Things to Know Before Moving to Idaho

So you’re thinking about making the move to Idaho, eh? As someone who has called the Gem State home for basically my whole life (save for the few years I lived in Utah for grad school), I love introducing people to Idaho and sharing all of the cool things to do and beautiful places to see! Idaho is known for its incredible scenery, whitewater rafting, and most importantly, potatoes. You’re not allowed to move here if you don’t like potatoes. 😉

Before you plan your move, be sure to read this list of the 10 most important things you should know before moving to Idaho, according to me, an Idaho local. Let’s dive in!

This post was updated September 2024.

READ NEXT: Boise Idaho Weather Year Round

A List of the Most Important Things to Know Before Moving to Idaho | Cotton Cashmere Cat Hair

Things To Know Before Moving to Idaho

1. Idahoans take the outdoors very seriously.

Idahoans are all about the great outdoors. I mean, can you blame us? The Central Mountains are beautiful! You have the Sawtooths (near Stanley), the White Clouds, and the Seven Devils (near Hells Canyon). All of those places are popular places to hike, backpack, and camp. We also have countless hot springs, beautiful waterfalls (including but not limited to Shoshone Falls, Mesa Falls, and all of the falls in the Thousands Springs area along the Snake River in southern Idaho), and even a national monument: Craters of the Moon.

If you live in Idaho, you might want to consider taking up outdoor activities! Running, hiking, and biking are all popular and relatively easy to get into. Idaho is also known for its whitewater rafting, and kayaking, paddle boarding, and jet boating are other popular water activities. In the winter, many people ski and snowboard at the many resorts and ski areas around the state. Be prepared to chat about the outdoors if you move here! 😆

2. The cost of living in Idaho is not as low as it used to be.

Gone are the days of Idaho having a reasonable cost of living, and Boise is one of the most expensive cities to call home in the whole state. I could not afford to live here on my own salary if I did not live with Korri. Housing is extremely expensive, and wages are not increasing to make up for it. It’s frustrating as a long-time resident. Most new homeowners in Idaho are moving here from elsewhere and snapping up homes at prices well above asking and paying in cash.

Not only is our housing market out of reach to most people that grew up and currently live here, including my own brothers, but the rental market is also insane. Lots of out of state rich people/companies are buying up our houses and jacking up the rent. More and more people that work in Boise are moving to the outer suburbs and commuting into Boise because that’s all they can afford. DON’T buy a house or multiple houses here if you are planning to play landlord.

If you are a normal person trying to move to Idaho, I’m so sorry, and make sure to do lots of research about how much it will cost to live near where you’ll work. Be prepared for a potential long commute. If your job is based in Boise, consider Mountain Home as an option over Nampa/Caldwell.

3. You need a car to get around Idaho.

And you’ll fit right in if you own a Subaru, LOL. Unfortunately, you’ll need a car if you plan to live anywhere outside of Boise, and even if you are in Boise, it’s tough to get around on public transit only. Valley Regional Transit provides public bus service in Boise and to some of the surrounding cities in the Treasure Valley (Meridian, Nampa, Caldwell, Star, Middleton), which is great but doesn’t run very frequently. Of course, if a bus route works for you, please take it! My dad is an avid bus rider himself.

A lot of locals want a light rail and/or train system, but few people are willing to pay for it. Plus, the train lines that run through the Treasure Valley are privately owned. (I, for one, would love my tax dollars to go towards better public transportation!) Also, there are no HOV lanes in Idaho…and the reason is silly. It’s because they’re only allowed in counties that have resorts!

4. Idaho weather is boring.

Don’t move to Idaho if you’re looking to live in a place with fun and exciting weather, and this is coming from me, a meteorologist, LOL. Idaho is one of the most beautiful places to live because we have boring weather. I can count on my hands the number of days we get exciting weather every year. We’ll get a few days of thunderstorms (if we’re lucky), a few days of heavy snow, some windy days, and that’s about it. We don’t get tornadoes, blizzards, or hurricanes. If you want rain/more precipitation in general, north Idaho is the best part of the state to live.

As far as natural disasters go, Idaho is very lucky to not really get any. Extreme heat is a problem in the summer months, and sometimes the river flows are so high that they flood (rare, but it can happen—it did in Boise in 2017 after a big snow year). The biggest threat in my opinion is earthquakes. Idaho is seismically active; our most recent large earthquake happened in March 2020, and we had another big one close by in February 2024! (Those are the only ones I’ve felt in my over three decades living here.) Also, Yellowstone is partially in Idaho, and we all know what can happen with that!

Planning a move to Boise? Learn more about Boise weather year-round.

5. If you hate summer or hate winter, don’t move to Idaho.

Even though the day-to-day Idaho weather is boring (for the most part), Idaho gets all four seasons, and summer is the most brutal. This past summer was the second hottest on record (following only the summer of 2021). On the positive side, Idaho rarely gets humidity, and dry heat is way more tolerable than humid heat! (“It’s a dry heat!” they said.)

If you also hate winter, you’ll probably hate living in Idaho. Eastern Idaho gets the most brutal weather in the winter, and of course, the mountains get feet of snow. Boise’s winter is more mild than other areas, but there are times when the temperatures get down to single digits and even negatives, and snowy winters are not out of the question every year.

6. Potatoes are grown in south-central and eastern Idaho.

Idaho is best known for its potatoes, but believe it or not, there are not potato farms on every street corner in the state. The only places you’ll find potato fields in Idaho are in south-central Idaho (around the southern Magic Valley) and in eastern Idaho (from about Idaho Falls east) with a few others scattered here and there. Look for the potato cellars (low mud roofs) as you drive through these areas; they’re the tell-tale sign of potatoes!

If you move to Idaho, I highly recommend making friends with a neighbor or someone in your city that has connections to a local potato farm, because they’ll bring giant bags of potatoes to purchase for not a lot of money in the late fall and winter and you’ll be set for months. Locally-grown potatoes are the best!

7. You can either be a Boise State Bronco fan or an Idaho Vandal fan.

But not both. 😉 (JK, this isn’t like Auburn/Alabama!) The biggest rivalry in the state is between the Boise State Broncos and Idaho Vandals. The University of Idaho is the state’s flagship university located in Moscow (pronounced MOSS-co), a small town on the border of Washington in north Idaho. That’s where every Boise kid goes to college when they want to get out of Boise but want the in-state tuition rate. It’s also where you go if you want to be part of Greek life, which is not nearly as popular at Boise State. I grew up in Boise as a Boise State fan and then went there for college, so I’m a Bronco.

Unfortunately for Idaho football culture, Boise State and the University of Idaho are in separate sports conferences, and the football teams don’t play each other currently. Even still, there’s a hint of a rivalry, though not nearly on the level as you’ll find in, say, Alabama. Oh, and Idaho State is also a major university in Idaho (in Pocatello; the Bengals) but is largely left out of the in-state rivalry fun.

8. Idaho is known for potatoes. Some locals embrace this, some don’t want to be reminded.

I personally love potatoes, so I love that Idaho is known for potatoes! I am one of the locals that fully embraces life in the potato state. I like to tell people that I’m living in the best state. I have family, friends, the outdoors, and POTATOES! I’m a fan of all kinds of potatoes except for sweet potatoes and yams. I love them in any variety. If you move to Idaho, I recommend that you also embrace potatoes and try all the different ways you can eat them!

The vast majority of potatoes from Idaho are grown in eastern Idaho (Bingham County, specifically). There are other potato farms scattered across eastern and south-central Idaho. Turns out, potato farmers are very protective of their region and tend to think their potatoes are better than anyone else’s! Sometimes, the farmers have an excess of potatoes and open their places up to anyone to come take as many potatoes as they want.

9. When in Idaho, enjoy huckleberries!

Huckleberries are the state fruit of Idaho, and I highly recommend enjoying anything huckleberry-flavored you may come across! It’s a seriously delicious berry. You’ll find huckleberries featured in all sorts of sweets and treats, including lemonade, ice cream, pie, etc. If you’re not sure what flavor to get and huckleberry is on the menu, get that! You can also find huckleberries in the mountains and pick them yourself, though be sure to do some research to make sure you know exactly what they look like before venturing out.

10. Extremists are not welcome in Idaho.

Idaho is known for being a “red” state politically. It has not ALWAYS been red. One of our most well-known and -respected governors was a democrat. There are cities and counties in Idaho that lean blue (Boise, Moscow, and Hailey/Ketchum/Blaine County in general) compared to the rest of state. Do not move to those cities to take advantage of what they have to offer and then complain about or change the local politics.

Extremists are trying to take over the Idaho legislature and the Idaho GOP in general. Reasonable Idahoans are actively working to prevent that from happening as much as possible, but it’s difficult when there is so much misinformation and outright lying being done by the GOP. Contrary to what you may think, we are not all like that, and a large portion of Idahoans are against extremists and do not want to see them run our local governments.

You are not welcome in Idaho if you are racist, if you want to ban books, if you want to defund public education, if you think women and birthing people in general shouldn’t have bodily autonomy, and if you hate the LGBTQIA+ community. You are not welcome here if you’re moving from a blue state to escape taxes or people that are different from you. Basically, you are not welcome in Idaho if you are a terrible person. Reasonable people are welcome, and we would love it if more reasonable people moved here to help us combat the extremism that makes Idaho such a difficult place to live for so many people.

IdahoKimi, Cotton Cashmere Cat HairComment