LEWISTON – They come for love; they come for money.

They come to flee the big city and they come to fulfill retirement projects.

People who move to Idaho come for a variety of reasons. But one thing is clear: Over the past 10 years, they’ve joined a migration of newcomers that has made Idaho one of the fastest growing states in the nation.

“I feel like the people here are a lot friendlier” than those in central Texas where she is from, said Sarah McLain, who moved to Lewiston in December “to be with the love of my life, who was born and raised in Lewiston”.

“It just seems like you never meet a stranger and people open up to you,” McLain added.

According to the US Census Bureau, Idaho leads the nation in population growth for the fifth straight year. From 2020 to 2021, Idaho’s population grew by 2.9%, according to Census Bureau population estimates.

In 2021, Idaho welcomed 53,000 new residents, bringing its total population to approximately 1.9 million. The main reason was that people were coming from other states.

Utah and Montana ranked just below Idaho, growing 1.7% each. Washington ranked 23rd, gaining about 0.3% of its population.

Karen Meadows moved to Lewiston in June 2019 from Hanna, Louisiana when her husband, Dave, was offered a job with CCI/Speer. Meadows also noted the friendliness of the people of Idaho, but said that wasn’t the only thing she liked about the place.

“We like the weather here, even when it’s hot it’s not too hot for us because the humidity is low,” Meadows said. “When people here are dying (from the heat) we say, ‘No, it’s not hot. Humidity just makes a huge difference. Even the cold is not so cold. And you have the four seasons here. We (in Louisiana) don’t have the four seasons.

The 2020 Idaho Census ranked Ada, Canyon, and Kootenai counties with the highest population growth over the past decade.

Nez Percé County was in 10th place with a growth of 7.2% and a total population of 42,090, followed by Latah County in 11th place with a growth of 6.1% and a total population of 39,517.

Idaho County ranked 20th with a growth of 1.7% and a total population of 16,541. Clearwater County was in 31st place, losing 0.3% of its population with a total of 8,734 and Lewis County was in 41st place with a loss of 7.5% and a total population of 3,533.

Washington’s fastest growing counties in the 2020 census include King, Pierce, and Snohomish counties on the western side of the state.

Whitman County ranked 22nd with a growth of 7.1% and a total population of 47,973. Asotin County was in 30th place with a growth of 3.1% and a total population of 22,285 and Garfield County was in 39th place with a growth of 0.9% and a total population of 2,286. .

Darlene Lambert moved from Clackamas, Oregon to Reubens in 2012, then moved to Lewiston in 2020.

A big part of the charm for her was the area’s small-town feel. But part of that is starting to change, she said, pointing to the deterioration of some infrastructure.

“When we first moved here, we rented from Reubens and my husband (would drive to Lewiston for work every day),” Lambert said. “We were impressed by the quality of road maintenance, even in winter. But we’ve seen a noticeable decline over the last four or five years.

Despite the changes, Lambert said she and her family intend to stay in Lewiston. But if she had to give advice to people considering moving to Idaho, she would say, “If you want to get away from where you are, don’t come here and try to turn Lewiston into what you just left.” I think it’s pretty much everywhere.

Richard Hanson, who moved to Lewiston in 2018 from Fresno, Calif., said he enjoyed the slower pace of the small Idaho town compared to where he lived.

“I worked 39 years for the city of Fresno (as a police supervisor) and I try to get away from helicopters and sirens,” Hanson said.

Even though Lewiston doesn’t have the same array of cultural activities that a big city can offer, Hanson said it’s not too far to drive to Spokane for theater or other entertainment.

He, too, is sensitive to the overgrowth of the region and the ruin of the flavor of small towns. Some of his relatives, he said, encouraged him not to brag too much on social media about the quality of living in Idaho.

“We don’t want to attract more people here,” he said.