What is Nampa Like? Looking to Re-locate from So. California.

[otto190]

Originally Posted by motomac

We've lived in Nampa for a bit over a year. My wife seems to be more sensitive to the smell than I am, and she also says it smells like peanut butter. I agree with her about the peanut butter, but not the objectionable part.....it just doesn't bother me unless we're right near the processing plant. That's strange too, since my nose is normally much more sensitive than hers.

Yes, the sugar beet processing plant is on Northside Blvd, just north of I-84. I don't think they operate year-round since I don't remember smelling it at all during the winter, but can't really say for sure.

And, if it makes any difference, we are both exceptionally happy about selecting Nampa as our place to retire.

Where we are living here in Nampa we do not smell the peanut butter hardly at all in at all ,,so being in South Nampa might be the reason..

[Huck L. Berry]

Originally Posted by llmsem

Looking to Re-locate from So. California. Want to know more about Nampa. Want to purchase a couple of acres in a safe, conservative area with low cost of living. Also, Lake Lowell area. What is it like? Thank you!

If you are moving to the Treasure Valley, you'll want to avoid Nampa and Caldwell.
Rent and housing are cheap there....because they're dumps.
The first time I smelled what other people are describing as "peanut butter",
I thought somebody had been smoking cigarettes in my truck.
That's what it smells like to me, a dirty ashtray.
It finally dawned on me that it was Nampa, not me or my truck.
Anyway, it's a dirty town with a lot of lowlife, criminal-looking people everywhere.

[Syringaloid]

[roseville lover]

I have lived in Nampa for one month now and I love where I am. Coming from Boise I live on the right side of the freeway (zip code 83687). Away from downtown and the lake area. we purchased a 6 year old custom built home for $160,000 and it is beautiful. Our neighborhood is clean, safe, and the neighbors are friendly. I have only smelled the beet factory one time since being here. I don't know if we live where the wind does not blow their fumes this way. There are many newer stores right along the freeway and we feel safe to shop in those areas. However, when my husband went to the interior parts of downtown Nampa he did not like it at all. We are basically on the border of Meridian and Nampa. I have lived in Kentucky, Texas, California, Minnesota, and now Idaho. And if you stay away from the Nampa downtown areas (which the Nampa police department told me about) you will be fine. I think Nampa has a bad reputation from the locals, but if you are coming from another state Nampa is just a regular town with its good and bad parts. If you want call the Nampa police depart or email them before purchasing your property. I did that and they are honest and tell you if it is a safe area or if there are gangs for the property you want to buy.

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Population: 81,557
Pop. Change: 47%

Metro Area: Boise City-Nampa Metro Area
County: Canyon County
City: Nampa
Zip Code: 83686, 83687, 83651 ... more

Ranked #21 Most Popular Cities for the Holidays
Ranked #41 America's Migraine Hot Spots
Ranked #46 Drought-Riskiest Cities
Ranked #47 America's Best and Worst Cities for Crime (Mid-Size Metro Areas)
Ranked #68 2005 Best Places to Live

Interesting Facts about Nampa, Idaho

As of 2012, Nampa's population is 81,557 people. Since 2000, it has had a population growth of 47.20 percent.

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The median home cost in Nampa is $91,400. Home appreciation the last year has been 5.25 percent.

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Compared to the rest of the country, Nampa's cost of living is 8.30% Lower than the U.S. average.

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Nampa public schools spend $3,679 per student. The average school expenditure in the U.S. is $5,691. There are about 23.6 students per teacher in Nampa.

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The unemployment rate in Nampa is 10.40 percent(U.S. avg. is 8.60%). Recent job growth is Positive. Nampa jobs have Increased by 2.13 percent.

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[otto190]

[quote=roseville lover;28464873]I have lived in Nampa for one month now and I love where I am. Coming from Boise I live on the right side of the freeway (zip code 83687).

Away from downtown and the lake area. we purchased a 6 year old custom built home for $160,000 and it is beautiful. Our neighborhood is clean, safe, and the neighbors are friendly. I have only smelled the beet factory one time since being here. I don't know if we live where the wind does not blow their fumes this way. There are many newer stores right along the freeway and we feel safe to shop in those areas.

Your discription is like a mirror to mine ,
We move here from Western Oregon and we love it here also ,been here for 4 months,,,we live on the left side of the freeway comming from boise ,,and evidently far enough away from the beet factory that we only smelled it once too. Now get this "the wife says she rather enjoys the smell" Really ! not terrible but glad it doesnt reach us a whole lot.. We thought also that the wind must blow it your way ...
We travel about 4-5 miles to get to the shopping center on the north side of the freeway and it's not to bad of a drive ,,we are learning to go at the right time of day to avoid the most traffic ,,it works for us.. Of course we have some shopping on 12th Ave and thats not to far ..
Like you said our neighborhood is clean and safe and quiet and the neighbors are great..

[benchfan]

When home-buying in Nampa there are great areas on both sides of the freeway. There isn't a "right" side of the freeway, just better areas on either side of the freeway.

[roseville lover]

No, I don't mean right or wrong. I mean I live on the right hand side of the freeway.

[otto190]

Originally Posted by benchfan

When home-buying in Nampa there are great areas on both sides of the freeway. There isn't a "right" side of the freeway, just better areas on either side of the freeway.

I too ,,meant the right side of the freeway to mean a direction only ,,no right or wrong ,,thought I would clarify this as ,,like you stated ,,both sides of the freeway have very nice areas to live in..

[motomac]

Originally Posted by Huck L. Berry

If you are moving to the Treasure Valley, you'll want to avoid Nampa and Caldwell.
Rent and housing are cheap there....because they're dumps.
The first time I smelled what other people are describing as "peanut butter",
I thought somebody had been smoking cigarettes in my truck.
That's what it smells like to me, a dirty ashtray.
It finally dawned on me that it was Nampa, not me or my truck.
Anyway, it's a dirty town with a lot of lowlife, criminal-looking people everywhere.

Well, Mr Berry, we appear to have quite differing opinions on Nampa. We've been there for 20 months now and cannot think of anything substantial that bothers us enough to complain about. I just retired in 2011, and before that I spent the majority of my adult life overseas. I was assigned to a lot of genuine crappy places in Africa and the Middle East, but also some incredibly fabulous places in Europe and certain parts of Africa, so have seen all sorts of places from excellent to horrible. One thing I have learned is that there are good and bad parts to every single place in the world, so if you want to look for reasons to dislike something, you'll find it. Conversely, if you want to find reasons to like a place, you will also find them. I prefer to be in the latter group.

So far I have not felt unsafe anywhere in Nampa. Matter of fact, my wife and I often go to the Nampa farmer's market on a Saturday morning and then walk around the older parts of the downtown area to see what else is happening -- like auto shows, historical displays, and other fun stuff, all attended by friendly and happy people of various ethnic backgrounds. I don't let an occasional whiff of a stinky beet processing plant bother me, because it means people have jobs and are working. And yes, there are some run-down neighborhoods, but there are more neighborhoods where people seem to care how they home and yard look, even if it is older and smaller than what's considered the norm these days.

Looks like we'll have to agree to disagree on the plusses and minuses of living in Nampa.

[kimbercutes824]

Originally Posted by roseville lover

I have lived in Nampa for one month now and I love where I am. Coming from Boise I live on the right side of the freeway (zip code 83687). Away from downtown and the lake area. we purchased a 6 year old custom built home for $160,000 and it is beautiful. Our neighborhood is clean, safe, and the neighbors are friendly. I have only smelled the beet factory one time since being here. I don't know if we live where the wind does not blow their fumes this way. There are many newer stores right along the freeway and we feel safe to shop in those areas. However, when my husband went to the interior parts of downtown Nampa he did not like it at all. We are basically on the border of Meridian and Nampa. I have lived in Kentucky, Texas, California, Minnesota, and now Idaho. And if you stay away from the Nampa downtown areas (which the Nampa police department told me about) you will be fine. I think Nampa has a bad reputation from the locals, but if you are coming from another state Nampa is just a regular town with its good and bad parts. If you want call the Nampa police depart or email them before purchasing your property. I did that and they are honest and tell you if it is a safe area or if there are gangs for the property you want to buy.

Just wait until the summer! The sugar beet factory is way way worse! I do not recommend Nampa especially if you work in Boise the cost and time to travel is way too expensive. I think that the little bit more cost to live in Boise if worth it to not live in Canyon County.

I recommend Boise,Kuna,Meridian and of course Eagle but Eagle is super expensive.