What was your search for houses in Idaho like when it first started?
It was pretty short and easy because Dave showed us exactly what we were looking. It was more about me (Saba) needing to be convinced than him (Kirk) because he was already convinced. My family was all in California and so is his, but it was a harder decision for me.
What was difficult about moving to Idaho?
As far as the place goes it’s awesome, it’s really nice, it’s beautiful and has all four seasons, but for me the hardest thing was to leave the family. Also, Saba’s dad has been with us, he came out to visit and now he’s in the area and we go visit him. They have a rehabilitation center here and he had gotten sick and and we’re so fortunate to be out here because the care provided is so much better than what we experienced or what he experienced in California. I could go so far as to say he might not even, no, I’m certain that he’s alive because he’s here. The type of experience we had with him was excellent. The people are very nice, the doctors were very nice and the staff has been very nice. I was shocked at all the things that we were thinking that oh my goodness it might not be the same. In California they pretty much lay down the law as far as what their protocol is and they don’t give us that many choices and so we’re fortunate for that. I think that people are more family oriented and both of our families are all about family and all about raising them right by giving them the proper education. Just in 2020 with things going on and with school the way it was in California, even though she’s privy to using the internet she definitely didn’t want that for her education, and a lot of the teachers that I know have told me that their students are at least a year behind because of all this. Contrast that with Idaho and she’s been thriving. I know that she loves it. She loves the interaction with teachers.
What was your reaction when your parents told you we’re moving to Idaho?
I was actually kind of happy I mean sure I miss the beaches and the family but I love the nature in Idaho and all the people are really nice. I feel like at my old school in California people weren’t as interactive.
Did you have a hard time making friends because you moved from California?
It wasn’t an issue. People were really friendly. For example, my teacher last year, he made sure that two kids sat next to me and they were really helpful to show me around the school on the first day. I was like a month late and everyone was super nice.
When was that moment that you realized that you need to leave California?
Her school is the major part of it because she was at home and she thought that online is not school, she felt it was vacation time. It was also the control, the laws, and the policies absolutely. In Idaho, she didn’t have to wear a mask as much, and the faculty wasn’t patrolling. They understood these are kids. The mask might come under the nose occasionally. Californians at least the ones we’ve met in this area, are moving out here for those family values so as Dave would say, “Idahoans at Heart”. We’re coming out here to change Idaho we’re like oh these coincide with our family values and if you have a family like what better place to raise your child than as compared to the big city. We are here to adopt all the family values and the things that work for them work for us too that’s why we are here based on your research and your experience with Treasure Valley Dave.
Were you disappointed at all about anything when you relocated to Idaho?
Dave was excellent and pivotal. It’s because of these videos that I got on the horn with Dave. He was more than happy to explain to me and give us his background and why he moved and said, “yep that that sounds familiar”. We made a connection with him before even coming over here and it was because of those videos. Dave is a very important part of our moving over here because Kirk felt very comfortable. Dave explained everything over the phone and answered any questions that I had. He’s like a problem solver you know, he understands, he listens.
What surprised you the most about moving to Idaho?
The medical facilities really surprised me. The type of care the doctors gave was amazing. They’ve been keeping us in the loop and allowing us to visit and I just thought it was so important obviously for him and us because that’s encouraging to him. They just had respect for us and I feel most of our experience just with people in general. What struck me immediately is just kind of that things slowed down a little bit, not too much you know, but there is a definite difference in the energy level and I know has a lot to do with nature, and it has a lot to do with less traffic.
Did living in Idaho line up with what Dave told you about it?
Dave gave us a lot of pointers to where to go and the restaurants are amazing there is a ton of variety of food. I feel like people are kind of biased against Idaho because they’re like oh it’s just like a field of potatoes that’s what we get all the time and Californians will say that too. In California it’s go go go. There’s no quiet night time. Here in Idaho, it’s ten o’clock and that’s it.
What advice would you give to people thinking about moving to Idaho?
If you have a family, even if you don’t have a family, there’s good reasons to still come out here, but with a family you wanna make sure that that your kids have an opportunity to interact with other kids to play outside to have a natural surrounding, to be in schools that aren’t as restrictive and have all those opportunities that we want for our kids. You obviously want to raise your family in a place that espouses those values. Cost of living is better here even though it is going up a little bit, it’s still not what California is or a lot of other places.
If you’re considering moving to Idaho, join our Facebook group, Idahoans at Heart. It’s a group full of people like you seeking a better quality of life by moving to Idaho.
