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Old 03-20-2017, 10:57 PM
 
6 posts, read 17,805 times
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My wife & 2 children(currently 5 & 6 yrs old) will be moving in a little over 1 year to the Boise area due to a potential job in Nampa. We have been looking online at homes in Nampa, Meridian, Eagle & Star in the $450k-$650k range. Any thoughts on the areas? We would like to be somewhat close to her job, have great schools for the kids (private is preferred but public is an option IF the schools are good), access to entertainment within 15-30 min and strong potential resale value on a home if we move down the road. We're currently "connected" to people in Boise (Hidden Springs) but we would love additional opinions. Does Nampa suck? Is Eagle overpriced & snooty? Is Star the "next Eagle" (Eagle 2.0) in the near future? Help us out please!!! PS- we are African American as well... I know that we're a HUGE minority in Idaho but I'd hate for us to be in an area that we're clearly unwanted!!! I'd hate for our kids to feel "frowned upon"
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Old 03-21-2017, 12:26 PM
 
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Check out niche.com for school data. Nampa sucks based on the stats. Eagle HS has a 92% graduation rate but Meridian HS has a 76% graduation rate, which must mean something but why exactly only a local could tell you and they don't seem to frequent these forums much. Must be too busy enjoying the good life!
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Old 03-21-2017, 04:54 PM
 
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Thanks a million
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Old 03-23-2017, 02:16 PM
 
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Nampa would probably be lowest choice. Meridian or Eagle the most likely. Part of the choice is how much yard you want. Generally more in Eagle I'd guess. Star might be the next Eagle in 10-20 years but not quite, not yet. Pretty much bedroom. Eagle has a pretty good dollop of retail & commercial. Eagle will be the most "liberal". Most welcoming? I dunno.

Last edited by NW Crow; 03-23-2017 at 02:26 PM..
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Old 03-26-2017, 03:39 PM
 
Location: Boise, Idaho
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With the average sales price of a home in Boise still just over $250k, you will be able to choose any area you want with room to spare. In Eagle, you can find very nice brand new homes in great communities in that price range or existing homes on acreage in your budget. In Star or Middleton, you can get a nice home on the hillside with a view and money to spare. Going out toward Nampa, you might consider the south side of Lake Lowell if you enjoy rolling hills and a quiet lifestyle.

The Boise area finally is getting some diversity so I don't think you will have much problem fitting in. I have had clients from many different countries, many different religions and they have never expressed any issues with being welcomed. I think some of the adoptions of different races and mixed races are finally breaking down some of the barriers!

Hope this helps!
Jim
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Old 03-26-2017, 03:44 PM
 
Location: Eagle
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Yes, Nampa sucks. Eagle is very nice. Meridian has lots of schools, shopping, restaurants. Star is nice but's it adds fifteen minutes to go anywhere.
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Old 03-26-2017, 08:00 PM
 
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Thank you all for your insights, if anyone else wishes to chime in please feel free
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Old 03-27-2017, 01:00 PM
 
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Meridian is your typical suburb, Eagle near the Meridian border (Two Rivers/Banbury area) has more infrastructure nearby than and the far ends. Depends what your looking for, more rural feeling, or more conveniences near by.

To me when I drove through Star seems as of right now they just have the basics and you would need to drive to Meridian or Boise.

If you come from a big city, or typical Suburb you may want to stay in Boise/Meridian, more rural with land and space, Star is an excellent choice.

Go on google maps and zoom into the street, you can "walk" the neighborhoods and check them out.
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Old 03-27-2017, 04:57 PM
 
6 posts, read 17,805 times
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Thank you
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Old 03-30-2017, 01:36 AM
 
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It doesn't sound like money is an issue, so that being said I would choose Boise. When we moved here we rented on the border of Eagle and Meridian. I liked it well enough. As others have said, it is typical suburbia, for all the good and bad that carries. Then we purchased in Boise and I noticed a complete change. It wasn't that Eagle/Meridian was bad, but Boise fit our lifestyle so much better. With the budget you are looking for you could afford a nice home in the North End, which is a very walkable neighborhood, close to downtown and good schools. It is also pretty close to the foothills. You could also look east of town (Warm Springs Ave and Barber Valley), which also have ready access to the foothills, good schools and little traffic. I noticed you may have a job in Nampa. The only thing I see as a problem with Boise is the traffic going toward Nampa on I-84. However, if you live east of Nampa, you should be fine with the reverse commute, so it won't take that long.

As far as feeling out of place, I am not a minority so I cannot speak to whether others feel out of place, however I can answer it this way: Prior to moving here we lived in the midwest/upper south and spent a lot of time of most of the other states in the midwest/south. From my perspective, I noticed race being a bigger issue in those areas (midwest/south) to the point that people self-identified based upon their own race and tended to interact with people of their own race more than here. In Boise, there seems to be more interaction with people of different races, but more homogeneity in the population which makes it seem more segregated. Boise does not have scars and history that areas back east have, especially the south, which often creates a barrier than can never be overcome. Again, in my perspective Boise shares the same thing other parts of the Pacific Northwest have, almost a naïveté, when it comes to racial differences than other parts of the country which AT TIMES make for (what I perceive) some awkward yet innocent interpersonal interactions. It's odd, even though Boise does not have a large minority population, I actually see a more diverse population when I go to the mall, restaurants, grocery stores than I have in other towns back east that have a larger minority populations which tend to be more segregated. Coming from the midwest/south, I have noticed people in Boise to be a little more reserved than I am used to (which I grew to like) but sometimes comes across as aloof or cold (but it isn't, just took me awhile to see it was just more reserved). I can see that naïveté and aloofness make someone seem more distant, but in reality this reserved nature is very much a live and let live mentality.

Boise is a very welcoming town as evidenced by their willing acceptance and embrace of refugees who were relocated to Boise. Good luck on your move, the Boise area is a good, welcoming place to live. I don't think you or your children will feel unwelcome.
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