HERE
HERE IS
HERE IS EXCEPTIONAL." I WAS JUST INTERESTED TO GO SOMEWHERE
WHERE I COULD BE MORE
OUTDOORSY.
"WE'RE TRYING TO MOVE
UP HERE FOR A BETTER
LIFE."
WE MAKE ALL OF THESE
DIFFERENT LISTS SO
PEOPLE ARE MOVING HERE
THE SECRET IS OUT... THE
HIDDEN GEM.. IS NO
LONGER HIDDEN...
WELCOME TO THE NEWS
AT TEN... I'M MARK
JOHNSON.
AND I'M KIM FIELDS.
IDAHO'S CHARM IS
ATTRACTING OUT-OF-
STATERS IN DROVES...
PARTICULARLY -
CALIFORNIANS...
IT MAY SEEM MORE
APPARENT NOW -- BUT
CALIFORNIANS HAVE BEEN
MOVING TO IDAHO FOR
YEARS.
IT'S A TALKER...
MORGAN BOYDSTON
WENT OUT IN THE
COMMUNITY TO GET A
FEEL OF WHAT IDAHOANS
AND CALIFORNIA
TRANSPLANTS THINK
ABOUT THE CALIFORNIA-
CATION OF IDAHO.
THE
THE CALIFORNIA EXODUS - LANDING ON IDAHO'S SOIL FOR DECADES.
BECAUSE THERE'S SO
MANY OF THEM HERE -
WE WANTED TO HEAR
FROM YOU -- ARE
CALIFORNIANS WELCOME
IN IDAHO?
WELL IT DEFINITELY
DEPENDS WHO YOU TALK
TO.
TO.
AND
AND DO
AND DO CALIFORNIANS FEEL WELCOME? SOME SAY PEOPLE GIVE
THEM EYE-ROLLS OR
MAKE SARCASTIC
COMMENTS.. BUT FOR THE
MOST PART - THEY DO...
BECAUSE WE LIVE IN SUCH
A WELCOMING
COMMUNITY.
CHEAPER, WAY CHEAPER.
YOU
YOU CAN'T
YOU CAN'T LIVE IN CALIFORNIA ARE YOU KIDDING ME?"
"WE WERE LIVING
PAYCHECK TO PAYCHECK
JUST ON RENT DOWN
THERE AND NOW WE
HAVE A HOUSE, WE WERE
ABLE TO PAY FOR OUR
WEDDING."
"IT STARTED NOT FEELING
LIKE HOME.
NOW IDAHO IS FEELING
LIKE HOME FOR A LOT OF
CALIFORNIANS...
JUST LOOK AT THE
NUMBERS -- OF ALL THE
PEOPLE MOVING INTO
IDAHO FROM OUT OF
STATE, MOST OF THEM
HAIL FROM CALIFORNIA.
"SIGH. DO THEY FEEL
WELCOME? YES, I WOULD
THINK SO BECAUSE THEY
MOVE IN AND THEY TREAT
IT LIKE THEY'VE LIVED HERE
THEIR ENTIRE LIVES. BUT
THE PROBLEM IS THEY'RE
STEPPING
STEPPING ON A LOT OF PEOPLE'S TOES WHO HAVE LIVED HERE THEIR ENTIRE
LIVES
LIVES
"THE
"THE NORTHWEST AND WEST HAS ALWAYS HAD A KIND OF ANTI-CALIFORNIA
TWIST TO IT
I FEEL LIKE THE PEOPLE
THAT ARE MOVING HERE
DON'T HAVE A RESPECT
OR A REVERENCE FOR THE
LAND THAT - IT ALMOST
BRINGS TEARS TO MY EYES
- THE PEOPLE WHO WERE
BORN AND RAISED HERE.
BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT
MAKES IDAHO, IDAHO
"WELL, CERTAINLY,
THEY'RE WELCOME. WE'VE
BEEN
BEEN TALKING ABOUT THIS FOR THE LAST 50 YEARS AND YOU KNOW WE'VE
HEARD PEOPLE TALK
ABOUT CALIFORNICATION
AND ALL THAT KIND OF
STUFF BUT I THINK THAT
WE'VE BROUGHT A LOT OF
TALENTED PEOPLE IN,
GIVES SOME DIVERSITY TO
OUR POPULATION
A POPULATION THAT'S
GROWING
EXPONENTIALLY...
GROWING EXPONENTIALLY... INCREASING 2.2-PERCENT
FROM 2016 TO 2017 --
THE FASTEST RATE IN THE
COUNTRY...
A CLOSER LOOK AT THE
DATA SHOWS PEOPLE
MOVING INTO THE VALLEY
FROM CALIFORNIA ARE
MOST LIKELY FROM THE
L-A METRO AREA.
PEOPLE ARE ALSO
COMING IN DROVES FROM
RIVERSIDE, SAN
FRANCISCO, SAN DIEGO
AND SACRAMENTO
METRO AREAS.
LAST YEAR ALONE, ABOUT
11,800 PEOPLE
SURRENDERED THEIR
CALIFORNIA LICENSES
AND ID'S IN IDAHO - UP
FROM THE YEAR BEFORE.
ADA COUNTY SAW THE
HIGHEST INFLUX OF
CALIFORNIA
TRANSPLANTS LAST YEAR..
FOLLOWED BY KOOTENAI
AND CANYON COUNTY.
WHEN YOU TALK TO
IDAHOANS - NATIVE OR
NOT - ABOUT WHY SOME
AREN'T EMBRACING
AREN'T EMBRACING
CALIFORNIANS WITH OPEN ARMS -- "BECAUSE WE'RE
INVADING"
INCREASED HOUSING
PRICES AND COST OF
LIVING ARE WORRISOME...
THERE'S A PERCEPTION
CALIFORNIANS ARE
BRINGING IN MORE CASH
AFTER SELLING A HOME IN
THE GOLDEN STATE...
I DON'T SEE ALL CASH. I
SEE PEOPLE COMING IN
FROM ALL DIFFERENT
WALKS OF LIFE IN
CALIFORNIA
CALIFORNIANS ARE
RAISING THE DEMAND...
BUT REALTORS SAY
THEY'RE NOT THE SOLE
REASON COSTS ARE
CREEPING UP.
NO, WE DON'T HAVE ANY
INVENTORY. INVENTORY IS
OUR BOTTOM LINE
OUR INVENTORY HAS
BEEN UNDER TWO
MONTHS NOW FOR A
LONG TIME. SO NO
MATTER WHO IS LOOKING
WHETHER IT'S SOMEBODY
FROM CALIFORNIA OR
SOMEONE FROM TEXAS OR
SOMEONE FROM BOISE
LOOKING TO MOVE TO
MERIDIAN OR MERIDIAN
TO BOISE, WE DON'T HAVE
THAT MUCH TO OFFER
ON TOP OF THE LACK OF
HOMES... THERE'S A LACK
OF SPACE ON THE ROADS...
"I WOULD SAY THE
TRAFFIC IS THE BIGGEST
THING."
THING." AND MANY FEEL THEY'RE BRINGING BAD DRIVING
HABITS.
"THEY STILL DRIVE LIKE
THEY'RE IN CALIFORNIA
IN COUNTIES WITH THE
MOST CALIFORNIANS
MOVING IN --
A LOOK AT ADA COUNTY
SHOWS - CALIFORNIA
TRANSPLANTS MADE UP
34-PERCENT OF THE
PEOPLE SWAPPING THEIR
STATE LICENSE PLATES FOR
1-A PLATES IN 2017.
THEY ACCOUNTED FOR
NEARLY 29-PERCENT OF
PEOPLE TRADING IN
PLATES IN KOOTENAI
COUNTY... AND 36-
PERCENT IN CANYON
COUNTY.
"THERE'S A LOT OF
NEGATIVE THINGS YOU
CAN ASSOCIATE WITH
CALIFORNIA."
ANOTHER BIG ISSUE
IDAHOANS RAISED IS
SEEING A HISTORICALLY
RED STATE -
NATS GOP PRIMARY
ELECTION
TURN BLUE.
NATS DEMS PRIMARY
ELECTION
DEMOCRATS TURNED OUT
IN RECORD NUMBERS FOR
THE MAY PRIMARY
ELECTION...
NATS PRIMARY ELECTION
BUT POLITICAL EXPERTS
SAY - DON'T EXPECT THE
POLITICAL PLAYING FIELD
TO CHANGE.
IDAHO IS A REALLY, A
PRETTY STRONG
CONSERVATIVE BASE SO IT
WOULD REALLY TAKE A
LOT OF PEOPLE MOVING
HERE TO REALLY SHIFT
THAT VERY QUICKLY
BOISE STATE SCHOOL OF
PUBLIC SERVICE ASSISTANT
PROFESSOR JACLYN
KETTLER SAYS
CONSERVATIVES FROM
THE GOLDEN STATE ARE
MIGRATING HERE TO
ESCAPE CALIFORNIA'S
POLITICS AND
REGULATIONS.. AND
SETTLE SOMEWHERE THAT
ALIGNS WITH THEIR VIEWS
AND VALUES.
WE'RE NOT JUST HAVING
PEOPLE FROM BAY AREA
MOVE TO ADA CO THAT
ARE LIBERAL RIGHT WE ARE
HAVING CONSERVATIVES
FROM ORANGE COUNTY
MOVE TO NORTHERN
IDAHO OR CANYON CO SO
THERE IS DIVERSITY IN
THAT POPULATION THAT
IS MOVING HERE BUT A
GOOD AMOUNT OF THEM
ARE LEANING
CONSERVATIVE
GROWTH AND THE PACE
AT WHICH IT'S HAPPENING
IS UPSETTING TO A LOT OF
NATIVE IDAHOANS...
"IT'S CHANGIN AND IT'S
CHANGING FAST.
BUT LIKE IT OR NOT...
"CHANGE AND GROWTH
CAN BE GOOD, BUT I
DON'T WANT OUR STATE
TO BE DESTROYED
I KNOW IT'S A BIG
CHANGE BUT WE NEED TO
EMBRACE THAT BECAUSE
IT'S NOT GONNA STOP."
WITH GROWTH - CHANGE
IS BOUND TO HAPPEN.
"WE'RE NOT TRYING TO
LIKE TAKE OVER, MAKE IT
INTO ANOTHER
CALIFORNIA. WE LOVE
IDAHO WE LOVE WHAT IT
HAS TO OFFER
"I CAN COMPLETELY
EMPATHIZE WITH
IDAHOANS FEELING
ENCRAOCHED BUT I
WOULD HOPE THEY THINK
SOME OF THE PEOPLE
MOVING HERE ARE NICE."
JUST FOR SOME
PERSPECTIVE -- A 2016 U-S
CENSUS BUREAU SURVEY
SAYS THERE WERE 80-
THOUSAND NEW
RESIDENTS IN IDAHO IN
2016...
OF THOSE -- 17-
THOUSAND WERE FROM
CALIFORNIA... WITH
WASHINGTON IN AT
SECOND PLACE WITH
FOLLOWED BY 9,300...
WE HAVE MORE IN-DEPTH
DATA YOU CAN CHECK
OUT.. IN THIS STORY ON
OUR WEBSITE.