Is Boise for me? (low crime, job market, to live in)

[wanderlusting]

I live in Milwaukee and want out. I'm a native here and need a change. This past winter we received more than our share of snow. Crime is extremely high and the job market is fickle and cliquish. I want something smaller and I don't want to live in a metro area of more than 1,000,000 people. Does Boise have clean air, or is it smoggy like Denver? Also, are the winters brutal or do the temps fluctuate? Any comments on any of these things are welcome. Other cities I'm considering are Reno, Salt Lake, and Tucson. Thanks.

[Anchorless]

If you peruse some of the many threads about Boise you'll find all your answers and many more!

[boiseguy]

I actually know a guy that moved here from chicago.. he grew up in milwaukee.. he loves it here... salt lake is larger than 1 million in the metro, Reno is a bit touristy and high in crime, and tuscon definetely has more sun, but don't know too much more about it other than it being near the border and all the problems associated with border towns

[wanderlusting]

If you peruse some of the many threads about Boise you'll find all your answers and many more!

Yep, I found some stuff. I had to dig in a little deep but found some info. I'm new to this website. Sorry...

I actually know a guy that moved here from chicago.. he grew up in milwaukee.. he loves it here... salt lake is larger than 1 million in the metro, Reno is a bit touristy and high in crime, and tuscon definetely has more sun, but don't know too much more about it other than it being near the border and all the problems associated with border towns

If your friend from Chicago loves Boise then it must be a great place. I didn't know SLC was that big. I visited Reno in 04 but didn't have the chance to look into relocation opportunities. It was in the upper 90s every day I was there and then I'd drive to Lake Tahoe and it was much cooler. I loved the extremes.

[LPerkins33]

Tucson is a pretty dirty place. There is trash just littered all over the streets, its mainly paper waste but its still ugly. Reno would be a great place if it wasn't trying to be Vegas Jr. get rid of the gambling and stick to Tahoe tourism and it'd be a nice place. SLC is a very nice place but too big for me. Boise is just right which is why I'm moving there this summer.

[boi2socal]

I brought some friends up from California who grew up in Chicago and they seemed to think Boise had a very midwest feel but it also reminded them a little of where they live now (Rancho Cucamonga, CA - sprawling LA suburb). Boise will have the smallest feel of the cities you are considering but it is similar to Reno Metro in size when you include Tahoe Area. Lots of recreational opporunities in Boise, great small and safe Downtown which seems to be getting better (recently slowed with the econ), and pretty the area overall is pretty safe. From your brief desires I think Boise would probably suit you best.

[wanderlusting]

Tucson is a pretty dirty place. There is trash just littered all over the streets, its mainly paper waste but its still ugly. Reno would be a great place if it wasn't trying to be Vegas Jr. get rid of the gambling and stick to Tahoe tourism and it'd be a nice place. SLC is a very nice place but too big for me. Boise is just right which is why I'm moving there this summer.

Damn, I'm hearing a lot of negative stuff about Tucson. Reno has a gaming history and tradition that goes way back before Las Vegas. I actually like that about it. Then Las Vegas took off and far surpassed it. There's a place near Reno called Virginia City that has a very interesting old west history.

I brought some friends up from California who grew up in Chicago and they seemed to think Boise had a very midwest feel but it also reminded them a little of where they live now (Rancho Cucamonga, CA - sprawling LA suburb). Boise will have the smallest feel of the cities you are considering but it is similar to Reno Metro in size when you include Tahoe Area. Lots of recreational opporunities in Boise, great small and safe Downtown which seems to be getting better (recently slowed with the econ), and pretty the area overall is pretty safe. From your brief desires I think Boise would probably suit you best.

I had a feeling too. I'm an outdoors type and Boise looks inviting in that sense. As long as a city has low crime, good natural scenery/outdoor opportunities and good malls for the wintertime, I'm happy. One more question: can anyone tell me what an inversion is? I've seen talk about it but no one really explained what it is.

[boi2socal]

Most Western cities have some sort of an inversion. Boise's is generally in winter and can create cool to cold temps with sometimes heavy fog. This also keeps all the pollution the city generates down low in the valley. In contrast, the mountains above the city will usually be clear and often warmer than the valley floor. Salt Lake gets a winter inversion as well. Not sure about Reno.

Here is the scientific explanation:
Inversion (meteorology) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[Syringaloid]

Boise inversions are pretty mild compared to other Western cities, mainly becuase of the smaller size of the city compared to other spawling areas like Salt Lake and Denver. Salt Lake has horrible inversions, even in the summer.
Some people complain about Boise's inversions, but what we get is small potatoes compared to our other cities in the West.

[Anchorless]

I disagree.

I think other than Los Angeles and Salt Lake City our inversions are as bad or worse than other cities in the West.

What other cities are you thinking of? Surely we're not better than Denver, Portland, Seattle, Reno, Vegas, or Spokane. San Francisco is sort of an anomaly, as their fog is legendary.