Idaho’s Road to California
According to the latest Census figures, the Gem State was officially the second fastest-growing state in the country.
Idaho trailed only Utah when it came to people moving in from other parts of the world. The news should not be a surprise to anyone who drives to and from work in Idaho. Or someone who loves to get away to McCall on the weekends.
More people has meant more traffic on our freeways, leading to something we use to joke about; congestion. Although our traffic challenges are not nearly as severe as Los Angeles or Seattle, we are moving in the wrong direction for development. The Idaho Business Review reports on the lack of affordable housing in Idaho due to so many folks moving into the Gem State.
The IBR states that Idaho is following in the footsteps of California when it comes to affordable housing. They sum it up in the following passage from their latest edition:
"Idaho today shares many of the same conditions that prevailed in California in the latter half of the 20th century: more jobs than workers, idyllic surroundings, a high quality of life, single-family homes at the expense of infill and higher density housing, the growth of suburban sprawl, hostility to growth and restrictive zoning. Never forget that in the 1950s, California was a beautiful place to live with lots of jobs and a booming economy."
All Idahoans understand they're living in historic times. Our elected leaders are up to determine if we continue down the road towards California or reclaim the Idaho life that brought us to this great state.