Looking at possible retirement locations - MT, ID

[41mag]

Do you have any insight regarding gun clubs in the general area?

My Sweet Bride grew up in Sandpoint. About 10-12 years ago one of her BIL took me out to his Shotgun club. He lived a bit SW of town on Rencoe Loop, & we drove toward town a few miles to get there. Sorry I can't provide more accurate information. It was a long standing shot gunners club. A former Idaho governor had used it as his 'home club' when he lived in that town. And beware those few shot gunners who have mastered the 'release-fire' trigger, all the ones I met were 100x100 level.

 

[bionic knees]

I am thinking John Day, Pendleton, LaGrande, Baker City, maybe even Wallowa area. heaven in my eyes, not the towns but the area in general.

 

[Horatius]

I am thinking John Day, Pendleton, LaGrande, Baker City, maybe even Wallowa area. heaven in my eyes, not the towns but the area in general.

I have genetically developed webbing between my toes, gotta stay west of the cascades or I dry out

 

[Mike7b]

Bonner county sportsman association, they run the sand point city owned outdoor shooting range, kootenai valley sportsman association, they run the rifle range in bonners ferry. Both of them also put on gun shows each year. That would get you started.

 

[Idaho44]

Realtor in John Day runs ads in the LA Times! Wait for the housing crash before buying in Idaho, Montana etc. Also there is no "cheap" place to live in the Inland West. Tax rates on property in Idaho is based on "market value". Keeps them polis' well fed, clothed and shoed!

 

[Horatius]

Realtor in John Day runs ads in the LA Times! Wait for the housing crash before buying in Idaho, Montana etc. Also there is no "cheap" place to live in the Inland West. Tax rates on property in Idaho is based on "market value". Keeps them polis' well fed, clothed and shoed!

I wish I would have bought in the lower panhandle when I could afford it. Now I need a widow woman who has a place some other guy bought!

 

[Horatius]

To be honest I can probably afford to buy someplace in Idaho. I NEED someone willing to get up first and start the stove!

 

[bionic knees]

I have genetically developed webbing between my toes, gotta stay west of the cascades or I dry out

I grew up on the east side and long for the dirt roads available over there.

 

[Nick Burkhardt]

Realtor in John Day runs ads in the LA Times! Wait for the housing crash before buying in Idaho, Montana etc. Also there is no "cheap" place to live in the Inland West. Tax rates on property in Idaho is based on "market value". Keeps them polis' well fed, clothed and shoed!

We see many artsy types move to the John Day area and buy one of the large nicer homes, only to sell it and leave after two winters.

 

[Nick Burkhardt]

I am thinking John Day, Pendleton, LaGrande, Baker City, maybe even Wallowa area. heaven in my eyes, not the towns but the area in general.

I have worked in all of those towns and my impressions are

John Day: One of the safest towns in Oregon. The Forest Service closed access roads under Obama which has restricted recreation and hunting. The first time I heard "BLM protest" I thought they were referring to the forest road closures. The wood mill was denied COVID relief money during the shut down because they were too white.

Pendleton: I hope you like the Rodeo, because there is not much else to do. 30% of Umatilla County residents voted for Biden and more have moved in from Portland since then. That means there is a 1 in 3 chance that your neighbor is a Wokehole. The county commissioners have restricted public access to the court house to one door with a metal detector and temperature check. You can't even take your own pen into the place. The county commissioners also mandated the Jab for all county employees. On the plus side, Costco in Washington State is just over an hour drive.

La Grande: While the majority of Union County voted for President Trump, La Grande itself is a University town and slightly more than half voted for Biden. Being a University town, the drivers are very polite. Restaurants in town are hit or miss. It seems that any one with good quality food ends up going out of business.

Baker City: I get calls to go to Baker City every week, but I have not been there in years. Someone else will have to fill you in on this place. Apparently the mayor is an anti-patriot tyrant.

The Wallowa area is pretty, but not easy to access. For a tourist destination, I found the people to be unfriendly "You're not moving here are you?" Wallowa Country voters rejected a proposal to join Idaho.

Like I said before, they are all still in Oregon and subject to whatever crazy dictates the governor comes up with. If we get Greater Idaho passed and move the border to the Cascades, then those areas would be worth staying in.

 

[Catfishmoon]

I think there has been a trend for a few years nationwide to leave large cities for rural areas and it is not just old, Caucasian, conservatives who have decided there are advantages to a smaller community. Some of the recent causes are housing prices in large cities are beyond the reach of many people, working via the internet is common for people with tech backgrounds, covid (whether you believe it exists or not) made some want to be near fewer people or where government regulations were less intrusive, etc, etc.
I prefer living in an area with large vistas and few people. House prices in smaller towns are no longer as inexpensive as they traditionally have been. I have a place in Eastern Washington and house prices have recently risen beyond belief to long time residents who have witnessed stagnant housing prices for decades in small rural towns.

 

[FourTeeFive]

Unfortunately the left, after destroying their own towns, are on the lookout for new places to destroy. Not really sure there is an answer to this problem other than safety in numbers. I'm thinking Tennessee or Kentucky.

 

[crstrode]

I've been living in the Portland area ever since I finished college in 1978, but I was born in Montana and went to HS and college in Boise. In another 2 or 3 years I'm going to be ready to retire, and I want to get out of Oregon then. Or before then - the company I work for has had us all working from home since April 2020 and they've told us that will now be a permanent situation, so all I really need for work is a good internet connection. I have some work to do on my house to get it ready to sell, so I'm looking at moving about mid-2023. So now I'm trying to decide where to go. Someplace a lot smaller and calmer than Portland, a lot redder politically, and reasonably affordable.

One of the things I want to have available wherever I wind up going, is a good outdoor rifle range. So the purpose of this post is to ask people who live in a couple areas about what's available. I'm looking for at least 300 yards, and up to 500 or 600 (or beyond, though I haven't shot 1000 for a number of years now) is good. A private club or a public range are both fine. Someplace to shoot some trap would be nice too. The general areas I'm looking at currently are the NW corner of Montana (Kalispel/Whitefish/C-Falls) and the Idaho panhandle. So any NWFA members who live in those areas, please let me know what sort of shooting facilities are available near you, and what you think of them if you've used them.

Any insights on housing costs would be appreciated, too.

Thanks!

I live in the area. I was born here and my ancestors have been here since it was Oregon Territory. You cannot realize it, but being exposed to the culture in and around Portland for that long has the result of imprinting that cannot be corrected.

Anyone that has been living in the Portland area for nearly half a century is a prime candidate as a carpetbagger.

PS: Read this quickly folks. The truth hurts and painful truths tend to be silenced quickly.

 

[gddgunsngear]

Central and or Eastern Oregon. Small towns, old west feel cattle country, good hunting/fishing... high desert in some spots -- hardpack clay problem for growing but it can be amended and worked.. Pendleton backs to umatilla forest. I cant say from experience how great it is since i havent explored it.. ?.
May become part of greater IDAHO at some point? Seems pretty red.. has values you're looking for. I know its still oregon though, but the people arent fans of pdx there based on the former...

Kentucky is on my list too, and somewhere near the ozarks..

 

[Cavedweller]

I am thinking John Day, Pendleton, LaGrande, Baker City, maybe even Wallowa area. heaven in my eyes, not the towns but the area in general.

Of the towns on this list I would choose John Day. Add Prairie City. Same area.

 

[gddgunsngear]

Of the towns on this list I would choose John Day. Add Prairie City. Same area.

Im curious about your reasoning over the others on the list.

 

[Cavedweller]

Im curious about your reasoning over the others on the list.

It is off the beaten path. Not on an interstate highway like Pendleton, La Grande, and Baker City. That could be good or bad, depending on how you look at things. Yet it is on the intersection of north, south, east and west routes. Easy access to the Blue and Strawberry Mountains for recreational opportunities. Beautiful country. Not quite as harsh a climate as the extreme NE part of the state (Enterprise, Joseph et al. -that area is beautiful if you can handle the winters, but a little more isolated than the John Day area.).

 

[41mag]

Yet it is on the intersection of north, south, east and west routes

20+ years ago I had a buddy move to Hermiston. He talked it up on a grand scale.
Made it seem so much more desirable than I could see. Last few times I've moseyed on thru, it seems now to be more like what he was describing then, than what I was seeing.

 

[drstrangelove]

What about Wyoming?

 

[3MTA3]

What about Wyoming?

Lots of great areas once you get away from the Jack$$$$on area. Some of the areas the border S. Dakota are very nice. Sheridan is worth a look see as well. It's right next to just about the most extreme and beautiful pass you will ever drive.