Question

Hey friends.  We are considering moving from CA to Idaho within a year.Hey friends. We are considering moving from CA to Idaho within a year. My hubby makes very good money being a correctional officer here in CA. LEOs elsewhere don’t get much pay or even close to what we are getting here so this is the main concern. I don’t work and don’t plan on it because I’ll be raising and homeschooling our kids. Plus we want to start homesteading in Idaho. Any LEOs or LEO wives in Idaho? Or what are good paying jobs in Idaho? What is a good living wage in Idaho? Where do you live in Idaho or do you know the best places to live that has land for micro farming yet close to a good town? Thanks!  

Answer 1

I work at a Sheriff's office in Idaho. Our housing market is crazy and there's not a lot for sale currently. We've had more people move here than they can build homes for. As for the prison. I work with a lot of guys who use to work there and switched to our department to get away from it.  

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@countercharge thank you so much! We have family up and down Idaho and it aligns with our ideals and beliefs. I will tell my husband about it. What sheriffs office if you don’t mind me asking?  

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@bael48 Owyhee County. I'm a CTO. Anything with land in my area is $400, 000 plus currently (use to be under $200, 00 a couple years ago). There's lots of different departments to choice from. All the ones I know of hire inhouse first for road deputies if that's something he's looking at eventually going to. Idaho doesn't pay close to what California does but cost of living is less. If you guys do move I wouldn't say you're from California (not long ago something go run off a highway and beat up for it). Most people here are welcoming but just like anywhere you have those crappy people.  

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@countercharge oh wow yeah we are at one of the worst prisons in CA and I want to preserve hubby’s mental health. He wants to be a street cop but I don’t want him to be one here in CA. Awesome info thank you! Haha yeah I’ve heard nobody wants CA peeps moving to their state. But we have family in ID and my mom was born there. We won’t broadcast where we came from lol that’s true about cost of living and pay. Hmmm I’m thinking small land. I’ve been looking on Zillow lol

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@bael48 if he's willing to take a lower pay tbe smaller agencies tend to be safer. They're also like family (they fought over who got to take me to the hospital if I went into labor at work).  

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@countercharge  that’s ideal! Newsom/the state doesn’t give two poos about COs and it’s getting worse. They value their inmates far more. So that sounds refreshing!  

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@bael48 personally I'd look for a jail or sheriff's office that is hiring. Most have a two year minimum contract once you go to post. I haven't heard the best about our prisoners. If you end up in the Marsing area or west Caldwell he could also go work in Oregon and make more. I know a few guys that live in Idaho near the border and work for Malheur County.  

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@countercharge ohhh good advice! We wish we could work in Ca and live in ID  but that’s could work too! Yeah true I think he’s rather work outside a prison.  

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@bael48 also a lot of the smaller agencies have what's called a posse. It's made up of volunteers and different levels can do different things. Levels 2 and 3 help with events like the fair or parades and traffic control. Level 1s have been to post. They can carry a weapon and cover shifts at the boat check, in the jail, or sometimes even road deputy shifts. Most do live in the country they volunteer for. Nampa is close to many agencies of different sizes. You have bogger ones like state police, Canyon County, Ada County, Nampa PD, Caldwell PD, and Boise PD. There's smaller ones like Owyhee County, Wilder, and Valley County (Emmett area) all in a short drive. If he decides to stay in corrections it's also not too far.  

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@countercharge oh wow! Great info thank you!  

Answer 2

Hi! We just made the move from northern ca to CDA Idaho in December. We LOVE it here. Hubs did take a four dollar pay hit, but it goes up by two after today because he finished training, and once he submits all his certificates to the state of Idaho, it’ll increase to what he was making in Cali. There is PLENTY of overtime here. Plus, you get to pick a shift that you want so he picked days and he doesn’t have to switch back and forth to nights. Thank goodness! Not sure if it’s different for you guys. We pay way less in rent we are buying next year to figure out where we want to live, housing prices are cheaper, we pay 1. 40 for my gas and his diesel for his truck is 1. 89. I have no idea about micro farming but in post falls where we live there are plenty of people who farm here. I’m really happy we made the move!  

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@plicate300 that’s so amazing! What was ur hubby doing in CA? LE? Is he LE in Idaho? That’s awesome! Right now we make 4K take home and our mortgage is $1250. Basically after everything we have about $1000 left for food gas and whatever else needed. I’ll def have to look into that place! Thank you so much

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@bael48 yes he’s LE in Idaho as well! So we were used to 6000 take home a month, it dropped to 2400 a month. But now that’s he’s off of training and able to work a regular schedule with overtime, we’re back up to that. So you guys will be perfectly fine here! You’re welcome!  

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@plicate300 wow that’s so encouraging! We were considering Nevada border and hubby going to high desert but it that’s the case for you guys that’s way better! Thank you for sharing your numbers! I’ll talk to my hubby !  

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@plicate300 we have family who lives there too so that would be perfect!  my excitement is building  

Answer 3

My husband just got a LEO job in Texas we chose here because of the pay however I can't imagine living here forever. i was SHOCKED at how little LEOs make all over the country. We would love to move to Idaho, Montana or Wyoming but he would lose half of his pay for the same or more cost of livint.  

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@gauss2946 ugh I hear ya! We make really good money and it goes up so often. Buuuuut we want to move somewhere ideal for us. Yeah it is quite the shock for sure! Idk if we can afford a large pay cut

Answer 4

Following because we’re considering moving to Idaho too but my husband makes 6 figures a year here as a service advisor for a car dealership. I don’t think the income would be the same  

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@commonwealth91875 yeah we are having to weigh the cost. Big time! Lol idk if extended stay on CA for us is worth it. Definitely not til retirement in 25 years

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@commonwealth91875 y’all wanna move to Idaho and I want to move outta Idaho lol  

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@hot haha Aw why? I’m curious! We are looking at Wyoming or Montana too but only have family in Idaho

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@bael48 well I moved here to Pocatello (southeastern corner) in June it’ll be 12 years. I moved from Kansas City - so I’m a city girl. But the education is one of the lowest in the nation. Pocatello property taxes are pricey and they keep raising them every year! This will be the 4th year in a row they are going up. The gas in Pocatello is one of the highest in the state. If I hadn’t just bought our first home, and if my parents didn’t need me as much (thank goodness we live 4 houses from them) I would’ve opted to move to the Boise area - but that’s because I’m a city girl. ok enough rambling lol

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@hot I love Boise! Aww well hopefully soon you’ll be able to move! I will avoid that place and will make sure to look closely at property taxes!  

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@bael48 yes not here lol

Answer 5

I’m in Boise Idaho. Idaho is on the low scale for minimum wage sitting at $7. 25. If you’re looking for house with land check out Melba, Middleton, Kuna if you want to be in southern Idaho.  

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@blowout I looked at Melba before I bought my house. Unless you know someone it's hard to get a house out there. Most are sold without ever being posted.  

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@blowout that’s actually right where we were thinking! We have fam in Emmett and up north. We love Boise. Thank you for that info!  

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@bael48 you’re welcome. From what I’m hearing the housing market may drop due to COVID. I’ve already seen ads of prices dropping on houses. Really wishing I was in the position to buy myself.  

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@blowout unfortunately unless God said GO NOW we won’t be moving for a year or so

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If it helps I heard this before COVID happened as well.  

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@blowout ohhh interesting! That is nice to know!  

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@bael48 Nampa is definitely worth looking into as well.  

Answer 6

There is a Dave Ramsey LEO FB page that might help. We are in TX until retirement (7 years) and moving back to CA.  

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@bowknot155 oh wow thanks I will have to add that group! Haha we don’t wanna wait til retirement to leave CA. we need out now. Just not aligning with our beliefs and stuff. Plus we can’t even have chickens where I am lol no rainwater storing ‍♀️

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We have a friend that owns a cabin in Idaho and let us stay for free. It is BEAUTIFUL. We drove from TX to Idaho. Where are you in CA?  

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@bowknot155 we are in central CA by Fresno!  

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My Grandparents lived in Coalinga. Tiny town. Probably the closest I have been to Fresno. I lived in CA until I was 28. I miss it so much.  

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@bowknot155 yeah that’s close to us! Yeah I can see missing it for sure. It’s beautiful! I live few hours from everything and the weather is great.  

Answer 7

I lived in Idaho for two years and we absolutely lived in the worst town I believe in the entire state. Every other town we visited was friendly and welcoming and nice. But we were in the town with the largest cliques, and if you didn't have the right last name, nobody would give you the time of day. We moved to another state. Lol. I would move to Couer d'Alene area or somewhere in the northern part of the state of Idaho though. It's beautiful up there.  

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Which is the worst town?  

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@silin23 it's a tiny little town called Grangeville. And it might be the best town in the world for people who are from there. Don't want to offend anyone.  

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@serve16 oh wow worse as it crime?  

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Ive heard that too and im an idaho native.  

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@serve16 I’ll be sure to avoid the bad places  thank you for the heads up for sure.  

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Ha ha ha I know where Grangeville is!  

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Totally makes sense

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@bael48 no. No crime. Just a really hard town to fit into if you aren't from there. We were there for 2 years, starting when my son was in 5th grade. He didn't make one single friend. He was in wrestling too and we couldn't get one parent to say hi to us at tournaments. It was like living in the twilight zone. Literally the loneliest I have ever been. Lol

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@serve16 oh wow! That’s so crazy!  

Answer 8

There's quite the LEO population in Sandpoint. It's very beautiful up there.  

Answer 9

I'm in SE Idaho and our housing prices have been consistently going up. I don't consider our cost of living as being low anymore. Right now I don't know how things will go after we start back to regular work etc. Unemployment is quite high currently.  

Answer 10

If state/local government pay is low, try federal. Not sure of the prisons in Idaho, but supermax in Colorado has decent pay and benefits.  

Comments

@shizue4 awesome thank you! We will def have to look at every level. I know it’s his heart to be LE or anything related to that.  

Answer 11

Im in nampa idaho. @countercharge is one of my neighbors actually. I saw she posted.  Minimum wage is 7. 25. But we live out in the country. Outskirts so outside city limits. Housing for over 3 beds will be over 250k depending on your area. Move in ready or not. Boise is ridiculous to buy in. Very spendy. I dont know much about what a LEO is at all. So im not much help there. But pretty much if your anywhere in treasure valley a city to get everything you need is like right here. Were 5 min drive into town being that were outside city limits. We got super lucky with our property and we paid 218k. Hmmm. Schools. Nampa is open enrollment so you dont have to chose the school your zoned for but ive heard that they wont do buses if you go that route. But. Dont quote me. My son is only 2. So were not there yet. Without knowing more thats all i got. Hopefully you know how to drive in snow. Or your gonna piss some people off. Sorry. Idaho native. I had to.  

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@thereabouts3 I use to work for the school district. If your kid goes to a school that your house isn't zoned for you have to drive them.  

Answer 12

Were on almost 1/2 acre btw.  

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@thereabouts3 so awesome! We want country living too! I live Nampa! I’ll be homeschooling so school isn’t a big deal. LEO is just law enforcement officer. I’ll look into Nampa! Thank you! I’ve been looking at lots and houses and I’m looking around that price. How is buying property in Idaho? Like, the process/regulations and fees? Haha if that makes sense.  

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@bael48 mine was $170, 000 down the road from hers. We got a big shop and 3/4 of an acre but an older house that needs work.  

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That’s so awesome! I guess we have a lot to consider  

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What cameron said. Our house is larger and they had started fixing a bunch but we have the smallest lot. Ours has solar. We went fha. So like honestly im not the best because our process was easy and we got lucky. They added solar panels which is why we bought it. But they left a 55" tv mounted on wall for us. They left a hottub a shed. We only did . 5% down and got assistance but our mortage lender was phenomenal to work with. And so was our realtor. I had talked to her for over a year with questions and shes just genuinely a great person. But she had to tell me it never goes so smooth and we got a lot of bonuses. Ours is a newer house because mine was the newest one added. The lane was originally all family members of 5. Now theyve either passed away or dispersed. Theres only 1 left. Its septic system. No gas. And we run on well. That we share. With cameron. And the other couple neighbors. But the closer you get in town your more likely to run into a bidding war.  

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@thereabouts3 great Info! I wondered about bonuses and assistance.  

Answer 13

Ooh. And as far as micro farming. No you will not wanna be in boise. Theres like no land opportunities out there and if there is be prepared to spend quiteeeeeeee a bit. Same with eagle. You wanna look at middleton. Nampa. Kuna. Melba. Marsing. Possibly. And id personally not go to caldwell unless your closer to nampa than you would be to caldwell. Caldwell sucks a**

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@thereabouts3 such great info thank you! Haha I’ll look into those towns for sure! I’ll steer clear of Caldwell lol

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@bael48 I personally wouldn't recommend boise either. While its not a bad place most of the area surrounding it is farm land and towns surrounding it are farm towns, you will have a TON of migrant workers during the season. CDA is good, you get a lot of small towns surrounding that. Buying anything right now will be hard but you are also not far from Spokane or Missoula.  

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Plus it is a really pretty area

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@demogorgon ♥️ thank you! That’s really good to know

Answer 14

In retro spec to the cities.  

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Emmett, Parma, Payette, Wilder, Marsing, Middleton, Greenleaf. all outside of Boise within an hour. I would say if you can somehow keep jobs in California AND move here you’ll be best off. Otherwise, jobs here don’t pay well, especially for women. Cost of homes are high in relation to pay in my observations. But quality of life is good.  

Answer 15

Good luck! I know many in Idaho aren’t happy with Californians moving out there. I have a FB friend that listed her house for sale and purposely did not even contemplate offers from Californians. ‍♀️

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@fieldstone awww haha what people don’t understand is that Californians leaving are the republicans haha liberals love Ca! All my republican friends and their friends have moved. Maybe that would help? Hahaha

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@bael48 that makes sense!  

Answer 16

I'm in Ammon Idaho (Idaho Falls area). I don't know about the pay. Housing is nuts here as houses have shot up 50-100k+ what they were a couple years ago  Really really sucks for us who live here. Ok I'm done with tht pity party. Lol. SE Idaho has a lot of farmland but this is a nice bustling town I'm guessing around 50k people? Maybe look it up. Not super big but a great place for families and near a lot of nice places for camping, fishing, etc. Northern Idaho is kinda like Oregon or Washington. Lotsa trees and such. Different culture I'm guessing too. If you have any questions about the area let me know. I'm from NH and have been here since 2004. I love it  

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@alius20 I am in Idaho Falls too! It is so discouraging that the prices have jumped so high. I can't believe the prices for some of the homes! You are right, nice place for families

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@alius20 thank you so very much! I was looking at land there earlier today. Also northern too! Lots to consider

Answer 17

An Idahoan here! Please think it through! I dunno what area you’re considering. I live in Boise. wages are LOW overall. cost of living is NOT LOW! rent on a 1 bedroom apt is over 1K most jobs starting wage is 40K. it’s not all it’s cracked up to be! Make sure you can tolerate the cold it can get blistering cold. make sure you like snow and all the seasons. make Sure you like nature, hunting, fishing, hiking, rafting, camping. that is what life is like in Idaho! lol. it’s a nice place to raise kids, crime is relatively low all things considered, our housing market is crazy right now and a nice home will run you 300K. I wouldn’t move to Boise. maybe CDA. but not Boise. just my opinion though!  

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@faraday perfect! Thank you for all that! We definitely aren’t used to that life here in CA but we are yearning for that type of life. We are definitely cut out for it! That stuff is all we think about. All things nature and trying to live as much off the land as much as possible! Love all that! That life sounds amazing. Since I have fam there I have an idea of it. My parents were born there and talk about the snow haha that’s something we definitely will have to strongly consider! Hubby hates cold  but our dislike for CA is stronger  ohhh wow that’s good to know about the market. I love Boise but hear it is exactly what you describe. We have fam in CDA and Emmett. Love all the info! Thank you!  

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@bael48 Hey if you want to geek out on homestead type stuff, specifically gardening look up the LDS prepper on YouTube. He lives in or near Shelley, ID which is about 20+ minutes south of Idaho Falls. I want to make own if his green houses! LDS stands for Latter Day Saint which means he's a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. There's a large population of that religion here in SE Idaho. I am a member of this church and even as such it was a wee bit of culture shock coming from NH.  But again I love it here besides nearly 6 months if winter. That is no joke.  

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@alius20 oh wow. Thanks! 6 months of winter?!?! What thoooo lol

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@bael48 I may be exaggerating but it can show in October and April no prob. It's even done that later. It doesn't always stick. Right now it's 60s and touching 70s.  

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@alius20  ohhh ok! That’s still a little crazy haha right now in central CA it’s hitting 100  it’s great but also not haha

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Spring seems short but it's glorious. It's 60s and breezy.  

Answer 18

I want to sincerely thank everyone for your great advice and tips! You don’t know how helpful that is! I’ll relay all this to the hubby and plan accordingly ♥️

Answer 19

You might consider buying in Idaho close to the Washington border and hubby working in Washington State. WA pays better, but cost of living appears appears cheaper in Idaho.  

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@hardigg oh thank you! I’ll consider that.  

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Spokane area has A police Dept, sheriff dept, city prison and county jail. They seem to always be hiring. Lewsiston/clarkston also has several dept,  

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@hardigg thank you!  

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@hardigg hubby did this & high recommend!  

Answer 20

I know people that work at the prison in Oregon and they have guys that have quit the one in Boise and came here for the pay and benefits. An hr drive for better pay. My husband has heard that LEO can make more than CO in Idaho.  

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@faraday Fuhrmann oh that’s good to know! Thank you! I’ll have to look into benefits and pay!  

Answer 21

Where in Idaho are you looking and why? I ask because I LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE northern Idaho but am not a fan of the Boise area. Someone memtioned Sandpoint being a good place for LEO which I honestly wouldn't know BUT it is a completely different mindset up there compared to CA and Boise.  

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@provencher honestly I’m not 100% sure. We have fam in CDA and Emmett. We love Boise but we don’t want to live there. I want country living, hunting, fishing. all that. Want some chicken and eventually a few other little animals. We’d like to be as self sustaining/sufficient as possible. Out of city limits. I don’t mind towns or cities but I’d like to not have a ton of neighbors lol I live in a conservative farm town in CA that is 45 minutes from the sequoia national park.  

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@bael48 I used to live in Visalia! Where do you live?  

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@yama9 no way! That’s where we have always lived! We got a house in Tulare tho so that’s where we are now. Small world!  

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@bael48 oh ok! I live in the Spokane area but am wanting to move to Athol ID area. Someone mentioned that Spokane might have better LEO opportunities and if that is the case CDA is only about an hour away. CDA is beautiful, it is more of a resort town so cost of living is a little more but not terrible. Spokane is another good area but housing is kind of high right now. There are quite a few opportunities for federal jobs out here though and the state jobs in Spokane have pretty good benefits as well. Diversity has gotten better since I first moved here but is not at all like it is down in CA. I am originally from Los Angeles and when I moved up here 10 years ago it was a culture shock for me. There are some towns up north where they are still a little hesitant about change (is the nicest way I can put it) so just keep that in mind.  

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@provencher that’s awesome! We want to be in a medically free state with well ran gov and good laws. I think looking into working in OR or WA would be great! Yeah I keep hearing CDA is the way to go ♥️ which is awesome cuz we have family there

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@bael48 then go ID, WA laws are quickly changing.  

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@bael48 my sister lives in Tulare now. And some of my family is still in Visalia. We are all from San Diego but I lived there for over 20 years. Worked at Kaweah Delta for 12 years.  

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@provencher thank you! Yeah that’s what I’m hearing too

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@yama9 wow that’s awesome!  

Answer 22

What is a LEO?  

Comments

Law Enforcement Officer

Answer 23

Try applying for Spokane, Wa & living in post falls or Coeur D’lane area! Washington pays well and it’s border to Idaho! Beautiful here!  

Answer 24

I lived in Moscow, Idaho briefly and absolutely loved the town and surrounding areas. Just beautiful!  

Answer 25

Just don’t tell anyone you’re from CA.  The state and areas are changing rapidly with the surge of people moving in. We live in Spokane and my husband works in CDA. The price of housing and land has absolutely skyrocketed.