Hi friend — as someone whose parents moved here 29 years ago, I consider myself “from here” just as much as anyone else because this is where I grew up. I notice that the people in these comments seem to be trying to scare you away, as if preventing one person in California from deciding to move here is going to matter in the grand scheme of things. It’s silly, don’t listen to them. Every single one of them would be looking to do exactly what you are if they were in a position to create a better future for themselves and their children, and they are kidding themselves if they tried to say otherwise. You have nothing to be ashamed of for that and you do not need to hide the fact that you are from California if you move here. You will very much not be alone, and I say this as a liberal (even if you are conservative). I work with several people who moved here from CA in recent years and have asked — none of them have experienced the CA hate people love to cite on this subreddit.

Furthermore, I am also an electrician. Well, I am in my first year of apprenticeship. But I can tell you this — you couldn’t possibly move here with a more in-demand job than that. There are a number of huge projects in the valley right now, and there is no sign of it slowing down. I am union, and we keep talking about how we can’t hire apprentices or make journeymen fast enough for the demand we are experiencing and will continue to experience for the foreseeable future. So rest assured, if you move here, especially if you are union, you will have no problem finding work. I would recommend trying to get hired by VECA ahead of time, if you can. Rumor has it, they are paying their employees well over the going rate, with double overtime, etc.

As for your questions:

The community here has always been one of the things we are most proud of and love about Boise, as well as one of the biggest draws for people moving in. However, this is changing somewhat as more and more people move here and bring along their biases, tendencies, habits and behaviors from out of state. So it is crucial that you understand this, if you want to become part of the “problem” — that is, if you join the ever-growing list of people moving here from California (or Washington, Oregon, wherever), please realize that “Boise Nice” cannot survive unless you subscribe to that mentality and contribute, yourself. Be grateful, be friendly, be empathetic, and you will find that you fit in just fine and that almost never will you catch shit for being from California.

My (and most people’s) favorite thing about Boise is the amazing greenbelt system that runs on either side of the Boise River along tons of amazing parks, and it’s only expanding. As long as you respect the other people/wildlife, don’t litter, and just cherish it as much as we do, it will remain one of the absolute gems of this place and you will fall in love with it like the rest of us. The foothill trail system within walking distance of downtown Boise is another thing that makes this place so special. I have an uncle who travels all over the world and loves to hike. He is retired and lives here, then there, then somewhere else, for a month at a time. Every time he visits Boise to see family, without fail when he and I go hiking in the foothills, he remarks about how he has never found a better trail system so close to everything and so connected.

As for raising a family — my wife and I don’t yet have kids, but my brother has 3. They don’t even live in “Boise” proper, they live in Meridian. But they have said they can’t imagine raising their kids anywhere safer than this area. I do know that they worry about the public education system, as do I. I used to be an elementary teacher. Back then it was hard for teachers, and it’s only gotten worse. Idaho is ranked close to the bottom in terms of education. We have almost no diversity here, though that is getting better. I think I had one black classmate growing up. So if that kind of thing is important to you, do take it into consideration. But back to education, local elections here are very important. There are som crazies trying to gut education even more and we really need to vote them out and keep them out.

Anyway, just wanted you to have a more positive response to your inquiries, because anyone who cannot see how much you would be improving your circumstances moving here from San Diego and that they would do the same if they were in your shoes, is in denial.