Considering a move to Boise...

U.S.A. Idaho

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Hi! My DH and I are considering a move to the Boise area for my DH's job.

I'm an ER nurse and very much want to stay in ED nursing. Can anyone tell me about salaries (here in Chicago I'm close to $23.00/hour before differentials, w/one year under my belt as an RN).

I'd also like to know about nice places to live. We'd like to have a fairly nice house, 3-4 bedrooms on some acreage if possible, or be close enough to an area where I could keep a horse. Any areas to steer clear of?

How are the schools there? Is public school OK or do we have to think about private schools, depending, of course, on where we live.

Thanks -- appreciate the input!

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I'm interested in knowing about this also. We are considering a move to southwest Idaho, and I would like to have a decent house on some acreage. I like lots of trees and greenery.

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I live in Nampa, ID, which is about 30 minutes outside of Boise. I would highly recommend this state. There is plenty of land to choose from in the surrounding areas. Kuna, about 20 minutes from Boise, has a lot of acreage for horses. You're going to have a hard time finding a lot of acreage with a lot of greenery around here because it's mostly desert. However, if you work in Boise, it is beautiful. Boise is known as the City of Trees.

Sorry, but I can't help on the salary issue. I'm a student at the local university, so I'm not positive on any numbers.

I am quite confident in the public school system. I spent my entire education in private schools, but I've never heard anything horrible about the public schools. Boise has many great schools.

Hope this helps a little! :)

I'm interested in knowing about this also. We are considering a move to southwest Idaho, and I would like to have a decent house on some acreage. I like lots of trees and greenery.
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I'm interested in knowing about this also. We are considering a move to southwest Idaho, and I would like to have a decent house on some acreage. I like lots of trees and greenery.

I live in Caldwell, about 25 miles from Boise, and about 11 miles from Nampa. There is a lot of wide open space here still and lately horse raising has really caught on. We have a beautiful state. We are currently looking for LPN's and RN's at our building...Panka

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I live in Nampa and work as a school nurse at 2 of the elementaries here. Our public schools are great here!!! Obviously I can't vouch for every teacher or administrator but let me tell you compared to California, where we moved from, I am very happy :p Every elementary has a music teacher and a full cafeteria and this is a very caring community. There aren't a lot of trees in Idaho because it is high dessert but it has better sunsets here than Hawaii (all of our guests comment on them). I love the 4 seasons because none of them are too harsh and the area has a lot to offer in terms of outdoor recreation. My pay doesn't seem great but then I have 11 weeks off a year so it actually isn't bad. I think the hospital nurses do pretty good. I would highly recommend St. Luke's and St. Als because they have excellent reputations in these communities. Honestly Mercy Medical in Nampa has a horrible reputation, most people don't want to take anything serious there they all choose to drive to Meridian or Boise! Hope this helps. If you have anymore specific questions let me know.

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http://www.SearchBoise.com/abbs/

Close to downtown, BSU, airport, St. Luke's. Must see!

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Hi! My DH and I are considering a move to the Boise area for my DH's job.

I'm an ER nurse and very much want to stay in ED nursing. Can anyone tell me about salaries (here in Chicago I'm close to $23.00/hour before differentials, w/one year under my belt as an RN).

I'd also like to know about nice places to live. We'd like to have a fairly nice house, 3-4 bedrooms on some acreage if possible, or be close enough to an area where I could keep a horse. Any areas to steer clear of?

How are the schools there? Is public school OK or do we have to think about private schools, depending, of course, on where we live.

Thanks -- appreciate the input!

Mercy in Nampa is pretty bad, didn't really care for Nampa itself, either. Caldwell has a rep for being pretty rough, and multiple nurses have told me that the hospital is bad. It's an HCA facility. St. Luke's anad Saint Al's are both good. I preferred Saint Al's as they don't have the arrogance quite as bad as St. Luke's. St. Luke's is a Magnet facility. I LOVE Boise - it's perhaps my favorite city in the USA.

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hi Superschool,

Your reply was so informative! Do you have any thoughts on living in the Idaho Falls area? Have you ever visited Swan Valley? Looking to relocate there from Boston, and was looking for someplace with lots of greens and mountains. Your input would be nice!

Thanks. :)

I live in Nampa and work as a school nurse at 2 of the elementaries here. Our public schools are great here!!! Obviously I can't vouch for every teacher or administrator but let me tell you compared to California, where we moved from, I am very happy :p Every elementary has a music teacher and a full cafeteria and this is a very caring community. There aren't a lot of trees in Idaho because it is high dessert but it has better sunsets here than Hawaii (all of our guests comment on them). I love the 4 seasons because none of them are too harsh and the area has a lot to offer in terms of outdoor recreation. My pay doesn't seem great but then I have 11 weeks off a year so it actually isn't bad. I think the hospital nurses do pretty good. I would highly recommend St. Luke's and St. Als because they have excellent reputations in these communities. Honestly Mercy Medical in Nampa has a horrible reputation, most people don't want to take anything serious there they all choose to drive to Meridian or Boise! Hope this helps. If you have anymore specific questions let me know.
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Mercy in Nampa is pretty bad, didn't really care for Nampa itself, either. Caldwell has a rep for being pretty rough, and multiple nurses have told me that the hospital is bad. It's an HCA facility. St. Luke's anad Saint Al's are both good. I preferred Saint Al's as they don't have the arrogance quite as bad as St. Luke's. St. Luke's is a Magnet facility. I LOVE Boise - it's perhaps my favorite city in the USA.

ouch. why so negative about Mercy?

How did you get the info on all our local hospitals? Have your worked in them all, or done clinicals?

I've done clinicals at all of the hospitals you mentioned and am currently employed at Mercy. Mercy is smaller, but has much more heart then Lukes or Als. I really think the place you work is pretty much what YOU make it.

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Boise is a nice area lots of job oppourtunities and good public and private schools. Land is more expensive than other parts of Idaho but is you like city life its the place for you.

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Idaho Falls has its pros and cons.... I grew up smack in the middle of New Jersey, so I have to tell you there is some culture shock! I think you mentioned Swan Valley....ABsolutely beautiful there! It is also right in between Idaho Falls and Jackson, so you can still obtain "culture" if you want it. Not that Idaho Falls has a Broadway or anything, but we do have a very good community arts program, and they revamped our old theatre a number of years ago, and bring some pretty big names in. We went to a Ray Charles concert a couple years before he passed away..it was dynamite! and we saw Manhattan Transfer and several other recognizables...it is especially fruitful if you like country (bleh!) music.

Land is Swan Valley is relatively cheap, especially compared to other states/areas. It is going up rapidly though, as people have been discovering how gorgeous it is. The Idaho Falls area in general has pretty good real estate prices.

NUrsing jobs here are available, but are not in nearly the dire straits that a lot of areas are. YOu will not find hugely competitive wages here. In general the wages in Idaho all suck. But its all relative. The cost of living is somewhat cheaper here, and nursing of course pays better than a lot of things. There do always seem to be jobs open at both hospitals. From what I've been told by people who have already gotten through a program and are working, the pay, perks, benefits, and overall attitude/environment is much better at MOuntain View Hospital than at Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center. There are also other hospitals within a (reasonable?) commute, depending on how far you are used to travelling....

Hope some of this helps a little...

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Howdy. I lived in Eastern Idaho for six years, and unless you are A: Mormon, B: Think Rush Limbaugh is too liberal, or C: into the outdoors, hunting, fishing, snowmobiling, there's not a whole lot to recommend. If you are at all liberal, I certainly would advise someone to stay away or they'll go nuts. Eastern Idaho is over 60% Mormon, and if you are not one, or interested in becoming one that can cause a lot of problems for you. There is some of the best scenery in the whole world, bar none, but we found that it didn't make up for the bads. Idaho is kind of a nutty place (I can say that because I grew up about 50 miles from Coeur d' Alene, too). There are some great people in Idaho, but there is also prejudice and racism (the Aryan Nations had their headquarters there for a reason.....). I think if one is aware of all these things, then hey, go for it! But I just think people ought to know. If one is conservative in politics, etc. then it is a great place to live. Low crime rate, friendly people etc.

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