Posts
1204
Joined
4/29/2008
Location
Joshougal, WA, USA
If you guys are in the Spokane or CDA area and want to info dump everything you know about living there, I’m all ears.
I know it’s a bad time to ask with your current fire situation, so hope that doesn’t skew your perspective too much. Hope no one is affected too bad by the fires either.
Spokane is where I see concerts and buy weed. CDA is where I drive through on my way to go riding. I’m not much of a city person.
In all seriousness, I can live anywhere in the country and chose here. No income tax, legal weed, 5 national forests within a few hours drive, tons of rivers and lakes, Panhandle is next door, MT border is 80 miles away, interior BC border less than 100 miles. Off road and skiing heaven. Not much for moto (Airway & Fossil Bowl are public, but private tracks will open up when you meet people), but amazing trails all over. I value trail riding over just about everything else, so I’m more than content around here.
What’s your draw to the area?
Fossil bowl is still open? I guess it makes sense as it is in the middle of nowhere. I used to race there once a year, do some Airway heights races, Huetter and I raced the last ever Sandpointe race in 89.
The climate in Spokane will better suit you coming from the coast then if you moved down my way in the Basin Josh. It is still warmer and dryer though then what you are used to.
My sisters live up there and I have always gotten the impression that housing is affordable.
Yep. I went last year to pull garnets from their property and then watched everyone moto the rest of the day. Was a good day.
We’ve put North Idaho and NW Montana under a microscope since the beginning of the year. This has been in the works for a couple years but until this year we were just working towards it. We’ve visited multiple times and zero’d in on CDA outskirts. Unfortunately, it seems so has everyone else and the pricing is at a premium. I found a place about a half hour out of the way on the WA side that is pretty ideal in terms of what we like. It’s just a new area to us, climate is different, etc. so we are processing. We ride, kids are getting interested in moto and the last decade I’ve been all single track.
The Shop
Luxon 4-Post Bar Mounts
$189.95 - $239.95
DeCal Works Huge Plastic Inventory of UFO and Polisport kits.
I’m packing up to leave MT as I type this. Was here all week exploring abandoned miniing camps/towbs. I’ll give you more INW info after the 6hr drive home.
MT is next level amazing!
My sister moved to Spokane a few years ago and likes it a lot. I think it's a pretty cool town myself. Lots to do, has an airport, nice downtown scene. Plus, they have the Garbage Goat!
https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/garbage-eating-goat-statue
Sounds excellent, thanks!
If you visit your sister let me know, I’ll be around.
I was in a similar position 10 years ago when I moved. Had a school aged child and a wife that needs an obgyn, which is why I ended up on the WA side. Education and medical care for women are not priorities in ID, so keep that in mind before you make a decision.
If I were hell bent on N ID then there's 3 places I'd consider. Clark Fork, Mullan or St Maries. All far enough from Spokane/CdA as not have city problems and all surrounded by NF land. I'd also consider Grangeville, but that's not exactly in the panhandle anymore.
In way Western MT I'd pick Thompson Falls. You'll be driving to Missoula or Kalispell for any real shopping, medical, etc. But it's a beautiful area with no real city problems to speak of and some amazing riding nearby. All the towns on the I90 corridor (Taft to Alberton) feel like tourist traps and/or are podunk beyond comprehension, so those are out for me. If I were to buy in W MT it would be around Butte, but that's only because of its centralized location and rich mining history in the city and surrounding hills. I don't have school aged kids and am nearing retirement, so my only real concern left is healthcare for my wife, which Butte has.
Another thing to consider is fire season and how much timber you're willing to live in. I'm in heavy ponderosa cover and it's terrifying. I'm getting this place ready to go on the market in the spring and will be buying land down in a valley somewhere. It's been a struggle to get home insurance and after these latest fires I'm concerned I wont be able to insure it at all after this policy expires. I want a place in the lowlands around here (INW) and another on the coast where we can spend the summers away from the smoke and fires. The forests are so mismanaged around here it's almost comical.
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