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Bill Rauer, executive director of the Idaho Building Contractors Association, was shocked when in the midst of the pandemic he began to hear about people from out of state showing up at local homeowners’ doors and offering 50 $ 000 to $ 150,000 above the market price for their homes.
“When the pandemic hit, it seemed like everyone who was considering going to Idaho was thinking, ‘This is it, we’re going,'” he said. “I’ve never seen anything like it.”
Last year, Idaho’s population took the top spot for year-over-year growth, with an increase of 2.1 percent, and the state’s second-highest growth rate. fastest in the country over the past decade, with an increase of 17.3 percent, according to US Census data. But Idaho’s popularity increased further during the COVID-19 pandemic. The meteoric increase in its appeal and the growing pains that locals now face are one example of the aftermath of the urban-to-rural exodus evident across the country.
Since the pandemic hit the United States, New Yorkers have flocked to upstate New York, Vermont and Florida. The populations of California, New York, Pennsylvania, Illinois, and a few other states with large cities have fallen so much that they each lost a seat in Congress. Meanwhile, Utah has seen a 1.5% increase in just one year, and North Dakota’s population has hit an all-time high. These figures, which already reveal a strong trend in urban-to-rural migration, are barely scratching the surface, as census data, which was released in July 2020, only covers the first months of a pandemic that has ended 2020 in full force and entered 2021 roaring.
Now, 17 months later, the people of Idaho and residents of other rural states across the country realize that the population increase was not just a phase, and the locals are trying to figure it out. how they can maintain the serenity that rural life allows with the influx of people who have arrived looking for it.
“This Idaho is nothing like the Idaho I grew up in,” Rauer said. “But I can’t call it a bad thing.”
Population growth has its benefits, including greater economic opportunity, more taxpayer money, and more people active in local politics. But as more and more people leave apartment buildings for large courtyards and outdoor recreation, those who have lived in rural areas for generations are seeing their original state change before their eyes.
“The real problem we’re seeing is the lack of available housing,” said Chris St. Germain, economic development manager for Clearwater County in northern Idaho.
In part of northern Idaho, Coeur d’Alene, median sales rose 47% from March 2020 to March 2021, according to the Wall Street Journal / Realtor.comHousing Market Index.
“It really changes the economy,” said Christine Bradbury, a fourth generation Idahoan. “On the one hand, we have people coming to shop, which is good for small businesses. But where I see really, really badly is our young generation, who need affordable housing. I have two teenagers and I don’t know where they are going to live.
Employers are also unable to hire new employees, both seasonal and full-time, due to the housing shortage.
“We’ve offered three people paramedic jobs in the past six months, and none of them have been able to take it because we couldn’t find them housing,” said Don Gardner, director. Clearwater County Emergency and Ambulance Director.
Bradbury, who often checks the housing market, can’t find anything either, she said. “What there is is very substandard housing for $ 1,000 a month. Normally, substandard housing would be a few hundred per month.
Rauer said the percentage of empty homes had dropped by 70% and there was extreme pressure to build new homes quickly. “We are not keeping pace,” he said. “It’s just not happening. “
The prices of vacant lots are also skyrocketing. Two plots of land owned by the University of Idaho were auctioned on July 7 and a press release from the Idaho Lands Department said they are expected to generate at least $ 6 million. On July 11, a new press release said they had been sold for $ 35.2 million.
In the meantime, people stay in motorhomes or motorhome parks. Bradbury said she had heard that people were even paying monthly rents at hotels in order to jump on the next open property.
Orofino, Idaho, a small town in north-central Idaho, has seen a sharp increase in its population over the past year. At Best Western Lodge, manager Tanna Zywina said no monthly rates were offered, but occupancy rates had increased by 25-30% in December 2020 and January 2021. Other hotels in the area region declined to comment.
“COVID has really changed our world,” said Bobbi Kaufman, Orofino Planning and Zoning Administrator. “I think it changed the quality of life. Having to share your space with people, no more litter on the roads, no more complaints about the services we don’t provide.
Local residents say they see a buildup of litter on highways and hiking trails and worry about the effects newcomers have on the environment. “The tribesmen and local Idahoans live a subsistence lifestyle,” Bradbury said. “We hunt, fish and feed our families this way. The townspeople are very concerned about the hunt and are settling down and trying to change the regulations.
Bradbury said she was also concerned about the impact of recreation. “People who come in have a lot of toys,” she said. “Motorized toys. UTVs that look like small, wide, fast, noisy cars. You have to constantly plan for what will be the next toy of the day.
Vanessa Gensler, public affairs manager at the Boise National Forest Service, said it was difficult to keep up with the influx. “We saw a huge increase in the use of the national forest because it was where people could go,” she said. “But on top of that, there has been an additional layer of people who have moved to Idaho, and we assume the impact we are seeing is coming from these new visitors.”
“A lot of our campgrounds were designed decades ago,” she said. “They can’t maintain motor vehicles.
The forest service has partnered with other organizations to create a campaign called Recreate Responsably Idaho. The partnership started out as a way to spread information about COVID, but has since evolved into a general information campaign on how to be responsible when you venture outside.
“There is a big effort to make sure people put out their campfires when they leave,” Gensler said. “You could put out a campfire, but is it really out? Do you feel warmth when you put your hand on it? These problems come from people who don’t know.
The Orofino region, along with many other parts of the west, was engulfed by forest fires in the first weeks of July, which were exacerbated by a long heat wave. As of July 12, the forest fires were estimated to cover 2,187 acres.
Gardner in Clearwater County finds that city dwellers expect more utilities than rural areas. He recently received a call from someone asking if the county would remove all vegetation from his yard to prevent wildfires. “It’s not that easy,” he said. “We don’t do that.”
Such expectations have become a constant in Gardner’s work. “I try to tell people as much as I can that just because you pay for the garbage doesn’t mean you get it. Just because you live on a county road doesn’t mean the road will be cleared of snow, ”he said.
Ambulance calls have at least doubled in the past year, if not tripled, according to Gardner.
“It’s a combination of an increase in the number of people and the expectations they have for services,” he said. “We’re seeing more calls from seniors, but we don’t offer pickup for doctor’s appointments. “
St. Germain at the Clearwater Economic Office says it is making an effort to meet what newcomers want. She said she was busy creating loops for people riding ATVs that connect to cities, trying to improve internet connectivity, set up cafes, and provide more diverse food and tennis courts. “We try to respond to what people ask, but the limit is always: can you access the land? “
Bradbury is worried about the demands of the new population. As more and more people believe that the city and state should provide these services, more and more people will vote for higher taxes.
“It’s a culture shock, I guess I would say,” she said. “You don’t even have to think about it in a political sense. It’s more of an urban-rural disconnect. What some of these people run away from, they actually recreate when they get here. “
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