Also love North Idaho, but originally came from SE Idaho - which, IMO, isn't as pretty in terms of scenery (unless you're into the more arid, flat, desert-y environment). We still have family and properties throughout central and southern Idaho, but North Idaho is unmatchable for me.

When I think of Southern Idaho, I think of agriculture, wide open spaces and sprawl, fewer lakes/rivers, and not a lot of amenities in my experience, but online shopping takes care of most of that. A TON of LDS, ultra conservative, a tendency to be hostile to the new/unknown -- but if you can blend in, generally people assume you think the way they do in regard to religion and politics. The hate for anything not distinctly conservative can be annoying in regard to the economy, environment, and education. Idaho is pretty stagnant in terms of economy (IMO) and wages are pretty weak unless you're established in a specialized field, and even then other states are still more competitive (while still have a comparable cost of living). Despite low corporate taxes, the workforce is generally too underskilled to be appealing to a lot of larger corporations (I believe less than 25% had a either a 2-year or 4-year degree, last I checked? Might just be 4-year).

North Idaho is green, mountainous, has tons of large lakes, cute "beach" towns, more trees than Boise (lol), more of a coniferous biome, and gets more rain than the south. We have great skiing, too - with 3 solid ski resorts within 1-2 hours of Coeur d'Alene. The whole state is great for outdoor recreation, but I'm biased toward North Idaho b/c I love being on the water and dislike reservoirs or a lack of greenery. Also, being close to Spokane means quick access to more amenities, a large airport, great medical facilities, etc. -- and if you're willing to commute 20-30 minutes, higher wages, and no (WA State) income tax. :)