We were today years old when there are entire Facebook groups dedicated to moving from California to Idaho. Some of them are quite large. We're talking up to  13,000 members large. 

And it's not just Facebook groups. Simply Google both state names and the top results spit out headlines like:

  • "Move from California to Idaho | ExitCalifornia.org"
  • "Separating the Facts from Fiction About Moving from California to Idaho"
  • "3 Millennials Explain Why They Moved From California to Boise"

If you visit the homepage for that first result, it asks you where do you want to relocate and displays some choices with each state's flag. Idaho is the first one they show you. Idaho's clearly being marketed to unsatisfied Californians and they're biting on the marketing. According an overview from Boise Valley Economic Partnership, 48% of migration to the Boise Metro from 2014-2018 came from California.

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It's something native Idahoans will, at minimum, roll their eyes about and that's fair. Home prices have skyrocketed. More people means more cars on the roads and road projects to alleviate that congestion struggle to keep up with the number of people moving here. We have lower average salaries than 29 other states. There's a lot to be frustrated about.

But what what else is disheartening? Watching people attack individual people over a bigger picture problem. That ugly attitude can be really tough on someone who was so unhappy with where they lived that they felt compelled to move in the first place. Someone like, Bestplaces.net user "Philo."

Through some of his reviews, Philo revealed that he moved to Idaho from Fresno in 2014. He'd lived in California for over three decades but moved to Idaho because he was displeased with his state's politics, economy and stance on gun control laws. In his 5-star review of Idaho, he explained that Idaho's lower violent crime rate, taxes and smaller state government is what drew his family to the Gem State. Philo also had family in Boise he wanted to be closer to as he got older.

About a year later after he left that review, he returned to the site to offer some advice to those relocating to Idaho from California to help them fit in and become good neighbors to those who've been calling Idaho home for decades or their whole lives. This is a snippet of the advice that he gave.

A Former Californian's Advice to Californians Moving to Idaho

"Philo," a user on Bestplaces.net moved to Boise from Fresno in 2014. Like other California transplants, navigating the waters of moving to the Gem State from California has been tricky at times. He offered these tips to others in that situation to make things a little easier.

12 Ridiculous Myths About Idaho That People in Other States Believe

When you tell people that you're from Idaho, do they look at you funny and immediately follow up your introduction with a question that makes you shake your head? These are 12 of the common responses our listeners tell us they get!

15 Glorious Gifts Tourists Should Receive When They Fly into Idaho

When tourists fly into Hawaii, they're often greeted with a flower lei as a sign of hospitality. If Idaho did the same when people flew into BOI, we feel like these would be the Gem State's equivalent.

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