GET OUT: The Ongoing Message to Many Idaho Transplants

The complaint I most often hear isn’t about overcrowding (still a big objection) but about new people wanting Idaho to look like where they came from. In other words, if you’ve fouled one nest, why do you plan the same thing when you get here?

Coming fast and like a torrent. Credit Bill Colley.

I see links praising life in Idaho a couple of times a week. The latest suggests it’s the third-best state to call home in the country!

READ MORE: Idaho Third Best State in America

I went looking for some statistics on how many people in Idaho were born here, and I didn’t find anything conclusive. Even if someone tracks the figure, I’m not sure any native born American wants the government to know that much about them.

With a population three times what it was 35 years ago, I think we can say with certainty that a lot of people who live here now are from somewhere else, and surveys generally back it up, especially when it comes to our Left Coast neighbors. Nevada, Arizona, and Montana all know the drill.

Where do we put all of them? Credit Bill Colley.

Can you imagine how many more people would be here if interest rates and housing costs were lower?

Maybe they will be soon. I came across a warning from an investment house that suggests we’re in a housing bubble, similar if not the same as, where we were 20 years ago.

READ MORE: Housing Bubble Coming?

Additionally, fewer Americans are on the move than at any time in history. While that may help keep extended families closer, you can also see another side that we no longer have the opportunities that previous generations experienced.

READ MORE: Americans Aren’t Moving

Factoring in all these variables, maybe we’ll soon see a slowdown when it comes to population growth.