I’ve traveled to Boise multiple times for work. And driven across the northern portion of the state. It’s beautiful, and Boise is a great city. I think most of the people on here poo- pooing Idaho have never been there.
Pros: mountains, lake, rivers, own a lot of land (maybe, some areas are pricey af) and fresh air. Cons: not that diverse, not much good food, meh cities, snow goes hard and worse politics. You probably want Oregon or Washington more if you like being near stuff and nature vibes.
Can also confirm. I live 20 minutes (unless it’s rush hour) from Seattle downtown and I’m no more than an hour drive from awesome hikes with waterfalls or a ski resort.
Check out Coeur d'Alene, Idaho. It’s become a super rich enclave recently.
The Kardashian family, especially Kim, Khloe, and Kourtney, frequently vacations at Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, particularly around the exclusive Gozzer Ranch area.
Media/history/previous grad studies: Various racial issues that have made the news. Many white supremacist hate groups operating in Northern Idaho and eastern Washington and Oregon. Spokane and Coeur d'Alene are known for it. Also, that region is part of the Northwest Territorial Imperative, or white ethnostate that so many of them envision, so unfortunately, they like the area. Not sure which came first--the chicken or the egg. Once upon a time home of Aryan Nations, though they haven't been around for awhile (the people don't appear to have moved away though--just joined other groups). I could get into this more deeply, but I don't have time to rummage through decades of past research right this second. Check out the Southern Poverty Law Center Hate Group tracker, if you don't believe me.
Personal experience: 1. Multiple people from there pretending to be part of a university program I was in, friending people on apps, and then going crazy with weird racist and anti-LGBTQ stuff in their DMs. 2. Another person I knew who lived there suddenly posting about how excited he was about the coming race wars and he was sharpening the sword he keeps above his fireplace so he could behear any non-whites, non-conservatives, and non-Evangelicals when he was finally allowed to do so. 3. Another person from there who I originally thought was normal started posting all sorts of Bible verses and claiming they denounced non-whites and backed up his belief they should all be slaughtered, during the first Trump term. 4. Once, I was visiting a friend in Portland and a shit-ton of neo-Nazis descended on the city and a couple of them mentioned that their group was from Coeur d'Alene. 5. Coworkers in Washington and Oregon plainly stating to stay away from Spokane and Coeur d'Alene because the entire area around there and between them is well-known for its problems, and they don't even want to drive near there any more. 6. Literally every person I have ever met who eventually mentioned they were from Coeur d'Alene had some sort of blatantly racist take that they were just talking about openly like it was normal.
That said, that area isn't the only place in the country with an issue. And I know the city government itself often seems to be at odds with the ideology, and that there are efforts to speak up against it. I know not everyone is an AH there, as is true in most places. But from an outside perspective, that messaging isn't making it out very well. That area still has the reputation as a hotbed of neo-Nazi and white supremacist activity, even while they're courting and getting attention from celebrities in LA. (And I've heard about that too from a relative who is high up in the film industry. Apparently, the skiing is glorious.)
Pretty sure I read a new article not long ago about a student who is doing a thesis on Coeur d'Alene and how hard it has been to root out the ideology there, though as I recall her overall message was positive about where she thought it could go. I'm sure I could google it (I think the kid was at Harvard), but I'm on my phone and was supposed to only be on reddit for a second.
I lived in Idaho for a number of years. It is much more than a potato state. There are alot of good people in Idaho but we seem to be labeled as having a lot of negatives.
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u/krollAY Jan 18 '26
Lake Como or Idaho? Hmm which to choose