Hello all, we may relocate from uk, with 2 teenage girls, whats for them ie schools, social? Any other info will be really helpful. Thanks.
Post Falls IDKirkandMimi (local Idaho Trip Advisor expert) who currently live in Post Falls should also reply with information. I currently live Coeur d’Alene and grew up in Post Falls so here are my thoughts. Post Falls in located between Spokane, Washington (population 500,000) and Coeur d’ Alene, Idaho (population 40,000), making it a very convenient location for commuting into Spokane but still living in Idaho and enjoying what it has to offer. Post Falls is one of the fastest growing cities in Idaho, when I grew up there 25+ years ago the total population of the city was less than 4,000, now its approaching 25,000. People are moving to North Idaho because of relative low cost of housing, great climate, friendly people, and access to outdoor activities. The Post Falls schools have been keeping up with the growth but it’s a struggle. They recently opened a new high school and already are considering building a second high school. There are private schools and a Charter School also available in the area. We enjoy a four season climate with snow in the winter but not too hot of summers, and not as much rain as Seattle. North Idaho is located at the beginning of the Rocky Mountains so enjoyment of the outdoors is the biggest activity (camping, hiking, snow skiing, fishing, water sports, biking). Post Falls is located along the Spokane River, which gives boat access to Coeur d’ Alene Lake. If you daughters enjoy the outdoors no problem keeping them occupied. Being fairly close to Spokane allows access to a variety of cultural activities (symphony, plays, museums, sports events), Coeur d’ Alene just east of Post Falls can offer similar activities but at a smaller scale. In Idaho there is a two-year college located at Coeur d’ Alene (North Idaho College) with satellite campus from three other Idaho universities also located in Coeur d’ Alene. The main campus for the University of Idaho is located 90 miles south at Moscow. Here is the web address for the Post Falls Chamber of Commerce which can provide local information: www.postfallschamber.com . Also here is the Post Fall School District web site: www.pfsd.com . Here is the Coeur d’ Alene Chamber of Commerce web site: www.coeurdalene.org . Any questions feel free to ask, I’m sure either KirkandMimi or I can try to answer.
Post Falls IDthanks nidahodave for your prompt answer, 1 of the girls isnt the big outdoor adventure type, at 16 she tends to try and hang out with the cool types!?! i dont know how much you know about the work visa situation, my partner and i are not married and the visa would only be for me??? as i have been provisionally offered a job, coming out end of may / early june to finalise things we dont quite know how the system would work as obviously after a good few years together we arent thinking of living apart just for a job where only i can relocate. your thoughts? as regards property are there any obvious areas to steer clear of, without offending anyone, and it may be a dumb question but is there anything to gain by living near spokane on the washington side of things??
again many thanks for your input into our life changing decision.
Hopefully KirkandMimi will also reply, I believe they have kids and may be able to give a better feel for how kids do in this area. Have you been to this area (northern Idaho / eastern Washington) before? I can’t be much help on the visa situation other than to say 9/11/2001 did have an impact on ability to reside and function here in the US without a legal visa. For example we used to be able to travel to Canada (about 120 miles north of here) quite easily without much hassle at the border by Canadian or US immigration / customs but now the US side is far more attentive to who they let in. There were and are also a large number of Canadian citizens who live and work down here, I was never sure how many of them were legal but no one really cared or asked. Living in Washington versus Idaho is usually first a choice of where you work and how much you want to commute to work. There are people working and commuting between both states with the main commuting flow from Idaho into Washington. The main difference between states is their tax structure. Washington State has property taxes, sales taxes, business/service taxes and high auto/driver/boat license fees but no income tax. Idaho has property taxes, sales taxes, and income taxes. For most people I would say that Idaho overall taxes are lower than Washington but if you are not a property owner in Washington, live and work in Washington you would probably save on taxes. Idaho is more conservative politically and socially than Washington, particularly the Seattle area as compared to Idaho, Spokane is more conservative than Seattle. Overall there aren’t any real bad areas in the Post Falls / Coeur d’ Alene area, Spokane does have some bad areas. The main thing people need to realize when looking around Post Falls / Coeur d%26#39; Alene area is that we were once a very rural area so there are some homes / trailer houses that are run down and not very attractive. The choice of where you live in Post Falls / Coeur d’ Alene is usually based on price and environment (timbered area versus open area versus views versus proximately to the river/lakes). Average home price in this area is about $230,000 US.
Hi gallactictraveller,
As usual, Dave has given you great information regarding this rapidly growing area, so I%26#39;ll just stick to the social/school information regarding your girls.
First of all, you poor thing! I have one teenage girl and I can%26#39;t even imagine having two. I feel for you...
Putting that aside, there is one high school in Post Falls and two junior high or middle schools. One of the middle schools is brand new, and the other is a converted elementary school and easily qualifies as the most unattractive school I%26#39;ve sent my kids to. Looks aren%26#39;t everything fortunately, and we%26#39;ve found that the administration is highly qualified and responds well to parent inquiries. My daughter is in middle school and we recently had an incident where another child assaulted her. The school responded quickly and firmly and the other child has been expelled and actually convicted of a crime by the police. The principal was helpful and we owe here a debt of gratitude.
Don%26#39;t let that scare you too much, but you will find a wide variety of kids here all attending the same school. In other areas (Southern California for example), you find that the majority of the kids are all from relatively the same economic background. Here, you%26#39;ll find kids who live in the most rundown trailer park you%26#39;ve ever seen, side by side with kids who live in multi-million dollar homes. Perhaps it%26#39;s a good thing in the long run, but we have found the teens to be quite ';cliquish';.
There is unfortunately a good amount of drug use, but honestly I don%26#39;t know if it%26#39;s any more than in other areas. We%26#39;ve managed to avoid that issue thank goodness.
On the positive side, we also find that for the most part, teens here are polite and well-mannered. When we first moved here we were shocked that even in fast food restaurants the teenagers would say ';sir'; and ';ma%26#39;am';. We weren%26#39;t used to it and it was refreshing.
Our family isn%26#39;t the outdoors type so we don%26#39;t take advantage of all the great recreationaly activities, but my 15 year old son is a huge sports nut and has been on all the Middle and High School football teams. There is a big emphasis on high school sports in Post Falls even with the girls. If either of your daughters are the athletic type, they%26#39;ll fit right in.
As Dave pointed out, there are definitely parts of Spokane that aren%26#39;t as neighborhood friendly as others, so choose carefully if you decide to move to that area.
With everything that I%26#39;ve mentioned above, we still consider this move to North Idaho to be the best thing we%26#39;ve done for our family. If you%26#39;re a good parent, which you obviously are since you%26#39;re asking the question, you%26#39;ll be fine. Just keep an eye on their friends, meet their friend%26#39;s parents and do the normal monitoring you would do in any city. We%26#39;ve found a few kids that are pretty worthless, but if you can get your daughters to steer clear of them (mostly the goth and skateboarders, of which there are quite a few) you%26#39;ll find some amazingly great young people.
As I mentioned before, the majority of the kids are great -- almost like throwbacks to an earlier time -- full of curiousity and innocence, but I would hate to NOT tell you about the bad ones and have you move here expecting a Utopia and finding something else.
Good luck with your decision and post with any more questions and Dave and I will do our best to answer them.
Many, many thanks for your honest view, sounds like the world over !! unfortunately!!, nothing in the reply, that i wasnt expecting, you can only guide them not control them.....
The other problem we have now found is that due to my partner and I not being married, it seems she cant come over on my visa as a trailing spouse.
Any ideas other than get married?
so many questions and it seems to me the job wont be there forever, but its an opportunity we dont want to miss,......fate doesnt pass through many towns these days, but when it does its a bus you have to catch!!
Only other idea on a visa I have is if she has education / skill / training that she could get her a visa on her own if an employer would sponser. For example someone with a medical backround should be able to find a willing employer because medical skills are in high demand around here. Engineering / technical is another area of high demand. Overstaying as a tourist could be a problem in terms of employment, financial accounts, licenses, and government related activites because they are more sensitive after 9/11/2001. Having said that we do have ';illegal immigrants'; in Idaho.
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