>Seriously thinking about moving to IF
>in about 4 years when
>the job runs out. Really
>haven't checked it out too
>much yet but it's central
>to the directions we have
>to go to see families.
>
>Tell me what you like/dislike so
>far. Not only the hunting
>but the city, surrounding area,
>shopping, recreation, etc etc. Are
>there surrounding areas that a
>guy can get into 5
>plus acres that are within
>30 minutes of the city.
>Jobs market. Opportunities for small
>business. I would love to
>hear any and everything about
>the area.
We moved here from Las Vegas, so there are a few things that take some getting used to. Vegas is a 24/7 town, Idaho Falls (most of the state actually) is dead on Sundays. Almost everything is closed. Not a huge thing, but took some getting used to. Forces us to get everything done on Saturday and relax on Sunday. Most of the people from Pocatello come up Friday night and Saturday to eat and stuff as IF has better restaurants than what's in Pocatello.
Jobs- jobs are there, but a lot depends on what industry/market your skillset is in. INL is a big employer out here and has need of a lot of different trades. Small businesses, there's opportunity and plenty of empty storefront up here. Ammon is going to be a bit more expensive than Idaho Falls, Ammon is newer and has all the newer and trendier markets- the theater, mall, Cabela's, and most of the chain stores are all in Ammon on one street.
Shopping - there's a mall here. Not the greatest, but I'm not a big fan of malls. It's a lot livelier around Christmas. The usual big box stores- Walmart, Target, Toys R Us, Sportsman's Warehouse and Cabela's. Plenty of grocery stores and a Winco which is open 364 days a year. Lots of mom and pop type stores, which we try to support as much as we can. What we can't get here, the rest we generally get from Amazon.
Recreation - I'm not big on fishing, but the fishing is pretty good out here from what I've heard. Rexburg has a good shooting range. We have a decent first-run theater out here, and a couple of "cheap charlie" $5 theaters if you can wait a month or two to see the latest movies. Good museum here, farmer's market during the warmer months, symphony is very good if you like classical music. Plenty of good restaurants to try out (Big Jud's in Archer, North Highway Cafe both have excellent burgers). This town still needs a *good* pizza place. Jackson Hole is a fun place to visit and just a short drive away. The zoo is pretty good here, as is Yellowstone Bear World- dish out to ride in the big truck and feed the bears. Lava Hot Springs is open year-round, and you can tube the Portneuf river in the summertime.
The real estate market is starting to warm up here - investors and banks are buying up properties. We had a few houses snatched away from underneath us by aggressive buyers. There are plenty of sub-100k homes in various states of quality. If you want land, you'll want to get something outside of city limits, maybe Lincoln or Iona or even further out. I live just outside city limits and my yard is big enough to justify getting a riding mower. My dog loves it after having to suffer the hellishly small yards in Vegas.
The weather- generally mild. Plenty of rain, and wind is a pretty frequent visitor. Summers are easier than in Nevada, but last year we had a few 100+ degree days. Winter can get to be a pain especially if you don't like the cold- once it cools off, it stays cold for a while. We're just now starting to warm up. We have 4 actual seasons up here.