yours.
That would be greatly appreciated, Christie. HA! And the thought of moving that library is enough to make me break out in hives. 🙂
All of North Idaho relies on tourism to some degree but Bonners Ferry is not very touristy. Lately, a big, new Safeway (grocery store) with a Starbucks was added and downtown, which the beautiful Kootenai River flows through, has had recent improvements giving my little hometown a bit of a facelift and making it more friendly for walking traffic. A big moneymaker in Bonners these days is the Casino/ Hotel on the river. My dad was a logger and logging used to largely support the community but those days are gone. Still lots of forest, but the price of wood is low. North of Bonners Ferry there lies a temperate growing area which is fertile and productive. An elk ranch also lies to the north. Around here, you can purchase both buffalo and elk meat locally.
A large part of the community is Mennonite. I was babysat by my Mennonite neighbors and I also attended their vacation Bible school. They own several businesses in the area. They are well known for their fresh-baked pies available in at least a couple locations. 🙂 I personally embrace my Biblical roots and try to pattern my life after the 1st century believers. If that interests you, there is a good sized group of like-minded believers in the area.
You would miss the sunshine. All southerners do. We’re nothing like the gray climate of Seattle but we’re not like sunny California either. And then again, if you’re from a humid southern climate, you might really appreciate our low humidity. I find our climate perfect. We have four distinct beautiful seasons. And the mountains! Oh, the view of the mountains from Bonners Ferry is so amazing. Just makes you want to sing praises to the Creator of the universe for His awe inspiring creation. And the water! We have the cleanest water for drinking. I have a deep well that taps into a huge aquifer of untainted water. I drink right out of my tap. There are lakes, rivers and streams everywhere! So clear and beautiful. Pend Oreille (pronounced pon-der-ay) is a huge lake which flows into a river. You and your family could explore all the shoreline and trails around it for years and never walk in the same place twice. Even more beautiful is the Crown Jewel of Idaho – Priest Lake, which connects to Upper Priest Lake by a narrow water passage. The Upper Priest is completely natural and wild. I watched a moose swim right past our small boat one summer! I have encountered countless bears and moose in the forest and never had a probem. I respect them and their space, they go on about their business and I rejoice at having gotten to see them! Ohh, and huckleberries! We have mountainsides full of them!
Civilization? Well, Sandpoint, Couer d’Alene (pronounced cor-duh-lane), and Spokane (spo-can) have plenty of that. Spokane has the only international airport for hundreds of miles around so we have our fair share of civilization.
Oh, and geologically, it’s pretty safe. No earthquakes or volcanoes. Lots of solid rock. 🙂
Do you get the idea I rather like it here? Haha!
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