Out-of-Staters in Idaho
From California to New Jersey, out-of-staters are moving to Idaho by the bus load. It has made the Treasure Valley one of the fasting growing areas in the entire United States. While some Idahoans may embrace these California refugees with open arms, others have a different take on it. They feel as they are being priced out of their home and can’t afford to live here anymore. They feel these out-of-staters are leaving their home states to move here and change the politics that have made Idaho such a great state. In my humble opinion, I don’t think these out-of-staters are leaving their states to change the politics here. They already tried that, and they failed. Most of these people are moving here to escape. They know what makes Idaho a great place to live and they want to keep it that way. While crime has gone up a little bit in the past decade due to the influx of people moving here, that’s something that happens to any place that starts expanding. The most “dangerous” city in the Treasure Valley would be considered among the safest in a state like California. While the Boise metropolitan area doesn’t look the same as it did 20 years ago, hell even 10 years ago, I still believe it is one of the best places to live in the entire country, now others are seeing that as well.
As I mentioned earlier, a lot of Idahoans are feeling priced out of their homes and can’t keep up with the cost of living. It’s like these out-of-staters are playing with Monopoly money. They are purchasing homes in cash and over the listing price. It’s like your only other option to buy a house is to get put on a waiting list for 6 months to purchase a house in a neighborhood that hasn’t even been built yet. It’s frustrating, I know. The Boise as I once knew it doesn’t exist anymore. When my parents moved here it was so I could grow up in a safer place and have a chance to own a home one day and start a family of my own. Now, I feel like I’m going to have to find the next Boise to be able to do that. Homes that people have had since the 90s, 80s, and beyond are becoming outdated, and new homes are too expensive for the average person living in Boise to afford.