[scottwww]

Since you like to ski, Idaho might be just the ticket. Hailey/Ketchum (Sun Valley) is very upscale. McCall is an upscale town near the new Tamarack Resort and Brundage. Very close to Boise is Bogus Basin for very affordable skiing. Jackson, Wyoming is just across the border to the East.

I don't know what all is around Cour d'Alene and Sandpoint in the North, but they are popular with the upscale life.

There is a lot to like about Idaho. There are four distinct seasons. In Boise, winters are a bit cold, but not all that cold. Low of 37, high of 65 degrees today. Summers get to be hot (over 100 degrees for maybe 20 days) but it is very low humidity, so it is all good. Spring is the "wet" season, but nothing like Western Washington where I came from where it is really wet year round (except a four week summer is usually pretty nice). Fall is similar to Seattle's four weeks of summer, except around Thanksgiving it becomes what seems like winter.

Also very popular is rafting and kayaking (especially on the Salmon River and the Payette River). Fishing and hunting is popular. Bicycling. The lakes aren't much to see except maybe at Hell's Canyon.

Even with the low crime and low cost for housing (in Boise and vicinity to buy or build it averages about $150 per square foot including the lot) there is a price to pay. The cities are small. The largest is Boise at around 200,000. Both Ada and Canyon Counties together (Boise is in Ada) the population is around 500,000. The whole state is not much over 1 million people.

If you want a relatively quiet place to live with lots of outdoor possibilities, Idaho might be right for you.

For myself, I would like something with a larger population not so far away. But I haven't looked at all seriously since two of us are decision makers.

[When too people have to agree on decisions, it's funny how often the decision is made by the one who doesn't want to change anything.]