10 Reasons Not to Move to Idaho
Hey, Dave Edwards here, Treasure Valley Dave. Today, I’m out of Meridian, Idaho, visiting family out of state, but I want to talk about this story about the ten reasons not to move to Idaho and see what you guys think. After today’s video, you might say, “You know what? You have a point. I don’t want to move to Idaho.”
Marky Young wrote this article. Let’s find out.
10. Dreadfully Boring
Marky said, “All the wiser know better than to move to Weiser. A recent [scientific] study deemed [Weiser is] the worst and most boring place to live in Idaho.” Wow, that’s pretty harsh. I’ve been to Weiser. Weiser’s a cute little town. I like it myself.”
Rexburg, according to Marky, is also “incredibly boring”. It’s almost like saying it’s one of the worst places to live in Idaho. And in Fruitland, “Everything is lacking.” Wow, that’s harsh. Is Idaho boring? What do you guys think?
9. Wrong on Women's Rights
Idaho is on the wrong side of women’s rights. What does that mean? Women’s right to do what, vote? You might think that’s been settled, right?
Oh, they say it’s a very chauvinistic state, huh? Well, let’s see. Boise’s mayor is a woman. Meridian’s previous mayor was a woman. Nampa’s current mayor is a woman. We’ve got some great women that are in our legislature. So, for example, Tammy Nichols — you might have heard her name — is right on women’s rights, whatever that might be.
But the point is, women are doing stuff. I’ve seen women drive cars, and I’ve seen women out without a male with them. I’ve seen women out without having to wear coverings over their hair. So I’m not sure what Marky means, but maybe they’re saying that we are just chauvinistic and we don’t like women here. So I think there might be something a little dubious about that one.
8. Rotten Potatoes
“Everything about Idaho is about potatoes, blah, blah, blah.” We do grow a lot of potatoes here. Obviously, we have famous Idaho potatoes, but particularly here in the Treasure Valley, you see fewer potatoes growing. Our land is much more suitable for a myriad of crops like hops and grapes and every other product you can think of. So we have some fantastic agriculture stuff going on right here — not just potatoes.
7. Poor, Poor Idaho
Marky says that we’re destitute and that our minimum wage, if you’re under 20, is only $4.25 an hour.
Wow, that’s pretty poor. Of course, you could get a night manager job at Carl’s Jr. and make 20 bucks an hour. But where’s the headline in that?
6. Housing Boom
Yep, there’s a housing boom. It says we’re not “set up to handle all the growth”. Well, who is? Texas, Phoenix, Tennessee — every place else is growing because people are leaving California, Oregon, and Washington — essentially just blue States. Good people are escaping. So yeah, there is some growing pain. But we’re doing it well here, though.
Yeah, sure, there’s construction, and it slows you down. But I know some roads that were like little two-lane cow pads when I first got here now have four lanes. It took a while to get there, but they’re there, and traffic flows much smoother.
5. Time Matters
This is a little picky because we have two time zones. We are one of 13 states that have two time zones in the state. If the reason not to move to Idaho is that we have two time zones, I don’t know.
We also got daylight savings time, adding another component to the equation. When the power goes out, then I have to reset my VCR. It’s like, “I might as well just stay in bed because it’s too much for me.” Right *Sarcasm alert*
4. Cold Shoulder
This is weird. Marky said, “Idahoans are said to be friendly to a fault, but apparently, the hospitality only extends to tourists, not those who choose to move there.” That hasn’t been my experience, and this is wild.
It’s also said, “If you’re hoping to have friends when you move to Idaho, you might want to consider bringing your own because the state is no hotspot for warm welcomes.” Marky Young doesn’t know what Marky Young’s talking about. What do you think? Is Marky right?
3. Cultural Clusters
They said that Idaho is a whopping 93% white. Okay, so what? “[…] Minorities are being drawn by agricultural jobs like planting and picking potatoes.”
Well, boy, that sounds a little racist right there. Don’t you think? Is life in Idaho that bad? I’ll let you guys answer when you come up for your fact-finding trip. Or, if you’re already here, leave some comments and let me know. Is this your experience? Is the only time you see anybody that’s not white when they’re out in the field with potatoes? I don’t think so.
2. Lock and Load
Yes, we have some constitutional-feeling gun laws here in Idaho. Marky said, “Everyone in the state over 18 is allowed to open carry, even if they don’t know how to use one.” That also means concealed carry since this article is 18 months old.
So there you go — you can get a gun. You can still have one if you don’t know how to use one. A lot of people do that with brains as well. Just saying.
1. Dumbest State
Speaking of brains, Marky said that Idaho is the dumbest state. “With all 50 states plus Washington, DC included in the study, Idaho ranked number 51 in the “Smartest States in America,” meaning it was the dumbest state in America.
Is that accurate? I’m not sure. Some people commented on this article and said, “I’m confused.” “Why?”
And at the very beginning, Marky said that it’s so dull in Idaho that criminals don’t even want to live there. Michelle, another commenter, said that she was confused. “Why is low crime a bad thing?” That’s a great question because Marky thinks high crime is a good thing…? Hmm.
JF Turner said, “I just returned from the first Idaho visit on vacation. I agree with some of your points, but as for boring, I had a fantastic time in the mountains and at the lake and had fun shopping and dining in Boise. The friend I visited is a successful woman, a business owner, and several women running for public office in the next election. Some of what you say is true, but I strongly disagree with those two points.”
Another person said, “Marky needs to get outside more,” which is true. And it looks like Marky writes these articles about 10 reasons not to do something all over the country. Marky’s probably never been to Idaho and is a very good click baiter.
Facebook Comments on Marky's Statements
So here are some comments that someone put on Facebook. Facebook’s great because you get some good comments. This person said, “We bought a home to live in Boise, Idaho, and literally cannot wait to get out and start moving to Idaho from California. My mom thinks I’m crazy and can’t even talk to me about it.” I’m like, “What is crazy? Wanting a better life for my kids and not having them see people nude and humping poles and shooting up drugs near my house, not having to work 24/7 to afford my small bleep home? Not having any more friends because they all decided I was a conspiracy theorist? LOL. It’s gotten that bad where I live, and we have few alliances left. My mom and sister are super liberal, which is fine, but they don’t get it. They live in a bubble.” Then, this guy said that he could pull the trigger in just a couple more months and get on up here.
Another person wrote, “Same! We moved from Oceanside in California to South Meridian and left everyone behind — family, friends, literally everyone. But within a day, we became part of a community, and our family thrived. Our three kids are back in school and are excelling. My wife has real friends, not flakes, and everyone we’ve met so far has moved here for the same reasons. Most move from Idaho to California, but many are from Oregon, Washington, and other states. As much as I hate the cold weather [and our place is not the cheapest place to live in Idaho], everything else is beyond our expectations. Great move, and God bless.”
So yeah, that’s more important: having actual friends. Having a place where you want to raise your kids is more important than being dull. I could even be happy in Weiser and think it’s the best place to live in Idaho, even if it’s been called the most boring city in Idaho. And I’m thrilled being an Idaho, even though it’s the dumbest state in the entire country, including Washington, DC.
Wrapping Up
Anyway, so those are the 10 reasons not to move to Idaho. But you may have a couple of good reasons to move to Idaho. I have a whole bunch of them as well. Continue watching this channel and subscribe if you haven’t already. Like this video, too — that helps out so much.
Contact Treasure Valley Dave
Thank you for coming along. Idaho is still excellent for me. Even if there are those 10 things, what do you guys think? Contact us and let us know what you think. As always, this is Dave Edwards. Looking forward to helping you get home.
6 Responses
Dave,
When looking at what red states to move to so our son could have a solid high school experience without the Washington state liberal mess we decided Idaho would be the best option. Do to what we have experienced so far we will be moving as soon as our son graduates high school. Owyhee High is the sole reason we are staying at all with it being the only positive since we moved here. The reasons are dead on to Marky’s two cents.
When it comes to medical options St. Jude and Alphonsus are a joke. Also it took vetting 9 chiropractors before finding one that wasn’t just selling Do Terra essential oils along with their incompetence and passive female front desk staff. Do Terra has also been offered to me at every massage appointment I’ve tried to enjoy as well as hair salons. Don’t know what it is about this essential oil company but it is saturated all over Meridian, especially with the Mormon’s who normally have exceptional small businesses from our experience.
The only three options for entertainment are the village, the mall and rivers/lakes. Most parks are taken over by disc golf courses along with pit bikes and motorized bicycles as well as poor dog owners.
The first house we rented (thankfully got out of the lease with zero bite back) on U stick has pit bikes and dirt bikes constantly being played on by children and adults alike. It was a free for all version of thunder dome where the neighbors think they can do whatever whenever they please and are taking advantage of the lack of Police support to keep them in line.
We are extremely thankful to be able to work remotely, move where we please and give our son the ability to take in the new and seemingly untainted Owyhee High School. It’s only on its third year being open and from what we have seen will eventually be taken over by the Meridian virus of being lack luster, bombarded with traffic and lead by man children.
Found a beautiful rental home in Kuna to get us through our next year and a half of staying here. We will be leaving right when the congestion is going to get at its worse do to the Meridian building growth starting up out here.
Sincerely,
Brooke Haynie
Wow! You guys have had quite the experience. It’s great that your son’s schooling is working out well. Thank you for sharing this… I wish things would be working out better for you guys.
Did you see the man killed on a scooter on U stick? This is a great example of what I mentioned above.
https://www.ktvb.com/article/news/local/a-scooter-struck-by-vehicle-rider-dies-at-meridian-scene/277-1d39d3f9-b95b-4f88-a262-8c060e7eda9b
No, I hadn’t seen that. I just read your link. Very sad situation. It’s encouraging that two of the vehicle drivers stayed and that there were witnesses. Hopefully justice will be done.
Did you see the man killed on a scooter?
https://www.ktvb.com/article/news/local/a-scooter-struck-by-vehicle-rider-dies-at-meridian-scene/277-1d39d3f9-b95b-4f88-a262-8c060e7eda9b
Just reading your link.