What is the worst thing about Boise? (Meridian, Eagle: best neighborhoods, rentals)

[Brutal Attack]

When it's impossible for me to leave the town of Eagle between 4 pm and 7 PM I call that horrible traffic.

[micrguy]

I was in Boise earlier this week checking it out. What a great city and the traffic is still much better than any other place that I have lived. Plus I have an advantage that I can work from home and then wait until after rush hour to go out and visit clients. It did not seem that it takes any longer than a half hour to get anywhere in the Boise metro area.

[sillygal]

micrguy........I would be interested in your thoughts of Boise? Pros and Cons?

[micrguy]

Sillygal - I liked how clean Boise was, probably the cleanest city I have ever been to. Very little trash on the streets and a noticeable lack of graffiti. One of our hosts who works in what could be called the "inner-city" of Boise said that you could walk through just about any neighborhood of Boise at any time and feel safe. The only unsafe neighborhoods he felt were in small parts of Garden City and Nampa.

Also, other than rush hour it seemed like you can get anywhere you want within 20-30 minutes. Plus everyone we met seemed authentically nice.

The only downside to Boise and these are more of personal taste issue revolving around looking for a house. I prefer older homes, but could not find any houses built before 1972 that had an attached and seperate master bathroom built into the master bedroom. I could find a bunch where there is a door from the master bedroom as well as a door from the hallway, so you have to share the bathroom with the kids. So I may be stuck with a newer house until I can find an older home to gut and remodel.

The other thing is that because I currently live in Phoenix, I am used to having a 6 foot high block fence around my yard. The fence give a lot of privacy and I never have to worry about my dogs. All of the fences in Boise were wood slat fences and many of them were low enough for my dogs to jump over. Other than these items, Boise seems like a good fit for myself and my family.

[sillygal]

micrguy.....thank you for your opinions on Boise, I would be looking for an older craftsman home under $125,000. Not sure if I could find anything like that there. I have visited CO, and have not visited Boise, as of yet. I am sure there are areas I can afford vs areas I can't just like in CO. I guess I need to visit and compare the two myself.

My main problem is finding affordable housing in a nice little picturesque town with lots to do for outside activities.....I love the older downtowns, tree lined streets and lots of rivers and lakes, so this is why I am leaning more towards ID.......But, really not sure if ID has these things either.

Have u ever been to CO? Thought maybe if u have u could compare the two for me.........thanks!!!

[micrguy]

What I found in Boise is that houses were a little less expensive than in CO, AZ, or CA. Doubt highly that you will find an older house in the Boise area for around $125,000. I had a hard time finding a decent fixer upper for less than $200,000. The last time I saw a older Craftsman-style for your budget was in the midwest. Expect to pay at least $200,000 for anything if you live in a larger city in the west.

I did see that they are starting to build condos in Boise, so that may be a good first step. I'm glad I bought a house 10 years ago because I could never afford a starter home now.

[izzy]

Hi micrguy,

My friend said the same thing you did. That he found Boise to be one of the cleanest cities he has ever worked in. He also liked that you can drive a short distance and ski or do other out door activities. Did you find any communitees in Boise its self that stood out as being better neighborhoods? We have been looking at smaller cities around Boise because we thought it would be hit or miss on picking a good neighborhood in Boise.

Izzy

[Brutal Attack]

Originally Posted by izzy

Hi micrguy,

My friend said the same thing you did. That he found Boise to be one of the cleanest cities he has ever worked in. He also liked that you can drive a short distance and ski or do other out door activities. Did you find any communitees in Boise its self that stood out as being better neighborhoods? We have been looking at smaller cities around Boise because we thought it would be hit or miss on picking a good neighborhood in Boise.

Izzy

Pretty much anywhere besides Nampa and Calwell all have 90% good neighborhoods. Probably the premium places would be Eagle, Kuna and North Boise proper. I've lived in Eagle, my brother lives in South Boise and my girlfriends sisters live in Kuna and Meridian and they are all super clean and safe IMO.

[izzy]

Thank you Brutal Attack. I will look more closely at Northern Boise. I've looked at the rest but was avoiding Boise because of the unknown neighborhoods.

Thanks again.

Izzy

[Brutal Attack]

Originally Posted by izzy

Thank you Brutal Attack. I will look more closely at Northern Boise. I've looked at the rest but was avoiding Boise because of the unknown neighborhoods.

Thanks again.

Izzy

North Boise actually has the most prestigious neighborhoods in the whole area. It is also called "the Boise foothills" and it's on the way to Bogus Basin ski resort. Very upscale area. Eagle is very upscale as well. I frankly haven't seen a "bad" neighborhood outside of Nampa or Caldwell. Whatever you do, stay away from Nampa and Caldwell suburbs. They are full of mexican gang related violence, run down neighborhoods etc etc.


Good luck