Is Emmett Idaho a Good Place to Live?
Hey, Dave Edwards, Treasure Valley Dave. And today, we’ll look at Emmett Idaho and see what it’s all about. Would Emmett be a place that you want to move to, or do you want to come and explore it on a lovely weekend?
Downtown Emmett
Emmett has the Payette River that runs through it. We’re 14 miles from Star on the other side of these hills to our left. So, we’re not very far away, but we’re far enough away that it seems like a different world.
We’re standing at the intersection of Main Street and Washington. This is the main pivotal center of the entire downtown. We have all these lovely old two-story brick buildings. And on the corner, we’ve got the Roy A. Bowman Family Memorial Park. It’s a cool little place.
We’re walking down Main Street, checking out all the cool things happening here. Emmett, Idaho is a vibrant little community. We have a lot of stuff here — from a movie theater to the Hen House Toy Shop to the Barn Door.
History of Emmett Idaho
According to Wikipedia, Emmett is a town on the bank of the Payette River. Emmett’s original name was Martinsville — after Nathaniel Martin who built a ferry crossing with Jonathan Smith. The name changed to Emmettville because it was primarily a post office named after Emmett Kay Hallen, the son of an early settler named Tom Hallen.
The post office moved, but the town retained the name. A few years later, the “ville” part was dropped, and the post office and the town became known as Emmett. Then, in 1883, James Wardwell had the town platted. In 1900, the town was incorporated as Emmett.
In March 1902, the Idaho Northern Railroad came to Treasure Valley and later became the Idaho Northern and Pacific Railroad. They have a train car here; perhaps they will rehab it and make it a museum piece or something. I can only imagine they get a little rail traffic through here.
Blaser Park
So what’s this little park over here? This little park turns out to be the Blaser Park. This is where they have the farmer’s market on Saturday mornings from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. They also have it on Wednesday afternoons from 3:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. in this cute little park.
More Downtown Walking
Going down the street in the other direction, we have some more cute little buildings and shops. Oh, quilting! Don’t tell Mrs. Treasure Valley Dave. She’ll take my retirement in there, and that’ll be all of that, won’t it?
Fun fact: Did you know the population of good old Emmett in 2021 was 7,819?
Other notable shops and establishments here include:
- Antiques and Vintage Collectibles
- Masonic Lodge
- Eastern Star
Emmett City Park
Oh my gosh, what an idyllic setting. Could you imagine living in one of those little brick houses over there? Sending the grandkids across to play in the park, not having to worry about anything? You could come to the band shell and listen to some Run-DMC. You know, the old stuff, of course.
So what else do they have at this park? Like I said, it’s not for show. They do some cool things here, such as the Emmett Cherry Festival. In 2023, it took place from June 14th to 17th.
During the Cherry Festival, they will have daily entertainment, nightly concerts, and parades. It’s all free and family-friendly.
We also have the Emmett Car Show in this park. And I’m pointing at the band shell because, guess what? They had a live band this year on July 15th for their 36th annual show. They had a pancake breakfast, and I bet many people came to eat pancakes sitting on these picnic tables.
Other events here include the Pinup Girl Contest and Cruise Night. It’s free registration for the latter, and the cars are all 1979 and older. So, if you’re getting up there like me and want to relive some of your youth, come and check it out. It’s going to be fantastic.
Gem County
So there’s the City Hall — a pretty nice place. Gem County is the county seat. Of course, we have the courthouse here.
Hey, a little shoutout to Steven and William! Here’s the Gem County Museum. It’s a place we need to go check out.
Living in Emmett, Idaho
If you’re considering living in Emmett, I want to give you an idea of what some of these older houses look like. The feel of the neighborhoods is nice. I love these old trees, don’t you? Gorgeous.
Yeah, these houses weren’t built last week. Many have been kept up nicely, although some could use a little TLC. That could be the bargain in the group. So, some homes are in the process of becoming beautiful, and then some have already become beautiful.
Everybody is so friendly here. And we’re only like three blocks from downtown. You could live here, walk downtown to the farmer’s market, and have all that fun.
Wow. So no HOA’s here, huh? You can live as you want to live. Does that make sense? I like these old parts of town where you have an alley. So that’s where you can have your garage access to the alley and trash cans. So it looks crummy back there, but it makes the front look sweet, pleasant, and clean.
Emmett Real Estate Market
Walking down further, there’s a special treat at the end. But you know, this is a real estate channel, and I want to tell you a little about the Emmett real estate market.
Currently, there are 34 listings of regular houses on lots under an acre. The homes range from under construction to 120 years old — everything.
You may think, “Oh my gosh, it must be expensive.”
Well, you could spend a pretty penny, but the cheapest one here in town is currently $165,000. Now, it’s a fixer. You can only live in it once you fix it. Still, there’s another one for about $5,000 more that people live in right now. And you know, it’s small, two bedrooms. But if that’s enough to meet all your needs, you can’t beat that price!
I also searched for you for anything that has an acre or more. And we have them anywhere from an acre and an inch to 40 acres.
We’re getting to some fascinating houses with the same criteria on an acre or more. They’re a little pricier in this area, but the cheapest is $500,000 — or a skosh under $500,000. The most expensive one was just shy of $4 million. Yeah, I know. I felt my wallet kind of cinch up a bit, too.
Anyway, for homes that are on an acre or less, the average price is $458,000. So that’s a nice house with lovely surroundings and views in a nice town. Meanwhile, the average price for anything on an acre or more is $1.1 million. Whoo! But I tell you what, the most expensive is just shy of $4 million.
Life in Emmett
I’ve seen many people — young and old — riding their bikes around this area. Because, well, it’s a nice place to be. It’s safe for sure, but not all old houses are cute as a button. We’ve got some charming newer homes, and the views are spectacular. Just look at that view of Squaw Butte back there — you could see this from Nampa. I watch it every day when I come to work.
I must tell you, it’s quiet as could be out here. There needs to be a train track near here. There’s no interstate near here. It’s clean and fresh.
We have some lots and homes from our friends at Toll Brothers, but I also saw some Agile homes out here. You can choose from a few different builders out here. If you think you need to be at least investigating what it takes to live out here, check it out.
Want to Move to Idaho?
You may want to move to Nampa, Meridian, or someplace else. So call, text, or email me — I’d gladly help you through the process.
Thanks for coming by on our little tour of Emmett. Remember, if you’re looking to relocate or you’re already here and want to buy or sell a house, we can help you with everything. That’s just what we do. We’re headquartered in Nampa, very centrally located at the Treasure Valley. But we can serve you anywhere in the Treasure Valley — even in Emmett Idaho.
I’m looking forward to helping you get home.
