VANITY: Recommendations on moving to Idaho or Montana... or elsewhere?

Third Person | November 10th, 2012 | Third Person

[Jeff Head]

We moved to Idaho 15 years ago...best move we ever made, and probably the last one we will make as well.

I worked in Engineering, paticularly Computer-aided-Engingeering/Deisgn, staring from the earliy days when it was really just 2-D drafting/design with the early Computer-Vision, Calma and Intergraph Equipment, all the way through to 3-D modeling inclduing finite element analysis, material proprties for all sorts of stress/fatigue testing, etc.

Worked in the defense industry, power industry and computer industry.

We left Cincinnati, Ohio (I am originally from Texas, born and raised) in about 1993 where I was at the Director level with a company called SDRC (Structural Dynamics Research Corporation), where we developed 3-D modeling software (IDEAS) and did consulting work. I ran all of their support, training, warranty, and on-site consulting at the Corporate level with a large field organization.

In 1993, after a lot of prayer, my wife and I decided to move our kids to Montana. So we sold all of our stock, gave up a very decent six figure salary/compensation/bonus package, and bought a Mom and Pop company in Dillon, MT. At the time our oldest was of five kids 14, and our youngst was four.

Went from a 4,500 sq ft house to 1,200 sq ft, and to 36K per year income. All of our money was tied up in our business.

I loved it there. We would hang out our “Gone Fishing” sign whenever kids had football games, band, cheerleading, etc.

But Dillon was pretty much a closed economy. You either bought your way in (like we did), inherited something, or retired there.

Anyhow, it was back country America. I got an Elk every year, and we were comfortable, but a big adjustment for the kids...which was exactly what we intended.

After 4-5 years, our oldest graduated High School and started off in life, college, working, marriage, etc. with four more kids lined up behind her. My wife ultimately convinced me that we needed more disposable income to help the kids through college, marriage, etc.

She had to drag me pretty much kicking and screaming out of there...but she was right.

We ultimatly accepted a Sr. Management position at Micon Electronis in the Boise, ID area in 1997, after a couple of years of consutling work and looking.

We moved to a town about 25 miles out of Boise named Emmett. I worked at Micron for almost four years, went back into consulting, and then ultimately, after helping out in the Klamath Basin Water Crisis (See, “The Stand at Klamath Falls,”) I accepted a poition with the US Bureau of Reclamation doing design, install, and maintenance work on high-end electronic and communication equipment at hydro-electric dams all over southern Idaho. Started with them in 2003 and been there ever since.

I would recommend Idaho, particularly SW Idaho over Montana...though I love Montana.

If you are ready to stop work and retire, Montana is fine...but it is much colder there.

Here in SW Idaho you are never more than 30 minutes from stunning mountain scenery and within an hour can be in truly remote country. Boise has about 200,000, and a metropolitan area of maybe 350,000. The nearest bigger city is either Portland or Slat Lake City, both over 300 miles away.

You will not find a more conservtive urban area, or, IMHO, better quality of life.

Our three youngest graduated from Emmett High School. Most of our kids have spent varying amounts of time at BSU.

Emmett (and numerous other small towns of 5,000 or less) is located an ideal distance from the “city” so you can get in there within 1/2 hour and enjoy/make use of all the ammenities, but still be in small town, agricultural America.

Idaho is an open carry state. It is a right-to-work state.

The areas around Pocatello and Idaho Falls on the eastern side of the state are even more conservtive, but also much colder winters. Here, in the Idaho “bannana belt,” we have our winters, and temperatures each year have a few days that are sub zero...but generally, it is down in the teens at night to 30s and 40s in the days in the winter. We get an average of maybe 18 inches of snow a year in the valleys, but they get plenty in the surrounding mountains.

Summers are wram and relatively short. You finally get into the 80s in late May-early June and can have a few days over 100 in late July through August. By the end of September, is is collling down rapidly again.

Anyhow, I would recommend SW Idaho for anyone who wants to get away from the sprawl of the large cities...including all of the large urban federal housing areas and ghettos, and be in a place where the entire state (along with Utah, Wyoming, Montana, westen Colorado, eastern Oregon and Washington, and northern Nevada are all probably going to be able to maintian as close to any degree of normalcy and avoid absolute chaos and open warfare should a major train-wreck occur as a result of either US bankruptcy or financial meltdown, or any other major catastophe that plunges the US into societal meltdown.

That’s why we are here...and why we stayed in this area, even when much more lucratvie opportunities beckoned elsewhaere over the years.

My wife and I are planning to live out our lives here. Our eight...soon to be nine...grandkids all know exactly where Nanna and Papa live and its the only place their grandparents have ever lived as far as they are concerned.

We intend to keep it that way and ensure there is a place of sanctuary should it ever be needed.

God bless you and good luck in you search and endeavors.

Fight On! Never Waver, Never Falter!
http://www.jeffhead.com/fighton.htm

America at the Crossroads of History
http://www.jeffhead.com/crossroads.htm

[Third Person]

Thank you very much for your thoughtful reply. I will be looking into SW Idaho as well.