Possibly moving to Boise (Nampa, Meridian: apartment complex, wages, rental)

[LJsMom]

I'm looking to move sometime between Christmas and New Years, but I'm trying to figure out how much money it'll take and if its even possible.

I'm a 24 year old single female, will be 25 by then. No kids, just two dogs. I currently live in Southeast GA

My plans now are to fly and only take my small dog, then when the weather warms up in the spring/summer and i'm sure i want to stay, fly back home and drive my jeep back with the rest of my stuff and the other dog.

My first question is can someone point me to a map of Boise that has Boise divided into neighborhoods? I'm looking online at rental cost and stuff, and I keep seeing the locations refered to like "boise bend", "north end", etc.

When I visited Boise I stayed West Fairview/north cole roads area- I could see St. Alphonsus from the place I was staying.. what area would this be considered? I liked the older homes in that area.

How is public transportation? If I stayed in one of the neighborhoods around St. Alphonsus, how difficult would it be to get to downtown and other areas wthout a car.

Also, how is the job market? I just received my Bachelor of Business Administration, but I don't have a great deal of work experience, how hard would it be to find a decent job?

What are rental cost like? I don't mind having roommates and I don't mind living in a dump.. as long as its a safe dump! Could I find a place to live w/ utilites included for under $500/mnth?

How much money would you say that I need to have in the bank to cover my first two months in Boise ?- just in case it takes that long to find a job.

[Maiden]

We lived in the Boise area for two and a half years, Eagle to be exact. The cost of living is less in Boise and so are the wages. You won't be able to find anything in the Boise Bend area for the amount of money you're willing to spend. Public transportation is not a reliable way to get around. The biggest crime is Boise is bank robbery. And the majority of gang problems are in Nampa and Caldwell Idaho. The one complaint I heard over and over is that the wages are low. Most of the better paying jobs are with Micron and Hewlett Packard. But they have had big layoffs. Try looking around BSU for a cheaper place to live as long as you have roomates. I would have at least 5k in the bank because of the job situation and the fact that you will have to get some type of car.

[LJsMom]

well i was hopiing i would get more responses but since no one appears to bother answereing can anyone tell me what the north cole/west fairiview (esp post street) would be as far as neighborhoods.

[ThePolyPrincess]

I'm 40 and I can't remember what it was like to be fresh out of college, no family, and a renter. But I wanted to offer a few comments.

Our public transportation is evolving, albeit slowly, but it's difficult to get around. I don't know if it's possible to get to downtown from the St. Als area, but it certainly seems like it should be.

I don't know the North Cold/West Fairview area very well, but there are a lot of rentals spattered throughout the area. They are mainly concentrated around the Boise State University campus, but most of those older neighborhoods in the St. Als area have small houses for rent - apartment complexes are popping up all the time too. With two dogs I'm guessing you are looking for a house.

With roommates you should be able to find a place w/utilities for under $500/month.

The northend is a nice place to live with dogs. The area is known for it's older homes (a lot of which are for rent) and is very dog-friendly. There is public transportation and you'd be close enough to downtown that you could possibly even bike or walk. Since you are coming w/o having secured a job first, I think I would recommend this area over the north cold/west fairview area because it's more central to larger concentration of companies.

I think $5k would be the minimum you would want in your account.

Good Luck.

[Lacerta]

Have a bit of patience :P People on these boards are very willing to offer opinions, but most of us don't live and breathe these forums, so it can take a day or two before answers come in.

If you would like to see how the local MLS (Realtors) define the different areas of town, go here: Intermountain Multiple Listing Service, Inc.: Maps

I've lived here 30 years and I've never heard of the "Boise Bend", so I can't help you with where that might be. Fairview & Cole would be considered either West Boise or Boise Bench depending whether you were north or south of I-84. The divisions are somewhat arbitrary, and not everyone refers to exactly the same area. I notice that the map doesn't actually have a "North End" labeled, and that is a common one. I don't know if they are precisely the same, but I think that "North Boise" is roughly the same as "North end". Maybe someone who lives down there can look at the map and see if they correlate. Also, I personally consider all of West Boise to be "on the Boise bench", but not everyone does.

I don't know how much places rent for in the North end, but I know houses are typically priced higher per sq.ft. to sell down there, so it would be logical that rents would be higher as well. You would have to balance that with the convenience factor. As ThePolyPrincess mentioned, though, the dogs may be a factor. As you move SouthWest across town, on average, the houses get newer, and owners of newer houses can be less willing to accept larger dogs, or any dogs at all. You might have better luck in the North end at that.

It is possible to get around most of Boise on the bus system, but not always easy, or quick. It can be difficult to impossible to get around Meridian on the bus from what I've heard.

[CTC]

Originally Posted by LJsMom

well i was hopiing i would get more responses but since no one appears to bother answereing can anyone tell me what the north cole/west fairiview (esp post street) would be as far as neighborhoods.

I think my Grandmother lives close to this area (Pamona Rd off Mtn View to be exact). I would characterize this area as modest, with mostly Ranch style homes built in the 50's,and 60's. Kinda quiet and sleepy in a good way

Her neighborhood is pretty well kept and has nice mature trees.There is good public transportation in Boise-I have used it myself.

[boi2socal]

As far as your neighborhood question I would call the area you stayed in the Boise Bench but very near West Boise. As Boise grows it would be nice if the city itself would officially divide the city into neighborhoods and/or districts (outside of the neighborhood associations that currently exist).

Transit...If you manage to get an 8-5 job you may be able to work the bus system. However, if you get stuck at work you're out of luck as the bus operates only till 645pm on weekdays, even more limited on Saturdays and doesn't operate on Sundays. Boise has one of the worst transit systems around considering the areas population is around 600,000. Boise is bike friendly so if you live/work Downtown, North End, or near BSU you could make that work for you and you're still on your own time.

[BoiseTiler]

I would suggest you use boisecraigslistdotorg for your housing, roomates or whatever and and their are jobs here a lot of temp agencies that are good you can call ahead and inquire as to what kind of jobs are available to you and maybe set up a plan of attack before your arrival who knows you could find a job even before you get here if your wiling to put forth the effort and boise job service is great also
Jobservice
How much money depends on how frugal you are and w/o kids I would say you could get by on 2000.00 for two months maybe less. The public transport system will get you where you need to go and St. Als is about 5 miles from down town.
A bike is a great transporter here (we are a bike friendly community)

good Luck
Jeff

[ryansdad]

Be sure to find a job here first, before moving here. We know many people who sold their house in CA (2004-2006), and were able to buy a really nice home (& investment property), and gave themselves a year to find a job.

One friend (a nurse) had to finally take a job for much less than half of what she was used to making in WA state. This is something we've seen many times.

Don't get me wrong though. The Valley is a great place to live. It's just better to move here, knowing that you have the job/pay you'll need.

Hope your transition goes well!

[boiseguy]

there are plenty of rentals under 500 per month, but I think your best bet for those would be in the northend or west end where you're saying. Many of the older homes have been converted into apartments or duplex's. I had a couple friends that lived in them and they were 475 per month with utilities. Of course if you're ok with having a roomate, there are plenty of options that are pretty nice, and will keep you under 500 dollars per month.. so long as you have a roomie of course. My advice would be to find someplace near downtown so that you can walk or use a bike. seeing as how it will be january, walk or bike for the first couples months till the snow melts and then just get yourself a scooter. They're cheap and just about everywhere in boise now considering gas prices... as for public transportation... its evolving.... so bear with it... its not boise's fault so much as it is the good ole boy pumpkin head state legislature dragging their feet on funding abilities. You'll understand it more when you get here and talk to people.. boise is essentially the only city in a mostly rural state... as well as considering the fact that 20 years ago boise was much smaller.
I think you'll be just fine, and boise is a good place for people starting their careers, not the best wages in the world... but moving to idaho and wanting to drive around in a rolls royce will just make you stick out too much *wink*
good luck
also whoever said 5k to save up... I would agree, just to ensure covering expenses and transportation issues.