Teresa Jeffry didn’t sell a Bay Area house and move to Boise, Idaho.The former Corte Madera resident made the switch to Eagle, about 10 miles northwest of the city, in July 2020, fed up with the Bay Area's rising costs and crime and what she saw as a lack of tolerance for those like her holding conservative political views. She and her family had visited Boise in 2018 with an eye to relocating and liked what they saw.
Idaho’s capital city is a particularly popular destination for those who have done well for themselves in California’s real estate market and are now drawn to the powerful economics of moving to Boise and other lower-cost cities amid a boom of prospering tech companies expanding in Boise or taking root there as startups. Boise is also appealing to employees who can work remotely.
One Palo Alto couple sold their five rental units in the Bay Area for 30 units in the Boise area, tripling their income, said Brent Hrdlicka, a realtor with Capital Group in the Boise suburb of Meridian who offers a relocation guide and other outreach to Bay Area residents. He and his family moved to Boise from San Luis Obispo County’s Morro Bay in 2018.
“That was the final straw,” Ghali said. “It’s just not how California used to be. It left a bad taste in my mouth.” One of Ghali’s new neighbors welcomed her to Boise with a plate of cookies and some friendly advice: “Make sure you change your license plate.” Changing one’s driver’s license and getting a new mobile phone number are also popular moves for those trying to hide their California past. Former Bay Area residents still risk having their California roots show.
“I was like, ‘Oh, whoa,’” Jeffry said recalling the conversation, and the $275 fine she risked in California for letting her dog go off leash.