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I'm not sure anybody in this thread said "Boise is better than SLC."
Even if you love SLC, you have to admit that if your going to make a drive that long, Portland and Seattle are worth the extra time over SLC. Especially if you are going to a larger city to find something that is not in Boise, you will have a better chance finding it in either Portland or Seattle.
Having spent several winter vacays in Sun Valley, I would say that if you are in Boise and you're looking for a more sophisticated area that's only 3 hours away, you might want to try Sun Valley. Shopping is good but expensive. Restaurants are good. Can't remember nightlife, but I'm fairly certain they have some clubs and/or cowboy dance bars.... maybe I'm thinking of Park City's cowboy bars.
I've only been to SV in the winter, but I've heard it's nice in summer.
The rest of the off-season, I'd go to Seattle or Portland.... or it might not be too far to Bend.... but I haven't been to Bend in ages. And, Bend is not a good place for shopping, but I do all my shopping online, so who cares? If you want "real" culture, you're not going to find much outside SF, NYC, London, Paris, or Florence... so save up your frequent flyer miles.
People don't live in the Northwest for the cultural scene.
Please let me know if I'm wrong in my post (above) because I think I can use the post as a basis for a retirement article on my website.
[MOD CUT]
I would love to know if my "outsider's" view of Boise is correct or if I'm totally off base. Thanks.
Tina
Moderator: Sorry 'bout that. Wasn't sure if I was allowed to link or not. Should have looked at the rules. (Just don't want to put my email address in a public forum because I'll be spammed by R/E agents and mortgage companies.)
I am from Seattle and have never lived in Boise, but I have spent short amounts of time there because my stepson and his family live in Meridian. So, I'll try to get this thread back on track by giving you my best guesses and gut feelings. I did go to Boise a few weeks ago to look at areas where I might retire. My husband and I couldn't agree on a neighborhood, so we're still thinking about relocating, but haven't made a definite answer. So, even though I live on the Eastside (Seattle area), I'll give it a shot.
Likes - remember, I've never lived in Idaho:
1. Weather: It's sunnier, but the area is browner. Not as many trees. Not much snow in cities, but I understand that you can go up to Bogus Basin to get snow. I think it is nearby - a place similar to Snoqualmie, but probably closer.
2. People are nicer. It's more like Seattle used to be before Microsoft and all the other biggies moved in.
3. House prices are half (or less than half) than comparable areas in Seattle.
4. I like the actual city of Boise. It's like a cute little toy town compared to the "big" city of Seattle. (I consider Seattle to be a toy town compared to other cities like LA, SF, and NYC.)
5. The cost of living seems lower. Gas prices and things like that. Not sure about property taxes.
6. Nice bike trail along the river - in the city near the university. If you are into hiking and dirt biking, there are cool trails in the foothills - I've been told. I can't do much hiking, but I have a baby-boomer-style cruiser bike for bike trails. I imagine that you are much more likely to go hiking or biking in weather like they have in Boise than in cloudy, drizzly weather like Seattle.
7. Good place to raise a family. Meridian would be a great place for kids. Great schools in Meridian Joint School District 2 and probably not bad in the other Meridian district. Boise has good schools.
Dislikes - Not all of my dislikes are negatives, but they are things that others may not like:
1. Fewer jobs. There are jobs but I think you have to know someone to get a job. They've lost some of their Micron and HP jobs... Albertsons.... Someone correct me or add to the list if you know more than I - and almost everyone in Boise knows more than I do about the job scene. (If you lived in Seattle during the Boeing bust of the early 70's, you will understand how the loss of jobs ripples out.) But, I'm retired. If you're retired, moving to the Boise area is great because the loss of jobs has made the price of homes tank.
2. Mormons everywhere. Now, I like Mormons, so I don't consider this a bad thing. I am not a Mormon but I was married into a Mormon family in Seattle when I was in my 20s. I would be happy if all my neighbors were LDS because they are nice people. On the other hand, if you are not a Mormon you will have a harder time finding a job because people are more likely to hire people they know. If you're LDS, you will fit in and find a job more easily. (Just a guess...but, I'm fairly certain that you will have Mormon neighbors if you are moving to a burb like Meridian. Meridian is comparable to Bellevue.) I consider the Boise area to be a suburb of Salt Lake City... but that's A-OK with me.
* PS I've had people ask me about Mormons - related to Mitt Romney for Prez - and I've told my friends that Mormons are Christians, though they view some things a little differently than Catholics and most Protestants. Mormons do celebrate Christmas, etc., and you won't find them to be much different than any other Christians. Sometimes Mormons are a little "clicky" but almost always trustworthy and friendly.
3. Suburbs like Meridian (I know Meridian because it happens to be where my stepson lives) look like Orange County, California. (I've lived in Huntington Beach.) Most of the suburban areas outside of Boise are subdivisions that are walled-off from each other. They are not gated, but the subs are their own little enclaves. I just don't like all the cement/stucco walls that surround subdivisions, but you can get a small, new house - not yet built - in a good school district for low $100ks in a new subdivision in Meridian. We saw one house that seemed like good construction for around $133k base price. (And, in OC, you would almost never send your kids to public schools, unless you live in a good area like Irvine.)
4. Desert. The area is a desert. If it isn't watered, it's brown and dusty... just like OC.
5. Air inversions. Not as smoggy as LA and OC, but there's no rain to clean the air. You get a lot of dust and a bit of smog. Of course, I was recently in the valley when the fires were just winding down. I wasn't there during the bad smoke days...but something WAS in the air that stung my eyes. It could have been left-over smoke or could have been a normal occurrence...not sure. I've usually been in the area during spring or fall and had no problems during those times.
6. No nightlife. If your son is single, it may make a difference. Personally, I don't care one way or another.
7. The only artsy part of town is the North End. I have read that artsy people live on The Bench. We cruised parts of The Bench and it seemed a bit like Ballard or West Seattle - but it had more strip malls and areas like we have along highway 99 / Aurora Ave (maybe I should say it's more like Lynnwood). Apparently, some parts of The Bench are better than others. Bench = in city, older homes, working class, did not look dangerous to me... but I've lived in Bakersfield and LA. (From what I've read, you're going to have more gangs/crime in Nampa and Caldwell, but I'm not an Idahoan...so don't sue me if I'm wrong.)
8. No diversity. Mostly Republicans. Not a problem for me.
Well, I'm just giving an outsiders point of view. The prices for houses are great. I liked the North End with the older homes, but they are more spendy. To me, the area would be comparable to Wallingford or Capitol Hill...but much smaller. I wouldn't get an older house in the North End unless it's been redone or you know how to fix things. My suggestion: Nail down a job before moving.
For no reason other than boredom, I'd like to comment on a few of your points.
Like #4, it is a small town - toy is a good word. Coming from San Francisco myself the town is "cute." I think what is appealing about it though is that small size. It kind of weeds out a LOT of the negatives that big cities have. (Unfortunately some positives as well)
Like #5 the cost of living IS lower, but what is annoying about it is that you are taxed on every purchase and service. It wouldn't be a really big deal except for the fact that the highest income tax bracket starts at an income level of only $26k annually. That means if you are making in the 20s or 30s annually, it could be a bit more expensive than the home prices will lead you to believe.
Like #6 the in-city greenbelt is very expansive for such a small city and is beautiful.
Like #7 ugh. Meridian. Most people I've met from Meridian don't even go into Boise and act like that city is gold. It gets old hearing "Meridian is so Wonderful! We don't even go to Boise!" Boise is what made this area what it is and without it there would be no charm or character here.
Dislike #1 Jobs here are practically on a who-you-know level, BUT most cities are like this. If you see more job postings in say.. Seattle, it's simply because Seattle has more overall jobs. Most cities have about 60 - 70% of the jobs on a who-you-know basis.
Dislike #2 This is just absurd. The LDS population in this area is not quite as large as many would have you believe. It may be larger than many other areas, but it's no where near the likes of SLC or Souteast Idaho. I've actually met relatively few LDS people considering how much this area is thought to be highly LDS by outsiders.
As to the "suburb of SLC" comment, Boise deserves more credit than that. Boise city is more populated than SLC (in city limites) and has it's own thing going on. Not to mention the drive is 6 - 7 hours.
Dislike #3 Thank goodness you said this.
Dislike #5 Agree! The only times I've had nice crisp air in the last few years were my quick trips back to SF.
Dislike #6 I wouldn't say NO nightlife, Downtown can be a happenin' little place for such a small city. Thanks to BSU. Without that, I'm sure there would be none at all. There aren't many clubs, but the bars and few clubs that we do have always have something fun and spunky going on. Downtown on a Friday night is a fun outting.
Dislike #8 There are a lot of non-republicans in Boise city. They just aren't as vocal. Meridian, Kuna, Star, Eagle... different story.
Those are all my comments for now. Thanks for letting me spend 5 - 10 minutes wasting time.
Dislike #5 Agree! The only times I've had nice crisp air in the last few years were my quick trips back to SF.
Really? I've lived here for 30+ years and until this summer which was truly awful in July and August with the nearby forest fires, I would have said that our air quality is generally very, very good with the exception of winter inversions which, last year, we didn't even have until January and even then they were intermittent, as usual.
Today is GLORIOUS, crisp and clear. Days like this are really common and when I think of Boise, it is crisp air and blue skies that comes to mind. Yes, we have bad weather days, and even bad air days during the winter. It might get colder or wetter but overall, I think we enjoy pretty good air quality in Boise. To say that the only times one has nice, crisp air over a period of three years is by visiting SF seems a little extreme. Maybe the only times you've had crisp, ocean air? That might be accurate as we're a wee bit far from that SF sea breeze...
Dislike #5 Agree! The only times I've had nice crisp air in the last few years were my quick trips back to SF.
Really? I've lived here for 30+ years and until this summer which was truly awful in July and August with the nearby forest fires, I would have said that our air quality is generally very, very good with the exception of winter inversions which, last year, we didn't even have until January and even then they were intermittent, as usual.
Today is GLORIOUS, crisp and clear. Days like this are really common and when I think of Boise, it is crisp air and blue skies that comes to mind. Yes, we have bad weather days, and even bad air days during the winter. It might get colder or wetter but overall, I think we enjoy pretty good air quality in Boise. To say that the only times one has nice, crisp air over a period of three years is by visiting SF seems a little extreme. Maybe the only times you've had crisp, ocean air? That might be accurate as we're a wee bit far from that SF sea breeze...
Really. It may have been clean comparatively, but... It's still bad. At any given day, even a trip to the other side of the state feels "cleaner" (either north or east) - but hey, thats my opinion. There are few true "clean air days" In fact, our weather made the news the other day for the first "clean air day" in a while and the view of the foothills from downtown was still hazy. A 20 mile view without haze is not as often as I would prefer.
I'm not saying anything bad about Boise.This is a downside of living in ANY town this close to mountains.
Last edited by ILI.EB; 09-09-2012 at 05:14 PM..
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I've lived here for 30+ years and until this summer which was truly awful in July and August with the nearby forest fires, I would have said that our air quality is generally very, very good with the exception of winter inversions which, last year, we didn't even have until January and even then they were intermittent, as usual. 
